CARC Buildathon Project

G4FYY July 2008

A Tuneable Magnetic Loop Antenna for 7MHz made from Coaxial Cable

Background
The construction of a simple magnetic loop antenna for 7MHz is described
that does not require a tuning capacitor. The antenna can be assembled and
set up in just a couple of hours and it is hoped that this simple project will form
the basis of a special ‘buildathon’ evening at a forthcoming CARC meeting to
encourage further experimentation.

This is an experimental antenna. The idea was inspired by the large drum of
low loss 75 Ohm coaxial at the CARC hut (unmarked but assumed to be
RG11) in the ‘might come in useful one day’ storage area. Although the
impedance is 75 Ohms, this is of little consequence in this application. The
emphasis here is the diameter of the braid screen, which is used as the
radiating element. The total length of cable required for the project is 6m.
This includes an allowance for a short feeder as shown in the photographs.
So here is a project that could make a large dent in that drum of cable while
inspiring CARC members all to become antenna experimenters.

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Introduction
The idea of using the outer braid of coaxial cable as the radiating element for
a compact transmitting loop antenna is not new. Perfectionists rightly point
out that copper braid is not the ideal low loss conductor for an efficient small
loop antenna but the on-air performance has shown that this simple antenna
can put out a very respectable signal. Using the Q measurement method
proposed by G3LHZ (Prof. Mike Underhill), [ref. 1] the Q-factor of the prototype
was measured as 216 which compares very favourably with the measured Q
of 268.5 at 7MHz of a 1m diameter loop made from 10mm solid copper pipe,
[ref. 1]. In his presentation, Mike showed that the measured efficiency of the
solid copper version is 85%. Whatever your views on the controversy
surrounding the efficiency of small loops, the comparison does indicate that
this simple coaxial loop should radiate almost as well as the slightly larger
solid copper version that uses an external capacitor. No claims are made that
this is a DX antenna, but I believe you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what can
be achieved with just a scrap of cable, a few bits and pieces from the Pound
Shop and some very rudimentary woodwork.

No Tuning Capacitor Required

The expensive high voltage tuning capacitor that is normally a prerequisite for
a small transmitting loop is not required in this design. Rather, the
capacitance between the inner and outer conductor of the coaxial cable
forming the main loop is used to resonate the antenna. The antenna may be
tuned over the 7MHz band by simply stretching or compressing part of the
outer braid that makes up the main loop. The disadvantage of this simple
arrangement is that the tuning cannot be carried while the PTT is pressed
because the proximity of your hand will affect the tuning and more importantly,
you risk RF burns to your fingers. The method is therefore to adjust the
tuning braid first, then make the VSWR measurement and to repeat the
process until a perfect match is obtained. The exposed polythene insulation
below the tuning braid may be calibrated with tick marks if required.

Provision has not been made for remote tuning or weatherproofing since the
loop is intended for indoor use only. Further development is left to the
ingenuity of the experimenter. It is hoped that CARC members will be
sufficiently inspired by the performance of this antenna to experiment with
new ideas and report their activities through future editions of the CARC
Newsletter.

High Voltage and Current

During initial testing, the prototype flashed-over across the open stub at the
‘gap’ when transmitting a test carrier of 100W. After cleaning away the burnt
polythene and extending the polythene insulation at the open stub by 20mm
or so, the antenna withstood the maximum power of 120W from my TS940
without further fireworks. The current in the outer loop at this power would
typically have been 25A with about 3-4kV across the open coaxial stub at the
gap.

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A word of Caution
Despite the ability for this loop to handle 100W, it is recommended that less
power be used in practice. The coaxial loop is an experimental indoor
antenna that would typically be located on a table within a metre or two of the
operator. Intense RF fields can be generated by an efficient loop running
100W and it would be sensible to treat this as a radiation hazard. A study to
determine a safe power level is beyond the scope of this project and while I
personally believe that the health risk at HF frequencies is negligible, I do not
advocate high power operation. It is for the builder and user of this antenna to
assess the health and safety aspects of the project and to act accordingly.
Note also that 100W into this loop will test the EMC immunity of your nearby
PC and more importantly, arching at high power is always a potential fire risk.
Far better to adopt a QRP mentality when experimenting with this antenna.
Making QSO’s (any QSO) running a ten watts or so on HF into this novel
antenna whilst stood on the table beside your rig can be very rewarding and
every contact a savoured achievement.

Why 7MHz?
7MHz is an excellent band for inter-G and continental contacts where signals
are radiated at high angles to exploit NVIS propagation. QRP activity in both
the CW and phone sections of the band is also lively. The small transmitting
loop radiates at high angles when the plane of the loop is vertical and near
ground, so is well suited to 7MHz.

It is also fortuitous that the circumference of the outer loop happened to be a

convenient 2.68m, (0.85m diameter) when resonant at 7MHz using the cable
self-capacitance. 0.85m is a convenient diameter for further experimentation.
For example, removing the inner-to-outer connection at the gap and
connecting an external 40-140pF tuning capacitor should allow the 14MHz,
18MHz and 21MHz bands to be tuned in the manner of a conventional
magnetic loop. Something to try.

Materials
• 5m coaxial cable, 75 Ohms, (from the CARC drum).
• 1-off MDF base, 140 x 330mm x ¾”
• 1-off MDF end upright, 140mm x 100mm x ¾”
• 1-off wood vertical support, 1m x32mm x 13mm
• Cross head, BZP chipboard screws, 2-off 2”x8 plus 2-off 1”x8
• 4-off spring clamps, 3” or 4” (Pound Shop)
• 1-off 10mm dia hose clip (optional)
• 1-off small tie-wrap
• 1-off clothes peg
• PVC tape
• PL259 plug (note, this cable is too large to fit a standard BNC plug)

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Tools
The following list is compiled as a checklist to ensure that all necessary tools
are taken to the CARC for the Buildathon evening:-

• Stanley knife or similar for cutting and trimming cable

• Junior hacksaw for cutting cable
• Wire cutters
• Tape measure, 3m minimum length
• Screwdriver to suit the wood screws
• Large pliers
• ‘Workmate’ bench
• Hot glue gun with glue
• Soldering iron and solder
• Scissors
• Electrical extension lead

Equipment for Test and Setting up

Essential Equipment
• 7MHz transceiver, (10W suggested)
• VSWR meter with interconnecting coaxial cable to the transceiver

Optional Equipment
• MFJ 259 or similar Antenna Analyser (highly recommended).
• Field strength meter

Construction
1. The Stand
The base and rear support bracket in the
prototype was constructed from ¾” MDF. The
upright is softwood.

(i) Base:
330mm x 140mm x 19mm (3/4”)

(ii) Rear support bracket:

100mm x 140mm x 19mm (3/4”)

(iii) Upright support:

32mm x 13mm x 1m

(iv) Required tools

• Drill and the following drill bit sizes:
1. 4mm for screw clearance
2. 2.5mm for screw pilot holes in base
3. 2mm for screw pilot holes in MDF
end upright

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2. The Main Loop

The dimensions are critical for the loop to tune over the specified frequency
range of 7.000MHz to 7.100MHz and reflect the exact dimensions of the
prototype after some extensive cut and try experimentation. Results should
be repeatable when using cable from the same drum.

1. Start by cutting a length of cable, 2860mm which allows 50mm for

wastage. Using a junior hacksaw and/or a Stanley knife rather than wire
cutters to make a clean cut.

2. Square the end of the cable and remove 20mm of outer PVC jacket from
one end of the coaxial cable, being careful not to nick the braid when
cutting through the outer insulation.

3. Fold the exposed braid back on itself over the outer. Cut 80-90 cm of
tinned copper wire and bind the exposed braid for about 10mm. It will be
found easier to do this if the end of the cable is held in a vice (Workmate)
and one end of the tinned copper wire is first tack-soldered to the braid
where it exits the outer insulation. Tack-solder the other end when the
winding is complete. Finally, solder tin the whole winding. This will allow a
more satisfactory electrical connection to be made when soldering the
inner conductor from the other end.

4. Seal the end of the protruding 20mm of coax inner with a dab of hot melt
glue. This will help prevent flashover should you wish to experiment with
higher power.

5. Now the critical part. Measure exactly 2810mm from the end of the
protruding inner insulation from step 3 and make a clean cut using a
Stanley knife. If steps 2 & 3 went well first time, then you will be cutting off
50mm, but it is strongly recommended that you measure the overall length
of cable again to determine where to cut rather than measuring back
50mm. Discard the piece cut off.

6. Now, holding the cable longitudinally between the jaws of the workbench,
make a shallow circular cut at 500mm from the end and lightly run the
knife along the cable to the nearest end. Do not cut down to the braid.
Once the first 10mm or so of insulation is peeled back from the end, you
should be able to ‘unzip’ the rest by pulling the outer insulation away using
pliers. The exposed braid is the tuning section of the loop.

7. Carefully push back the exposed braid back a few cm and strip 20mm off
the inner conductor.

8. Now close the loop by using a 10mm hose clip to temporarily make a
connection. This will be removed and the joint soldered later after final
setting up (see below).

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Sealed open stub.

No connection here
(typ. 4~5kV at this Inner conductor
point with 100W) soldered to outer
conductor after setting-
up.

(The protruding inner that was sealed with hot melt glue in step 4 is a potential
flash-over point and should be kept away from the braid that tunes the loop.

9. Tidy the end of the loose braid using PVC tape to prevent fraying while still
allowing the end of the braid to slide along the polythene insulation. This
is the tuning adjustment. In operation, the exposed braid is compressed or
stretched over the polythene inner to tune the loop, then held in position
using a clothes peg. DO NOT ADJUST THE BRAID WHILE
TRANSMITTING, ELSE YOU RISK RF BURNS TO YOUR FINGERS.

3. The Coupling Loop

The dimensions of the coupling loop are less critical than the main loop and
minor variations may generally be ‘tuned out’ by adjusting the position of the
coupling loop relative to main during set-up. The coupling loop is fixed with
plastic spring clamps in this simple design and is readily adjustable.

Point ‘B’

End ‘A’

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The coupling loop and feeder are made from a continuous length of coaxial
cable. Again, 75-Ohm coax is used since this is available. Longer cable
distances should use 50-Ohm coax for correct matching in 50-Ohm systems.
However, manual tuning suggests that this antenna would normally be
positioned within reach of the operator and consequentially cable lengths will
be quite short.

The 2.5m length of cable specified below allows the VSWR meter to be
inserted approximately 1 metre from the base of the antenna. The overall
length of cable may be increased by 1 or 2 metres from that stated if required.

1. Cut approximately 2.5m (or as required) of 75 Ohm cable from the drum
using a junior hacksaw to get a ‘clean cut’.

2. Using a Stanley knife carefully cut around the circumference of the cable
at 900mm and 905mm respectively from one end, avoiding any damage to
the underlying braid. Call this ‘end ‘A’. Now cut longitudinally between the
cuts and remove the circular ring of outer insulation. Call this point ‘B’.

3. Remove 30-35mm of outer insulation and all the exposed braid at end ‘A’.

4. Strip 20mm of the inner polythene insulation at end ‘A’.

5. Tidy any braid whiskers that might be protruding from the outer insulation
at end ‘A’, then wrap one or two turns of PVC tape to overlap both the
inner and outer insulation.

6. Now close the loop by soldering the inner of end ‘A’ to the exposed braid
at point ‘B’. Note that the braid at end ‘A’ is not connected.

7. Fit a PL259 plug to the other end of the cable.

Testing and Setting Up

1. Clip the main loop to the support stand with ‘gap’ at the lowest point using
plastic spring clamps top and bottom. A crosspiece may be added to
support the sides of the loop to approximate a circle if required. However,
the prototype allowed the cable to sag into a rounded corner triangle as
shown in the photographs.

2. Now position the coupling loop using two more plastic spring clamps such
that the top of the coupling loop is about 70mm below the top of the main
loop.

3. Move the tuning braid to roughly half of its adjustment range and fix with
the clothes peg. If an Antenna Analyser is not available, connect to a low
power transmitter via a VSWR meter and apply a few watts of CW carrier.
Slowly tune the transmitter across the band until a sharp dip is observed in
VSWR. The VSWR dip should occur somewhere near the centre of the
7MHz band and, provided the diameter of the inner coupling loop has

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been cut correctly, minimum VSWR will coincide with a sharp peak on the
Field Strength meter.

4. Cease transmitting and if necessary, adjust the height of the inner coupling
loop in steps of 10mm or so until the match is exactly 1:1. The position of
the coupling loop is now set and should not need to be moved again
unless the antenna is physically moved to another location. Tuning is very
sharp so tune slowly across the band when searching for the tune point.

5. Check the band limits for tuning and if low, trim a few mm at a time off the
inner conductor that protrudes from the tuning braid to raise the frequency.
If the tuning range is high, then the outer loop has unfortunately been cut
too short.

On the Air

On a low table, about 2ft

above ground

A Perfect Match
First QSO
Date Time Freq. Mode Power Station My Report Details
MHz Report Given
3/7/08 16:15 7.070 SSB 10W M/PA1FM/P 5–5 5–5 Frank, Lake District.
-QSB -QSB 50W to 8ft helical vert.
with 5m ground wire

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Building and using the experimental loop antenna is fun but will be only the
beginning if you are inspired like me to try some ‘cut and try’ experimentation.
Here are just a few ideas to try:

• Adapt the antenna to work on different bands

• Try alternative feed methods (e.g. gamma matching, transformer
matching, feeding with open wire feeder, remote ATU etc)
• Use the loop in conjunction with a longer horizontal wire loop as described
by G3LHZ during his very informative talk on small transmitting loops [ref. 1]
• Try alternative shapes for the main loop including triangular and oval
shapes, (this may require changes to the feed method as well).
• Design a version that collapses into a small case for portable operation

But if you do non of these things, you’ll still have a conversation piece for rag
chews for years to come.

References
1. CARC Technical Lecture, 14 June 2006
A talk on “Small Loop Antenna Efficiency” by Prof. Mike Underhill G3LHZ

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