-11

THE MISER'S T/R LOOP ANTENNA

by Richard Q. Marris, G2BZQ

This is the story of a very small experimental table-top

HF transmittingfreceiving loop antenna of simple, low-cost
construction. The word 'miser's' crept into the title while the de-
sign was roughed out initially, at which time it became
apparent that a miserly E10 price tage should suffice to construct!

I have been interested

smal! table-top
in the design of
transmitting/receiving
loop antennas, using multi-turn loop config-
The main problems with this destgu were (1)
the difficulty in rapid changing of frequency
by more than a few kilohertz and (2) although
assumed that a sirnilar situation would apply
if the loop was used for transmitfing. proviel-
ing a method could be fOW1d for feeding RF
urations, instead of the generally accepted the figure-cf-eight radiation pettcr» (see power into such an asymrnetrical pancake or
stngle-tumconcepr which is vasüy larger, for Hg. 2) was ideal for reducing interference on spiralloop.
several years. FOTconvenience, the Sü-metre Cl wanted signal, stations on the opposite This thinking led to the "Miser's T IR loop'
(3500-3800 kHz) amateur band has been compass bearing occastonally caused srrong design shown in Ftg. 4, whose siruplified
used for 'on the air" tests, though use on other interference. electrical circuit is showin Fig. 3: the familiar
HF bands (Duld easily be accommodated. Little is documented on multi-turn loops, L/C tuned circuif fed by coaxial cable, that
Previous designs have always consisted espedally rhose for rransmission purposes. can be found in most modern receivers and
of several side-by-stde loop-turns supported Even now, over 50 ye.:lrs later; the Adllliralt}! transmitters. A simplified design of the loop.
on a square wood frame. For convenience, Htnuinook: of Wirc!c5s Telt'gmphy, 1938 (Vol. 2) together with its polar diagram. is given in
the multi-turn conductor has always been has the best docurnentation on multi-turn Fig. 5. This shows only one turn of the multi-
the cuter screening of Cl coaxial cable, which loops for reception in its large secnon on turn spiral. It will be seen that the maximurrt
is much easier to use than the ruore conven- Dircerion Finding 'T'. The precedmg section. signal is on the outer high-current (I) turn,
tional forrning Zshaping of copper tubing. 'H' (aerials, feeders, directional arrays) Is also end the minimum on the inner high-voitage
111e last, and most successful, of these previ- very useful. The haudbook divides such
OliS loops is shown in Fig. 1. loops into two distinct typcs: 'box' loops and
A1though I heve never used more than 'pancake' loops. A box loop 1Ssymmetrical
10 watts transrnitted RF output, this destgn with the wire turns side by side as in Fig. 1.
has provided satisfactrory two-way conunu- A pancake loop has the wire turns wound in
nications throughout Europe, weil into the a spiral. In both designs. the ideal shape 1S
USSR. And that was with the loop indoors circular, The handbook states that in a pan-
standing on a table alongside the transmitter- cake receiving loop "the total e.m.f. is thesum
receiver! of the separate e.m.f.s in the loops. these
That particular loop consisted of three being proportional to the dimension in each
turns of coaxial TV cable. wound side by side case. lt is equivalent to one loop whose area
on a 20x20 in. (50x50 crn) squarc wooden is the sum of the individual areas, and gtves
frame. It used a two-gang variable capacitor zero signals when the plane is at righl angles 9(}01~8 - 1~

(Cl-C2) for tuning, and C3 for impedance to the trausruitter". In the absence of any fur-
matehing to the 50-ohm coaxial feedline. ther docurnentation it was, Ior convenience, Fig.3.

'"
i
- -
3 TURN BOX LOOP
USING T.V. COAX CABLE OUTEA

.'" '"

5Plfl.ALlOOP
(5elllexl)

SYMMETAICAL LOOP

C '" 60pF TUNING

L" Zn MATCHING COIL
(5 .... 1e "')
c

Z=500 9001~8-11
11
(TO eon M.ATCHING)
RG58 sein Co-AXIAL
TO TRANS/RCVR ~O~129·'J

Fig.1. Fig.2. Fig.4.

ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS NOVEMBER 19911

 RADIO & TELEVISION

(E) turn. This gtves a 'fish-Hke' radiation pat- ter output. Begin the winding at the cuter hole (nc. 7) of
tern, which is more pronounced if the loop lrnpedance matehing coil L consists of 9 the bottom left-hand boom with a knot, leav-
wireendsare crossed at the bottom.lt is clear turns (1 ineh = 25 mm dia.) of 16 SWGtinned ing a e-in. (15 cru) tail (which will beeut back
that the forward gain has been increased sub- copper wire mounted Oll two 3/4 inch later). Proceeding anti-clockwise, thread the
stantially, whereas the backward gein has (19 mm) cerarme stand-off insulators of any wire through the outer hole (no. 7) of the bot-
been reduced. available type. Close-wind it initial!y as 10 tom right-hand boom, and then to no. 6 hole
The polar diagram was plotted by apply- turns on a 7/8 inch (22 mm) dia. mand ril: this of the other booms in turn. Then proceed in-
ing a small signal to the spiral loop of Hg. 4 will spring out to the requtred I-inch dia. The wards, in a spiral, until you arrive at the inner
and placing a field-strength meter at a fixed turns are then evenly spaced over a width of hole of the bottcm right-hand boom. This
distance. The loop was then rota ted gradu- 23/8 inch (60 mm) and cut and bent to 9 turns makes 61/8 turns in aU.
ally and the relative field strength plotred. with I-inch (25111111)legs. At this stagc. the turns are tightened pro-
Since rhe measurements were taken indoors, The loop frarne in Fig. 7 is of Bght-weight gressively, and then termiuated with another
the results are suspect owing to possible re- hardwood. made from an 8-foot (2.5 rn) knot, again leaving a 6-in. tail.
flections from surrounding objects. Never- length of 21 x9 nun Masons Timber Products The winding operation is tedious and Is
theless, later on-the-air tests confirmed that moulded hardwood (available in most large best carried out by laying the frame flat on a
the gaill of the large lobe is substantially DIY stores in the UK). Cut this into four table with the 38 ft of wire laid out on the
greater than that of a figure-of-eight pattern Iengths of 23 in. (584 mm). which are then floor. Proceed by threading the wire com-
and thatthe backward gainis weIl down with notch jointed and glued as shown. 00 not use pletely through one turn at a time and then
a sharp dip in the centre: hence the 'fishtail' softwood as this will distort. Both the frame ttghtentng it.
pattern. and the base mount were teak-wood dyed. The loop/frame winding is secured with
The operating bandwidth is approxi- Seven 1/16 inch (1.6 111m) holes are required wood screws to the vertieal of the base unit.
mately ±20 kHz without adjusting the tuning at 0.25 in. (6.3 111m) centres. commencing The dotted datum line can be seen near the
capacttor. Furthermore,small adjustments of 0.25 in. frorn all the boorn ends-see detail on centre of Fig. 7.
C enabled quiek operation anywhere in the drawing. Note that all 7 holes are used in the With an eye on Figures 4 and 6, sold er the
3500-3800 kHz band. bottom two arm ends. but only the inner 6 on loop ends to Land C, cutting back the tails as
An additional bonus is that the Ioop does the other 6 arms. required. lt is imperative that the outer end
not radiate or nccept harrrionies and does not The wire used for the loop is rvc of the loop goes to the top of the coil and the
cause television interferenee (TVI). Ln fact, it 16/0.2 111m, 1 kV r.m.s., 3 A at 70 "C, 1.6 mm inner to the stator of the capacitor. The RG58
proved possible tooperatea TVreceiver front outside diameter. Start with 38 ft (11.5 m). feedline is then connected and secured with
an indoor aerial at a distance of about
4 feet (1.2 metre) from the loop. ,--------------------------------------,

Construction
The assembly consists of 61 /8 turns
of spiral wire on an octagonal
frame-see
eured
Fig. 7. The fratue is se-
to a simple base mount
'
shown in Fig. 6, which also holds
the impedance marehing coil, L, and
tuning capacitor C. This eapacitor is
mounted on a 2.5><2.5 inch (63x63
rum) perspex plate that is screwed
to the vertical wood member, The
L--~
J"
--I 2 HOLES FOR WOOOSCREWS
TO SEC URE lOOP FRAME
i@
CIS HOI..fS

only other item is a 4-foot (1.2 m)

length of 50-ohm coaxial feedline UI"'D.8"WOOD

(RG-58), whichgoes tc the transmit-

19~"
l~9TUJ\Ns{splEOOF 8I14DWIJ~SOLDE~
16SWG TIHNED
COPPERWflE
1" DIAMETER)
_1 .. [

"'"
THE "MISl"RS" LOOP

!IOOl'Ul .. ,4

(S~I'LlflED CIRClJIT)
900121· 1$

Fig.5. Fig.6.

ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS NOVEMBER 1990

 THE MISER'S T/R LOOP ANTENNA 11
two cable cleats as shown in Fig. 6. the loop wiring and ensure that the outer required and this will be found by experi-
wire tail of the loop goes to Land the inner ment. For two-band operation, the new
to the stator of C. larger coil ean be used on the 3500--3800 kHz
Testing and operating The tests should be repeated at 3750 kHz band with the aid cf a clip-on shorting link
Connect the coaxial feedJine of the Ioop to to verify that the loop performs satisfactorily from the 'earthy' end.
the antenna socket of a receiver that is tuned over the 3500--3800 kHz band.
to 3500 kHz. Turn the tuning capaciror C for if measured, the SWR should not exceed 40 m amateur band (7000-7300 kHz)
maximum signal, which shouJd be obtained 1.5:1 at the selected frequency. The loop Removal of one inner Ioop turn should suf-
with the rotor enmeshed about 40%. should operete wirhin ±20 kHz of that fre- fice to tune the loop to this band. lmpedance
Select a continuously transmitting station quency without the need of retuning it. matching coil L will have to be reduced em-
near 3500 kHz, retune C and rotate the loop On-the-air tests may now begin. pirieally.
slowly, noting the peaks and nulls that occur:
these should produce the 'fish-Iike' polar di- WARNING. in the interests of safety, the
agram noted earlier. loop should be used indoors only with LOW
Finally
The polar diagram test mayaiso be car- POWER, that is, not exceedtng 15 watts. At lt is IMl'ORTANT that belore undertaking
ried with the use of a signal generator, cov- 20 watts er rnore, the tuning cepacltor C will the modifications for the 40 m or 160 rn
ering the range 2700-4500 kHz and fitted flash over and th.is can be remedied only by bands, the antenna is made as described for
with a wire probe to radlate across the room. the llse of a Iarger, wider-spaced variable ca- operation in the 80 m band to verify cörrect
To test with a transrnitter; the loop/re- padtor. The peak RF voltage exists at the sta operanon. to carry out on-the-air tests and to
ceiver combination should be set to tor of the capacitor. fa nuliarize yourself with its operation.
3550 kHz. Tune the transmitter to 3550 kHz REMEMBER that the maximum radiated
intoa dummy load. Replece thedummy load signal, or the maximum received signal, oc-
with the loop. whieh should load with not
Use on other frequency bands curs when the fotward lobe is pointing to the
more than a tiny adjustment of C. Radiation 160 m amateur band (1800-2000 kHz) required station.
may be verified with a field-strength meter. Replace the tuning capacitor by a 100 pF In case you have difficulty in obtaining
If there is any difficulty in fully loading the model of the same type. The loop will theu the [ackson Type C809 60-pFeapacitor, try
loop. the inductance of L may be altered cover both the 3500-3800 kHz and the J. Birkett, Maplin or Cirkit. The wire may be
slightly by sqeezing together, oropening out, 1800-2000 kHz bands, but a slow motion obtained from Marco Frading.
its turus until optimum Impedancematchlng drive is probably required on the capacitor. Have fun with the 'Miser's T IR Loop': the
is obtained. lf difficulties still occur, redleck A larger impedance matching coil will be writer does (using 7 W RF output)! •

23"

1I0TCHI. GLUE
.- e-s WOOOSCREW
&Gl.UE

av r---.."'" TOPOFBASEUHrr

reen ••

~ PIEces ItAfU)WOOD
lJ"~9,"",~2Imm
(_te~I)

~OTCH&GL~ r.
::
1 t....i.. CIS WOOOSCI'.EW
,,
I I.G~

,,
,,
VERTlCAL I
OFB"'SEUHrr~
(_At-C) :
,,
,
,
I

DETI.l.OP ttOI.E DRl.UNG

...1 HlD OF CROSS !'IECES

,,
,,
I
:, ,
_.-L .....L.

Fig.7.

ELEKTOR ELECTRONICS NOVEMßERI990