Topband: Delta loop antenna

[by way of Bill Tippett <btippett@alum.mit.edu>]

I like the delta loop a lot better than the dipole- but why not
select the feed point for vertical polarization? You should
get better results if your intention is to DX with it. W8JI has
a dipole at 300ft and his verticals almost always beat the
pants off it.

Here I run a full size loop, vertically fed, and do fairly well
with it, despite having no radials or ground screen under it.
Half of it is in a horizontal V about 15ft up and the other 
half forms a vertical V with apex at about 110ft.
Imagine a low, horizontal, square loop with half of it folded
up vertically along a diagonal line between opposite corners.
The coaxial feedpoint is conveniently near ground level at
a corner, where horizontal and vertical V's join. The SWR
bandwidth is very good (decreases somewhat as the antenna
height is increased above lossy ground). 

With the kind of room you have to play with- and half the
height- you could put up a good 2el quarter wave vertical
array worked against ground radials. It would beat your
250ft dipole most of the time, and probably a delta as well.
Add a little complexity with coax lengths switching, and
you can get it to cover pretty much all compass bearings.
Of course there is also the added work of putting down a
large number of ground radials, which makes a simple
loop look a lot more attractive. That's the route I took.
Of course, for DX performance, you get what you pay for.
Aside from giving a good account of itself in DXing, it would
probably do a creditable job in a domestic 160m contest
as well- not quite as good as a dipole for the close-in
states, but you do want to work *all* states, right?   :o)
>From the east coast, you will need the DX performance of
vertical polarization to get those west coast stations in the log.

As a contest expediency, a high inverted vee might well be
a surprisingly simple but capable performer, combining both
vertical and horizontal components for good overall results.
I also like it a *lot* better than a high dipole, and believe it
should not be overlooked.

73, David K3KY