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Reviews For: Radio Works Super Loop III

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Radio Works Super Loop III
Reviews: 10MSRP: 129
Description:
high performance, full size, full-wave, 80 meter loop antenna
Product is not in production
More Info:
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00104.7
AI6KU Rating: 2019-10-02
No longer in production Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
What’s awful is that the SuperLoop antenna is no longer in production. The designer and builder has retired but has retained (from the information on his website) the trademark and the IP for the antenna. My experience with the antenna is via two other amateur ops who have it. I’ve wanted to buy one but Radio Works is sold out and not making any more.
KI8CO Rating: 2017-05-15
Power with 100 Watts or Less Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Moved and now ki8co. I had the old Super Loop 80 and I found it to be a great antenna. It was mounted horizontally about 50' high. I worked Europe with 5 watts on 80 SSB and really liked how I could hear the DX with it. I also had a bad location at the bottom of a hill with a shopping center on top about 1200 ft away. lots of big trees near the house. I used a tuner and enjoyed its performance on all bands. Can't understand why some can't get this antenna to work but it does a great job and is worth every penny.
K4ELO Rating: 2011-12-18
Very good antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have been using the Super Loop for a few months now. Also have a W5GI and a homebrew full size 40M delta loop. This antenna usually beats both of them. I can't get it very high, 43' at the top so I had to slope it about 45 degrees to clear the driveway at the bottom.

It does perform well. First night I tried it, I broke a pileup on 40M getting a ZS6 on the first call. Typical stateside reports are S9 +10 to +20 but I am running a kw amp.

Several of my friends run homebrew versions of this antenna and they are very happy with the performance.

If you run an amp, you will want to put an rf choke just under the balun. I used about 25' of coax wound around a plastic pitcher. No more rfi.

73
K4ELO
AB4KJ Rating: 2011-01-19
Solid antenna Time Owned: N.A.
I purchased this antenna a couple months ago. It was fairly straight forward to install. I have mine hung between two trees with the base up around 45 feet. The construction appears to be of solid quality and it performs well on 40 and 80. Really have not tried it on 20 or other bands. It does appear to have lower noise than my dipoles due to its front to back ratio. I would recommend it.
WC4R Rating: 2008-12-11
Disappointed, again Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Nice antenna for a week.
Good antenna overall but the weak point is the 4:1 balun - useless. It is rated at 1500w PEP but didn't hold up for more than a week of occasional use. The same thing happened to me with the line isolator on their Carlina Windom 2 years ago.
I plan to home brew my own balun.
WA4JUK Rating: 2006-06-13
works very well Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used the Super Loop for several years. I have found that it is the best wire antenna that I have ever used. I have been licensed as a ham mostly CW for over 40 years. This antenna is firstly reliable and simple. I enjoy experimenting with wire antennas even though I am not technical I just know it works and it works well. It is not a beam and it is not advertised as one.The 2005 IARU HF contest I finished in the top 10 low power NA where all 80 and 40 qso's were on the loop.
N4LCD Rating: 2005-10-02
If you're considering a wire antenna, just go ahead and buy it. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've had a Radio Works SuperLoop 80 up for about 4 months. I'm very pleased with it compared to the 135' dipole which it replaced.

The limited tuning range internal tuner in my Icom 756 Pro II has enough range to match this antenna on all bands, 10 through 80. Very convenient.

I have it strung between two trees. The dedicated matching unit is only about 20' off the ground, yet it still works very well.

Broadside is north and south, yet it works amazingly well East and West off the ends.

I'm in Georgia and was able to easily bust through pileups, barefoot, during the Washington state contest, and Washington state is approximately in line with the wire. This is one amazing wire antenna.

I have one minor and simple to do recommendation. As soon as you get the antenna and before you put it up, while the wire is still bright copper, solder the twisted wire near the insulators on each end so that the wires don't inadvertently untwist during a strong wind. This happened to me but was my fault because I had the dacron line tied securely so there was some, but not enough give. I now use a weight on one line as I should have done initially.

www.N4LCD.com
K3MD Rating: 2005-01-04
Great Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have had the Super Loop 80 up 7 months with the apex at 50 feet, the bottom of the ladder line at 20 feet, and the ends at 20 feet and 12 feet, self-supporting tower. I run it N/S for DX contests and E/W for domestic contests. This is the best 80/40 antenna I have owned since having an 3L 40 meter beam at 100 feet. DX comes back almost universally on the first call. Finding and holding a frequency on 40 CW in the contest is no problem at all. I was really amazed at the performance of the antenna. It is 1/1 on CW section of 80 and 40 without a tuner, tunes SSB no problem with a tuner. I have had all kinds of delta loop arrays in the past that did NOT work. Highly recommended!
W6KAP Rating: 2002-02-24
This is a super wire antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This antenna is easy to install as long as you have two high supports. Mine is mounted about 70 feet up in two pine trees. I have used it for about a year on all bands using a Dentron tuner, a 1970 Swan 500CX and Swan 1200 amp, as well as my Icom 706MkIIG barefoot. Most operating has been on 40 and 20 meters. European stations commonly respond on the first call on 20. On 80 and 40, my 706 gets great reports across the US. I've used the antenna also on 6 meters, but having no beam to compare to, I'm not convinced it works too well there. My location is on a ridge in the Sierras at 1000 meters. I've previously had a 4 element 20 meter monobander at a different hilltop location, and I get out just about as well with this wire, although I miss the ability to evade QRM that a beam allows. I highly recommend this antenna as a way of getting active on all HF bands. If you add a beam later, this antenna will continue to perform well on 80 and 40.
AE4NR Rating: 2000-04-03
BEST WIRE I EVER PUT UP Time Owned: unknown months.
I have been on the air for more than 12 years and hve tried just about every configuration imiginable with wire antenna's.The Radio Works Super Loop 3 is by far the easiest delta loop to get up that I have ever put between two trees
it is designed for 10-80 and although I use a tuner to get its swr down to a workable range,and
it seems to tune really easy through my mfj 949e
I have had trouble with other wires tuning through
this tuner,This antenna is great on 80-10 worked both in close and dx and changing between it and the g5rv, consistently got better readings from the loop over the G5RV by 2 s units on the norm
both on close in work and dx easy to pu up and it performs very well up at 40 feet between two trees 125 feet apart if ya got room this is a great antenna