New Magnetic Loop

antenna for 20 - 10 meters.

(Gary 2E0TIG made the loop and the plates for the butterfly capacitor, this project would not have been possible without all the hard work he has put into it.most of the credit for Baby Zilla has to go to Gary.)

"Baby Zilla" as this new magnetic loop antenna has been nicknamed, is a 900mm octagon shaped loop made with 75mm aluminium tubing. The loop was made by Gary 2E0TIG , he got it up to me by courier.  Baby Zilla is a smaller version of "Zilla" which Gary made from I think 85mm tube and I understand it was a 4ft octagon. The variable, butterfly capacitor was also made by Gary, he cut the plates out for me and then I assembled them here, Charlotte my Granddaughter helped in that process. Here are some photo's of the loop taking shape.


Loop just before Gary sent it.


Charlotte assembling the butterfly capacitor at the radio club, It was a cold night and the heating was off  :-(

 


Close up of the stator plates


Cap takes shape.


almost finished


almost ready to install on the loop


baby zilla on the work bench in the shack, cap and motor installed


close up of the coupling loop, a 'dipole center' has been used to mount the loop.It is about 1/5th the size of the main loop.


close up of the butterfly cap, motor and 6:1 slow motion drive fitted.


Finished magloop "hung" from beam in club shack for testing.

The final SWR is good at 1:1 on 20,17,15 meters and less than 1.4:1 on 12 and 10 mtrs. It will easily handle 100 watts. It now waits to go into it's final operating position in my roof space. It will replace the Capco loop i re-built.

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