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.
Feed Line Choke
Each end fed antenna needs a feed line
choke at the radio end of the coax to stop the antenna common mode
current (on the coax braid) from getting into the radio when
transmitting and also to stop RFI common mode noise when receiving. The
simplest, most cost effective choke is a ferrite ring (F240 size)
installed as shown in the picture (at the transceiver end of the coax)
Add the Feed line choke (part # EFFLC-240) for $10 to your end fed
today and stop the pesky RFI from getting into your radio and causing
audio distortion or unexpected operation!
NOTE: Coax shown in picture is NOT INCLUDED and is shown as an installation example only. If you want a pre-wound choke check part# JC-1-1500-3 or JC-1-1500-6.
For non-resonant end fed antennas placement of the choke from 16-95 feet away from the antenna feed point to use the coax braid as the counterpoise (since these antennas are really off center fed dipoles with the short side using the coax braid as the counterpoise. Wind 8-10 turns thru center for an effective 3-30 MHz choke. See Bullet Antenna configurations for exact choke placement depending upon wire length.
For End fed Half Wave antennas place 1-3 feet from antenna feed point to act as short counterpoise for these voltage fed antennas. Use 8-10 turns.
