Well, I talked to Santa. Unfortunately my grandsons didn't.  I called into Santa the day before to make sure I had a good copy with the station so my grandsons could talk to Santa the next day.

However, their mother took them off the nice list, so they couldn't come over.

So far, so good with the antenna.  I talked with a couple of friends less than 10 miles away on both 40 and 80 meters, checked into a state net, and talked to stations on both US coasts.   So far, I don't have any RF issues, not even thru my computer speakers.  I did have that issue with the temporary antenna that was inside the room.

Now I need to put the polyphaser protection on and run the coax through the wall into the shack.

Thanks for all your  help.

Well,  I got on the air with the new antenna.   It ended up to be about 276 feet long, based on what I cut off.  It is lots quieter and I can hear lots more stations.  About 5:30 pm MST,  I made a contact  on 20M in Atlanta, Georgia.  He could hear me very well.  Then I switched to 40M and called CQ.  Got the west coast, about 250 miles north of Los Angeles. 

Overall, I am happy, so far.  In a little while I'll arrange a local QSO on 40M and see how it performs there.

I still need to get it into the shack, though.  It's in thru an open window right now.

Thanks, WB6BYU.  Each of the 4 masts has a rope so I can lower each corner.  Tomorrow I'll start the cutting and tuning process.  I have a tuner.  I'm looking forward to getting on the air with a real antenna.

Yes, I'm using coax to feed the loop.

A box from DX Engineering arrived today containing 300 ft of 14 ga polyethylene covered wire, a Comtek 4:1 balun, 200 ft of 3/16 rope and a polyphaser lightning protector.

In just over 2 hours, the XYL and I got all 4 corners of the 80M loop up, and then ran out of daylight.  Tomorrow I'll solder the antenna to the balun. Right now it is just twisted on so I could get the loop up in the air.  The corners are about 22 feet up.   I know that is less than optimum, but is the highest I could go right now.  The wire is hanging loosely since it is too long.

I have an MFJ 259 analyzer and am ready to use it, although it may be that I will just cut the wire so it is snugly up based on spacing between the 4 masts.  Never  having done a loop before, this is all new.

It's possible that there is a ham radio club near enough to you that has an antenna analyzer you could borrow if you join up.  It's also possible that there is another ham who has one.  If you have ever noticed a tower in someones backyard, he is probably a ham.

Thanks for the responses.  I'm working on getting the masts up this week.  Next week I'll order the wire and other materials and actually make the antenna.

I understand that a  ladder line fed antenna has advantages.  I am concerned about lightning strikes and haven't seen how to protect against it with a ladder line feed.  Maybe I have missed something somewhere.  All the stuff I have read has been for coax.

Another ham, about 25 miles away has one like this, and he is able to talk locally on it.  His is up just above his roof line, about 21 feet up.  I used his as the model for mine, but I'm not putting it up over my house like he did.  He has a much smaller lot.

What radiation patterns do you want on the higher bands?

I want to do some DX, but I also want to talk locally on 40M.

Where are you feeding the antenna?   

At the NE corner, closest to the house.

How are you feeding the antenna?   

4:1 balun fed with coax, then to a box with lightning protection, then into the shack.

In my search for HF antennas, I've decided on an 80 M loop.  I  have several possible locations.  The most limiting factor is an access for farm machinery, which includes large tractors, combines and semi trucks.  They have to be able to get onto my property to the farm behind my house.  The farm is mine.  I can put masts in several configurations.  

Using 280 as the perimeter:
1. Span the access road with a rectangular configuration of 80,80,60, 60.   Blue rectangle.

2. Put the antennas up over my garden and animal area in the same 80,80,60,60 or as 100,100,40,40.  Green rectangle.

3. Use my garden area, plus a couple of tweaks to allow access of 76,70,69,59.  This gives me 274 feet.  This is as close to a square as I can get.  I have a bit of latitude here with the first two poles,  but not with the last two.  If I move the last two anymore west they might be hit by tractors.  Brown rectangle.

Location Diagram:  http://www.frontiernet.net/~blsplus/hamradio/images/HouseAndLot.jpg


Is the 100 ft or 80 ft distance too long?  How much will the wire droop in the middle?

Any  help will be appreciated.

I guess I could also only put up a 40 M loop, then I have a whole bunch of location options and don't  have to worry about tractors and semi-trucks.  I would then need a second antenna for 80 M.

I should have had all the antennas shown slightly askew, as I did with #3, since I have power lines running east-west just north of the house.

When I was a Boy Scout, my Grandfather, a Scoutmaster,  brought two oscillators and I began learning Morse Code with my friend next door.  We strung wires between the two houses.

A few years later, I took Electricity Shop in Jr. High.  The instructor announced that students could satisfy the course by doing projects or by getting a Ham Radio license.  I began studying and brushing up on my code and passed the Novice exam in 1969.

I got lots of contacts using WA6VUA, the school station.  Then I graduated and my next school didn't have a station, so my license expired two years later.  I always regretted losing that license.

Fast forward to 2005.  I received a visit from one of my religious leaders.  He handed me an ICV8 HT and a Technician book and asked if I wanted to be part of the local emergency response team and if I would attend the  Ham Radio class scheduled to begin the following Saturday.  I took the class and got my Technician license with grandfathered code since I still possessed my original Novice license.

I got my General a few months later, the same day my wife passed her Technician exam.

In Salt Lake City, UT, there is a repeater tied into the Western Reflector.  I can reach it with my 2M radio from 80 miles away. This is part of a large network  connected all across the US and in many countries around the world.  Some places need to use IRLP, but not all places.  I don't. 

Being global in scope means lots more people are on it. 

Maybe you have a repeater near you connected to it. 

The antenna is one I built for practice with two dollars of 26 gauge wire, cut to 20M half wavelength size.  I will be getting better materials this summer and build another one for 40 and above.  This one will be outside on 35 foot masts.  Then I will run the coax into the shack and there won't be much unused.