Ham Operator Forums
General Forums => AM Transmitters => : WA2ROC June 26, 2013, 08:39:57 AM
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Here's the present lineup at WA2ROC, Durham, NC.
Heath Marauder, Mohawk and Apache.
Collins KWM2-A, Heath SB-300, balanced tuner connected to a 300' long loop
Microphones are EV 664's.
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Looking good! Tell us more about that loop antenna please. How high? How is it fed? I really want to try a loop one day
Thanks for posting.
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My loop is basically 300 feet of #14 house wire (black, but RF is color blind) and it is strung between 7 trees in almost a triangular shape. Why 7 trees, you ask? Because that's where 300 feet of wire would fit between. Altitude varies but is about 40 feet up. That's as far as I could reach with a borrowed ladder.
It is insulated using ceramic dogbone insulators and UV proof cords in each tree. The trees are tall so I felt that no 2 of them would swing in opposite directions at any one time. So far, I have been correct.
It is fed with about 50 feet of 450 ohm window line from the middle of one of the longer sections directly to a Tucker T-3000 antenna matching box with an adequate balun inside to handle the balanced load. It will tune SWR down to 1:1 on all bands, 80 through 10 and I may try it on 160.
Loops are notoriously quiet, noise-wise. Much less static and local QRN than other antennas I have used here.
It really works well on the Monday Night 20 Meter AM Net too.
I also have a 100 foot doublet, a G5RV in earlier life, but without the hokey twin lead and coax, fed with more 450 ohm window line to an MFJ Differential T Tuner in Studio B, a Johnson Viking II and NC-300. But an HQ-170 is in the works to replace that 300. I do have a second NC-300 as backup on the shelf.
This doublet is actually inside the perimeter of the loop, so there's no telling what kind of interaction is happening. All I know is both antennas work very well.
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Here's Studio B. Johnson Viking II, Viking 122 VFO, National NC-300, MFJ Differential T tuner and an Electro-Voice 664, replaced recently with an Astatic 10C for less bass response.
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Very nice station! I love that combo. I used to have a decent NC300 with the outboard Converter and speaker. I sold it off. Maybe I will find a very nice one some day or maybe a 303.
Good info on the loop. I wish I had room here. That sounds like the way to go. I do have some pines but the loop would be closer to all the neighbors so I think for now, I will keep the doublet. I enjoy trying antennas and testing them. I plan to try a couple different antennas soon. Its just so darn hot outside here in the summer!
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I replaced the NC-300 (I have 2 of them now) with a really nice Hammarlund HQ-170. It never had a clock and I am looking for one (who isn't?)
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Looks really nice! I had a friend who had one with the clock in it. The clock even worked. I will ask around for you.
C
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I found a table model "all American 5" radio with a working Telechron clock in it for about $15.00 including shipping. Both the clock and the radio worked!
60 minutes of work and the HQ-170 now has a working Telechron!
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That's a score! Never thought about looking for the clock in a different radio like that.
C