[Lowfer] Shielded Vs. Air Core Loops

[Ed Tanton]

Hi Les... just a comment or two about 160M. Several years ago, my friend 
Randy, K4ODL, and I were both hot about 160M, and had a friendly 
competition. Randy-at that time-lived less than 5 miles from me. We both 
had modern equipment... Randy was using a Kenwood TS-940; and I ran 
whatever transmitter I wanted to use with a receiving distribution 
amplifier, and several receivers... mostly a RACAL RA6790/GM and a Drake R-7.

We both had amps, running FULL power out. I had an Alpha 78, and Randy a 
Ten Tec (whatever the one was with the pair of 4CX800s I think it was.) For 
antennas, I had a GAP DX-Voyager; and Randy put up a succession of 
antennas. We would frequently get on the telephone, and listen to each 
other's signals and QSOs into Europe, Asia, and SE Asia/etc..

I was beating him a bit for a while, then Randy shunt-fed his tower. Then 
things got dicey. Only by out-operating him would I beat him in a 
pile-up... so it was sometimes me and sometimes Randy. Never one to let 
things go at that, Randy then got into (on his relatively large-city) lot: 
Beverages. From then on, I could hear/copy stuff OVER THE TELEPHONE that I 
could only tell was there-but not copy on my receivers. Finally, as a 
coup-de-gras, Randy got a two-hole Alpha 77, and that was 
that-competition-wise between us.

He DID fiddle with loops, with and w/o preamps, but could never get things 
'right'.

By the way: I would describe the GAP DX Voyager as "just OK" on 160M. It 
would usually beat my 45 ft up G5RV on transmit for serious DX distances. 
It did very well on 80M, always beating the G5RV for DX; and on 40M it 
really kicked-butt. A 20ft long, 6 inch diameter dead Oak limb landed on 
TWO of the three Dacron guys, and bent the antenna in half when the THIRD 
guy(s) snapped. (There were two levels of guys, but that didn't matter as 
far as the results are concerned.)

Bottom line: the Beverage was truly a fine receiving antenna. Not an answer 
to the loop part of your question... but perhaps useful for comparisons.


73 Ed Tanton N4XY <n4xy@earthlink.net>

Ed Tanton N4XY
189 Pioneer Trail
Marietta, GA 30068-3466

website: http://www.n4xy.com

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