Thank you so much for showing exactly where the wires on the variable capacitor goes. I watched several videos about loop antennas but they never show where the wires go. I made a loop and got absolutely nothing. I watched your video and changed the wires and BOOM it works. Come to find out in was actually ground both wires to the chassis. The VC I was using had a post where it was grounded and I had put one wire on it and the other to the ground.
I got mine from grandad. He had lived through the depression. And the "radio" then for a boy was a diode rig and with a loop antenna on a balcony . Space was at a premium. So the antenna was the "cats meow" he boasted 8 stations through the north west ohio area . Thanks kv4li
I used to have one very like that. The tuning capacitor was in a box at the bottom. This also served as the stand for it. 5 way binding posts were the connections
Great video. And looked for the extra videos that you mentioned you might do. Please continue this project! LOTS of channels are really into radios more than ever because of the current world situation! ALSO handheld radios are BIG! Everyone is talking about them. I liked your antenna design and look out of all I’ve seen. Please continue!
Normally for this style of aerial it would have 2 uprights and 2 horizontal. So it looks like a noughts and crosses game. Wood is hardwood so it expands and contracts differently keep wire taught. No metal screws or brackets. Just glued joints. Basic design around 1940,s used more for Receiving in the UK. Cheers from old George
I'd like to build a loop antenna. Is the Spiral or the Box Antenna best for long distance..? (And can you recommend a book/webpage to find info on similar antennas).
I got one that someone made, but its too large. I might try to have it inside the house (4th floor, impossible to have a good space for it) or i just make a smaller one if i can, but i need to figure out one thing, would be awesome to get a bit of help here. So, how can i tune the antenna with the capacitor, if there is no signal at the moment? Im trying with 27mhz CB channels, but CB is pretty dead so its hard to hunt for a signal, but would be cool to have the loop set to 27mhz, so it would be easy to just plug that in to my CB os SDR. Maybe NanoVNA would help? Never had it before so i would need to learn it O_o
In most places in the US, the AM band still has strong transmitters on that. There are online calculators that let you work out the inductance of the loop or at least get you close. The variable capacitor is something like 350pF maximum. If you look on the internet you will find calculators that compute frequency from L and C. 1/(2*pi*sqrt(L*C)) = frequency
@@kensmith5694 Well, im not a professional sadly so i dont really understand everything about it, but ofc the main problem is the positioning, i cant even install more than 1 antennas outside of the window :/
I don't think you could transmit on this, it was made for receiving. If you were going to experiment I probably wouldn't do more than 5 watts. It works good on AM band.
Can anyone tell me why my Anker 15600 mAh USB battery charger/battery pack is shutting down when attempting to power my MLA-30 Active Loop Antenna??? Is there a simple cure to this dilemma? Thanks
Likely because of the very small current being supplied to the antenna. The active part uses very very little current causing the battery pack to "think" that nothing is plugged into it. Try using a few AA batteries or 18650 in a holder. Should be able to power it for at least several hundred hours.
Antennas like these are mostly used for the AM band yes, but it "will" work for 160m and I have even picked up 20meters with one....afterall the inside "receiving" part/wire is just that...a piece of wire. The tuning effect has little to no effect at higher frequencies. But it could/can in a pinch.
If I may respectfully add here, there is no such thing as an "AM" antenna or an "FM" antenna or a "Digital" antenna. I know they get advertised and sold that way but the antenna does not care what type of modulated signal it is picking up (or transmitting) - all it cares about is frequency and that is the frequency where the impedance of the antenna is close to the impedance of the transmission line (usually coax or flat-line ) and the input impedance of the receiver (transmitter). For ham radio, this is usually 50 ohms. For classic TV's the impedance was 300 ohms or maybe 75 ohms for a cable network connection. When these three things (the antenna, transmission line and receiver/transmitter) are closely matched (doesn't have to be a perfect match) then you will be "tuned" to best hear (or transmit) a signal at that frequency regardless of what type of modulation it is. Typically, this is thought of as resonance or lowest SWR and this is close enough but resonance and SWR may not occur at the same frequency on an antenna-system. SWR measurement is usually the one that is used to "tune" an antenna-system for best performance, the "antenna-system" consisting of the antenna and its transmission line. In the end, this antenna-system works best when it is tuned, by frequency, to best match the impedance of the receiver (transmitter) it is connected to. Hope this helps.
Thank you so much for showing exactly where the wires on the variable capacitor goes. I watched several videos about loop antennas but they never show where the wires go. I made a loop and got absolutely nothing. I watched your video and changed the wires and BOOM it works. Come to find out in was actually ground both wires to the chassis. The VC I was using had a post where it was grounded and I had put one wire on it and the other to the ground.
I got mine from grandad. He had lived through the depression. And the "radio" then for a boy was a diode rig and with a loop antenna on a balcony . Space was at a premium. So the antenna was the "cats meow" he boasted 8 stations through the north west ohio area . Thanks kv4li
I used to have one very like that. The tuning capacitor was in a box at the bottom. This also served as the stand for it. 5 way binding posts were the connections
Great video. And looked for the extra videos that you mentioned you might do.
Please continue this project! LOTS of channels are really into radios more than ever because of the current world situation!
ALSO handheld radios are BIG!
Everyone is talking about them.
I liked your antenna design and look out of all I’ve seen.
Please continue!
Normally for this style of aerial it would have 2 uprights and 2 horizontal. So it looks like a noughts and crosses game. Wood is hardwood so it expands and contracts differently keep wire taught. No metal screws or brackets. Just glued joints. Basic design around 1940,s used more for Receiving in the UK. Cheers from old George
Looks like an instrument 🎸
Super antena.
Very nice work... I like it so much I also will use this design. Most of these tuned loop antennas are ugly,
Thanx a lot man. Well done.
Home Depot doesn't sell 1.5 inch wood. The do sell 1 1/2 inch square poplar lumber.
Great video x can you tell me what the software is?.. I like the simple design.. nicE
JEEBUS --- thought i had missed some news
Amazing work
At around 9:00 that's called a Stator & Rotor of the V.C.
nice reception
Spiral tuned loop antenna, as opposed to a Box tuned loop antenna.
I'd like to build a loop antenna. Is the Spiral or the Box Antenna best for long distance..? (And can you recommend a book/webpage to find info on similar antennas).
Hi. Can you make a loop antenna that you don't have to tune?
LMAO
But, this thing is often necessary, espacially when the band you are working in demands too much wire to make the antenna.
I got one that someone made, but its too large. I might try to have it inside the house (4th floor, impossible to have a good space for it) or i just make a smaller one if i can, but i need to figure out one thing, would be awesome to get a bit of help here.
So, how can i tune the antenna with the capacitor, if there is no signal at the moment? Im trying with 27mhz CB channels, but CB is pretty dead so its hard to hunt for a signal, but would be cool to have the loop set to 27mhz, so it would be easy to just plug that in to my CB os SDR. Maybe NanoVNA would help? Never had it before so i would need to learn it O_o
In most places in the US, the AM band still has strong transmitters on that.
There are online calculators that let you work out the inductance of the loop or at least get you close.
The variable capacitor is something like 350pF maximum.
If you look on the internet you will find calculators that compute frequency from L and C.
1/(2*pi*sqrt(L*C)) = frequency
@@kensmith5694 Well, im not a professional sadly so i dont really understand everything about it, but ofc the main problem is the positioning, i cant even install more than 1 antennas outside of the window :/
Very well explained, what program do you use to draw your explanations ? Tanks
It was on an iPad Pro using screen recorder and a program called Concepts
what is the frequency range and does it work for transmitting?
I don't think you could transmit on this, it was made for receiving. If you were going to experiment I probably wouldn't do more than 5 watts. It works good on AM band.
Can anyone tell me why my Anker 15600 mAh USB battery charger/battery pack is shutting down when attempting to power my MLA-30 Active Loop Antenna??? Is there a simple cure to this dilemma? Thanks
Likely because of the very small current being supplied to the antenna. The active part uses very very little current causing the battery pack to "think" that nothing is plugged into it. Try using a few AA batteries or 18650 in a holder. Should be able to power it for at least several hundred hours.
There is no such thing as an AM tuning loop antenna! AM is an operating mode, not a frequency. Just about any mode can be used on any frequency.
No, but it is (or was) widely used for AM, so it got the commonality name as such.
im assuming this is just an am radio antenna?
why am i hearing hams in the audio
Antennas like these are mostly used for the AM band yes, but it "will" work for 160m and I have even picked up 20meters with one....afterall the inside "receiving" part/wire is just that...a piece of wire. The tuning effect has little to no effect at higher frequencies. But it could/can in a pinch.
If I may respectfully add here, there is no such thing as an "AM" antenna or an "FM" antenna or a "Digital" antenna.
I know they get advertised and sold that way but the antenna does not care what type of modulated signal it is picking up (or transmitting) - all it cares about is frequency and that is the frequency where the impedance of the antenna is close to the impedance of the transmission line (usually coax or flat-line ) and the input impedance of the receiver (transmitter). For ham radio, this is usually 50 ohms. For classic TV's the impedance was 300 ohms or maybe 75 ohms for a cable network connection. When these three things (the antenna, transmission line and receiver/transmitter) are closely matched (doesn't have to be a perfect match) then you will be "tuned" to best hear (or transmit) a signal at that frequency regardless of what type of modulation it is. Typically, this is thought of as resonance or lowest SWR and this is close enough but resonance and SWR may not occur at the same frequency on an antenna-system. SWR measurement is usually the one that is used to "tune" an antenna-system for best performance, the "antenna-system" consisting of the antenna and its transmission line. In the end, this antenna-system works best when it is tuned, by frequency, to best match the impedance of the receiver (transmitter) it is connected to. Hope this helps.
AL COMIENZO DEL VIDEO,SE ESCUCHA UNA ESTACION DE RADIOAFICIONADO,PERO LA ANTENA LOP.,ESTA DISEÑADA PARA ONDAS MEDIAS????*
*COMO SE EXPLICA???
*Y LAS MEDIDAS EN CENTIMETROS DE CADA LADO,NO LAS PONES EN EL PLANO????*
*MAREAS MUCHO,ALMOVER TANTO LA CAMARA, AMIGO!!!!*