More loop stuff.
 

G'day all, well over the weekend I managed to put my 20 m Quad loop up between two masts and it is working better than before although it isn't very high!

Something else I noted is the 'sound' of listening on a loop. Boy, they sound nice. I've been using wire dipoles and such exclusively for a couple of weeks and switching back to a loop, one immediately notices the difference.

Not necessarily 'quieter', but somehow different and nicer. Somewhat like a better 'listening' signal to noise ratio. Has anybody else ever noticed this curious quality? Regards, Felix (vk4fuq) aka catman.

I believe it is going to be quieter: the loop responds to the magnetic field which is quieter than the often staticky electric field. Also being directional the loop ignores any interference coming in 90 degrees off orientation.

That gives me an idea. If constructing a loop for 20 meters (or any of the higher frequency ham bands above 14 MHz) isn't too difficult, I might try to make one. I live in an apartment building and cannot use outdoor antennas, so my Icom IC-725 all-band 100-watt rig has been in storage literally for years, all my hamming these days being done on 2 meters (I am a member of the local ham club and use their repeater on occasion) and Echolink (a computerized amateur radio linking system) for HF; my node number is shown after my signature. I think I'm better off DXing with Echolink since there is no antenna (or problems attendant to it) to contend with, and of course no TVI or RFI problems. Been in ham radio 40 years, got my first license in 1972.

73,

G'day mate, sadly a full wave loop wouldn't be feasible in an appartment block situation, as a wire loop 70 odd feet in length would be required (for 20m), however a tuned 'magnetic loop' is small in size and can give excellent results. Regards, Felix (vk4fuq) aka catman.