[HCARC] super antenna

[Lew King]

A friend in Mississippi sent me some info about a super loop antenna.  Thought you might like to dream of having such and antenna.  Enjoy!

 

A ham's dream antenna, which I saw when visiting Bob W0JEE in Smiley, TX SE of San Anrtonio.

Elvin JA3CZY from Osaka came to TX for a visit. He has a 3 element 80M yagi at 220 ft atop a building and said that W0JEE on 75M SSB was the loudest signal he ever hears form the USA, beating even the west coast high power and big antenna guys. So I took Elvin to see Bob in Smiley.

 

Here's what Bob told me about it.
He has experimented with long wires, vees, rhombics and other designs.
Then enlisted ham friends help to design the best single antenna for all bands.
There was no literature on the design they eventually came up with.
it is a square loop 282 feet per side square loop at 104 feet over good ground. 
Wire is from http://thewireman.com/antennap.html 
#531 Toughcoat 'Silky' 13 AWG, 19 strand 40% copper-clad steel (OD 0.0795") with tough, high density, low-gloss polyethylene (Nominal OD, 0.120" including 0.020" jacket. Designed for through-the-trees, sea coast, acid rain or other inclement atmospheric conditions. Our most rugged, longest-lived, stranded antenna wire for any purpose. Jacket has minimal effect on performance - less than that of a year's accumulation of oxidation product on bare wire, with less noise. Break strength 400lbs 
Sag is 3 feet between steel used oil well drill pipe at corners: 3/4" wall 5" dia 42 feet, 4" dia 42 feet, 3" dia 42 feet nested/welded 7 ft inside each other with 7 feet in concrete in ground. 
Pipe guyed in 3 directions at 120 degrees with 3/8 galv. steel cable at 35 and 70 feet up, 40 feet out from pipe on drill pipe posts 10 feet above ground and 5 feet below in cement. 

Fed at the SE corner with 265 feet of Ladder line http://thewireman.com/antennap.html#balanced Wireman # 554 
440 ohm, 14 AWG, 19 strand copper-clad steel, same as 552 but designed for maximum legal power. VF .91 

Bob says he got design help from Bud W5RPU in Allen, TX who figured out with modeling software what would be the best performing single antenna for all bands. This one performed best of all:

160M 6.6 db max gain at 49 deg elevation / 80M 11.1 db at 29 deg

40M 12.4 db at 15 deg / 30M 13.5 db at 12 deg

20M 14.5 db at 9 deg / 17M 14.1 db at 8 deg

15M 14.6 db at 6 deg / 12M 15.1 db at 5 deg

10M 15.0 db at 4 deg / 6M 15.3 db at 3 deg

Now that's some fantastic DX antenna! Bob said he spent about $4000 on materials and labor with volunteers helping. 73, Skip W5GAI