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Locked
The Biplane Antenna
Gents,
Here's the link to a compact antenna that I think deserves more in the way of exploration and exploitation. <> There's a bunch of other stuff in the Antennex site archives but you have to be a member to access it. Wish I could port some of it over here. Hmmm... maybe some non-infringing synopses as I have the time. This is the kind of thing I think would be an appropriate topic for this group in addition to our loopy stuff. 73, 'Bear' NH7SR |
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Re: Mass market loop antennas
Steve,
DDRR stands for Directional Discontinuity Ring Radiator. I thought about building one for 30 meters (and still may) but rejected it at the time since horizontal space is more of a premium item for me than vertical space. They have basically the same physical requirements as MagLoops. Fat conductors, low loss connections, high voltage capacitors if you're gonna transmit through them. Since they are more akin to a 1/4 wavelength transmission lines they are probably not as size tolerant as MagLoops. Haven't tried it, though, so can't really say. I'm in favor of discussing just about any kind of compact antenna here. There's lots of controversy over whether EH, CFA and Capacitive Disc Antennas work or not. Most of that has to do with inventor's claims that seem to contradict Maxwell's equations. I don't think that is very important. Some of the designs look like they may be very viable solutions for SWLs or folks who are limited to using indoor antennas. 73, 'Bear' NH7SR --- In loopantennas@..., "Steve" <alienrelics@y...> wrote: --- In loopantennas@..., "Brian Wesley Rich"electronics, forweird antennas, mad scientisting, moderating...My brain won't stop buzzing. It's hard to wind down and sleep at a couple of days or 3 days (rarely!) in a row. If you only knew howradiator? ground. the related topics of radio direction finding and low profile antennasas on topic subjects? |
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Re: Book recommendation
--- In loopantennas@..., "Brian Wesley Rich"
<science@w...> wrote: Welcome! I found a free online book on antennas, still being written. From Rutger's University, called Electromagnetic Waves and Antennas. Sad to say, I didn't take enough math so much of it is beyond me. See Chapter 15 for Loop Antennas. Steve |
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Re: Mass market loop antennas
--- In loopantennas@..., "Brian Wesley Rich"
<science@w...> wrote: My brain won't stop buzzing. It's hard to wind down and sleep at night. When I was young and my body could take it, I might stay up for a couple of days or 3 days (rarely!) in a row. If you only knew how many projects I have going... I used to read Sci Fi and science constantly, now it's datasheets and technical lit. I'm not a Ham, though. Never learned morse code. Way above AM BCB, but is anyone here making DDRR antennas? Those horizontal loop, omnidirectional antennas? Direct driven ring radiator? Found a site for one that does not require a ground plane. It is to the DDRR above what a vertical 1/2 wave is to a 1/4 whip with ground. How about microwave patch antennas? How do you feel about allowing the related topics of radio direction finding and low profile antennas as on topic subjects? Steve |
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Re: Mass market loop antennas
Brian Wesley Rich
Man, where do you find the time? I mean, HAM, propmaking, electronics,
weird antennas, mad scientisting, moderating... I need a tutorial from you! -Brian Wesley Rich --- In loopantennas@..., Steve Greenfield <alienrelics@y...> wrote: I'm also on the CrystalRadio list, and there are people there who |
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Re: More strangeness
Brian Wesley Rich
I read that as "get you back in, enough said."
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
-Brian --- In loopantennas@..., "Steve" <alienrelics@y...> wrote:
Got a strange IM from electronicdx: |
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Book recommendation
Brian Wesley Rich
Just received the invitation to join this list. Pleasure to be here;
thankyouverymuch. One of the loop antennas I have built was about 4 feet on a side, about 4 turns; built for listening to atmospherics, or 'spherics as I understand they are called. Worked great; had to take it well out of town, which at that time turned out to be to Coal Oil Point, CA. Did it near sunset, and heard lots of chirping and whistling. It was the third most amazing science project I have done. The instructions for construction of the antenna were from an excellent book called, "Listen to Radio Energy, Light and Sound", by Calvin R. Graf (now out of print). The other loop I built, I didn't really have to build. It was one of those VHF loops from a portable TV. All I did was add a Germanium diode and plug it into an audio amp. This one was great for picking up all sorts of transmissions at the local airport. Mostly radar and flight path beacons (what are those called)? -Brian Wesley Rich |
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Re: Theory v. Practice
Barry,
Yah... there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of "middle ground" in loop theory. I had some calculus in high school 40 some odd years ago but don't remember how to do any of it now. Simple algebra I can handle. I have thought about writing my own loop calculation program in VB6 but there are so many variables involved and the math is mostly beyond my ken. I know what I would like to have the program do but can't seem to pull up enough of the math in a form that I can understand and code with. Looks like we're riding in the same boat! 73, 'Bear' NH7SR --- In loopantennas@..., "Barry Savage" <sofistic@s...> wrote: Hello All:site. Both have excellent tutorials on them. A few ham sites have goodand wire sizes (unless you want to flagellate yourself with a treatiseI would even be willing to put the spreadsheet together and post itto the group. I am using OpenOffice as my office suite, so I canwrite it out in Excel format.and gives the physical size of the coil form and length of wire needed.end of the coil to the other?permeability, reluctance, admittance, etc. for non-air-core devices. |
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Re: Mass market loop antennas
Steve,
Gotta agree with you on this one. I get people coming in to the store almost every week wanting to know how they can get better reception of AM stations on their radio. It's the same ol' thing every time. They need an antenna but don't want to bother with the "hassle" of hooking it up... even if it's just 25' of wire tucked between the carpet and the wall. Seems like no matter how long or hard we Priests of the Technocracy preach the unwashed masses simply don't want to be redeemed! 73, 'Bear' NH7SR --- In loopantennas@..., Steve Greenfield <alienrelics@y...> wrote: What most people want is just to buy a radio and have it pick up |
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Mass market loop antennas
What most people want is just to buy a radio and have it pick up
the station they want. It's only tyros like us who will go to the trouble of owning a radio -and- an add-on antenna. Had a gentleman come into a TV shop I was working in, looking for an AM radio with really good reception, as his favorite station was at the very edge and sometimes disappeared. I looked at what he had and determined the only way he would get better reception was with an add-on antenna of some kind, loop or wire. I spent time and effort researching and buying parts for a tuned loop, specifically made to look like one of the early wood-framed ones. In the end he went out and bought some POS AM/FM table radio because it looked like an old radio, and went with his furniture. He couldn't pick up his radio station -at- -all- with it, but he kept it because it looked good with his decor. And he didn't buy the loop I was building for him, because he decided it wouldn't go with his furniture. People like us get satisfaction from hand-building something that then pulls in stations from very far away. I'm betting there are quite a few here who've even built their own radio from scratch. I'm also on the CrystalRadio list, and there are people there who even build their own tuning capacitors and galena crystals! Most people just want to hit a button and hear music or their favorite talk-radio station. So in the end I think most people would rather pay $20 or $50 more for a radio than have to buy and lug around even a $5 loop, no matter how easy to transport it may be. Steve --- Bruce Carter <brucec@...> wrote: ... AM loops seem to be one of those products for which there would __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Yahoo! Messenger. |
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Re: More strangeness
Does anyone here personally know Adam?I looked up his profile and stumbled onto his web site. He is 26 years old, and seems to be a normal guy. I think he wants to develop intellectual property regarding loop design, and possible go into business selling loops. I am sure not going to do any more speculation than that as to the events surrounding the groups. And I wish him luck selling the things - Terk and Radio Shack sure didn't have very good luck. AM loops seem to be one of those products for which there would be demand if the AM band had less noise on it, better programming, if people were more educated about the product, and the product was priced right. I think, for example, if you had a light weight, portalbe / collapsible loop that was large enough to really make a difference, you could sell it if it was under $5 to people relocated from their "home team" city and they could DX their old 50 KW sports station. Much more $ than that, and people won't buy. |
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Re: Pizza box loop
Or better yet get a clean one from the pizza restaurant so it
doesn't STINK or attract ants. |
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Theory v. Practice
Barry Savage
Hello All:
Over the last couple of years I have done extensive searching for both theory and practice with regard to loop antennas, and here is what I have found: 1. Most of the theory is way over my head, since the last calculus class I took was over 30 years ago. 2. Most practice sites explain very well how to *make* things, but not much time is spent on *how it works*. 3. There is not much in between, some exceptions are Ian Purdie's Austrailian site and Rod Elliot's Elliot Sound Products (ESP) site. Both have excellent tutorials on them. A few ham sites have good explanations of the connection between theory and practice. So, what I see is a big blank area in between, and I find myself going back and forth between the two without a lot of insight being gained in the process. For example, there are many sites with formulas for inductance of solonoid, spiderweb, rook, conical, helical, etc coils, but very little on distributed capacitance and how it varies with spacing and wire sizes (unless you want to flagellate yourself with a treatise on Maxwell's equations). I would love to use a spreadsheet that included the inductive, capacitive and pure resistive components of everything from a long straight wire to coils (as well as loops) as well as most of the common shapes (circular, square, polygonal). If I had all the formulas (in an algebraic form, not in differential calculus form) I would even be willing to put the spreadsheet together and post it to the group. I am using OpenOffice as my office suite, so I can write it out in Excel format. A good starting place is the Dr. Coyle spreadsheet, which I use all the time. It has formulas for both solonoid and spiderweb designs, as well as input for capacitance and it will calculate the resonant frequency for a given inductance, wire size and number of turns, and gives the physical size of the coil form and length of wire needed. But I want more. The Qu would be nice, and so would the impedance (since it does calculate the reactance). I added a table of wire resistance to the spreadsheet, but at this point I am not clear on which way to calculate the Q. (I mean, wouldn't the Q tend to infinity as the resistance went to zero?) And then there is the distributed capacitance. I mean, how many Coulombs (sp) does a wire of a given diameter (at least of copper) have per unit length, given a specific voltage? And how much of a charge is induced into an adjacent wire a given length away? And (while I'm on a roll) how fast does the electrostatic charge collapse at a specific frequency and voltage? It seems to me that this information could be used to calculate the capacitive reactance, and therefore the self-resonant frequency of the coil (or loop). And couldn't one simply multiply the turns by some constant instead of integrating a complex function from one end of the coil to the other? And (Oh, my god!), none of this has taken into account permeability, reluctance, admittance, etc. for non-air-core devices. Woe is me and Oy Vey! Where do I go from here? Any help would be most appreciated. Barry |
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Re: Pizza box loop
I just left it inside... after a week or so it gets nice and stiff.
Makes for good re-inforcement of the box. 73, 'Bear' NH7SR --- In loopantennas@..., Steve Greenfield <alienrelics@y...> wrote: I find it helps if you finish off the pizza first. |
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Re: More strangeness
Scott,
I live on the ground floor. The Pizza Box Loop sits about 3' off the ground and seems to do quite well there. I have tried it on the floor and also on top of a bookshelf but didn't notice any difference. It should be noted that I have only received stations within the State of Hawaii with it (all of them including the 100 watters). I don't know how well it will perform for DXing since I don't have a good receiver for MW at present. The nearest MW stations other than Hawaii would be in Los Angeles some 2500 miles away. 73, 'Bear' NH7SR --- In loopantennas@..., "Scott Savage KC7WDG" <kc7wdg@c...> wrote: Thanks for the info bear, one more question though does the loopwork best closer to the ground or not ? I am on the second story of the house and it seemto work best on the floor. For a Pizza Box Loop it probably doesn't matter all that much and thesee butanything for you to be mad about. --this talk is over. I will get you back in enough said. ok. :-< ------------------------Yahoo! Groups LinksService. Yahoo! Groups LinksService. |
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Pizza box loop
I find it helps if you finish off the pizza first.
The Q is increased quite a bit. ;') Steve --- qrpbear <qrpbear@...> wrote: Scott, __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Yahoo! Messenger. |
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Re: More strangeness
Scott Savage KC7WDG
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýThanks for the info bear, one more question though does the
loop work best closer to the
ground or not ? I am on the second story of the house and it
seem to work best on the floor.
?
?
Scott
?
?
? ----- Original Message -----
From: qrpbear
To: loopantennas@...
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 6:33 PM
Subject: [loopantennas] Re: More strangeness Oh.. ya gotta space 'em otherwise you'll have nowhere to wind the colored yarns to make it pretty Spacing at least one wire diameter will improve efficiency and Q. For a Pizza Box Loop it probably doesn't matter all that much and the difference may be un-noticeable. 73, 'Bear' NH7SR --- In loopantennas@..., "Scott Savage KC7WDG" wrote: > ofcourse this is my opinion and ill leave it at that i shouldnt have sent the email.... ok so on to another subject should i close space my pizza box loop turns or space them a wires distance apart ? > > > Scott > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Scott Savage KC7WDG > To: loopantennas@... > Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 5:59 PM > Subject: Re: [loopantennas] More strangeness > > > Not I but for some reason he seems to act like a 14yr old with a new toy and its annoying........ > > > > Scott > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Steve > To: loopantennas@... > Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 3:33 PM > Subject: [loopantennas] More strangeness > > > Got a strange IM from electronicdx: > > alienrelics: Why did you kick me off your lists? What do you mean, > "put down by your members"? I don't control anyone, and I can't see > anything for you to be mad about. > alienrelics: What have I ever said to make you angry? > electronicdx: What I mean is that they are against me in a way, but > this talk is over.? I will get you back in enough said.? ok.? :-< > > > This is a little disturbing. "get you back"? > > Does anyone here personally know Adam? > > Steve > > > >?????? Yahoo! Groups Sponsor >???????????? ADVERTISEMENT >??????????? >????? >????? > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ > Yahoo! Groups Links > >?? a.. To visit your group on the web, go to: >?? >???? >?? b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: >?? loopantennas-unsubscribe@... >???? >?? c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. |
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Re: More strangeness
Scott,
Oh.. ya gotta space 'em otherwise you'll have nowhere to wind the colored yarns to make it pretty <G> Spacing at least one wire diameter will improve efficiency and Q. For a Pizza Box Loop it probably doesn't matter all that much and the difference may be un-noticeable. 73, 'Bear' NH7SR --- In loopantennas@..., "Scott Savage KC7WDG" <kc7wdg@c...> wrote: ofcourse this is my opinion and ill leave it at that i shouldnthave sent the email.... ok so on to another subject should i close space my pizza box loop turns or space them a wires distance apart ? new toy and its annoying........ ------------ Yahoo! Groups LinksService. |
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Re: More strangeness
Scott Savage KC7WDG
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýofcourse this is my opinion and ill leave it at that i
shouldnt have sent the email.... ok so on to another subject should i close
space my pizza box loop turns or space them a wires distance apart
?
?
?
Scott
?
? ----- Original Message -----
From: Scott Savage
KC7WDG
To: loopantennas@...
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 5:59 PM
Subject: Re: [loopantennas] More strangeness Not I but for some reason he seems to act like a 14yr old with
a new toy and its annoying........
?
?
?
Scott
----- Original Message -----
From: Steve
To: loopantennas@...
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 3:33 PM
Subject: [loopantennas] More strangeness alienrelics: Why did you kick me off your lists? What do you mean, "put down by your members"? I don't control anyone, and I can't see anything for you to be mad about. alienrelics: What have I ever said to make you angry? electronicdx: What I mean is that they are against me in a way, but this talk is over.? I will get you back in enough said.? ok.? :-< This is a little disturbing. "get you back"? Does anyone here personally know Adam? Steve |
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