"Jim Leder" wrote in message
...
I have modeled a 30 meter dipole, a Delta loop and a Quad loop (the loops
'hung' in a vertical plane). I have also spent hours reading various posts
and web articles on the 2 loop antennas. I am trying to better my
situation on 30 meters, my favorite band. Currently I have a dipole at
about 38 feet, which is as high as I can go with the top wire and the
trees that I use are no more than 48 feet apart (the dipole fits
comfortably). I also have a wire vertical with 16 radials which gets
dismantled when grass cutting season starts, it probably will go back up
next fall. According to EZNEC, the Quad loop is a little better than the
Delta loop which is a bit better than the dipole, but not by much. I did
try a half square, and it seemed to work well on transmit, but it was as
noisy as the vertical on receive. The dipole is nice and quite on receive,
as it should be. The HS lasted 3 days before the dipole went back up.
I've never used either loop but I did at one time use the inverted L loop.
It worked OK, but was also noisy on receive and I probably lost an S unit
due to low gain. The dipole seems to be the best antenna I've tried under
my circumstances so far, but I sure would like some opinions on the 2
mentioned loops: Is either noticeable better than a dipole? Which one and
why? Are both nosier (important) than a dipole ( both vertical hung,bottom
fed apex down on the Delta loop and the Quad loop fed in the center of the
bottom wire)? Should I just stick with the dipole and spend my efforts
elsewhere? With the 48 feet between trees and my maximum height of 38
feet, is there anything better I could try?
I KNOW what the modeling programs say, but I don't always believe them
and I am looking for PRACTICAL experience and personal opinions on the
above 3 antennas. As it sits, I'm inclined to let well enough alone and
stick with the simple dipole, unless I can be convinced otherwise.

Thanks...
--

***** Jim Leder *****
IBM retiree since 1999
http://home.fuse.net/k8cxm



Jim,

If you want to mess with EZNEC some more, try feeding the quad loop at one
corner. Also at the top center. I have a sort of quad loop, actually a
trapazoid, hung vertically for 75 meters. My two 90 foot tree,
unfortunately, are only about 65 feet apart. So, to get all that wire up
there the bottom horizontal wire is longer than the top horizontal wire. I
am feeding it in one corner, per EZNEC calculations, with the center
conductor of the RG11 going to the vertical wire. This gives a combination
of vertical and horizontal polarization. Works quite well.

Haven't tried a delta loop, but seems to me you might want it upside down,
with the horizontal wire as high as possible. Feed the bottom apex. If I
sound contradictory, it is because I put up what fit, not what I wanted.

Tam/WB2TT