Elecraft

HF Stealth Loops

Classic

List

Threaded

3 messages Options

Elecraft mailing list

HF Stealth Loops

Anyone interested in magloops should visit www.alexloop.com by Alex, PY1AHD. He has really pioneered the popularity of small, portable loops and has built many experimental loops. There is a video of him setting up an AlexLoop in 90 seconds (not rushed) at www.alexloop.com
A magloop inside a backpack next to the human body probably won't work because the loop is detuned by the human, and that tuning varies with the distance. If you are walking, tuning would be difficult because the pack will jiggle, varying the distance--unless you could glide motionless over the ground (or water). I suspect Wayne could do this, but probably not in public. Even when you use a magloop on a tripod, you have to tune it using an offset so it is in the right place when you step away. This quickly becomes intuitive once you know how much, and which way, to turn the tuning capacitor.
However, a loop mounted above the backpack, say on a folding stick, works and has been done. See www.alexloop.com
A small loop does work--I have made contacts on a 3ft diameter AlexLoop on 40m SSB with 5w. On 20m, it could be smaller and still work, though obviously with less efficiency.
The advantage of magloops is their small size, quick setup, and needing neither a counterpoise nor more height above ground than one loop diameter. If you go to a public park and want to talk to a ranger, setting up a magloop will materialize one as if by magic. Magloops are terrific chick magnets, kid magnets, and will get you in heated arguments with people who have never used one.
I have no commercial relationship with Alex, PY1AHD, but I count him as a mentor and friend. Really, look at the portable magloops on his website. www.alexloop.com
73 Eric WD6DBM

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Message delivered to [hidden email]

Elecraft mailing list

Re: HF Stealth Loops

Prefer the W4OP loop due to ruggedness and remote tune feature. Yes, its heavier but how many of us actually hike to the top of a big mountain?

What would be great, however, would be a mag loop that the KX2 or KX3 could remotely tuned from the rig. I’d pay for that ...

Joe W1GO

> On Jan 23, 2019, at 18:28, eric norris via Elecraft <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Anyone interested in magloops should visit www.alexloop.com by Alex, PY1AHD. He has really pioneered the popularity of small, portable loops and has built many experimental loops. There is a video of him setting up an AlexLoop in 90 seconds (not rushed) at www.alexloop.com
> A magloop inside a backpack next to the human body probably won't work because the loop is detuned by the human, and that tuning varies with the distance. If you are walking, tuning would be difficult because the pack will jiggle, varying the distance--unless you could glide motionless over the ground (or water). I suspect Wayne could do this, but probably not in public. Even when you use a magloop on a tripod, you have to tune it using an offset so it is in the right place when you step away. This quickly becomes intuitive once you know how much, and which way, to turn the tuning capacitor.
> However, a loop mounted above the backpack, say on a folding stick, works and has been done. See www.alexloop.com
> A small loop does work--I have made contacts on a 3ft diameter AlexLoop on 40m SSB with 5w. On 20m, it could be smaller and still work, though obviously with less efficiency.
> The advantage of magloops is their small size, quick setup, and needing neither a counterpoise nor more height above ground than one loop diameter. If you go to a public park and want to talk to a ranger, setting up a magloop will materialize one as if by magic. Magloops are terrific chick magnets, kid magnets, and will get you in heated arguments with people who have never used one.
> I have no commercial relationship with Alex, PY1AHD, but I count him as a mentor and friend. Really, look at the portable magloops on his website. www.alexloop.com
> 73 Eric WD6DBM
>
> Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Message delivered to [hidden email]

Gwen Patton

Re: HF Stealth Loops

I'm working on a potentially collapsible and packable small transmitting
loop. The main loop support is a 27-inch bicycle inner tube.

On an earlier version, I made a single loop unit using a wooden support
system and plastic plumbers pipe support strap, with conductive-adhesive
backed copper foil as the conductor. It worked excellently well, getting
good signal reports on 30m FT8, running about 25 watts indoors. I got to
Fargo from Philadelphia with a good signal. The structure, however was too
big, and the loop insufficiently rigid.

The first test will be a hybrid of the inner tube as the loop support for
the flexible plastic strap with copper foil. If it works, that's a usable
solution as it stands. But the eventual design is the copper foil directly
on the inner tube. I plan for six strips around the circumference, and a
system of connections to lengthen the conductor by jumping them together
strategically, to keep the center of the loop stationary. That won't
require moving the coupling loop.

My hope is a loop that can be deflated and packed, then reinflated onsite
using a small pump. The durability of the foil conductors will be part of
my testing, to make sure the repeated inflation and deflation doesn't
destroy them.

If nothing else, the hybrid should work easily, allowing for a quickly
deployed loop without heavy supports, that will take more than QRP output.
I've run 100 watts through the present loop without significant heating
anywhere on the loop or in the variable capacitor.

73,
Gwen Patton, NG3P

On Wed, Jan 23, 2019, 6:44 PM W1GO (Joe) via Elecraft <
[hidden email] wrote:

> Prefer the W4OP loop due to ruggedness and remote tune feature. Yes, its
> heavier but how many of us actually hike to the top of a big mountain?
>
> What would be great, however, would be a mag loop that the KX2 or KX3
> could remotely tuned from the rig. I’d pay for that ...
>
> Joe W1GO
>
> > On Jan 23, 2019, at 18:28, eric norris via Elecraft <
> [hidden email]> wrote:
> >
> > Anyone interested in magloops should visit www.alexloop.com by Alex,
> PY1AHD. He has really pioneered the popularity of small, portable loops
> and has built many experimental loops. There is a video of him setting up
> an AlexLoop in 90 seconds (not rushed) at www.alexloop.com
> > A magloop inside a backpack next to the human body probably won't work
> because the loop is detuned by the human, and that tuning varies with the
> distance. If you are walking, tuning would be difficult because the pack
> will jiggle, varying the distance--unless you could glide motionless over
> the ground (or water). I suspect Wayne could do this, but probably not in
> public. Even when you use a magloop on a tripod, you have to tune it using
> an offset so it is in the right place when you step away. This quickly
> becomes intuitive once you know how much, and which way, to turn the tuning
> capacitor.
> > However, a loop mounted above the backpack, say on a folding stick,
> works and has been done. See www.alexloop.com
> > A small loop does work--I have made contacts on a 3ft diameter AlexLoop
> on 40m SSB with 5w. On 20m, it could be smaller and still work, though
> obviously with less efficiency.
> > The advantage of magloops is their small size, quick setup, and needing
> neither a counterpoise nor more height above ground than one loop
> diameter. If you go to a public park and want to talk to a ranger, setting
> up a magloop will materialize one as if by magic. Magloops are terrific
> chick magnets, kid magnets, and will get you in heated arguments with
> people who have never used one.
> > I have no commercial relationship with Alex, PY1AHD, but I count him as
> a mentor and friend. Really, look at the portable magloops on his
> website. www.alexloop.com
> > 73 Eric WD6DBM
> >
> > Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > Elecraft mailing list
> > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> > Post: mailto:[hidden email]
> >
> > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> > Message delivered to [hidden email]
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]