[TowerTalk] RX Loop Material

[Tony]

All:

I'm interested in a home-brew receive-only loop to cover 160 / 80 meters 
and was thinking of using multiple turns of wire around a 6 foot 
diameter PVC frame with a motorized capacitor. I have a small rotor to 
rotate the antenna.

I also have quite a bit of 1/4 inch copper tubing and since it has a 
larger surface area compared to say #12 wire, I was thinking that I 
could get away with a lot less turns i.e., shorter lengths of material.

If that's the case, can the required length of each material be 
calculated using the diameter alone or is it more complex than that? 
Another concern is the spacing between turns.

Thanks...

73, Tony