[Elecraft] Good Low Horizontal Loops - questions

[Stuart Rohre]

All very true Earl,
but I am a convert to the concept that parallel feeders can be as convenient
as coax and at less cost!  The more I have used them in Field Days, the
happier I am with them.

We have used all parallel line feeders at club field days since 1996, using
Double Zepps, horizontal vee beams, and finally settling on larger than one
wave, (at lowest band), low horizontal loops for multi band use.  We have
sometimes had more line than needed to reach from antenna feedpoint to rig,
and have draped them over tree branches, or tied them from string to tent
frames, all without RF in the shack complaints, or any apparent effect on
signal strengths either heard or transmitted.

Our contact totals go up every year as we add more bands and loops, and we
believe we have had better results with the parallel line feeds.  Both 300
ohm slotted ribbon and 450 ohm ribbon, (ladder line), have been used.  The
longest feeder is usually 110 feet or so.

Of course, in the Field Day use, we are aiming for multiband antennas, and
would not put up such a large loop for only one band, except we usually have
a station on 20 the whole time.

With the use of a few easy to make or buy standoffs, the parallel line can
be used in the home station and still be less cost than the coaxes, and give
you lower losses in mismatch cases, and that has been important for QRP to
our club use.

After several Field Day misadventures with bad coax jumpers, we have come to
like the positive simplicity of our wire nut connections to join parallel
line to antenna pigtails, or to line extensions, or simple bolt connections
on transmatches.  It has been a joy to not have to solder a coax connector
at Field Day for some years! :-)

Of course, you do have to wax your parallel line insulation to shed water
effects; but then I have drained water out of coax lines, too.  We usually
abandon operations in storms, too many lightning bolts down here, thus we do
not see the rain effects that may happen to parallel lines.  IF however, the
transmatch setting changes due to rain, that is something one can monitor
and easily correct.  We had to correct a transmatch this Field Day just past
because of it heating up from Sun beating on its dark case!  In multi band
operations, due diligence is needed for either type of feeder.

73, Stuart K5KVH