An inexpensive, easy to build full wave wire loop for 80 or 40meters. Dx engineering rfpro1b active magnetic loop antennas dxe. Their integral, extrahigh dynamic range, lownoise preamplifier is designed for minimum intermodulation distortion in the presence of very highlevel signals that would normally overload most. Arrls magnetic loop antenna manual 2002 free shipping. With 100w on 14 mhz the rf voltage across the capacitor should be 3500 v peak and the rf current in the loop 16. Tuning a magnetic loop antenna using an arduinocontrolled vacuum variable capacitor dennis brown. The main category is magnetic loop antennas that is about magnetic loop antenna projects. It seems one of the best kept secrets in the amateur radio community is how well a small diminutive magnetic loop antenna can really perform in practice compared with large traditional hf antennas. It provides several key advantages over traditional shortwave antennas that are much larger. If plagued by local qrm, lack of space or tall masts for a fullsized 80 or 40m dipole, the magnetic loop antenna may prove to be a useful alternative. Ft817 qrp rig, the free loop calculator by ki6gd was used and the edited results are shown below. Within this physical description there are two distinct antenna types.
The objective of this article is to disseminate some practical information about. The mfj magnetic loops are about 36 inches in diameter, made of aluminium, which is welded to the tuning capacitor to minimize losses. The objective of this article is to disseminate some practical. At this point its worth noting that the magnetic loop antenna is a resonant tuned circuit and the rf voltages across the capacitor and the rf current flowing through the loop should be very high if the losses are low. Dx engineering rfpro1b active magnetic loop antennas. Dx engineering amplified shortwave 50khz 30mhz loop antenna. A magnetic loop antenna may be the answer and they are not as difficult to build as you might think. Most new hams quickly learn that the highfrequency bands are where the action is.
In the most generic terms, it appears a horizontal mounting of a magnetic loop should produce a general omnidirectional antenna, and a vertical mounting of a magnetic loop should produce a directional antenna. In part one of this series, i covered the use of one brand of commercially available, small transmitting loop antennas, also known as magnetic loops. For that article, i bought the very popular alexloop walkham antenna. Finally, on the top in picture shown above, is welded a variable tuning capacitor, a butterfly capacitor its important to avoid sliding contacts in the perspective to use an atu in the future, to avoid sparks due to the high voltage generated. Efficiency wise it seems like i dont know enough, although magloop may win again. Dx engineering rfpro1b active magnetic loop antennas are designed for lownoise reception of signals within the frequency range of 100khz to 30mhz. Since its introduction in mid 2015, the hf319 has become a popular antenna and is used in a variety of situations. I am trying to learn about proper location and mounting. An optional 4080 booster cable makes the alpha loop into a twoturn loop, enabling txrx on 4080 meters, which also improves efficiency on 40 meters over the standard 1040 meter configuration. The smallest antenna described for 80 metres was a magnetic loop. Enjoy both dx and local contacts mounted vertically. Simple receive only loop antenna constructed by phil vk5srp page 7 i have added 100uh rf chokes bypassed by 0. Magnetic loop antenna new theory the loops shown are all coupled with a ferrite transformer which is used to match the 50 ohms coaxial feeder to the feed point resistance of the loop.
Magnetic loop antennas resonant loop antennas radioworld uk. Magnetic loop antennas for the radio operator with limited space pt. A shield over a loop antenna will not appreciably decrease the amount of magnetic flux that passes through the loop when a wave goes by as long as it does not form a complete turn. Its compact design is allowed by its focus on the magnetic component and is less. If you want an antenna that really works, and takes up next to no space, then you cant do better than a magnetic loop. A magnetic loop antenna mla can very conveniently be. The resource is currently listed in in a single category. It couples to the magnetic field of the radio wave in the region near the antenna, in contrast to monopole and dipole antennas which couple to the electric field of the wave. Get both low angle radiation for excellent dx and high angel.
This link is listed in our web site directory since sunday feb 19 2017, and till today magnetic loop antenna 2010m has been followed for a total of 716 times. Like getting on the air for the first time or taking your license exam there is a certain amount of uncertainty when you first approach magnetic loop antennas, there are a few new ideas to grasp. The midnight loopthe midnight loop masscon 2010masscon 2010 g. The antenna is only 34 inches in diameter and has a built in tuner at the base of the antenna. Home made high power magnetic loop antennas amrron. These antennas are made from high quality parts and materials i. This is where the term magnetic loop antenna originates. If you want to try building your own, there are numerous websites. Diy qrp magnetic loop ham radio antenna for beginners by oh8stn. Common working ranges for transmitting loops are 1040m, 2080m. Magnetic loop river city amateur radio communications. A gap is left in the shield so that it does not become a shorted turn.
A balanced, everyday approach to allband bliss qst april 2002, pp. The underestimated magnetic loop hf antenna nonstop systems. Magnetic transmitting loop antenna excercises two magnetic transmitting loop antenna projects. A small current is transduced on the antenna and the reciever amplifies it and converts it to audio. Magnetic loop river city amateur radio communications society. If you are interested in further information from one operators practical experience read on. Their integral, extrahigh dynamic range, lownoise preamplifier is designed for minimum intermodulation distortion in the presence of very highlevel signals that wou. My loop antenna november 20, 20 14 receive properties of electricallysmall loops loop antenna is tuned to a resonance on receive by adjusting the tuning capacitor atmospheric noise dominates over receiver noise at hf tuning is narrowband, tending to limit received noise gain of a loop may be lower than that of other antennas, but.
A bidirectional,40 meter 2element delta loop array made from wire and coax provides a better way to snare some dx at modest cost. The alpha loop offers you a light 1040 meter transmitreceive magnetic loop antenna that is quick to deploy. Enter the mfj1786x a small magnetic loop 6band antenna continuously tuneable from 10mhz to 30mhz 30m to 10m. Two receiving magnetic loop antennas from old magazines. Thank you for purchasing this new product small magnetic loop. Loop systems mlat pro top band qrp magnetic loop antenna, the mlat is a magnetic portable antenna for 160m, 80m and 40m. I will try to explain in few words how the small magnetic loop antenna works. Qrp mag loop tuner 80 20m g8ode graphics by g8ode dec 2012 iss 1. Portable remote tunable magnetic loop antenna version 1. In most all other cases this is an incredible dx performer for me, in a 3 ft diameter hula hoop bolted up not that high in the air. I finally decided to buy a active magnetic loop antenna, the ml200 from. By these principles, la400 responds to the magnetic field rather than the electric field. Apr 18, 2017 i am studying the very basics of magnetic loop antennas, i do not have one. A loop antenna is a radio antenna consisting of a loop or coil of wire.
Jul 24, 2015 a magnetic loop antenna is electrically simple and looks like a two turn transformer with a tuning capacitor in the larger loop. The information is split into two sections operating observations. Loops hf antennas for aero ssb monitoring radioreference. It seems like a mag loop is a better choice, but hard to fit in a suitcase or tube for mailingflying.
Small transmitting loop antennas, commonly called magnetic loops or. A magnetic loop antenna for hf iw5edi simone hamradio. Simple receive only loop antenna constructed by phil. The secondary is the main loop, and is the actual antenna. I have also tried different antennas regular longwire, dipole for 7mhz, tuned magnetic loop with good results but all of them cant make possible hear those faint signals from far away.
I keep going back and forth between two different types of antenna. Loop antenna calculators suggest that a loop of that size can be tune from 40 to 10 mtrs with a variable capacitor of 10180 pf. Using the software at the bottom of this page, i worked out that a 36cm length of wire, will need a capacitance of around 3. The manual for the mfj1786x magnetic loop antenna can be found here on the mfj website. Its a great aerial for small dwellings and outdoor use, easily assembled on scene. W2bri an easy guide to how to build your own magnetic loop page 3 of 19 tools youll need. This loop will be at the rear of crowd in pileup situations when clawing my way through the betterdb gain, directional antenna bunch, often with amps on the radios. To get the best possible results from your la400, we recommend that you read this manual. The alpha loop is a magnetic loop antenna that is relatively easy to tune and offers coverage for 40. So, the loop diameter should not exceed about 1 mtr.
Arrls magnetic loop antenna manual 2002 free shipping on. The magnetic loop antenna seems like a potential solution to the problem of having little or no space to erect a normal dipole in a built up inner city location. It is also the lowest cost high quality complete small magnetic loop antenna currently available, but quality is not compromised. A key characteristic of magnetic loop antennas is the very narrow bandwidth when tuned, so that if you qsy a few khz you need to retune the loop. So what i really needed was a steppirlike rotateable magnetic antenna to reduce the near electric field.
A loop antenna is a radio antenna consisting of a loop or coil of wire, tubing, or other electrical conductor usually fed by a balanced source or feeding a balanced load. Here is a photo of w2bri with his 12 foot square magnetic loop antenna. Without the gap, the shield would reduce the magnetic field linking the loop so that no signal could be received by the internal wire. Everhart, n2cx efficiency controversy prof mike underhill g3lhz has challenged established loop design theory claiming very small loop efficiency is actually many db greater than claimed ref 8. Notebook showing small magnetic loop antenna results by cutting and testing method. Magnetic loopantenna homebrew swr tester 4 categories post it.
Radio waves travel by a wave of electric and magnetic fields at 90 degrees to each other. Wikipedia, the last word on antenna design zsmall loops have a. Trask, wideband loop antenna amplifier 6 17 august 2010 fig. The evolution of a magnetic loopantenna homebrew swr tester 4 categories post it. I am studying the very basics of magnetic loop antennas, i do not have one. Mfjs tiny 36 inch diameter loop antenna lets you operate 15 through 40 meters continuously including the warc bands. They are on the expensive side, but the other europeanmade product is even more pricey. Magnetic loop antenna projects category is a curation of 149 web resources on, ct1ett magnetic loop antenna, magnetic loop antennas by m0ukd, length of a resonant square quad loop. There is a general lack of measured data comparing small transmitting loop antennas to some sort of standard antenna. Dx engineering amplified shortwave 50khz 30mhz loop. I have only found a small bit of recent data 2 comparing an 1. Magnetic loop antennas w4rax vienna wireless society. Characteristics of a shielded loop antenna a shielded loop antenna is less susceptible to nearby electrical interference sources, thanks to the electrostatic shielding of the loop afforded by the grounded metallic conduit enclosing the wire coils.
Magnetic loop antenna with sdrplay sdrplay community forum. Magnetic loop antenna at microhams digital conference 2015 duration. A onemasted sloop for 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters qst april 2002, pp. Portable magnetic loop antennas ham radios best kept secret eric norris wd6dbm v2. Dec 18, 2015 magnetic loop antenna at microhams digital conference 2015 duration. This article provides all the details needed to build your own. The alexloop premier is the new and further enhanced version of the original alexloop with special manufactured ultra low loss mono block gold plated pl259 connectors.
About magnetic loop antenna 2010m the resource is currently listed in in a single category. The mfj magnetic loops are one of only two commercially available magnetic loop antennas that are currently available. I attached the flexible loop via suction cups on the inside of a window. The primary of this transformer is a small loop of wire, fed by standard 50 ohm coaxial cable coax that goes to your hf transceiver. An overview of the underestimated magnetic loop hf antenna.
Our regular antennas work by recieving the electric field portion of the radio wave. An overview of the underestimated magnetic loop hf antenna it seems one of the best kept secrets in the amateur radio community is how well a small diminutive magnetic loop antenna can really perform in practice compared with large traditional hf antennas. The primary is the small inner loop that is 15 of the size of the main loop. W2bri an easy guide to how to build your own magnetic loop.
Single fractal magnetic loop antenna radioworld uk. It is relatively simple to make, does not depend on a good ground and operates well at low. The small loop antenna is known as a magnetic loop since it behaves electrically as a coil. Im planning to put together a small p vacation hf kit. This antenna covers a frequency range from 9khz to 200 mhz. In contrast to the mla m here is a stepper motor in the housing for tuning. A good pair of leather gloves highly recommended 10. A properly designed, constructed, small loop of nominal 1 meter. The large selfresonant loop antenna has a circumference close to one wavelength of the operating frequency and so is resonant at that frequency. Buy now alexloop premier the alexloop has long been the gold standard of the portable magnetic loop antenna.
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