Eric, Great video. This is Al, W0ERE. Obviously no one can argue about using a Magnetic loop for transmitting. You did it and you did fantastically well. Congratulations! You sigs were totally readable. You really surprised me with the on air result. Enjoy ham radio!
I had the Original Version of this before MFJ ever came up with this antenna... It was the AEA Isoloop. I had it in my attic in Clinton, NY in 1993. I broke pileups with it ! I loved it. Since that time, I have built my own.
The one real advantage to this antenna (to my mind) is that unlike other mag loops, the tuning box allows it to be tuned remotely, without having to run outside and try to tune with noise and then run back and forth until it's tuned. I set mine out on the balcony, using a thin patch cable (Comet CTC-50M) so that I was able to fully shut the sliding door onto it with no loss of power (the flat cable handles up to 100 watts, as the MFJ mag loop does) and I am happy so far.
Eric, After watching your video, I purchased the MFJ 1788 even though I had some concerns with supposed quality control issues that I had reviewed on some sights. Living in an HOA community I needed something that would do the job at a full 100 watts, be stealthy or be portable. I am so happy I did! This antenna does a surprisingly good job of getting a great signal out. The remote control makes it easy to tune, although there is a learning curve. I have the loop mounted on a 4' pole using a picnic table umbrella stand in the driveway of my condo. When I'm done I just bring it back in the garage until the next time I operate. I'm using the Yaesu FT450D in PSK31 mode right now and and even when the band is not so hot (which is most of the time anymore) it still does a great job. Made contact with a Russian station back in June ( R6AV ) which has been my longest contact so far with about 30 Watts. This antenna is a keeper, thanks for the video review! KC8ROA, Carl
Thanks.. I still swear by the MFJ loop antenna. I have used it to outperform others with a hexbeam at 25 feet and wires at a field day event. It's a real rockstar.
I had one of those at one time too. I think it worked well when I had my condo but it didn't load very well in my attic at my current QTH. The controller was destroyed in a flood so I just tossed it out. It was over 20 years old anyway. Maybe I'll get one of these once I get my station back together again.
I had one back in the early 90’s. It was my first HF antenna and it let me get on the air living in my condo. I made a ton of contacts on it. Ended up selling it when I moved into my house and got another antenna. Wish I would have kept it.
Eric, this is a good, thorough demonstration. One issue - the loop is directional along its plane, not broadside to the loop as you told W0ERE. There are actually deep nulls along the axis at low angles.
excellent video on the loop antenna...you did use i do believe 1 to 5 watts to tune with... which is fine but as soon as one will up the power to lets say 60 watts the swr change's a lot.... your 1 to 1.5 swr will now be around 2 to 1..... still not bad and useable..... i have this mag-loop antenna myself and at 60 watts input the lowest i can get on 20 meters is a 2 to 1.... still not bad for the loop..... my icom 7410 still like's the 2 to 1 swr ... some radio will back off the output with a 2 ro 1 swr.... anyway i like the mag loop antenna its a good way to go....just to be diffferent.... nn6aa
Almost 2 year's on after this video and with the cycle heading toward the bottom of the cycle, i'll give you my update of the 1786x....I have my loop horizontal on a 20ft pole and a small tv rotator... worked ZS, PY with 95w on 15m, EA9 on 15m with 5w power out, N4LA and AE7KI TODAY 01/10/2017, 95w out..... I'm just a little gobsmacked and delighted with this loop.... way beyond my expectation of what I thought it would do and what it DID do.... VY73 All... good dx de MI0GTA... Stevie
great video Eric. Can you tell us if the MFJ loop is actually 3 feet in diameter? If your floor tiles are 12 inch squares, the box that it came in is only about 2-1/2 feet wide. If the loop was actually 3 feet in diameter, the circumference would be more than 1/4 wavelength on 10M. All the experts say a loop must be less than 1/4 wavelength. Can you please clear up this confusion?
What is your noise floor normally where you live with your off center fed dipole? It looked about S1 to S3 with the loop. Where I live and with my R8 vertical, my noise floor is S5 on a good day, S9 on a bad day. I'm wondering whether the electrical noise rejection of magnetic loop antennas would help my situation, whether it's worth the ~$500 to try. 40m and 80m are where I really have problems though. I'd be ok with an Rx only antenna since my rig has an Rx antenna port and switches automatically to the main antenna for Tx. 73 de KR6ZY
Great video! Just noticing your FT450D display is set on the SWR scale. Is the SWR reading 2:1 there, is that ok to TX and what power were you running?
Can you tune for maximum band noise and then do a fine tune with 5watt? this is how most loops are tuned, to get them in the ballpark and then fine tune
Been thinking about getting this antenna as my first one however I live in a city row home with power lines both in front and in back of my home. We have a service line attached to our home , we live by an airport so there are plenty of different towers and lines in the area as well. Would you recommend this? I feel it’s kind of my only option. Love your videos also! Ty
Good video, thanks for making it. However the instructions say for SWR, not to insert the antenna mount mast more than 2 inches past the mount bracket. I think your's is a good 8 to 12 inches past it
was wondering about the 30 watt reading when you said you were putting 5 watts into it. Maybe I just don't understand the swr meter you're using. I like to use a single needle.
Hi there! Just want to know if the QRM on Loop antenna is much better than on wire Dipol antenna? I am fighting with 9+ QRM on my QTH in the city - it is so bad! Please share you experiance! Regards from Germany! Jens
Thank you very much for a very informative post. I (KB6CUN, in Minneapolis) am in an apartment on the 18th floor of a building facing SSW. I've mounted the antenna on a medium-duty camera tripod so I can move it from the operating window position to a nearby corner when not in use. I'm very curious about something: is there any directionality to either side of the loop? I've seen in one video that the antenna appeared to have the coax connected to the front or out-facing side, and yet am not clear that there would be any difference. Mine has the coax entering the rear (facing away from the window) side of the antenna. So far I've found that the lower I go in frequency, the harder it is to find low SWR. Using RG8U (short lengths) and your same radio, 450D. Thanks! 73 ps. I tell people who look at it like I'm an alien that it's indeed how I stay in touch with fellow aliens. Or, I just say it's a sculpture.
"is there any directionality to either side of the loop?" Yes, mag loops have a donut shaped pattern, with the signal being strongest from the sides and a definite null in the centre.
Has anyone done a test in both the vertical and the horizontal position to see which performed the best? I personally don't see a reason to use it horizontal other than maybe a space restriction issue.
Jd Martin - That is exactly the same thing I would like to know. Vertical or Horizontal??? One replier did say if you can get it up in the air about 20 feet, mounting it horizontally would make it more omnidirectional.
I didn't hear the beep when lowest SWR is reached or passed in your video. I only hear a "click" if I am hearing the right sound. What type of sound at lowest SWR is this tuner supposed to make? I spoke with Jimmy at MFJ who didn't sound definitive about the sound the beeper should make. So he is having me send it in to check it out. I'm wondering if I'm wasting my time or not by sending it in. What are your thoughts?
Eric, any thoughts about this 1786 compared to the 1788 (15 to 40 meters) performance-wise? Is the 40 meters excessively compromised? Or compared to the 1780 "Box Fan" version, also 10 to 30 meters like the 1786, but one foot smaller diameter loop. Of the 3, which loop hits the "sweet spot" of price/performance?
Thanks to this video and Eric's Recommendation I purchase this antenna. I live in a deed restricted neighborhood so I put this in my attic. I couldn't be more pleased. I also used this antenna on Field Day 2016 in my toy hauler trailer. Eric did a video from there and the contacts were amazing. Check out his other video on how to operate on Field Day. ruclips.net/video/zKXfdBMpytQ/видео.html
jfranke3 - Did you mount yours vertical or horizontal? I live in a Town Home with a strict HOA and only a 20'x20' garage attic for an antenna of some sort. I am going to try to string a 31' (Off Center Fed) Dipole for 10-40m in the tight space. However, I am very interested in the MFJ-1786 magnetic loop antenna. Never tried one in the past due to high cost. They are a bit pricey compared to an $85 dipole...lol!
Hi, Bill from nz, ZL2BILL. I have been watching your video, I have limited space for Aerials so this appears to fit the bill. It's in the mhz range that I'm interested in so please could you tell me the price of this aerial?
Also, after tuning a particular band, once it's tune, then that etire band doesn't need to be tuned anymore unless I change bands? And does the unit have any type of a memory when I can just move through the bands without retuning it each time.
+cigarjohn42 It will be at resonance at the tuned frequency and will only deviate around 10kc or so before having to retune the capacitor again.The Q is very narrow on magnetic loop antennas,but they also act as a preamp filter,rejecting QRM from adjacent frequencies....73...Dennis W7KB.
I hope you're getting commission from MFJ, I'm clicking BUY on DX Engineering's site to get one. Moved from a big house with a big tower to a townhome and HoA restricted. Attic is 30' off ground and is more than large enough for one of these. Tried running wires and only had success with 10, 15 and 17 meters. Hoping this magloop does the trick to get me back on 40m. (MFJ 1788)
NO. you have to change the capcitance on the Loop via the built in motor on the loop. The great thing about Loops and why you can transmit full power into them, is because the Capacitor tunes the inductor (loop), pretty close to perfectly. Although the bandwidth is super narrow. If you are in a tough situation for an antenna, Loops work great. Just place them away from pets and kids because the voltage coming off loops can Zap the crap out of you, and dont transmit right next to them either. Put them at least 25 feet away from you. They are efficient as heck. Google:Small Transmitting Loops. They are pretty easy to build. Obviously having a Commercial loop is the way to go. Also Loops do not need to be way up high to work. They can be 2 feet off the ground. good luck.
Stupid question but hey-that's what questions are for, but if I just have this on my wood floor standing upright, is that going to work or do I need to mount it? Thanks
As with any antenna, height is might. However, one thing to bear in mind with mag loops is that they are dangerous at close quarters. Very high voltage is present on the loop and the near field RF is very strong, so don't sit beside it while running high power.
Was the "great" contact in Missouri a MFJ salesman ? LOL just kidding, thanks for a great demonstration of this antenna , im in a condo , so I'm definitely putting this antenna at the top of my list, thanks again 73 KD9GRP
A capacitor and a 1m metal loop? I would think you could build one with little cost that would operate from say 10meg to 30meg. Just think the price of some ready made equipment is high. Maybe when the word HAM comes into things the price goes up. I will try this evening to source parts to try and home brew this thing. 20m-10m would do me.
Plenty of people make their own magnetic loop antennas. Plenty of good info online. If you google "magnetic loop antenna calculator" click on the first link which is from 66pacific.com. That calculator is really handy for calculating the size of each loop. I am planning on building a mag loop based on the Alex Loop Walk Ham. It uses coax for the main loop. My plan is to use RG-58 for the main loop since it's' cheap and compact. My loop will be manually tuned however. But a loop tunable from inside the shack would be nice.
If I mount this antenna in my attic or outside roof, should it be used with a rotor? Also, if you don't use a rotor like in an attic installation, is there a marking on the antenna to determine which direction I can point it in? Also, can this antenna be used with out that control box. Will my radio's built in antenna tuner tune this antenna?
+cigarjohn42 Mag loops can be mounted vertically with a rotor in your attic,but if mounted about twenty feet or higher above ground horizontally,they will radiate in an omnidirectional pattern.
+redman840 Should I tune my bands at the lowest power settings possible to get a good match before transmitting at a higher power level? And is a dummy load required?
John Athanassion Always tune at lower power levels to start,say about 5-10w,then raise your power level in increments to make sure you are still tuned at proper SWR levels.10/25/50/100 watts in increments,is the safe way to ensure that happens.A dummy load is not required,one can tune up on air,always making sure that there are no others on frequency prior to transmitting.Don't expect a perfect SWR on all bands,for that may not happen,just try for lowest readings.Try to keep your loop away from other metal objects,so as not to couple to them and throw off SWR readings.Do not use your tuner,for you are tuning to exact resonance on that frequency.Loops work a bit better in the open areas of a yard,field or park,but will also work fairly well in other environments.Its's fairly simple...give it a try.
Thank you very much for all your help and being a kind of an Elmer to me online. Greatly appreciated for taking the time in steering me in the right direction. I wish you the best in all your HAM projects. 73's! ;)
The antenna is too susceptible to resonant point shifts with environmental factors to rely on manually tuning. You need an SWR interface to make adjustments or this High Q will drive you nuts. Try Ciro loops found at DX engineering.
Eric, you always do great videos this one is no exception. I have my 705 with the mag loop for it the IC 705… Wouldn’t mind having one of these, I could put it on the mast where my vhf/uhf antenna is mounted. Get it up around 25’ or so see how well it works. Too bad it only 30-10 meters, if it had 40 meters as well that would be titties and beer;-) Still and all, might have to check it out if not overly expensive. Again, fantastic video.. keep up the great videos.
The Solution for all band coverage if you live on a lot like mine with ZERO Trees.... Is either the cheap option of the MFJ Loop, and a Vertical with a base inductor match for working 160 and 80. Then for 40 through 10 Meters is this :www.dxengineering.com/parts/mzz-baby/documentation The Ciro Loop "Baby" is built like a brick outhouse. Sure. It's $2K, but it's built for Northern Winters with the snow and wind, and the Vertical I have had up for a decade. Base Matching Inductors by MFJ or www.ad5x.com/images/Articles/Match43footerRevA.pdf The Ciro Mazzoni Loop above has an automatic control box that follows your radio's frequency and tunes the radio automatically. There is no fiddling with buttons. Magnetic Loops are fantastic performers. I have used them for the past 26 years. I just built one myself that is portable. It works 6.700 through 22.000, so 40 through 15 Meters. For Fun, Search on Google (Images) "Magnetic Loops". It is mind boggling the different designs. Thanks for the video. When I lived in upstate NY, I ran one of these in my Attic, and broke pileups on phone ALL the time with less than 50 watts. It is absolutely the best antenna for either portable or difficult situations. It's the most power out, and it's really what every ham wants. super low SWR, and Minimal fuss. This Guy has a great site about Magnetic Loops. There are several Videos. ruclips.net/user/loughkbfeatured 73. KB2QQM
I think you're using this antenna on wrong way. Never ever you can't use a mettle pole for mounting a magloop. Definitely it will affect the antenna performance
You can broadcast through a mag loop, but its initial concept is pulling in signals. Inductance, magnetism, attractor force. Remember the standing wave ratio 2:1. 2 spiral waves of electricity balance a single wave of magnetism. If this is a true mag loop, then you have to power 2x as much capacitance, electricity, repulsor force out of the loop. Other wire antennas or yagis etc have no magnetism or electrical high potentials, so you only need to balance the electromagnetic waves (same 2:1 ratio), but not the same overpowering of the transmission power over that of a "mag" loop. they are smaller, and used by modern military because of the smaller size, but they also have to power up their broadcasts to use it.
+John Lord Nice. Well thanks for the info. I'm new to mag loops, but alot of people can surely benefit from them, hence the reason for my video. I was impressed from the contacts with this thing.
Ciro wants $2,000 for a similar antenna. You can make one yourself, but you'll need to tune it manually for every frequency change. The advantage of this one is the over-the-coax tuner.
Eric,
Great video. This is Al, W0ERE. Obviously no one can argue about using a Magnetic loop for transmitting. You did it and you did fantastically well. Congratulations! You sigs were totally readable. You really surprised me with the on air result. Enjoy ham radio!
Hey you circled back to drop a line on the video! Cool! 73 DE VA3SPV
I had the Original Version of this before MFJ ever came up with this antenna... It was the AEA Isoloop. I had it in my attic in Clinton, NY in 1993. I broke pileups with it ! I loved it. Since that time, I have built my own.
The one real advantage to this antenna (to my mind) is that unlike other mag loops, the tuning box allows it to be tuned remotely, without having to run outside and try to tune with noise and then run back and forth until it's tuned. I set mine out on the balcony, using a thin patch cable (Comet CTC-50M) so that I was able to fully shut the sliding door onto it with no loss of power (the flat cable handles up to 100 watts, as the MFJ mag loop does) and I am happy so far.
Eric,
After watching your video, I purchased the MFJ 1788 even though I had some concerns with supposed quality control issues that I had reviewed on some sights. Living in an HOA community I needed something that would do the job at a full 100 watts, be stealthy or be portable. I am so happy I did! This antenna does a surprisingly good job of getting a great signal out. The remote control makes it easy to tune, although there is a learning curve.
I have the loop mounted on a 4' pole using a picnic table umbrella stand in the driveway of my condo. When I'm done I just bring it back in the garage until the next time I operate. I'm using the Yaesu FT450D in PSK31 mode right now and and even when the band is not so hot (which is most of the time anymore) it still does a great job. Made contact with a Russian station back in June ( R6AV ) which has been my longest contact so far with about 30 Watts. This antenna is a keeper, thanks for the video review! KC8ROA, Carl
Thanks.. I still swear by the MFJ loop antenna. I have used it to outperform others with a hexbeam at 25 feet and wires at a field day event. It's a real rockstar.
Carl Dennin L v
Love that reaction @11:20 "Holy mackerel!" He's S9+20 at some instances! Excellent!
I had the AEA Isoloop. I kick myself for selling it way back in 1994. Since then I have built my own loops. they work GREAT !
I had one of those at one time too. I think it worked well when I had my condo but it didn't load very well in my attic at my current QTH. The controller was destroyed in a flood so I just tossed it out. It was over 20 years old anyway. Maybe I'll get one of these once I get my station back together again.
I had one back in the early 90’s. It was my first HF antenna and it let me get on the air living in my condo. I made a ton of contacts on it. Ended up selling it when I moved into my house and got another antenna. Wish I would have kept it.
Good vid. I have one too and use it all the time!
Eric, this is a good, thorough demonstration. One issue - the loop is directional along its plane, not broadside to the loop as you told W0ERE. There are actually deep nulls along the axis at low angles.
Thanks Eric. I was thinking about buying one. After watching this Im gonna try one. Tnx...
Best video on this antenna Eric. Well done. Keep up the great work pal.
Eric MY MAN! Great work AGAIN at describing the antenna and it’s installation vertically or horizontally. Great stuff. 73’s from Oregon Larry de K7HN
Good demo! This antenna gives an option for all of us living in HOA antenna restricted communities. Too bad they are so costly. 73!
For $500 you get a fairly well engineered (for MFJ!) antenna and controller.
Outstanding video. Thanks for sharing. You are a great teacher. Scott K9SEP
Great video and very helpful. Did you ever get to test it in a horizontal orientation?
excellent video on the loop antenna...you did use i do believe 1 to 5 watts to tune with... which is fine but as soon as one will up the power to lets say 60 watts the swr change's a lot.... your 1 to 1.5 swr will now be around 2 to 1..... still not bad and useable..... i have this mag-loop antenna myself and at 60 watts input the lowest i can get on 20 meters is a 2 to 1.... still not bad for the loop..... my icom 7410 still like's the 2 to 1 swr ... some radio will back off the output with a 2 ro 1 swr.... anyway i like the mag loop antenna its a good way to go....just to be diffferent.... nn6aa
re-shape the driven loop to enhance coupling / allow lower SWR on 20M. They get banged up in shipping.
Fascinating and informative. Thanks.
great video and use one myself great antenna nice job ,73s....
Almost 2 year's on after this video and with the cycle heading toward the bottom of the cycle, i'll give you my update of the 1786x....I have my loop horizontal on a 20ft pole and a small tv rotator... worked ZS, PY with 95w on 15m, EA9 on 15m with 5w power out, N4LA and AE7KI TODAY 01/10/2017, 95w out..... I'm just a little gobsmacked and delighted with this loop.... way beyond my expectation of what I thought it would do and what it DID do.... VY73 All... good dx de MI0GTA... Stevie
are you still using it ?
great video Eric. Can you tell us if the MFJ loop is actually 3 feet in diameter? If your floor tiles are 12 inch squares, the box that it came in is only about 2-1/2 feet wide. If the loop was actually 3 feet in diameter, the circumference would be more than 1/4 wavelength on 10M. All the experts say a loop must be less than 1/4 wavelength. Can you please clear up this confusion?
Those tiles In my old house were 18” tiles I believe . But it’s been so long ago..
What is your noise floor normally where you live with your off center fed dipole? It looked about S1 to S3 with the loop.
Where I live and with my R8 vertical, my noise floor is S5 on a good day, S9 on a bad day. I'm wondering whether the electrical noise rejection of magnetic loop antennas would help my situation, whether it's worth the ~$500 to try. 40m and 80m are where I really have problems though. I'd be ok with an Rx only antenna since my rig has an Rx antenna port and switches automatically to the main antenna for Tx.
73 de KR6ZY
Great video! Just noticing your FT450D display is set on the SWR scale. Is the SWR reading 2:1 there, is that ok to TX and what power were you running?
Can you tune for maximum band noise and then do a fine tune with 5watt? this is how most loops are tuned, to get them in the ballpark and then fine tune
Been thinking about getting this antenna as my first one however I live in a city row home with power lines both in front and in back of my home. We have a service line attached to our home , we live by an airport so there are plenty of different towers and lines in the area as well. Would you recommend this? I feel it’s kind of my only option. Love your videos also! Ty
Good video, thanks for making it. However the instructions say for SWR, not to insert the antenna mount mast more than 2 inches past the mount bracket. I think your's is a good 8 to 12 inches past it
was wondering about the 30 watt reading when you said you were putting 5 watts into it. Maybe I just don't understand the swr meter you're using. I like to use a single needle.
5 watts while tuning. 30 watts while talking.
Hi there! Just want to know if the QRM on Loop antenna is much better than on wire Dipol antenna? I am fighting with 9+ QRM on my QTH in the city - it is so bad! Please share you experiance! Regards from Germany! Jens
Thank you very much for a very informative post. I (KB6CUN, in Minneapolis) am in an apartment on the 18th floor of a building facing SSW. I've mounted the antenna on a medium-duty camera tripod so I can move it from the operating window position to a nearby corner when not in use. I'm very curious about something: is there any directionality to either side of the loop? I've seen in one video that the antenna appeared to have the coax connected to the front or out-facing side, and yet am not clear that there would be any difference. Mine has the coax entering the rear (facing away from the window) side of the antenna. So far I've found that the lower I go in frequency, the harder it is to find low SWR. Using RG8U (short lengths) and your same radio, 450D. Thanks! 73 ps. I tell people who look at it like I'm an alien that it's indeed how I stay in touch with fellow aliens. Or, I just say it's a sculpture.
"is there any directionality to either side of the loop?" Yes, mag loops have a donut shaped pattern, with the signal being strongest from the sides and a definite null in the centre.
Very impressed !
Has anyone done a test in both the vertical and the horizontal position to see which performed the best? I personally don't see a reason to use it horizontal
other than maybe a space restriction issue.
Jd Martin - That is exactly the same thing I would like to know. Vertical or Horizontal??? One replier did say if you can get it up in the air about 20 feet, mounting it horizontally would make it more omnidirectional.
Cool how the amp draw corresponds to proper tuning. Peak tune = highest draw = highest radiated power ?
Great video thanks. I am very surprised that the antenna is as good as that.
I like, I want one. Real nice contacts with it being u in FL. one in MO.
Douglas Gore
actually, the silver aluminum straps go over the gold brackets allowing a flat surface to tighten the bolt to. Have fun!
I didn't hear the beep when lowest SWR is reached or passed in your video. I only hear a "click" if I am hearing the right sound. What type of sound at lowest SWR is this tuner supposed to make?
I spoke with Jimmy at MFJ who didn't sound definitive about the sound the beeper should make. So he is having me send it in to check it out. I'm wondering if I'm wasting my time or not by sending it in.
What are your thoughts?
Eric, any thoughts about this 1786 compared to the 1788 (15 to 40 meters) performance-wise? Is the 40 meters excessively compromised? Or compared to the 1780 "Box Fan" version, also 10 to 30 meters like the 1786, but one foot smaller diameter loop. Of the 3, which loop hits the "sweet spot" of price/performance?
Thanks to this video and Eric's Recommendation I purchase this antenna. I live in a deed restricted neighborhood so I put this in my attic. I couldn't be more pleased. I also used this antenna on Field Day 2016 in my toy hauler trailer. Eric did a video from there and the contacts were amazing. Check out his other video on how to operate on Field Day.
ruclips.net/video/zKXfdBMpytQ/видео.html
jfranke3 - Did you mount yours vertical or horizontal? I live in a Town Home with a strict HOA and only a 20'x20' garage attic for an antenna of some sort. I am going to try to string a 31' (Off Center Fed) Dipole for 10-40m in the tight space. However, I am very interested in the MFJ-1786 magnetic loop antenna. Never tried one in the past due to high cost. They are a bit pricey compared to an $85 dipole...lol!
The AOR LA400 loop antenna is much smaller and handy. It looks very sensitive in RUclips demo.
That's a receiving antenna. You can't put 150 watts through that thing.
@James Bowie, 150 watts? But why would I put 150 watts on LA400?
What if your powering a mobile radio with power supply , would that interfere with the ground that coax shares runs on ?
Great comprehensive video!
Hi, Bill from nz, ZL2BILL. I have been watching your video, I have limited space for Aerials so this appears to fit the bill. It's in the mhz range that I'm interested in so please could you tell me the price of this aerial?
+Bill Dench about $429
Incredible!
Also, after tuning a particular band, once it's tune, then that etire band doesn't need to be tuned anymore unless I change bands? And does the unit have any type of a memory when I can just move through the bands without retuning it each time.
+cigarjohn42 It will be at resonance at the tuned frequency and will only deviate around 10kc or so before having to retune the capacitor again.The Q is very narrow on magnetic loop antennas,but they also act as a preamp filter,rejecting QRM from adjacent frequencies....73...Dennis W7KB.
I hope you're getting commission from MFJ, I'm clicking BUY on DX Engineering's site to get one. Moved from a big house with a big tower to a townhome and HoA restricted. Attic is 30' off ground and is more than large enough for one of these. Tried running wires and only had success with 10, 15 and 17 meters. Hoping this magloop does the trick to get me back on 40m. (MFJ 1788)
Nice video. Think i will start saving to get one,73 de 2i0otw.
Nice!
can it tune with an icom 7300 internal atu ?
NO. you have to change the capcitance on the Loop via the built in motor on the loop. The great thing about Loops and why you can transmit full power into them, is because the Capacitor tunes the inductor (loop), pretty close to perfectly. Although the bandwidth is super narrow. If you are in a tough situation for an antenna, Loops work great. Just place them away from pets and kids because the voltage coming off loops can Zap the crap out of you, and dont transmit right next to them either. Put them at least 25 feet away from you. They are efficient as heck. Google:Small Transmitting Loops. They are pretty easy to build. Obviously having a Commercial loop is the way to go. Also Loops do not need to be way up high to work. They can be 2 feet off the ground. good luck.
new to this.... with this antenna does it mean I will not require a antenna analyzer to set it up and to use it?
can you put wd 40 in it
How well does this loop work on 10 meters?
JohnCan alsoo be used to send ! in case you diddend know !
Stupid question but hey-that's what questions are for, but if I just have this on my wood floor standing upright, is that going to work or do I need to mount it? Thanks
As with any antenna, height is might. However, one thing to bear in mind with mag loops is that they are dangerous at close quarters. Very high voltage is present on the loop and the near field RF is very strong, so don't sit beside it while running high power.
@@James_Bowie thanks for the info James. What distance should this be from a person while transmitting? Is there a danger while receiving?
doesnt leaving it keyed with a high swr harm the finals? even at 5 watts ??
no QRL ?
While tuning what is your transmitting power set at?
5 watts
Hi can this be used for CB radios if so where can I get one
Don Nidiffer it should be able to, but I'll confirm first
Was the "great" contact in Missouri a MFJ salesman ? LOL just kidding, thanks for a great demonstration of this antenna , im in a condo , so I'm definitely putting this antenna at the top of my list, thanks again 73 KD9GRP
I got more loops coming in videos, stay tuned.
Thanks man I appreciate it. KD9GRP@@HamRadioConcepts
A capacitor and a 1m metal loop? I would think you could build one with little cost that would operate from say 10meg to 30meg. Just think the price of some ready made equipment is high. Maybe when the word HAM comes into things the price goes up.
I will try this evening to source parts to try and home brew this thing. 20m-10m would do me.
Plenty of people make their own magnetic loop antennas. Plenty of good info online. If you google "magnetic loop antenna calculator" click on the first link which is from 66pacific.com. That calculator is really handy for calculating the size of each loop. I am planning on building a mag loop based on the Alex Loop Walk Ham. It uses coax for the main loop. My plan is to use RG-58 for the main loop since it's' cheap and compact. My loop will be manually tuned however. But a loop tunable from inside the shack would be nice.
Victor Nelson i
It needs to be a very good capacitor to run any sort of power.
If I mount this antenna in my attic or outside roof, should it be used with a rotor? Also, if you don't use a rotor like in an attic installation, is there a marking on the antenna to determine which direction I can point it in? Also, can this antenna be used with out that control box. Will my radio's built in antenna tuner tune this antenna?
+cigarjohn42 Mag loops can be mounted vertically with a rotor in your attic,but if mounted about twenty feet or higher above ground horizontally,they will radiate in an omnidirectional pattern.
+redman840 Thanks.
+redman840 Should I tune my bands at the lowest power settings possible to get a good match before transmitting at a higher power level? And is a dummy load required?
John Athanassion Always tune at lower power levels to start,say about 5-10w,then raise your power level in increments to make sure you are still tuned at proper SWR levels.10/25/50/100 watts in increments,is the safe way to ensure that happens.A dummy load is not required,one can tune up on air,always making sure that there are no others on frequency prior to transmitting.Don't expect a perfect SWR on all bands,for that may not happen,just try for lowest readings.Try to keep your loop away from other metal objects,so as not to couple to them and throw off SWR readings.Do not use your tuner,for you are tuning to exact resonance on that frequency.Loops work a bit better in the open areas of a yard,field or park,but will also work fairly well in other environments.Its's fairly simple...give it a try.
Thank you very much for all your help and being a kind of an Elmer to me online. Greatly appreciated for taking the time in steering me in the right direction. I wish you the best in all your HAM projects. 73's! ;)
The antenna is too susceptible to resonant point shifts with environmental factors to rely on manually tuning. You need an SWR interface to make adjustments or this High Q will drive you nuts. Try Ciro loops found at DX engineering.
Ciro is $2,000. MFJ is $500.
Eric, you always do great videos this one is no exception. I have my 705 with the mag loop for it the IC 705…
Wouldn’t mind having one of these, I could put it on the mast where my vhf/uhf antenna is mounted. Get it up around 25’ or so see how well it works.
Too bad it only 30-10 meters, if it had 40 meters as well that would be titties and beer;-) Still and all, might have to check it out if not overly expensive. Again, fantastic video.. keep up the great videos.
The Solution for all band coverage if you live on a lot like mine with ZERO Trees.... Is either the cheap option of the MFJ Loop, and a Vertical with a base inductor match for working 160 and 80. Then for 40 through 10 Meters is this :www.dxengineering.com/parts/mzz-baby/documentation
The Ciro Loop "Baby" is built like a brick outhouse. Sure. It's $2K, but it's built for Northern Winters with the snow and wind, and the Vertical I have had up for a decade. Base Matching Inductors by MFJ or www.ad5x.com/images/Articles/Match43footerRevA.pdf
The Ciro Mazzoni Loop above has an automatic control box that follows your radio's frequency and tunes the radio automatically. There is no fiddling with buttons.
Magnetic Loops are fantastic performers. I have used them for the past 26 years. I just built one myself that is portable. It works 6.700 through 22.000, so 40 through 15 Meters.
For Fun, Search on Google (Images) "Magnetic Loops". It is mind boggling the different designs.
Thanks for the video. When I lived in upstate NY, I ran one of these in my Attic, and broke pileups on phone ALL the time with less than 50 watts. It is absolutely the best antenna for either portable or difficult situations. It's the most power out, and it's really what every ham wants. super low SWR, and Minimal fuss.
This Guy has a great site about Magnetic Loops. There are several Videos.
ruclips.net/user/loughkbfeatured
73. KB2QQM
no 1 2 1 20m conterpose
ilike
Ah ah ah
I think you're using this antenna on wrong way. Never ever you can't use a mettle pole for mounting a magloop. Definitely it will affect the antenna performance
Mag loops great for pulling in weak signals. Of course, they are only meant for receiving. 73 KJ6YYC/Extra/VE/FE
+John Lord So is this the only mag loop that is meant for transmitting?
You can broadcast through a mag loop, but its initial concept is pulling in signals. Inductance, magnetism, attractor force. Remember the standing wave ratio 2:1. 2 spiral waves of electricity balance a single wave of magnetism. If this is a true mag loop, then you have to power 2x as much capacitance, electricity, repulsor force out of the loop. Other wire antennas or yagis etc have no magnetism or electrical high potentials, so you only need to balance the electromagnetic waves (same 2:1 ratio), but not the same overpowering of the transmission power over that of a "mag" loop.
they are smaller, and used by modern military because of the smaller size, but they also have to power up their broadcasts to use it.
+John Lord Nice. Well thanks for the info. I'm new to mag loops, but alot of people can surely benefit from them, hence the reason for my video. I was impressed from the contacts with this thing.
Yes, mag loops are small and hidable in many places. Of that I totally agree with your vid.
@John Lord. Nonsense. Loops have been used for transmitting for decades.
Si sì. . . 500,oo €, come no .
$500.00 !!!!! Are you shitten me!
Ciro wants $2,000 for a similar antenna. You can make one yourself, but you'll need to tune it manually for every frequency change. The advantage of this one is the over-the-coax tuner.
FYI a switching power supply is really not reliable an safe
An ugly antenna, expensive and a terrible pseudo automatic tuning contraption...nice try but not for me.
While tuning what is your transmitting power set at?
ilike