Topband: "Magnetic Receiving Loop / small loop , brief summary.

[Steve Lawrence]

Observations from a West Coast USA small city lot:

It's important to understand the theory in ON4UN's books. K1ZM's book  
is THE book for beginners on 160.

My dual 160/80 magnetic loop isn't supposed work with a single feed  
line to the shack. It does.

My shunt fed HF tower isn't supposed to well work because I have no  
place for radials. It works. (Sometimes you get lucky!)

Comparisons of antennas without consideration of geographic location  
can be misleading. An inverted L and 100 watts on the USA East Coast  
will certainly result in a much different experience west of the  
Mississippi River. Big contest stations aren't in the Caribbean or  
EA8 by accident.

To paraphrase K1ZM: "Try and have available every type of receive  
antenna you have room for."

There is no substitute for trying an antenna to see how it works -  
especially when the cost of the parts is minimal. After you've over  
analyzed the theory and milked this reflector for information - just  
try it!

Without my RX loop, I'd still be chasing #100 on Topband.

73 - Steve WB6RSE

(Now at 109 worked on Top Band. Why am I still doing this? ........ )