Thanks Matt. very nice design! I've tried building AM Loops without much success. but no one ever mentioned that I had to place the radio in the loop. For the record, I am definitely and old guy and love radio. especially AM. there's just SO much good stuff there. decades ago, I worked third shift and listened to Coast 2 Coast AM w/ Art Bell. Those were to good ol' days man. Thanks again, all the best, Charlie
These days about 1/2 the AM band is taken up by COAST overnight. WHAS-840 is 50KW (day and night) and can be heard in most of the country - but Kentucky is college basketball country and the post game shows can preempt the COAST broadcast on many nights. Or, sometimes there are technical problems... I am building this to get the show from a dozen or more other stations just in case one might be down. Hopefully some of these stations are still broadcasting in HD too! Not to mention if your town came under some sort of an apocalypse! :-O Then a battery operated radio and this antenna could save your life!
Hey there Matt, I used to enjoy building antennas but lost an arm and can't do it anymore, is there any chance I could talk you into selling me one of these built by you?
I am in the Netherlands and last night i recieved the Voice of Turkey wich is located in the middle of the country, some 3000 km away. With only my 1947 tube radio with only two 1 meter copper electrical wires hanging out of it as a antenna! I am fascinated by it. Heard languages i never new before. :))
Wonderful and fun video. 👍 As a teenager in the 60s we loved the Clear Channel 50,000 watt stations (or 250,000 watt station XERF in Mexico) we listened to in the evenings on handheld transistor radios, it was practically like shortwave because in San Diego we could get a bunch of stations across the country up to the Mississippi River. It was amazing to be in San Diego to hear a station in Chicago or New Orleans....no loop antenna required.
Don't know what direction you are from KYW but would have liked to see you turn 90 degrees. I did that the other night (just the radio, not using a loop) and was able to null out KYW and its 50kW and tune in WQMV in west Tennessee, 317 miles away running four watts. For all the faults of mediumwave ya gotta love the directionality. Love the simple practical design!
Ha, first tuned in to watch you mod your HF welder long time ago. Then found you again welding up your 3 point hitch for tractor. Today looking for AM radio Antenna info. So far covering 3 of my interests. What else will I see next on your channel. Thanks Good Info.
I think the best reason to use a loop antenna like this is mainly the ability to rotate the loop to null out an unwanted station that's causing interference.
It’s easier if you drill the holes, then take the band saw and cut a slot from outside to the hole. Then wind the wire around. I’m in Alabama and listen to stations in Maine, New York and up in Canada with a similar setup. I use a ham radio because modern cheap AM radios don’t cut it like the old radios did pre 1970. I remember listening to WLW and WLS as a kid. What I would do to here John Records Landecker do one more Boogie Check!
Great simple construction - avoids all that wood-working... Would be better if it used a butterfly-type variable capacitor, as those are not as affected by proximity of hand.
Can I ask? My Computer teacher at school told me when he was living in South Africa he took his grandads old AM radio and crafted an huge antenna like this. Half his size. He thought he was listening to the local radio station but quickly realised he was listening to BBC radio. And could tune into other foreign radio stations....can this be done easily?
Very true! At night, AM broadcast radio is more than capable of circling the entire globe. The conditions vary a lot day to day and year to year though. At the moment, we're in the basement of a terrible solar cycle and radio propagation just isn't what it once was.
I was talking on 20 meters the other day (I'm a HAM radio operator) and had a nice conversation with someone and we both had great signal reports. I thought his callsign was something else and didn't realize I was talking from Western NY to South America.
When I was a kid I had an old Army surplus (still in my basement) Shortwave. What a thrill to listen to all the world's radio stations! I had long-wire antennas stretched in our attic and all over outside. Great fun and great memories. Thanks for the video.
Forgive me for being totally oblivious to any of this. I don't fully understand what you were doing with the wire. You start in the middle? What are you doing, threading an end through all the bottom holes, and then working upward? So, one end of the wire connects to the leg of that capacitor thing, and the other one the body?? I didn't see where it connected to the body. I'll watch it again, but didn't fully get that part. Thanks
Building an AM radio antenna myself and have a couple questions. First, let me fill you in on background info. I have some thicker wire that's single strand I got from Lowe's. It's insulated, so there's no problem with the loops touching. The one problem could be thickness. It's 18 gauge, if I remember, and that may be too thick. The first loop will be rather far from the last loop, so the loose ends will have to close in fairly far to the capacitor. Question: Is this wire too thick? Question: Will the loose ends coming in to the capacitor cut across the field in such a way it'll interfere with the signal? Question: Can I use a 5 gallon bucket to make this antenna? I'll wrap the wire around the outside and tape it down with clear packing tape. I''ll put the capacitor inside the center of the bucket, mounted on a piece of PVC pipe. I'll put the radio by the capacitor. Will this work?
Matt you mention a couple times about making a smaller loop to put inside to allow this to be used on a radio without an internal antenna. Can you give a little more detail on that small loop. I have an old stereo that has a very good receiver, but just 2 wire connections for AM Radio and I want to greatly improve my AM reception. What does small mean? How many loops? Do I hook the two ends of the lop to my stereo? Do I ground it? Etc. Many Thanks
I used use two shortwave radios next to each other to demodulate SSB AM and listen to 11.175khz and hams when I was a kid, the radio hobby is such fun.
Bought a commercial little medium wave loop some time ago. They attach two wires to the cap and bring the end via a phono plug into the receiver. Works from roundabout 500kHz up to about 3.8Mhz. Neat construction your loop Matt, thanks for the video!!!
I put my thumb on a aux cable which was connected into my portable boombox and the radio came one. Apparently this is due to the magnetic field around the body
Stringing the wire through the holes is very tedious. In stead, use a saw with a kerf slightly wider than the wire you are using. On the outside (radius) saw to a depth so that each kerf breaks though the plastic. Wind the coil, laying the wire in the slots. When the coil is complete, to fix the wires in place, push a toothpick or bamboo skewer between the wire and plastic to lock them in place.
I was thinking exactly the same thing about the kerfing the pipe to the holes and was looking through the comments to see if anyone else had already commented that. Your suggestion with the toothpick/skewer made the search even better.
Radio Controlled or "Atomic" clocks and watches synchronize to a data signal broadcasted on 60 kHz by station WWVB in Fort Collins, CO. It appears that these antennas concentrate the magnetic field at their tuned frequency, so radios in the vicinity receive the stronger field through their internal antennas. In a weak reception area, I wonder if one of these antennas, tuned to 60 kHz, could be placed in an attic and would concentrate the signal's magnetic field enough so clocks on the floor below would be able to receive WWVB and synchronize? Have you done any experiments?
Great idea - I have an issue with my clock (in theUK) and wonder if a loop in the attic - above the relevant room - might bring it back to life. I think its main issue is interference (neighbours' computers and plasma screens etc.). Maybe the directionality of a loop like this could be used to null-out enough of that? Only one way to find out...
Once the wire is tensioned around the frame it's actually amazingly stiff. If you're going bigger then either larger pipe or wood are probably easier (and less toxic) than filling with foam - although that's a cool idea if you really want stiff in a low profile. You actually can use a ferrous wire (like steel), but you need to know the magnetic permeability and use a different formula for the loop. It has the advantages of using less wire and being stronger - but the math is a lot more involved.
The spacing of the wires is critical. You have to keep them *exactly* the correct distance apart, or you'll detune the loop and it won't receive in the correct band.
I did one that is 4x4 feet with 4 turns. It worked quite well. My method involved no drilling. or glue I suggest others copy the idea. Imagine you are holding some PVC pipe in your left hand wit a T on top of it. You pass the wire on the side close to you below the T loop it around the T and to behind the pipe in your hand. The result is a wire that doesn't want to slip off the T. This is how I did the 4 corners of the frame. It works fine.
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What channel range are you interested in? UHF or VHF? The Gray-Hoverman antenna is an outstanding antenna. I have built 2 or 3 versions of them and they all performed like a champ on weak UHF signals. The last version I built is known as the gold standard.
@@Bruce_Wayne35 I am interested in the VHF and UHF. The VHF is because I live in a location where there are still a few channels that I would like to get and UHF all the way to 52 channel. I got what I need for the antenna build and am going to start. Not sure what is the gold standard ??? Nice to hear from you Sir. v
@@victoryfirst2878 It's what the members of the Digital Home Canada discussion board/inventors chose to call it. The gold standard version was the highest gain UHF version of the Gray-Hoverman antenna. It covers channels 14 to 51 and has usable gain beyond that a bit, so it would still work great on 52. They're easy to build. Even a sloppy build will amaze you with good performance. A double-bay version will have around 16 dbi gain.
Is there any way to put a coax and pl259 connector on there? i have a bc-348Q that i am hooking this up to and would prefer an coax connection Thanks K5RCQ
IFFF I am correct, the orientation of antenna matters. By orientation I mean angle between the location from which signal is coming and antenna itself. When they are at 90, antenna is not picking any signal. ONLY IF I AM CORRECT!!!
You are correct. I mentioned that in the demo part of the video. This loop works so well because it is highly selective. Both the tuning and the orientation allow it to zero in on just one station.
Hi Matt, thanks for your good information and explain how it's made by you, good design I hope I be able to construct such one. It's now 7 years back considering your post but it's one of the best. Greetings from Holland/The Netherlands and wish you succes with your hobby and best wishes for you and family for 2024.
For Long waves (down to about 150khz ) it has to be about 32 inch edge, about 30 turns of wire (100meters), around 475 pF or more capacitor. It works fine. But in Europe there are only 4 stations transmitting on Long waves.
Use the calculator in the description to get the right dimensions for the band you want to listen to, but yes this concept will work for any frequency.
18 inches bud 18inces lmao, no i went the same route myself ..38 inches all four sides . 30 turns on a squaure box kite type frame in a tight spiral 4 foot tall .. wired in my grage and ran into the house on some 75 ohm telstar or whatever my cable was on.. beats my stock eteon 750s built in am rod. problm is it's super directional too so it does need to be moved to if your dxing dont trust your dial alone.. built it 4 days ago still havent played with it much yet oh boy i cant wait tho
I have a similar 4 ft (circular) form using about 500 ft of wire. Maybe it's 'too directional' as I'm not having luck pulling in a station. Can you tell me the value of the capacitor that you're using as that might also be the issue. Thank in advance.
Good job, but I still have some questions. Is this like a outdoor long wire antenna, except the tuner gives the ability to do the same as changing the wire length. I have a Sangean 803ATS with the external RCA jack.
Hi Grant. What you're describing sounds like a beverage antenna. Loops share some of the characteristics of a beverage, but they have much higher Q (they are more sensitive to tuning) and they don't have the S/N ratio benefits. If you have the room for a beverage and the tuner, then that's the way to go. The loop is a better choice when you have less room.
Hi Matt, thanks for the excellent video. I have just now subscribed to your channel. I actually use a wooden 3' Box Type Loop antenna here for AM, though in design, it is rather similar to yours here on the video. Loop antennas make a huge improvement to indoor AM Dx'ing. One of my best AM DX catches here in Melbourne Australia was 1110 kHz KFAB Omaha NE USA, which is included on my RUclips channel. Anyway, wishing you the very best. Robert.
@@DJ_BROBOT Thanks. Back in the 1980's both USA and Canada MW stations were heard here by myself along with a number of other DX enthusiasts at the time. One of the more "regular" catches was of 1120kHz KPNW Eugene OR USA. My KFAB once only reception is included on my RUclips channel.
Slots are a lot easier than holes. The electrical department of a hardware store often has good wire from your purpose. Heavier wire works a bit better. Bigger diameter and fewer turns works better if you have the space.
Thanks for the info I made a 4 ft box loop many years ago and listened to Belize 834 khz I thought that was a good catch. Is it possible to make it around 2 ft? I would probably need more windings?
If you made a 2’ box loop, meaning that from center to center would each be only 6 inches per side, then merely increasing the number of loops wouldn’t do the trick. The inductance of the loop has to match the range of your chosen frequencies, in this case the AM broadcast band from 500-1700 KHz, and that inductance must be correct to tune it with a 10-360 pF tuning capacitor as shown. To maximize the power of that tank (tuning) LC circuit, two feet per side, or 8 feet per one complete winding is in fact a highly efficient amount when wound 11 times. Yes, you could make the loop antenna any dimensions you like, but you’d still have to match inductance and capacitance to tune the band you want to monitor. I even made made an equilateral triangular loop with each side measuring 2’8”, or a total of 11 feet per one complete wind, with a total of 8 windings that beat out my earlier box and cylindrical am loop antennas. Experiment and have fun. One thing really helps though: The larger your tuning capacitor (physical size, not capacitive range), the more selectivity (fine tuning) you will have on the antenna.
There are plenty of articles on the internet about how to build a loop antenna. You don't have to learn everything from RUclips videos... www.google.com/search?q=am+loop+antenna+construction&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
5:20 Which wire can make the best reception possible? Can solid non insulated wires make better reception in bad conditions or it doesn't matter? Does the height of the antenna stand matter? I want to have it outdoor to minimalize EMI. Do I really need variable capacitor when I will connect using coaxial cable? Is the grounding important or not that much? My hifi have loop antenna terminal connector. Will it work if I connect coaxial cable?
You could add a secondary pickup mini-loop, untuned, e.g. of a couple of turns, needn't be of same diameter as main loop, and needn't be centred. But the main loop does need a variable capacitor of some kind, because it needs to resonate to each frequency. A tuned antenna is not much use for SDR-type wide band-scanning therefore! (an active antenna would be more appropriate for that). I wonder if any suitable motorised or (preferably) voltage controlled solid state variable capacitors exist nowadays...
Thanks Matt for a good project, There is a problem finding a 360pf vairiable capacitor now days!, the small ones used in portable radios are 200pf which will restrict the lower frequencies to about 650khz. The solution is to use two of those in parallel or increase the turns to 15 from 11.
Great job for AM Dx logging & listening.....With a band Full of Active night Time stations you Just Can't beat the Std MW Broadcast Band for Real long distance reception with Simple cheap Equipment ! ......FM maxes Out at 'bout 150 miles & Google Streaming Isn't real RF radio......How about Comparing This diy Frame Loop design to a Long Diy Ferrite Rod show down Video ??
Hi Matt.....Thx for sharing your Excellent Diy AM radio antenna Booster design for us that Still like to Chase nighttime MW DX stations with relatively small, simple Inside antennas....Have you ever constructed a similar size (About same 240uh) Flat Plane inside Spiral wound Loop Antenna for Comparison signal Boost gain ?? ....A lot of the 1920's RCA & other brands radio sets used that Flat inside Spiral wound design....I'm using mine on a pine board 3 tube (Huge 1625 type Tubes) all 12 volt battery Regen Radio set !!..BTW,..Would a Double sized (48" x 48") antenna with Less turns but Same 80' wire Length produce Significantly more signal Boost gain ??....Thx again for a great AM radio accessory project....
Hi Matt, thanks for posting the project. I have a couple of question which I hope won't bother you, as they are very basic. The 1st one: which frequencies the antenna resonates? Would it be ok for higher frequencies such as 11 Mhz? The second one: I saw from previous comments that, in case you need to plug the antenna to an external jack such as the tecsun pl660, you need to build an internal counterloop. How does this counterloop would look like and may you explain how to plug it to the jack? Thank you for your time, Marco
Hi Marco. The bandwidth of the loop is pretty narrow, so it has to be designed for the specific frequency range you want. Use the link in the description, and the calculator will let you get the size and capacitor you need for 11MHz. It'll be much different from this one. As for the small loop I don't have a plan for that one, but any of those small cheap loop antennas that come with a stereo receiver will work. Here's a link to one on Amazon as an example (although I think $10 is robbery for such a thing): www.amazon.com/Ancable-Antenna-Panasonic-Receiver-Systems/dp/B01CSFVFT4
Did U mention that this loop antenna will not work with a radio that does not have its own (internal) antenna loop to begin with? (like a ferrule). Some may want to use a car type radio which has a motorola plug or a AV Center Receiver which has dual clamps for connecting an antenna. & I think some little radios have a 3.5mm jack, the impedance of which beats me -- I assume that it would be an unbalanced antenna jack -- while a loop is intrinsically balanced. (Hello, balun?)
I have a few old AM/FM stereo radios laying around. What's the chances I actually find the variable capacitor you mention? I don't want to go through the trouble of taking the radio apart if it isn't likely to be in there.
Also, I have a GE Super Radio III, great for DX on MW anyway. I am going to attach the feed line to the radio, the other to ground. I assume that the capacitor in this particular radio that is made for this will be enough to handle the tuning. I am not sure what kind of cap is in there but it has wide and narrow band, and auto freq control.
Would a larger loop increase signal strength? Would more windings increase signal strength. Is there any best distance between the windings? This video is excellently done and based on your answers to my questions, I plan on building one. First time I have really gone out on a limb about projects like these and said that. But you instill confidence! Thanks!
Larger loops do "catch" more signal, but in practice you have to go much bigger to make a noticeable difference. The number of turns and the spacing are related, and more isn't better. They have to be the right mix for the loop to tune to the frequency you want. The calculator in the video description is the best way to experiment with different combinations.
I built the same 2 foot PVC frame antenna but I used 42 turns at 4 inches wide tuned to 150 khz to 1700 khz I used a hack saw to cut out around 35 notches each , yes some wires do overlap and are paired up to make the 42 turns needed to tune down to 150 khz. It actually works really good on LW and AM despite the hasty wire spacings. I want to make a larger 6 foot version with better properly spaced wires.
Looks well made would love to make it but being a disabled first responder with no drill press I guess this one's out for me. But nice work Matt I bet it works awesome 👍😎
Hi Ben. Yep, the metal is your issue. It's critical that the structure is non-conductive, or it throws off the tuning rather drastically. Sorry if that wasn't more clear up front.
Thank you very much for the information. Here a short wave DX and AM. Although my work is in FM radio. Much success, and thank you for sharing your knowledge.
It does, but there are no connections from this loop to the radio. The current that flows in the big loop generates a field which generates a current in the radios internal antenna.
I love pvc loop antennas too and every time time I watch this video I LOL at the section where you wind it. I use a sharpie and a ruler and then a hacksaw to slot the pvc. I built a 2 footer as well using #22 magnetwire and 1/2 inch PVC. Great as a signal booster and a good local crystal set too. I also resurrected an older 4 foot version built with 1 inch PVC and widened the slots and wound it with #15 magnet wire. It is a ridiculous signal booster and a decent crystal radio set. I used balanced armature IEMs as earphones and matching transformers with a germanium diode and tinned the turns so I could just use an alligator clip to select the best place for listening. So far I have bagged 22 clear channel and regional stations at night using it as a crystal set.That is only 5 nights so far for a couple hours each night. Enjoyed the video. Loops are magic and heavy gauge wire is worth it. Best wishes!!!
Take a look at the website mentioned under *SHOW MORE* above. The text describes the addition of a single turn pickup loop, that attaches to coax that you can run to your radio. You'll probably want to make the capacitor "tunable-by-wire"; a scheme with a small DC motor to tune the loop remotely.
Thank you for sharing. The AM antenna center rod, or in this case the spooled wire, should be perpendicular to the source of the signal? Any comment how why this is?
Another loop antenna builder used a technique to save time (and cost of material) by using 4 conductor phone wire, soldering the ends to get 4 loops for a single length of cable. Even more turns can be made using older network cable (i.e. cat 3) that can be found pretty cheap at thrift stores, now that people are upgrading to cat 5e or 6.
![FendiDa Rappa - Clock Dat ft. Shamar Marco [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3NBU8KHdxYY/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks Matt. very nice design! I've tried building AM Loops without much success. but no one ever mentioned that I had to place the radio in the loop. For the record, I am definitely and old guy and love radio. especially AM. there's just SO much good stuff there. decades ago, I worked third shift and listened to Coast 2 Coast AM w/ Art Bell. Those were to good ol' days man. Thanks again, all the best, Charlie
These days about 1/2 the AM band is taken up by COAST overnight. WHAS-840 is 50KW (day and night) and can be heard in most of the country - but Kentucky is college basketball country and the post game shows can preempt the COAST broadcast on many nights. Or, sometimes there are technical problems... I am building this to get the show from a dozen or more other stations just in case one might be down. Hopefully some of these stations are still broadcasting in HD too! Not to mention if your town came under some sort of an apocalypse! :-O Then a battery operated radio and this antenna could save your life!
I built a 40" loop in Derby. It was used to pick up Radio Wales. The reception and sound quality was almost like FM.
Hey there Matt, I used to enjoy building antennas but lost an arm and can't do it anymore, is there any chance I could talk you into selling me one of these built by you?
Radios always fascinated me. I love the way radio works.
Same
Crystal radios are near enough to magic.
I am in the Netherlands and last night i recieved the Voice of Turkey wich is located in the middle of the country, some 3000 km away.
With only my 1947 tube radio with only two 1 meter copper electrical wires hanging out of it as a antenna! I am fascinated by it.
Heard languages i never new before. :))
Wonderful and fun video. 👍 As a teenager in the 60s we loved the Clear Channel 50,000 watt stations (or 250,000 watt station XERF in Mexico) we listened to in the evenings on handheld transistor radios, it was practically like shortwave because in San Diego we could get a bunch of stations across the country up to the Mississippi River. It was amazing to be in San Diego to hear a station in Chicago or New Orleans....no loop antenna required.
Don't know what direction you are from KYW but would have liked to see you turn 90 degrees. I did that the other night (just the radio, not using a loop) and was able to null out KYW and its 50kW and tune in WQMV in west Tennessee, 317 miles away running four watts. For all the faults of mediumwave ya gotta love the directionality.
Love the simple practical design!
Ha, first tuned in to watch you mod your HF welder long time ago. Then found you again welding up your 3 point hitch for tractor. Today looking for AM radio Antenna info. So far covering 3 of my interests. What else will I see next on your channel. Thanks Good Info.
I think the best reason to use a loop antenna like this is mainly the ability to rotate the loop to null out an unwanted station that's causing interference.
I just made a 1 foot one out of pvc pipe....it works extremely well 😃👍
It’s easier if you drill the holes, then take the band saw and cut a slot from outside to the hole. Then wind the wire around.
I’m in Alabama and listen to stations in Maine, New York and up in Canada with a similar setup.
I use a ham radio because modern cheap AM radios don’t cut it like the old radios did pre 1970.
I remember listening to WLW and WLS as a kid. What I would do to here John Records Landecker do one more Boogie Check!
Great simple construction - avoids all that wood-working... Would be better if it used a butterfly-type variable capacitor, as those are not as affected by proximity of hand.
Can I ask? My Computer teacher at school told me when he was living in South Africa he took his grandads old AM radio and crafted an huge antenna like this. Half his size. He thought he was listening to the local radio station but quickly realised he was listening to BBC radio. And could tune into other foreign radio stations....can this be done easily?
Very true! At night, AM broadcast radio is more than capable of circling the entire globe. The conditions vary a lot day to day and year to year though. At the moment, we're in the basement of a terrible solar cycle and radio propagation just isn't what it once was.
I was talking on 20 meters the other day (I'm a HAM radio operator) and had a nice conversation with someone and we both had great signal reports. I thought his callsign was something else and didn't realize I was talking from Western NY to South America.
Great job. Could be improved with some close-ups on the wire threading and a parts list.
When I was a kid I had an old Army surplus (still in my basement) Shortwave. What a thrill to listen to all the world's radio stations! I had long-wire antennas stretched in our attic and all over outside. Great fun and great memories. Thanks for the video.
It works, It works, I was stunned and thrilled, It works
Forgive me for being totally oblivious to any of this. I don't fully understand what you were doing with the wire. You start in the middle? What are you doing, threading an end through all the bottom holes, and then working upward?
So, one end of the wire connects to the leg of that capacitor thing, and the other one the body?? I didn't see where it connected to the body.
I'll watch it again, but didn't fully get that part.
Thanks
So, in others words, the radio placed under the loop becomes inductively coupled.
Magnetically coupled through the use of 2 inductors. Yes.
Building an AM radio antenna myself and have a couple questions. First, let me fill you in on background info. I have some thicker wire that's single strand I got from Lowe's. It's insulated, so there's no problem with the loops touching. The one problem could be thickness. It's 18 gauge, if I remember, and that may be too thick. The first loop will be rather far from the last loop, so the loose ends will have to close in fairly far to the capacitor.
Question: Is this wire too thick?
Question: Will the loose ends coming in to the capacitor cut across the field in such a way it'll interfere with the signal?
Question: Can I use a 5 gallon bucket to make this antenna? I'll wrap the wire around the outside and tape it down with clear packing tape. I''ll put the capacitor inside the center of the bucket, mounted on a piece of PVC pipe. I'll put the radio by the capacitor. Will this work?
Matt you mention a couple times about making a smaller loop to put inside to allow this to be used on a radio without an internal antenna. Can you give a little more detail on that small loop. I have an old stereo that has a very good receiver, but just 2 wire connections for AM Radio and I want to greatly improve my AM reception. What does small mean? How many loops? Do I hook the two ends of the lop to my stereo? Do I ground it? Etc. Many Thanks
I used use two shortwave radios next to each other to demodulate SSB AM and listen to 11.175khz and hams when I was a kid, the radio hobby is such fun.
Bought a commercial little medium wave loop some time ago. They attach two wires to the cap and bring the end via a phono plug into the receiver. Works from roundabout 500kHz up to about 3.8Mhz. Neat construction your loop Matt, thanks for the video!!!
10-360 pf var cap.
24" side
11 layers, 88' of wire
I put my thumb on a aux cable which was connected into my portable boombox and the radio came one. Apparently this is due to the magnetic field around the body
Stringing the wire through the holes is very tedious. In stead, use a saw with a kerf slightly wider than the wire you are using. On the outside (radius) saw to a depth so that each kerf breaks though the plastic. Wind the coil, laying the wire in the slots. When the coil is complete, to fix the wires in place, push a toothpick or bamboo skewer between the wire and plastic to lock them in place.
I was thinking exactly the same thing about the kerfing the pipe to the holes and was looking through the comments to see if anyone else had already commented that. Your suggestion with the toothpick/skewer made the search even better.
The longer you live the more you realize how useful PVC pipes are
Radio Controlled or "Atomic" clocks and watches synchronize to a data signal broadcasted on 60 kHz by station WWVB in Fort Collins, CO. It appears that these antennas concentrate the magnetic field at their tuned frequency, so radios in the vicinity receive the stronger field through their internal antennas. In a weak reception area, I wonder if one of these antennas, tuned to 60 kHz, could be placed in an attic and would concentrate the signal's magnetic field enough so clocks on the floor below would be able to receive WWVB and synchronize? Have you done any experiments?
Great idea - I have an issue with my clock (in theUK) and wonder if a loop in the attic - above the relevant room - might bring it back to life. I think its main issue is interference (neighbours' computers and plasma screens etc.). Maybe the directionality of a loop like this could be used to null-out enough of that? Only one way to find out...
Actually WWV uses 2.5, 5 10 15 and 20 Mhz
@@jbboating3268 I am referring to WWVB, which uses a 60 kHz carrier: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWVB
For the wire use NON ferrous wire. To stiffen up the pvc fill it with spray foam insulation before final capping.
Or build the frame out of wood...
Once the wire is tensioned around the frame it's actually amazingly stiff. If you're going bigger then either larger pipe or wood are probably easier (and less toxic) than filling with foam - although that's a cool idea if you really want stiff in a low profile.
You actually can use a ferrous wire (like steel), but you need to know the magnetic permeability and use a different formula for the loop. It has the advantages of using less wire and being stronger - but the math is a lot more involved.
Steven Hardy or go the better route and put the wire INSIDE the pipe that way it won't need much weather protection
Yep...that too!
The spacing of the wires is critical. You have to keep them *exactly* the correct distance apart, or you'll detune the loop and it won't receive in the correct band.
Would you like to complete the antenna with a coaxial cable or the like connected to the radio?
I did one that is 4x4 feet with 4 turns. It worked quite well.
My method involved no drilling. or glue
I suggest others copy the idea. Imagine you are holding some PVC pipe in your left hand wit a T on top of it.
You pass the wire on the side close to you below the T
loop it around the T and to behind the pipe in your hand.
The result is a wire that doesn't want to slip off the T.
This is how I did the 4 corners of the frame.
It works fine.
Sweet! I love AM radio for sleeping.
the yodal was a nice touch but Matt, AM radio....your getting old like myself! lol Take care man
How mu make such a loop work both on LW and MW? I had to make 2 separate ones because my 36 turns one will only work on LW and the one with 8 on MW.
DESDE URUGUAY MONTEVIDEO... QUE BUENO QUE ESTE TRADUCIDO EN ESPAÑOL ..ASI DE ESTA FORMA ..LAS PERSONAS QUE NO ENTIENDAN EL IDIOMA PUEDEN HACER ESTA ANTENA ..SENCILLA PERO CON PRESICION Y PODER DIEFRUTAR DE ELLA EN LA SINTONISACION DE EMISORAS LEJANAS ..Y LO MAS LINDO PODER ENSEÑAR A OTROS A CONSTRUIRLAS Y DE ESTA FORMA HABRAN MAS ADICTOS A LA RADIO..GRACIAS POR TU TRABAJO,,Y DEDICACION A ESTE MUNDO DE LAS .... ANTENAS..15 5 2023
I built it and it really does work and in my basement. I couldn't get any stations clearly or at all. Now I can get dozens of stations.
I would cut slots using my bandsaw.
Is this guy good or what kg6mn
This is a great idea fella. Hope you can make an antenna for a TV. I would be interested.
What channel range are you interested in? UHF or VHF? The Gray-Hoverman antenna is an outstanding antenna. I have built 2 or 3 versions of them and they all performed like a champ on weak UHF signals. The last version I built is known as the gold standard.
@@Bruce_Wayne35 I am interested in the VHF and UHF. The VHF is because I live in a location where there are still a few channels that I would like to get and UHF all the way to 52 channel. I got what I need for the antenna build and am going to start. Not sure what is the gold standard ??? Nice to hear from you Sir. v
@@victoryfirst2878 It's what the members of the Digital Home Canada discussion board/inventors chose to call it. The gold standard version was the highest gain UHF version of the Gray-Hoverman antenna. It covers channels 14 to 51 and has usable gain beyond that a bit, so it would still work great on 52. They're easy to build. Even a sloppy build will amaze you with good performance. A double-bay version will have around 16 dbi gain.
Is there any way to put a coax and pl259 connector on there? i have a bc-348Q that i am hooking this up to and would prefer an coax connection
Thanks
K5RCQ
IFFF I am correct, the orientation of antenna matters. By orientation I mean angle between the location from which signal is coming and antenna itself. When they are at 90, antenna is not picking any signal.
ONLY IF I AM CORRECT!!!
You are correct. I mentioned that in the demo part of the video. This loop works so well because it is highly selective. Both the tuning and the orientation allow it to zero in on just one station.
Awesome project video! I watched this and immediately got the itch to have a go with it.. Thanks for sharing!
How well will this design work for short wave, 15 meters to 120 meters?
Hi Matt, thanks for your good information and explain how it's made by you, good design I hope I be able to construct such one. It's now 7 years back considering your post but it's one of the best. Greetings from Holland/The Netherlands and wish you succes with your hobby and best wishes for you and family for 2024.
Thank you! All the best to you and yours in the new year as well.
For Long waves (down to about 150khz ) it has to be about 32 inch edge, about 30 turns of wire (100meters), around 475 pF or more capacitor. It works fine. But in Europe there are only 4 stations transmitting on Long waves.
Long live Long Wave !
First time listening, nice job, I’ll try doing it. Would it work for short wave radio too. ?
Use the calculator in the description to get the right dimensions for the band you want to listen to, but yes this concept will work for any frequency.
Matt Heere Thanks
Really well done, Matt. Clearly described and demonstrated with some great hints.
Could you post a list of parts needed and measurements? Thanks.
Thank you for this video, however, if you made a test run for this device , that could’ve been better.
Nice job. I will convert the measures to the International System Metric. Thanks for sharing.
What brand and model radio is that? I'm in NEPA and listen to KYW 1060 a lot, I also get chml 900 out of Hamilton Ontario, id like a better receiver.
Looks like C Crane CCRadio plus
18 inches bud 18inces lmao, no i went the same route myself ..38 inches all four sides . 30 turns on a squaure box kite type frame in a tight spiral 4 foot tall .. wired in my grage and ran into the house on some 75 ohm telstar or whatever my cable was on.. beats my stock eteon 750s built in am rod. problm is it's super directional too so it does need to be moved to if your dxing dont trust your dial alone.. built it 4 days ago still havent played with it much yet oh boy i cant wait tho
I have a similar 4 ft (circular) form using about 500 ft of wire. Maybe it's 'too directional' as I'm not having luck pulling in a station. Can you tell me the value of the capacitor that you're using as that might also be the issue. Thank in advance.
Can I use solid wire or does it have to be stranded?
Makes no difference. Stranded is generally more flexible, but use what you have.
What quality portable am radio with signal strength would you suggest someone purchase?
Xhdata d808
Good job, but I still have some questions. Is this like a outdoor long wire antenna, except the tuner gives the ability to do the same as changing the wire length.
I have a Sangean 803ATS with the external RCA jack.
Hi Grant. What you're describing sounds like a beverage antenna. Loops share some of the characteristics of a beverage, but they have much higher Q (they are more sensitive to tuning) and they don't have the S/N ratio benefits. If you have the room for a beverage and the tuner, then that's the way to go. The loop is a better choice when you have less room.
Hi Matt, thanks for the excellent video. I have just now subscribed to your channel. I actually use a wooden 3' Box Type Loop antenna here for AM, though in design, it is rather similar to yours here on the video. Loop antennas make a huge improvement to indoor AM Dx'ing. One of my best AM DX catches here in Melbourne Australia was 1110 kHz KFAB Omaha NE USA, which is included on my RUclips channel. Anyway, wishing you the very best. Robert.
You're kidding.. You got an US medium wave station in Melbourne? That's so wild!! Great catch!!!!
@@DJ_BROBOT Thanks. Back in the 1980's both USA and Canada MW stations were heard here by myself along with a number of other DX enthusiasts at the time. One of the more "regular" catches was of 1120kHz KPNW Eugene OR USA. My KFAB once only reception is included on my RUclips channel.
Thanks for the tip. I haven't actually tried that.
Slots are a lot easier than holes.
The electrical department of a hardware store often has good wire from your purpose. Heavier wire works a bit better.
Bigger diameter and fewer turns works better if you have the space.
Thanks, I must try that.
Thanks for the info I made a 4 ft box loop many years ago and listened to Belize 834 khz I thought that was a good catch. Is it possible to make it around 2 ft? I would probably need more windings?
If you made a 2’ box loop, meaning that from center to center would each be only 6 inches per side, then merely increasing the number of loops wouldn’t do the trick. The inductance of the loop has to match the range of your chosen frequencies, in this case the AM broadcast band from 500-1700 KHz, and that inductance must be correct to tune it with a 10-360 pF tuning capacitor as shown. To maximize the power of that tank (tuning) LC circuit, two feet per side, or 8 feet per one complete winding is in fact a highly efficient amount when wound 11 times. Yes, you could make the loop antenna any dimensions you like, but you’d still have to match inductance and capacitance to tune the band you want to monitor. I even made made an equilateral triangular loop with each side measuring 2’8”, or a total of 11 feet per one complete wind, with a total of 8 windings that beat out my earlier box and cylindrical am loop antennas. Experiment and have fun. One thing really helps though: The larger your tuning capacitor (physical size, not capacitive range), the more selectivity (fine tuning) you will have on the antenna.
I am sorry but you don't display what the exact steps as your video has no close up on how to actually assemble it.
There are plenty of articles on the internet about how to build a loop antenna. You don't have to learn everything from RUclips videos...
www.google.com/search?q=am+loop+antenna+construction&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
Excellent demo. Great antenna. Inductance is sexy.
I purchased an old Akai tuner AA-R20 for listening Am station but it is not getting signal. If I use the same will it increase the signal
a small loop antenna will be provided by manufacturer along with this tuner you can listen to distance signals
5:20 Which wire can make the best reception possible? Can solid non insulated wires make better reception in bad conditions or it doesn't matter? Does the height of the antenna stand matter? I want to have it outdoor to minimalize EMI. Do I really need variable capacitor when I will connect using coaxial cable? Is the grounding important or not that much? My hifi have loop antenna terminal connector. Will it work if I connect coaxial cable?
Hi Matt! Can this antenna design be wired directly to an AM receiver? If so what does that do to the tunable cap?
You could add a secondary pickup mini-loop, untuned, e.g. of a couple of turns, needn't be of same diameter as main loop, and needn't be centred. But the main loop does need a variable capacitor of some kind, because it needs to resonate to each frequency. A tuned antenna is not much use for SDR-type wide band-scanning therefore! (an active antenna would be more appropriate for that). I wonder if any suitable motorised or (preferably) voltage controlled solid state variable capacitors exist nowadays...
Thanks Matt for a good project, There is a problem finding a 360pf vairiable capacitor now days!, the small ones used in portable radios are 200pf which will restrict the lower frequencies to about 650khz. The solution is to use two of those in parallel or increase the turns to 15 from 11.
Or get a 100pF and a 220pF fixed capacitor and a ON-OFF-ON switch.
Great job for AM Dx logging & listening.....With a band Full of Active night Time stations you Just Can't beat the Std MW Broadcast Band for Real long distance reception with Simple cheap Equipment ! ......FM maxes Out at 'bout 150 miles & Google Streaming Isn't real RF radio......How about Comparing This diy Frame Loop design to a Long Diy Ferrite Rod show down Video ??
Hi Matt.....Thx for sharing your Excellent Diy AM radio antenna Booster design for us that Still like to Chase nighttime MW DX stations with relatively small, simple Inside antennas....Have you ever constructed a similar size (About same 240uh) Flat Plane inside Spiral wound Loop Antenna for Comparison signal Boost gain ?? ....A lot of the 1920's RCA & other brands radio sets used that Flat inside Spiral wound design....I'm using mine on a pine board 3 tube (Huge 1625 type Tubes) all 12 volt battery Regen Radio set !!..BTW,..Would a Double sized (48" x 48") antenna with Less turns but Same 80' wire Length produce Significantly more signal Boost gain ??....Thx again for a great AM radio accessory project....
Nie, please bulid on for SW wave
What Am For Antenna
How would you add a loop to connect the radio that has an antenna connection?
Replaced? Hmmph...
That was very informative. How is the Harbor Freight drill press working out? I would like to get one of the big ones.
Very well. I have a video or two on the press. Added a keyless chuck to handle smaller bits, and really have no complaints.
List of parts necessary to build this? Great project thanks
It's wire, PVC pipe, and the variable capacitor. What size / how much of each is determined using the calculator linked in the video description.
KYW1060 All News All The Time. Been listening to that station for over 40 years!
Nice construction and demo,,thanks a lot de Raj VU2SMM
Hi Matt, thanks for posting the project. I have a couple of question which I hope won't bother you, as they are very basic. The 1st one: which frequencies the antenna resonates? Would it be ok for higher frequencies such as 11 Mhz? The second one: I saw from previous comments that, in case you need to plug the antenna to an external jack such as the tecsun pl660, you need to build an internal counterloop. How does this counterloop would look like and may you explain how to plug it to the jack? Thank you for your time, Marco
Hi Marco. The bandwidth of the loop is pretty narrow, so it has to be designed for the specific frequency range you want. Use the link in the description, and the calculator will let you get the size and capacitor you need for 11MHz. It'll be much different from this one.
As for the small loop I don't have a plan for that one, but any of those small cheap loop antennas that come with a stereo receiver will work. Here's a link to one on Amazon as an example (although I think $10 is robbery for such a thing): www.amazon.com/Ancable-Antenna-Panasonic-Receiver-Systems/dp/B01CSFVFT4
Thank you for answering Matt. I'll have a try and let you know about the result. 73, Marco
Well done Matt, interesting watching Les G4XMX Cheshire UK.
Did U mention that this loop antenna will not work with a radio that does not have its own (internal) antenna loop to begin with? (like a ferrule). Some may want to use a car type radio which has a motorola plug or a AV Center Receiver which has dual clamps for connecting an antenna. & I think some little radios have a 3.5mm jack, the impedance of which beats me -- I assume that it would be an unbalanced antenna jack -- while a loop is intrinsically balanced. (Hello, balun?)
I have a few old AM/FM stereo radios laying around. What's the chances I actually find the variable capacitor you mention? I don't want to go through the trouble of taking the radio apart if it isn't likely to be in there.
Great Video Matt ! Now you need to tackle the Digital TV Antenna. Then set up a "pirate" AM, Digital broadcast venue so we can listen or watch...!
Thanks for your easy-to-follow video. I may try this when I have a chance.
Cheers from Japan.
Also, I have a GE Super Radio III, great for DX on MW anyway. I am going to attach the feed line to the radio, the other to ground. I assume that the capacitor in this particular radio that is made for this will be enough to handle the tuning. I am not sure what kind of cap is in there but it has wide and narrow band, and auto freq control.
Can you tell me if this is what was inside an old antenna tuner with a dial to make any AM radio get stations thousand miles away ???
Inside an am radio there's a compact and less efficient loop antenna. It's that copper coil wrapped around a ferrite cilinder.
How does one connect to an antenna input, if you do not have an antenna to couple with, for example connect to an SDR?
take a look at the website mentioned in the video description - you add a single-turn pickup loop, and connect that to coax running to your SDR.
This is a good quality construction tutorial,good practical work here,and a superb outcome,I am envious of your construction area.Colin.
Would a larger loop increase signal strength? Would more windings increase signal strength. Is there any best distance between the windings? This video is excellently done and based on your answers to my questions, I plan on building one. First time I have really gone out on a limb about projects like these and said that. But you instill confidence! Thanks!
Larger loops do "catch" more signal, but in practice you have to go much bigger to make a noticeable difference. The number of turns and the spacing are related, and more isn't better. They have to be the right mix for the loop to tune to the frequency you want. The calculator in the video description is the best way to experiment with different combinations.
Matt Heere, okay. I will build it the way you showed. Thanks!
I built the same 2 foot PVC frame antenna but I used 42 turns at 4 inches wide tuned to 150 khz to 1700 khz I used a hack saw to cut out around 35 notches each , yes some wires do overlap and are paired up to make the 42 turns needed to tune down to 150 khz. It actually works really good on LW and AM despite the hasty wire spacings. I want to make a larger 6 foot version with better properly spaced wires.
Hello, sir! Can this antenna design work on FM as well?
This antenna is too big and has too many turns for FM.
Looks well made would love to make it but being a disabled first responder with no drill press I guess this one's out for me. But nice work Matt I bet it works awesome 👍😎
Hello Matt, I made this with 18" 1/2" metal pipe instead. It doesn't seem to work and I'm wondering it needs the PVC instead of metal? Thank you
Hi Ben. Yep, the metal is your issue. It's critical that the structure is non-conductive, or it throws off the tuning rather drastically. Sorry if that wasn't more clear up front.
No problem. Thank you for replying. A fellow ham here as well. I should of known that
Thank you very much for the information. Here a short wave DX and AM. Although my work is in FM radio. Much success, and thank you for sharing your knowledge.
okay your picky, but thank's for being picky :)
Hey Matt, I'm assuming that your AM radio has a terminal with positive and ground connections, to plug into?
It does, but there are no connections from this loop to the radio. The current that flows in the big loop generates a field which generates a current in the radios internal antenna.
Got it, thanks!
Watched this whole video thinking i was going to learn how v to build a CB antennna LMFAO
cool video. I'll try it and see what happens. Thanks.
I love pvc loop antennas too and every time time I watch this video I LOL at the section where you wind it. I use a sharpie and a ruler and then a hacksaw to slot the pvc. I built a 2 footer as well using #22 magnetwire and 1/2 inch PVC. Great as a signal booster and a good local crystal set too. I also resurrected an older 4 foot version built with 1 inch PVC and widened the slots and wound it with #15 magnet wire. It is a ridiculous signal booster and a decent crystal radio set. I used balanced armature IEMs as earphones and matching transformers with a germanium diode and tinned the turns so I could just use an alligator clip to select the best place for listening. So far I have bagged 22 clear channel and regional stations at night using it as a crystal set.That is only 5 nights so far for a couple hours each night. Enjoyed the video. Loops are magic and heavy gauge wire is worth it. Best wishes!!!
HOW TO I HOOK THIS ANTENNA OUTSIDE TO CONNECT TO MY AMP INSIDE,,,???
Take a look at the website mentioned under *SHOW MORE* above. The text describes the addition of a single turn pickup loop, that attaches to coax that you can run to your radio. You'll probably want to make the capacitor "tunable-by-wire"; a scheme with a small DC motor to tune the loop remotely.
Thank you for sharing.
The AM antenna center rod, or in this case the spooled wire, should be perpendicular to the source of the signal? Any comment how why this is?
Excellent vid!
thanks for this.
Another loop antenna builder used a technique to save time (and cost of material) by using 4 conductor phone wire, soldering the ends to get 4 loops for a single length of cable. Even more turns can be made using older network cable (i.e. cat 3) that can be found pretty cheap at thrift stores, now that people are upgrading to cat 5e or 6.
Could you supply list of parts necessary to build this interesting project. Great thank you very much excellent video