Adapting a 132-foot loop for 80M
I'm helping a new General get on the air. Your comments on our antenna plans
would be helpful. He's renovating a three-story city home with a flat roof.
The roof is 16 feet wide and 50 feet deep and about 30 feet above ground.
The house is on one of the highest spots in the city and the horizon is
visible in three directions.
We're considering a 132-foot horizontal loop for 40 and higher frequencies,
supported by 8-foot 2x2s and fed via a 1:1 balun, RG-8X and an MFJ 949E
tuner in the shack about 20 feet below. If the loop was fed with balanced
line, would it be usable on 80, or would it be necessary to open it at the
midpoint to create an 80-meter dipole?
If a dipole is necessary for 80 would a balanced stub (1/4 wave on 80,
shorted at the far end) across the dipole insulator be the best method of
switching between a dipole on 80 and a loop on the higher frequencies?
We're looking to get going with an antenna that's quick, cheap and simple.
Comments would be appreciated.
Tom, N3IJ
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