Topband: coax loops - the age old question...

[Raoul Coetzee]

I would like to add my opinion here, for what it is worth.
As I live on a small property, I am limited in choices for RX antennas.
I have been using a 3 turn co-ax loop for some years now, and always compared it to other types of loops, Flag, Pennant, K9AY and my TX  vertical, a T antenna.
About a week ago I replaced the co-ax loop with a flag, I have kept the co-ax loop on the ground, still upright and aimed at EU.
I have been doing AB tests between the flag on the pole and the co-ax loop on the ground and compared it to my TX antenna too.
At first the co-ax loop seemed better, then I discovered that my transfomer was faulty/wrong, and after making a new one, the flag seemed better than the loop. In all cases the TX antenna was worst for RX. This morning however, the TX antenna was the only one to bring a signal to my ears!
I also get good results when I use the MFJ 1026 to phase the co-ax loop and the flag.
What I have found is that the size of any loop is important to get a decent signal to noise ratio, (too small is no good) ,that decoupling the line is most important to get any decent pattern out of the loop. I would still like to try a small rx 4 square array, but even that is difficult on my property.

In short, if you have nothing else, a co-ax loop will get you there, in my opinion it is better than my TX antenna for rx.
If I lived on a farm, I would not have bothered with it.
73
Raoul,ZS1REC




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160 meters is a serious band, it should be treated with respect. - TF4M