Just a reminder to try to keep the subject accurate. I honestly don't read
all the emails on this list, but I will look when a new subject comes up.
I've always been interested in loops, although I never had one, and don't
have the wherewithall to put one up now, except I guess I could perhaps
string up something on the side of the house. I wonder if anyone has used a
house-shaped loop, with a peaked roof and all? Lol.
--
Jim, KE5AL
-----Original Message-----
From: Dr. Ronald E. Milliman
Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2014 12:35 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Huge disappointment!
Butch, how does your loop work on 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, and 10 meters? Have
you tried it on 144 or 440?
Ron, K8HSY
-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Butch Bussen
Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2014 11:52 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Huge disappointment!
Just coax. Works just fine. I did add a coax transformer which improved
its performance a lot on 75 meters. I just tie shield to one side and
center to the other. The transformer is a quarter wave stub of rg6, figured
for 3.900 mhz. Brought the swr down from 2.5 to 1.4 on 75.
Magic!!!
Loop really kicks butt on 160.
I personally don't like voltage balluns. I actually gutted a w2au one for
my 75 dipole we just put up and made just a center insolator out of it. I
suspect my 9500 would have fried that ballun.
73
Butch
WA0VJR
Node 3148
Wallace, ks.
On Sat, 12 Jul 2014,
Dr. Ronald E. Milliman wrote:
> Butch, you said you didn't have a ballun on your 160 loop; so, what
> are you feeding it with, e.g. 52 ohm coax, open wire feedline or what?
>
> Ron, K8HSY
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: For blind ham radio operators
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of Butch Bussen
> Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2014 7:17 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Huge disappointment!
>
> This is a dumb question, but is there a chance you have the cables mixed
up?
> Just a thought. BTW, different opinions on feeding loops, but I do
> not have a ballun on my 160 loop.
> 73
> Butch
> WA0VJR
> Node 3148
> Wallace, ks.
>
>
> On Fri, 11 Jul 2014, John Miller wrote:
>
>> I now wonder what was used to seal the coax at antenna ends, I hope
>> it wasn't anything that might have had the wrong action.
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Friday, July 11, 2014 9:59 PM
>> Subject: Re: Huge disappointment!
>>
>>
>>> yep, a standard dual band type antenna will show a short on an ohm
>>> meter across the feed point/coax that is connected...
>>> same with a balun.
>>> I would have thought maybe the balun is bad on the 80 meter loop,
>>> but because both coaxes are showing a short, I think it has to be
>>> connecters or coax if it's old or has been seriously damaged during
>>> installation.
>>> A serious excersism is in order me thinks.
>>>
>>> 73
>>> Colin, V A6BKX
>>>
>>> --------------------------------------------------
>>> From: "Butch Bussen" <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Sent: Friday, July 11, 2014 5:28 PM
>>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Subject: Re: Huge disappointment!
>>>
>>>> First thing to do is check coax with an ohm meter and see if you
>>>> show a short. Some antennas do and I usually check this out before
>>>> just so I know. You obviously have a short on the loop likely the
>>>> coax. Who soldered those and did they check after soldering?
>>>> Stupid question I know. Also, I am not sure if the dual band would
>>>> show a short or not, but I'd check it. SLimple thing to try is
>>>> redo the connector on the bottom end, easy to do and if you're
>>>> lucky, that may be where the problem is. Good luck.
>>>> 73
>>>> Butch
>>>> WA0VJR
>>>> Node 3148
>>>> Wallace, ks.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, 11 Jul 2014, Dr. Ronald E. Milliman wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I was so excited. Last night I told my wife, Palma, that I felt
>>>>> like a kid on Christmas Eve in anticipation of finally getting the
>>>>> guys over this morning to help me get my antennas up. Well, the
>>>>> fellows from the local ham club came over early this morning, and
>>>>> we got busy working on all the little details in preparation for
>>>>> erecting my antennas, the Dual Band vertical for
>>>>> 144 and 440 and the full-wave, 80 meter loop. We drilled holes in
>>>>> the foundation and wall for my coax and ground wire, got the loop
>>>>> attached to the pulleys and the vertical on top of the mast.
>>>>> Finally, it was time to hoist up the mast and position it in the
>>>>> wall bracket and secure the base.
>>>>> Then, the time came to connect the coax fittings and check it out
>>>>> with the antenna analyzer. Much to everyone's shocked and massive
>>>>> disappointment, we got SWR readings of 25 to 1, and even 31 to 1,
>>>>> which is as high as the meter would go. That is when the sick
>>>>> feeling developed in my stomach. What greatly exacerbated the
>>>>> situation is that we got almost equally high SWR readings on both
>>>>> coaxial feedlines. Just to see what would happen, I connected the
>>>>> loop to my TS-590, and tuned across 20 meters and could hear
>>>>> nothing. I started unscrewing the coax fitting from my rig, and as
>>>>> I did, the noise level in my TS-590 got really loud and then,
>>>>> dropped back to very low. That is when I discovered that if I
>>>>> completely unscrewed the outer shell ground side of the PL259 and
>>>>> just kept the center conductor plugged into the antenna input
>>>>> jack, that the noise level remained quite high, and as I tuned
>>>>> across the band, I could hear several signals, still not what I
>>>>> would expect, but I could hear signals. As soon as I screwed the
>>>>> outer ground shield on the antenna jack, the radio went almost
>>>>> completely dead again. Sounds like something is shorted somewhere,
huh?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> To have one antenna system not work is one thing, but to have both
>>>>> of them not work is almost beyond chance. So, the guys left, and I
>>>>> still don't have any operational antennas. I'm not sure what we
>>>>> are going to do, but I think we need to do two things: One is to
>>>>> disconnect the coax from the ballun I have connected to the loop
>>>>> and connect a dummy load to the coax and see what it shows on the
>>>>> SWR meter, and second, connect the antenna analyzer directly up to
>>>>> the ballun which is connected to my loop and see what it shows us.
>>>>> Those steps will help us isolate the problem. As for the vertical,
>>>>> I don't know what to do with that one because it is way up on the
>>>>> top of the mast, and it was one hell of a job getting that mast
>>>>> erected up and in place.
>>>>> It
>>>>> took five guys to do it, and it was all they could do to keep it
>>>>> under control while they worked it up and in place.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> So, guys and gals, it will be a little longer before K8HSY is up
>>>>> and operational on the ham bands.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> 73,
>>>>>
>>>>> Ron, K8HSY
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Dr. Ronald E. Milliman
>>>>>
>>>>> Retired Professor of Marketing
>>>>>
>>>>> President: A3 Business Solutions (a3businesssolutions.com)
>>>>>
>>>>> President: M&M Properties
>>>>>
>>>>> Chair: American Council of the Blind's PR Committee
>>>>>
>>>>> Chair: American Council of the Blind's MMS Committee
>>>>>
>>>>> President: South Central Kentucky Council of the Blind (SCKCB.ORG)
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>
>>
>
>
|
