Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#23
![]() |
|||
|
|||
![]()
Yes, this might be good for another thread...
Given the limited LF bandwidth you're interested in, I can't imagine that making a transformer would be all that difficult. Not trivial, certainly, but far from impossible. A 5:1 turns ratio will give you a 25:1 impedance ratio. You'll want to use a core material that doesn't introduce distortion. A transformer like that also gives you a way to keep the loop loading balanced. But--are you going to put the tuning capacitor at the loop, or do you have in mind putting it, say, at the receiver end of the feedline? If it's at the loop, how will you adjust it? And just what size signals do you expect to get? One of the nice things about LF/VLF is the predictability of signal strengths. Also, beware of worrying a lot about feedline impedance. How long will your feedline be, in wavelengths? If it's, say, 0.05 wavelengths at 100kHz (and THAT's 150 meters long!), does it really make much difference that it's quite a different impedance than the antenna? And...what IS the impedance of the line, at that frequency? It may well be a bit different from what you calculate for the line at 10MHz. What would happen if you fed your one turn loop with 100 feet of "300 ohm twinlead" or "450 ohm ladder line" and just tuned it at the receiver with a capacitor across that line? Small transmission line wire size would ding the Q some, but would that be an issue? I'm just speculating here, and maybe someone with direct experience with that sort of feed will offer suggestions. One thing to keep in mind here is that the LOOP construction will almost certainly be the most challenging and expensive part, for a big loop. And--you may really not NEED THAT big a loop! More signal also means more atmospheric noise, and you won't improve signal:noise ratio just by getting more of both signal and noise. Anyway, once you have a well-constructed loop, it's relatively easy to play around with different feed systems--preamp and remote tuning, straight feedline, whatever. Cheers, Tom |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
![]() |
||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Phone line as SW antenna [04-Apr-00] | Info | |||
Phone line as SW antenna [04-Apr-00] | Info | |||
Variations on the channel TRF AM tube tuner; and a question | Shortwave | |||
Phone line as SW antenna [04-Apr-00] | Shortwave | |||
Phone line as SW antenna [04-Apr-00] | Info |