[Elecraft] cobweb antenna

[Bill Blomgren]

I'm still in the "pre-purchase" stage.. but I'm sort of thinking that the K3 
is where I'm going to end up.. Possibly with the preamp...and then there is 
the big problem: what to make it to the air with.....

The idea of starting off with the buddipole system is out there - and very 
possible...

I've also been reading up on the plusses and minuses of many of the 
alternatives that may be possible in an apartment life...

One is the magnetic loop - which is a tad pricey with the vac. variable --  
lots of copper, and the need to tune the thing every time you change 
frequency - and not just antenna tuner stuff - as in changing the cap on the 
antenna itself. It is a very high q (and thus voltage and current) 
critter...Rube Golberg figured out how to do that.. motors with long screw 
drives into a sealed box with the cap inside..with very high voltages 
there... and thus requiring altitude for safety..

I came across a nifty square thing called a cobweb, which is more or less 
semi-flat over 4-5 bands... is very light..and can be made of pvc pipe or 
possibly fiber glass because it just has 5 wires in a big square.. One 
antenna to cover 20 17 15, 12 and 10 meters sounds interesting.. One of the 
designs even works on 6, but has higher losses... (That may be the baluns 
they use for a 4-1 impedance match and to go unbalanced...

Has anyone tried one of these critters, and if so, is the Elecraft happy 
with it?