Horizontal HF Loop
 

Anyone here tried an HF horizonal loop built around residence? (either
attached under eaves or to trees very close by)...
Did it work? Affects of antenna on residence electronics and vice versa?
(100 watt TX)
Would plan to use on several bands w/antenna tuner & open wire feed.
Tnx for comments...

Horizontal HF Loop
 

Newman,

I did that at a condo which I was renting. With a simple antenna
tuner, using a choke balun, it loaded up fine, and more importantly
got out well enough to work plenty of people, including some DX.

I got some rf into an answering machine, as well as my TV. Both of
those were the result of the phone line and the OTA TV antenna having
to pass near the loop. No problem with the neighbors.

Such an installation depends on a host of factors specific to the QTH,
as well as basic antenna factors. Things like metal siding, gutters,
especially with poor joins between sections, wiring and copper
plumbing in the wall, etc, will all have effects on the questions you
asked. Best advice is to give it a try. Not much cost, and you will
probably get good results.

Alan
WA4SCA



--
Alan
WA4SCA

Horizontal HF Loop
 

I am currently using a HF loop = 180 feet is laying on my roof and the
remaining 360 feet is in the attic, I drive it with a 706 @ 100w and a MFJ
tuner, and RG8x coax to a center feed point - works very good from 160m to
6m and becomes a rhombic of sorts from 220 MHz to 440 Mhz.

73's

"Alan WA4SCA" wrote in message
...
Newman,

I did that at a condo which I was renting. With a simple antenna
tuner, using a choke balun, it loaded up fine, and more importantly
got out well enough to work plenty of people, including some DX.

I got some rf into an answering machine, as well as my TV. Both of
those were the result of the phone line and the OTA TV antenna having
to pass near the loop. No problem with the neighbors.

Such an installation depends on a host of factors specific to the QTH,
as well as basic antenna factors. Things like metal siding, gutters,
especially with poor joins between sections, wiring and copper
plumbing in the wall, etc, will all have effects on the questions you
asked. Best advice is to give it a try. Not much cost, and you will
probably get good results.

Alan
WA4SCA



--
Alan
WA4SCA

Horizontal HF Loop
 

Newman wrote:
Anyone here tried an HF horizonal loop built around residence? (either
attached under eaves or to trees very close by)...
Did it work? ...

I had an 80M loop up for a while. Put a mast on each end of the house &
used some trees in the back yard. It was kind of a lop-sided pentagon
and up about 25' or so. I fed it 100W with ladder line & a Johnson
Matchbox. I was very happy with it. It was a bit of a cloud-warmer on 80
but did pretty well on the upper bands. I regularly used it on 20M for a
sked with a buddy in Indiana (from Arizona). A storm blew down a couple
of the trees or I'd probably still have it. I don't recall any RFI in my
house altho my neighbor had a problem with one of his el-cheapo phones.
If you have the supports, go for it...it's only a couple hundred feet of
wire and you might be surprised how well it works...

Horizontal HF Loop
 

Newman - I'd like to hear more about this approach. How big is the loop
tgat you are thinking about, and how high etc. I might try something
similar before winter if you get some decent resukts with yours.

73

Kevin VE9XYZ

"M.M." wrote in message
news:Zuhrg.105817$iU2.81564@fed1read01...
Newman wrote:
Anyone here tried an HF horizonal loop built around residence? (either
attached under eaves or to trees very close by)...
Did it work? ...

I had an 80M loop up for a while. Put a mast on each end of the house &
used some trees in the back yard. It was kind of a lop-sided pentagon and
up about 25' or so. I fed it 100W with ladder line & a Johnson Matchbox. I
was very happy with it. It was a bit of a cloud-warmer on 80 but did
pretty well on the upper bands. I regularly used it on 20M for a sked with
a buddy in Indiana (from Arizona). A storm blew down a couple of the trees
or I'd probably still have it. I don't recall any RFI in my house altho my
neighbor had a problem with one of his el-cheapo phones. If you have the
supports, go for it...it's only a couple hundred feet of wire and you
might be surprised how well it works...

Horizontal HF Loop
 

I put up a shielded link loop several years ago laying on the roof near the
gutters with part goint to close trees in the front yard as a receiving
antenna several years ago. It was something on the order of 180 feet
long as written up by AB0X in a 1989 CQ. I had just gotten my Amp Supply LK
500NTC and was listening to a CX on 75. I thought I set it to RX on the
antenna and transmit on my half square but I worked him on the shielded
loop. He was only a few DB stronger on the half square.

Did'nt burn the roof off but made sure I did not do that again HI.

Dave K4JRB
"Newman" wrote in message
...
Anyone here tried an HF horizonal loop built around residence? (either
attached under eaves or to trees very close by)...
Did it work? Affects of antenna on residence electronics and vice versa?
(100 watt TX)
Would plan to use on several bands w/antenna tuner & open wire feed.
Tnx for comments...

Horizontal HF Loop
 

Tnx all who replied.
Kevin, have decided to try to stay away from "looping" the house since it's
guttered and other electronics inside.
Now planning to try a triangular "loop" between 2 sides of house and a
single support about 75' away - would make the total about 220' of wire, fed
at one corner, about 30' AGL. (When it gets below 100 outside....)

"Newman" wrote in message
...
Anyone here tried an HF horizonal loop built around residence? (either
attached under eaves or to trees very close by)...
Did it work? Affects of antenna on residence electronics and vice versa?
(100 watt TX)
Would plan to use on several bands w/antenna tuner & open wire feed.
Tnx for comments...

Horizontal HF Loop
 

I am currently trying out a horizontal loop on my roof. I live in the trop
floor flat and have a 21' x 24' rectangular flat roof with a 3' parapet (low
wall) around. The roof is some 30' above ground.

I have draped a 21' X 24' loop of wire aroiund this parapet and fed to the
tuner with just 6' of 600 ohm ladder line. The tuner is an SGC SG-230 laid
on the roof and has its feed cable (combined coax/control/power cable)
wound as a choke balun. The tuner is effectively acting as a balanced
drive.

Results so far.
1. The natural resonance is a little below 40M
2. I can match on all bands from 160M to 10M.
3. It is definitely acting as an NVIS on the LF bands.
4. It works better on LF at night. This could be due to the radiation going
upwards and ionosphere reflects LF at night.
5. It acts like an inductive loop pick up for any QRM amanating from the
house.
6. Efficiency is generally low. Lobes are all over the place on the HF
bands.

I will try and raise the loop a foot or two above the parapet tomorrow and
see if this helps. Otherwise I am not impressed!
I used to get better results with a 30' vertical wire on a fibreglass
fishing pole. Unfortunately I don't hasve a good ground for a vertical here
and the vertical would cause problems with the local planning authorities.

If I can't find a way of making it work better on 80M and 40M I will
probably resort to a very short loaded dipole diagonally across the roof.

Richard (Dick) G4BBH