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I built this little gem a few years ago with parts I had laying around. The performance is surprisingly good as is , but when I use it with my old AMECO PT-2 preamplifier, it really comes to life. I used gator clips for the coil wires, because I planned to build coils for other bands .
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Reminds me on my project that was used to transmit, Varco started to spark above 25 watts though, used coax cable as Varco that went good to 100 watts shifting the outer braid making it cover the innard wire more or less.
Might have used RG213 for that but I had enough Rg58 in supply ...
Nice work, quick and dirty ;)
If you wanted to attenuate your signal, this would be a good transmitting antenna. :mrgreen:
Nice job but for one thing, it's too close to the wall to be rotatable. That comes in handy for squashing QRM considering the figure 8 pattern has deep nulls off the edges of the loop. An interesting coincidence, I have the same preamp. Oh, I like those old radios, my very first was an All American 5 in a Bakelite case. My discovery of stations between stations at night started me on the road to SWLing and eventually Amateur Radio.
Actually it's about 17" away from the wall, so it can be easily rotated. The nulls are very noticeable. In addition, the tuning is pretty sharp . So other than the frequency it's tuned to, the entire band is attenuated. I like using the old AM BC radios. It's a shame there isn't much to hear anymore.
No kidding. With all the syndicated shows on at night, BCB dx'ing is really not much fun anymore. I loved the clear channel days...Quote:
Originally Posted by w2amr
I did something similar at an apartment. Several turns of wire around the top of the bedroom and a pair of loops at quadrature to each other with maybe two more turns apiece than the ceiling loop. Feed was by balanced line to a tuner and I could select each loop from the tuner's antenna switch.
This thing worked surprisingly well at digging out utes across the HF spectrum and Europirates in the 49M band. I may put up another of these - maybe steerable and remotely tunable - for LF and MF work.
Funny how pictures CAN lie, like those stupid side mirrors on vehicles these days "objects appear closer than they are". Once upon a time I had SO much fun parking a van I could just scream!
"With all the syndicated shows on at night, BCB dx'ing is really not much fun anymore."
Good old cookie cutter radio and just to make things interesting the FCC dropped the full ID with callsign every 30 minutes requirement. Now we hear the same satellite driven robot crap out of Houston in every major market and they all use the same logos so there's no clue what station you're hearing.
"I loved the clear channel days."
You must mean 50KW flamethrowers with no other stations on the frequency, Clear Channel is anything BUT a clear channel. (;->)
Rant mode off AR/EX //
Back to receiving loops, they're great for everything I said they are. I remember inheriting a Hallicrafters SX-122 seen here in mint condition and some home brew stuff from an avid AM BCB DXer when he went to the big monitoring station in the sky. The most useful thing he made was a spider web loop. Looking at that schematic above I recognized it immediately as the same configuration only mine had bigger coils and more paralleled sections of 365mmF (no pF in those days) variable caps not shown here.
http://www.arraysolutions.com/Produc...tm#top of page
I lust for this. :yes:
Huh, I remember it as uuf, or mickey mic. Must be an Arizona thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by kb2vxa
It seems odd (as opposed to even) that I can remember that shit, and I can't remember where the fuck I put my cars keys just 5 minutes ago.
That's okay. I can't remember where the fuck I put my car.Quote:
Originally Posted by K7SGJ
With a car like yours, consider it a blessing.
No shit. I went out to take the grandkids to school this morning and there was a small puddle of coolant underneath it. I couldn't tell for sure where it was coming from and I didn't have a lot of time to look right then so I added coolant and left, figuring I'd find it easier when the engine was warm and the cooling system was under pressure. When I got back, the coolant level was right where it was when I left and the leak had stopped. Go figure.Quote:
Originally Posted by K7SGJ
Maybe when it cools it will show up. Heat can do some mysterious things. I had an '82 Bronco that always smelled of antifreeze when the motor was shut off. I looked for that for years and never found a leak. I figured maybe it was just a fluke (no, that's a meter) or some tiny leak in the heater core. I finally fixed it by selling the damn thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by KJ6BSO
It's been sitting for about five hours now and still no leak. I guess I'll find out for sure when I go to work tomorrow morning at Oh-Dark-Thirty.
It's easier than you think, pressurize the system with air when the engine is cold, a garage has or should have the equipment. Heat causes metal to expand, reducing clearances and sealing the leak. If all else fails a cup of dry oatmeal in the radiator when cold is an old trick, when it "cooks" the mush plugs leaks.
I love it when they fix themselves. Unfortunately, in most instances it's only temporary.Quote:
Originally Posted by KJ6BSO
For coolant leaks I use one of these.
http://www.amazon.com/Stant-12270-Co...ressure+tester
Under 30 lbs of pressure, leaks usually show themselves.
^^^yeah this^^^
I am lucky. It is always a hose.
Take off ay! To The Great White North, land of tuques and hosers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BFPt001PYU