[Elecraft] [OT] Tube Bender for Mag Loop antenna?

[Walter Underwood]

A friend was making some custom handrails out of stainless steel tubing and found that muffler shops are glad to bend pipe into about any shape you want.

It will probably be an amusing break from the day-to-day to make an antenna.

For smaller gauge loops, thin-wall flexible copper tubing is nice. The kind of stuff you hook up a fridge ice maker with. Hammer the end flat, drill a hole, and screw it down.

wunder
K6WRU
Walter Underwood
CM87wj
http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog)

> On Oct 4, 2016, at 2:18 PM, Fred Jensen <k6dgw at foothill.net> wrote:
> 
> On 10/4/2016 11:54 AM, rick jones via Elecraft wrote:
> 
>> Do any of you guys/gals especially in 3-land have a rolling tube
>> bender so I can make my 3 foot copper loop?
> 
> I've had pretty good luck with smaller local machine shops when I've had
> one-off tasks like this.  In particular, I've found that if one can't do it, they'll gladly recommend someone who can.  I found one local guy who wound an inductor for me using 1/2" tubing.  He also fabricated three teflon bars to support it.  I was in N. Cal at the time.
> 
>> PS I don't want to sweat solder an octagon. I'm trying to keep loop R
>> to an absolute minimum.
> 
> Assuming your "3 foot copper loop" has a diameter of 3 ft, it's circumference is 9.425 ft.  An octagon with the same loop area has a circumference of 9.680 ft.  The difference is 0.26 ft [3.06 in].  That might not be enough to worry about in terms of I^2R loss in 1" copper tube.  YMMV however.
> 
> 73,
> 
> Fred K6DGW
> - Sparks NV DM09dn
> 
> - Northern California Contest Club
> - CU in the Cal QSO Party 7-8 Oct 2017
> - www.cqp.org
> 
> 
> 
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