[KX3] KX3 with Alex Loop
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First thanks to all those that responded to my request to see a KX3 - that was achieved this weekend.
I'm looking to setup a light weight SOTA setup. In addition to the KX3, I also saw a mini-buddipole and while it seems to be well manufactured and comes in a nice case it weighs about 2.5lbs, plus mast with either guys or tripod. An end-fez sloper would be extremely light but here in southern CA our peaks are short on trees, thus requiring at least one telescoping pole. This has led me to consider the Alex Loop - appears very light, fast to setup, no need to get it more than 5ft of the ground. Being a mag loop should help with QRM at local urban QTH as well. I'd love to hear from anyone using the Alex Loop with a KX3, and if you tried other SOTA type antennas as well all the better. Gary KK6GXD ______________________________________________________________ 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 |
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Hi Gary -
I've been using the AlexLoop with my KX3 on SOTA, and it has worked extremely well for me. The only real downside to it is expense, but if you can get past that you should be very happy with it. I usually activate with W5ODS who uses an EARCHI end fed with a 32 foot telescoping pole. He seems to get slightly better signal reports (very uncontrolled observation), but it does take a little bit longer for him to set up, and of course he has to carry the pole - though it hasn't seemed to be a problem even when bushwhacking. Of course when doing SOTA, CW at least, there is never a dearth of contacts, so even if a wire solution were more efficient in the end, it doesn't really matter much when activating. It isn't too hard to find the area of the sweet spot when tuning on receive. I find I usually want to have the preamp on +20dB and the filter wide on 20m and above to be able to easily hear the increase in atmospheric noise while tuning the loop since it is usually so RF quiet on peaks. Once you are tuned, you can turn the preamp off - the signals come booming in. During the final tune with transmit, I do fine using some dits and the bar graph on the KX3, others like to use the numerical indication that shows when pushing the TUNE button (with the ATU disabled of course). Chip AE5KA On Sun, Nov 3, 2013 at 10:00 AM, Gary Hawkins <[hidden email]> wrote: > First thanks to all those that responded to my request to see a KX3 - that > was achieved this weekend. > > I'm looking to setup a light weight SOTA setup. In addition to the KX3, I > also saw a mini-buddipole and while it seems to be well manufactured and > comes in a nice case it weighs about 2.5lbs, plus mast with either guys or > tripod. An end-fez sloper would be extremely light but here in southern CA > our peaks are short on trees, thus requiring at least one telescoping pole. > This has led me to consider the Alex Loop - appears very light, fast to > setup, no need to get it more than 5ft of the ground. Being a mag loop > should help with QRM at local urban QTH as well. > > I'd love to hear from anyone using the Alex Loop with a KX3, and if you > tried other SOTA type antennas as well all the better. > > Gary > KK6GXD > ______________________________________________________________ > 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 > 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 |
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In reply to this post by Gary Hawkins
Gary,
I have a KX3 and KX1 and have operated both portable from Connecticut and from home in EI using this antenna on CW. I have spanned the ocean in both directions while operating with the antenna inside the shack. This is a thrill every time. What I find good about the AlexLoop is the ability to set up in some one's home and make a few QSOs. It is however no wonder antenna and in fairness no Gotham vertical claims are made for it. I would be very sure that the Buddipole is the better antenna but one would want to try them side by side. The Alex Loop does fold up into a nice small case. Have you considered the new SteppIR CrankIR. I think this is a much better antenna when compared to the AlexLoop. Having said all of this I am pleased to have the AlexLoop and it does allow me to get on while travelling without outside wires. You must be selective in where the AlexLoop is positioned; too close to some wires or metal and it may not perform as you would like. 73 Doug EI2CN -----Original Message----- From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Gary Hawkins Sent: 03 November 2013 16:00 To: [hidden email] Subject: [Elecraft] [KX3] KX3 with Alex Loop First thanks to all those that responded to my request to see a KX3 - that was achieved this weekend. I'm looking to setup a light weight SOTA setup. In addition to the KX3, I also saw a mini-buddipole and while it seems to be well manufactured and comes in a nice case it weighs about 2.5lbs, plus mast with either guys or tripod. An end-fez sloper would be extremely light but here in southern CA our peaks are short on trees, thus requiring at least one telescoping pole. This has led me to consider the Alex Loop - appears very light, fast to setup, no need to get it more than 5ft of the ground. Being a mag loop should help with QRM at local urban QTH as well. I'd love to hear from anyone using the Alex Loop with a KX3, and if you tried other SOTA type antennas as well all the better. Gary KK6GXD ______________________________________________________________ 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 ______________________________________________________________ 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 |
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How close is too close?
David K0LUM On Nov 3, 2013, at 1:27 PM, Doug Turnbull wrote: > You must be selective in where the AlexLoop is > positioned; too close to some wires or metal and it may not perform as you > would like. > > 73 Doug EI2CN ______________________________________________________________ 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 |
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Dave,
This is a good question. I have had line cords which came within inches of the antenna and did not seem problematic but a fan a foot distant was. The one thing is that you can tune in a station and try moving the antenna. I know this is not quantitative - these are just my experiences in a timber frame home. Of course this is not a problem on top a mountain and so maybe the compensations allowed by height and being in the open compensate to a large degree for the antennas deficiencies. The Alex Loop is very portable and can be set up inside a room and it works but I had to work for most of my QSOs. The one exception being at the tail end of a contest when the big guns were hungry in the USA and I worked fourteen Ws running ten watts and the Alex Loop inside the shack. It is impractical to be separated from the Alex Loop by any distance as one needs to tune the antenna if you change frequency by more than 20 kHz or so. Still I could operate and monitor from both my sister's and brother's spare bedrooms. It is neat to be running the KX1 with four watts and work across the Atlantic with a small inside antenna - it can also require some effort. 73 Doug EI2CN P.S. QRP with my 4 element SteppIR at 24M / 80 feet is not the same as QRP with an Alex Loop and 5 Watts. _____ From: David Christ [mailto:[hidden email]] Sent: 03 November 2013 20:14 To: Doug Turnbull Cc: Elecraft Reflector Subject: Re: [Elecraft] [KX3] KX3 with Alex Loop How close is too close? David K0LUM On Nov 3, 2013, at 1:27 PM, Doug Turnbull wrote: You must be selective in where the AlexLoop is positioned; too close to some wires or metal and it may not perform as you would like. 73 Doug EI2CN ______________________________________________________________ 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 |
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In reply to this post by Gary Hawkins
I’ve had a ball with my KX3 and AlexLoop Walkham, particularly on 20- and 17-meters. Very easy to set-up, and easy to tune with just a little practice. I have the unedited QST “Short Takes” review in the “Reviews” section of my website at www.ad5x.com. Included in that review is a simple interface I built that lets the Walkham be easily attached to a standard camera tripod.
Phil – AD5X ______________________________________________________________ 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 |
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I recently purchased a KX3 and Alexloop to take with me on a two week cruise from Sydney to New Zealand and back. ( I left the Buddipole at home) It was my first real QRP experience with the KX3, having gotten it only 2 days before leaving for Australia. I had a ball ! Fortunately, we had a wrap-around balcony on the stern of the ship and that helped with a 180 degree horizon. ( I probably should have taken a dipole along too, but didn't). Anyway, the station was cheerfully accommodated. The steward brought an extension cord so i could operate with an external PS. The setup was the KX3, Maclogger on my Macbook Air, and the Alexloop hung with a 12 inch bungee chord off the steel trusses on the deck floor above. With a nice operating table (coffee table) and the antenna just above the level of the balcony rail, i was easily able to work VK's and ZL's land with honest S4 to S9 reports on SSB with just 5-8 watts. The following evening i worked Papua New Guniea (S8) , Ascension Island (S7), a G3 (5 and 7) and an F6 near Paris with S7 report. SSB could be a challenge, but CW was a breeze and lessened the handicap of low power and signal to noise ratio. Working a string of JA's, Russians, Italians, Slovenia, etc etc, and had two contacts back in my home state of Florida. I was just casually operating when time permitted, but it allowed me to enjoy 4 "sea days" with some new toys. The performance of the loop surprised me, but of course, the "salt water amp" helped a lot, and so did paying attention to the grey line. The Alexloop really needs attention to tuning, and just a few KC's QSY requires a retune, but optimizing its resonance with each small frequency change, and using the internal KX3 tuner made this easy, and eventually a no brainer with more and more use. Another evening, KH6's, JA's, an F6 (gave me an S7 into Paris), and OH, several Russian Asiatic stations, Bulgaria, Slovenia, etc. Operating CW was a blast, and the JA's gave me a work-out...running one QSO after the other, and all with 5-7 watts. So, from my experience, the combination of the KX3 and the Alexloop is hard to beat. The KX3's receiver is superb and just like operating my K3, plus the included key was effortless to operate too. What a great portable rig and antenna combo !
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