Wonder Wand "Wonder-Loop 750" - 7-50MHz portable loop antenna
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- Опубліковано 13 чер 2022
- Does this thing Cut the Mustard? What is cutting the mustard anyway? These things come up for sale on ebay every so often, take a look here if you're lucky: geni.us/NmlBjj otherwise you can find them at your favorite ham gear dealer as well. If all else fails give www.wonder-wand.co.uk a shot!
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Hah! That is pretty cool to see this antenna in action. They’re always at HRO and we’re popular on the 817/818. The 705 makes tuning this up a snap.
Looks like a good antenna to hunt for RFI too. 👍
I think pairing this with the material they use for the signal sticks would be the best thing evarrr
@@temporarilyoffline 😮 YES
@@temporarilyoffline don't forget diameter of the radiator wire itself plays into loop efficiency. Larger is better. 10 guage is probably the best you could go on those terminals.
As it is, loops have poor efficiency.
@@aa3konthego You are correct. We have a really big one at the club shack, and the weather is finally nice enough to get out and play with it.
I have just picked up the same aerial. On my first attempt indoors I’ve got France and Slovenia and spoke to Slavko. It’s fantastic
Slavko is always there when you need him.
'and spoke to Slavko' - brilliant!
Glad to see vids on this finally from someone! I’ve been so interested in this rig for awhile. Thanks
Any time! I was genuinely curious and now I know.
I'm always amazed at your navigation through the radio...you know the hardware inside and out!
Thanks Bob, I like the radio... well I like all radios too. Ok, I have a problem.
Great. Another thing that I didn't know I needed. Thanks TO.
Glad I could help out 😁
Interesting little antenna and great test TO! I don't utilize the SWR graph much in my 705
I like the x6100s swr scanner more than the 705s
On my mfj mini loop I use a nano vna and it makes all the difference. I first tune for max noise on the radio then connect the vna and dial the dip right onto the 40 khz of the band I want to work.
That's a great idea!
I have great luck with my mfj mini loop tuner. Awesome gadget!
@@gliderrider We took apart one of the MFJs on a ham nuggets episode. Pretty neat piece.
Thanks for Sharing the infor !! Ham Doctor !! You got my Vote!!!✍🏻🤨👍🏻
Awesome! Thank you!
Hi... To tune such a narrow bandwidth antenna, I would transmit at 20 percent power with an rtty signal and would use the built in swr-meter to tune the antenna. The usage of the built in antenna analyser is ugly. I do have the same problem with my 7300...
73 de Martin (DG4BAD)
That's a great idea 💡 👍
Yes this one of the methods I test for vswr, re small loops tune by ear then finish off as described above and allow for hand capacitance.
@@adam-g7crq Hand capacitance is one of the trickier parts for sure.
I got one for my FT-817 and even made a contact. I agree it ok for listening but not really for transmit. Using the SWR of the 705 really helps.
The 705 has lots of nifty built in features, more than the tiny amount of buttons conveys. I like it. I'd like it more if it was 100w
I feel your pain tuning it. I have an AlexLoop I’ve used with my G90 and it took some practice. Mag loops can be so delicate to tune. But it’s worked well on a few POTA activations and I did FT8 with it from the hotel at Hamvention.
Do you have your qso map from using it for ft8?
@@temporarilyoffline Yes, I just sent it to you via Twitter.
I have an AlexLoop which is pretty good. Certainly a compromise antenna, but easy setup at a picnic table, for example. It is strictly loop, however, no driving your dipole with it. But loop tuning is, indeed, fussy. I keep thinking that I'll get around to making a further reduction drive, connected to a long plastic stick, so I can turn it without getting my hand near the loop. Almost any wire works better (and can take more power), but you can actually do pedestrian mobile on 40m with it.
I thought this was a pretty neat bit of kit.
@@temporarilyoffline Indeed. But I have to wonder about the breakdown voltage of that variable capacitor. It looks pretty small. Even low power can make high voltages with the right kinds of mismatch. All small loops have their issues.
I wonder how that choke (or transformer?) is wired. If it (or part of it) manages to be in series with loop and capacitor, that's going to cut down the loop current, and thus, the transmit efficiency, I think. Or maybe it's principally a balun (with some fixed impedance scaling).
The Alexloop also has only one knob, and matching is a two dimensional problem (why some of your SWR dips don't make it down to 1:1), but it uses the coupling loop style of feed, and you can rotate that slightly out of plane, which sometimes helps.
I really should get around to trying that MFJ loop tuner that I bought a couple of years ago.
Great interesting topics on your ham channel 73 from Chris in the United Kingdom
Thanks Chris!
Hi Steve. Engoyed your video. I have the 7300 and see similarities in the radios.I like the way you tune the ant. I will try it on mine, I use a un un random length wire and enjoy building ants. Will b watching your other vids , thanks 73s
Thanks Alan!
Thank you for satisfying my curiosity
You no longer wonder?
@@temporarilyoffline this is true 73 DE M0PWV
That is a dedicated loop tuner set up so you have 2 interlaced tuning ranges in one convenient control. 7-18 MHz first range, then second range is 18-50 MHz. No band switch. Great video!! 👍👍
Thanks for the info! I thought this was a pretty fun antenna.
@@temporarilyoffline It was fun to design!
@@paisteformula6021 You're the designer? Awesome! Happy to review some other products if you'd like to send them over.
Nice to see the test but you cant beet an old length of wire cut to size half wave rolled up in your pocket .
You got that right
I had one worked well it is a compromise but I find on low power just hold the mic on swr and tune live, you should be able to get it much lower than that. The wide bander is what you need for a long wire, short vid on my account (only vid )
I’ve used larger copper loops with it but never a large loop.
I thought it was a great/well built piece of kit. But it didn't fill the niche I had intended for it. It was a lot of fun.
@@temporarilyoffline I found it great for listening but I never had a lot of success on transmit. I use the widebander with a fishing pole and long wires. It's a manual tuner basically.
I've got the MK2 version which tunes from 160m to 70cm, now I see there is a mark 3 version !
Is the loop the same size? That's a big range.
@@temporarilyoffline no loop supplied as it has a bnc connection with a long almost 6ft telescopic antenna and a bnc to wire antenna adapter. The Mk3 version has gone back to the original wire antenna connection
@@digitalmediafan interesting, I'll take a look around
@@digitalmediafan Yes I've seen the mkII version, it's called the widebander 👍 I was actually wandering how well that would do if you swapped the included antenna for one of those 18ft telescopic antennas. 👍
With my Chameleon MagLoop and IC705 I watch the SWR meter and that works for me. I’ll have to try watching the the S meter. VO1OK
The S meter gets you very close
Super Q! That thing would make me throw it at a brick wall. haha
I really want to love hi-q antennas. I do...
Temporarily Offline Ham Radio: I love my Alex Loop. The difference is with the reduction drive for the tuner.
@@Locksnut I want to try the alex loop next
Hmmm...looking forward to this....been curious
Let me know what you think
@@temporarilyoffline I think you are awesome that's what I think 🤔. 😆 as for buying and using the product, probably not. If I'm qrping I need reliability and sensitivity
@@the_mad_swimbaiter455 thanks! (And I agree re qrp)
I got this loop today, but when I hit the SWR graph button, it doesn't scan like yours does. Is there some other settings that is required on the 705?
I don't know if you know this, but you have to get the PTT repeatedly to get the 705 to sweep. If you're doing that and it's not working... Service?
When the tuning dial gets picky like that dial up to the endstop and back and sometimes back to the other end and back to most noise. I think there's something in the manual about that. In other words the full scale isn't just from fully ccw to fully cw. If you see what I mean lol.
Very interesting, thanks for the tip!
Looks curious, if a bit fiddly. I feel I'd need to connect it to an antenna switch between the radio and my NanoVNA.
You get really good at "feeling" it out after a while. It's like having a really big VFO and a micro VFO.
Hey Steve, on the subject of antennas, do you have any videos on DIY indoor antennas for 2 meters?
I don't, but I should. Look up "roll-up j-pole", that's a good one to start with and will be useful when you travel/etc.
I'm just about to grab a clone of this to play about with on some 11m home brew antennas☺️ What size balun do you think you would need to try and tune a 1/4" steel tubing loop/cube? I've got an old stainless steel growtent frame in my attic that I really want to hook up for fun, just to see if it would work, lol 😅 I've drawn out a few configurations that I could set it up in, a loop, two loops, dipole, beam. I just want to mess around and see if anything works, and maybe learn something on the way😅 I'm a bit stumped when it comes to what balun (or unun?) I might need, it where to get started.. Any ideas, or directions to where I can learn this information appreciated. Thanks 🙏☺️
There is the scientific method of measuring the impedance at your coax and then finding out which inductance you need to build an auto-transformer (unun) to get it closer to something you could tune with this matching unit. Or for the price of an unun, you could just get a few (or make a multi-tapped unit) and test it out) I had a few, so I played with them: ua-cam.com/video/UVhgjSOywdo/v-deo.html sounds like you'll use them plenty in the future.
Do you think the tuner could be used with a different wire antenna? Thanks
It sure could. I'm not sure what the proper length of wire would be for this matching network.
Anyone try a comparison between the wanderloop and say a chameleon loop and which version of the chameleon did you try ?
I use the mfg-935c and 10 mm diameter soft copper pipe and it can handle 100 watts. It works really well. You do need to make up different loop sizes but the pay off is better efficiency.
I'd really hope the chameleon would do better. I'd be happy to test one!
Maybe restricting the scope down, might be better? Thinking you'll have more of a defined "peak" rather than a big patch of blue to check.
That's a good idea
I too picked up a used one for a trip to S. Korea with my 817 where I would have a lot of down time. Unfortunately the trip got cancelled in the last minute.
Though I can get it to hear well enough I have yet to have a QSO with it. With the 817 I peak the noise then Tx a carrier to adjust SWR as indicated on the 817.
When calling CQ on FT8, PSKreporter shows I am getting out at least half way across the country from Philly area. An attempted POTA activation also went nowhere.
I've also tried clamping the tuning box in a cell phone holder (between and the terminals to bottom) and setting the holder on a camera tripod. Still no luck but more experiments to come and an eventual review on my channel.
I'll be looking forward to your review. I've subbed your channel.
@@temporarilyoffline Took me forever to get to this and produce the video. Now live on my channel.
@@aa3konthego I'm a subscriber, I just got the notification! I'll be watching soon.
My wife loves the trekky drawing behind you , where can she get one please ??
It was a gift my mother-in-law found at an antique store, not much to go on there ...
Looks like there's no wonder in HAM Radio, only science ;-) 73
No way friend... I legitimately wondered for a bit... then after that I scienced. :-D
@@temporarilyoffline Yes, you are absolutely right :-)
I had an Alex loop but sold it on QRZ. Even with their tuning gizmo I could never get any traction with it. Probably operator error.
It's only resonant in a very narrow portion... it's good because it "rejects" signals outside of that space
@@temporarilyoffline I know people swear by them, and I actually had some fun with it on a special event night a decade ago. I was part of the Mid Missouri ARC's W0O special event from Frankenstein in Missouri. I did PSK using the loop and did reasonably well with it. Your wonder loop was pretty noisy though, at least, from what I saw on the waterfall. I also thought it didn't fit the mold of a magnetic loop since it didn't have the loop inside the loop.
@@j.d.-alawyerexplains5064 I think this would probably work great for a single frequency operation day. I'm not really sure if it is considered 100% a mag loop, but I probably said it a few times in the video ;-) Thanks for watching.
The problem I have with this antenna is that the wires move around and therefore causes them to come unscrewed from the top posts. Any solution ideas? Thanks
Split ring lock washers!
I was JUST looking at the moonraker whizz loop yesterday lol. there's a few features of the 705 that seems like it made it a little easier to tune with it. oh question! what's the power output on the x6100 during the swr sweep? I have sometimes used an old bnc network terminator as a qrp dummy load and cw at low low wattage didn't warm it at all but a quick swr sweep heated it up a good bit, I don't have a reliable watt meter to test
I'll have to check when I get back to my shack. The swr sweep is 100% duty cycle for as long as you have the screen up and running thr app, so even if it's low wattage, it adds up
I have a Wonder Wand telescoping antenna with a similar tuner, I was underwhelmed, tuning was tough at best and TX propagation was horrible with 5watts, I had better propagation with a 16ft wire draped around my dining room tied to a GPIO on a Raspberry Pi doing WSPR at 10mw. Not a fan of the Wonder Wand stuff.
Did the telescoping antenna have a counterpoise? These are "great ideas", but usually don't work (at all) without a poise. This antenna was well built, but not as usable as I would have liked.
@@temporarilyoffline I used a 23 ft (it was quite a while ago, guessing length) tape measure counterpoise that I also use with my portable telescopic multi-tap hf antenna..tried with and without. Tried a hard ground too (8ft copper in the ground) with no joy. Good SWR with a lot of attention in tuning but poor performance. Night and day compared to a tuned hamstick.
You can't argue with hamsticks!
The sad thing is that most sw stations are gone... there aren't as many as there were 40 yrs ago! I have one of these radios, but I went ahead, and paid for the full Peovi cage...
I love the Peovi cage now that its a full left/right/front/back design. They didn't have that feature when I got the Windcamp. Oh, and you can get the Peovi in colors. I want RED!
7:18 when i do this it appear NO DATA... How do you set RECALL?
I've never played with the RECALL function, might be fun to try it.
@@temporarilyoffline Do you know why appear NO DATA when i push play key?
I have the solution! I have to push PTT KEY on the MIC to appear RED/BLU bar of SWR!
@@mrtonicsvls3624 yes, press the ⏯️ button, the PTT (many times) and you'll get the data. I don't knowbwhat the recall button does, that's something different.
Neat
I like it
Looks like you're picking up a lot of digital hash from within your house. You should do a video from out in the field, away from noise sources.
I did go outside and do some testing at the end. Less hash, same amount of fun.
❤❤❤
💯
I like loops, but bandwidth of loop can be improved by changing to thicker wire. I am testing now chinese loop.
Excellent, let me know how it goes!
@@temporarilyoffline Not bad at all, so far tested it only at 40m for FT8 and was able to tune it flat, and have few QSO's over Europe. it have 2 variable caps, so tuning can be more difficult, but not bad, heard that can also tune on 60m, but must test that, but also this antenna can be tuned on 2m, they stated that it can also tune on 70 cm, but i think this is lie, I was able tune under 400MHz, but as american you can probably get this working also on 1.25m, I think this antenna can be very good option for IC-705. Another thing this antenna use thick flex coax from Draka, and thickness means wider bandwith, and so when tuned flat on FT8 was able to move to WSPR and still have SWR around 1.5 or lower.
@@MrDwadi84 solid performance 👏
Wouldnt it be easier to get it in the ball park and key up for a low swr.
Sure thing
You are not quite correct it's not a L circuit the toroid is a matching transformer the loop (ant) is the inductor of the LC circuit. your classic Mag loop antenna with a toroid ln lue of the small loop.
Thanks Sherry!
WTF was that IC-705 start up screen?! 3:38
Cool,
You can drop a bitmap file onto the SD card and have a custom boot screen on the 705. That is my channel logo.
USB on 40 mtrs?
Probably wasn't the part of the video I was focusing on at that part of the story
That variable capacitor looks like it was pillaged from a 1960s AM transistor radio. Can it even handle the rated 10W safely?
That's a good question! I don't know
I know the ham that makes them and they’ve been well tested over many years, definitely not pillaged parts 😆
Isn't that Leah's 705? Did you borrow it since she hasn't made POTA videos in a while? 73 de IZ3QVB
This one is mine. Leah won her's at YOTA camp and then channel supporters did a quick fundraiser and got one for Becca. Its a fun radio!
The wire is just too thin. A piece of or 1/4 inch copper tube would probably make a difference.
Right on!
Fine , WL-750, means 7 to 50 MHz, so what about 50MHz ?
I would imagine with the size of the element it would work well on 50MHz. 50MHz is so random here I don't spend much time using it.
I wonder as I wonder wand.
With this wonder wand, you could also wander as you wondered, with this wand.
Only thing I heard was alot of noise. I didn't here no CW and not one person talking. One man's trash is another man's treasure.
Exactly!
Looks like a guitar effects pedal.
Yeah, that's all it really is.
I prefer listening to whales or the rain forest myself.
Could tune in to Star Trek IV, that would get you the whales :-D
OMG - the things people call a wonder wand when you Google it. I run my doublet into a 4:1 and it is a tamer beast.
I want to test out my doublet with a transformer. I want to see where it is and how far it needs to come to make it easier to tune. I might just need to learn how to make a 7:1 balun!
Too bad its not a 10 turn cap......
You're fighting compact and efficient here, you can't have both... adds to the fun factor.
@@temporarilyoffline I'm sure it would drive me nuts.... it did just watching you....
Too finiky to tune. Thanks for your effort.
This is how any antenna that is "High-Q". It is supposed to be a good thing, but other than being fun to see/manipulate, I'm with you. I'll set up a vertical and move on.
I wouldn't use it if I had a metal plate in my head.
I could see where that would be a problem!