Loop antennas may be constructed in many forms including horizontal full wave loops in square, rectangle or triangle (delta) shapes. They can also be in the vertical plane and are most often in the same shapes with the delta being very popular as it has both vertical and horizontal polarization. The impedance at the loop resonant frequency is approximately 100 ohms but will very slightly on harmonics. Loops are “quiet” antennas compared to verticals and dipoles and are omni-directional. The also exhibit gain on harmonic bands. Once you try a loop antenna you will know why they are so popular with old timers but still a secret to newcomers. Shown below are some typical designs:
Full Wave Horizontal Loop Antenna (a.k.a Skyloop)
This antenna is horizontally polarized and should be mounted as high as possible but works well at low heights of 10-30 feet. They are quieter than a dipole or a vertical, have a broader bandwidth and will usually out perform a dipole antenna.To determine the approximate circumference in feet of a full wave loop antenna use the formula:
1005/Freq in Mhz = length in feet.
The feed point impedance of a full wave loop antenna is theoretically in the vicinity of 120 ohms and requires a 2:1 impedance transformer (for single band loops or a 4:1 balun to match on multiple bands) with 50 ohm line. You will also need a feed line choke or better yet, just get the Hybrid 4:1+1:1 in a single box.
Vertical Delta Loops
Vertical delta loops can be oriented several way but the most popular is to have the “pointy” end at the top (usually a single support) and the lower horizontal ends just out of reach of humans and animals. Best feed point is 1/4 wavelength (246/f(mhz)) from the top point down one side. Vertical delta loops use the same 2:1 baluns as the horizontal loops or 4:1 for multi-band operation.
50:250 ohm (5:1) CUBE™ Unun™, 1.8-61 Mz, 1500 Watts, end fed, vertical
Model CU-5-1500EB- 5 to 1 Unun
(SO-239 in/Eye bolt hoist with output connector on top, side stud for ground/counterpoise)
Purpose. This unun is designed to match 250 ohms unbalanced to 50 ohms unbalanced up to 1500 watts PEP power from 1.8-61 MHz. It provides conversion from unbalanced 50 ohm coax to an unbalanced 250 ohm load/antenna feed point and gives a 5:1 impedance step-up to reduce VSWR on the coax feed line. The unun is housed in a 4” x 4” X “2 NEMA weather resistant box with SO-239 coaxial input and a ¼” stud terminal with wing nut on the top for output and another on the side for ground or counterpoise connection.
This unun is DC grounded and will bleed off static electricity but it is NOT A LIGHTNING ARRESTOR.
Model CU-5-1500 is a 50 ohm to 250 ohm (5:1) voltage unun used to translate a 50 ohm input up to 250 ohms at RF power levels up to 1500 watts PEP (30% duty cycle) when used with a matched load. With a matched 250 ohm unbalanced load SWR should not exceed 2.0 over the frequency range 1.8-61 MHz.
Application. For traveling wave, end fed or portable 20-31 foot vertical antennas the 5:1 balun makes a good transformer for converting 50 ohm coax to a 250 ohm feed point. If you use the antenna on multiple bands, the feed point impedance may not always be 250 ohms and use of the unun at high (>350 ohms) or low (<100 ohms) will require reduced power input or the unun may have its power ratings exceeded and damage to the unun may occur. The (5:1 conversion ratio will change for loads other than 250 ohms unbalanced.
Typical Antenna System Using CU-5-1500
Use a coax noise filter to reduce noise from any vertical antenna or a line isolator to suppress coax cable braid radiation on transmit.