If you’re like me, you have way too many irons in the fire. Here are some projects that I’m currently working on and some that I’m thinking about working on.
Projects currently in process:
- Online General class. For the past week or so I’ve been learning how to make Khan Academy style videos so that I can add a series of videos based on my study guide to my YouTube channel.
- 6m loop antenna. On a recent club net, someone mentioned that he’d just built a 6m loop antenna. I’ve never been much of a 6m guy, but I like the idea of building a 6m loop antenna and giving it a try. So, I’m going to build a 6m version of my 10m rectangular loop antenna.
- Solar power for Field Day. It’s time to get creative with Field Day. My FD project is to run off solar power. I purchased a used solar panel from a friend who’s upgrading his solar array, an MPPT charge controller, and now all I have to do is connect it all to my battery.
- Audio book version of the Extra Class study guide.
- Ham Radio for Hackers. This is my next book project. I’m working with No Starch Press on this project.
Projects I’m thinking about working on
- Online Tech class. I got an email from a guy who’s asking if I might teach an online Tech class. He says he already has seven people lined up.
- Remoting my Flex 6400. This project was to originally remote my IC-7300, but I recently purchased this Flex and sold the IC-7300. I already have an LDG antenna tuner, which is the crucial link, so it’s mostly a matter of getting the LDG to play with the Flex.
- Putting back into service a Heathkit IG-102 RF Signal Generator.
- QCX+. I don’t need any more radios, but this looks like fun. Plus, there’s a project that I just found on Hackaday that turns the QCX+ into an SDR.
- Single-tube transmitter. I’ve been threatening to do this for years, ever since I came into possession of two tubs of tubes.
Walter Un says
Resizing the loop for 50.1 MHz, I get 83 inches for the vertical part. Is that roughly what you got?
Interesting antenna. I’d like to know more about the design.
Dan KB6NU says
Yes, the vertical portion would be about 80 inches. I saw a web page somewhere that calculated the length to be 80 inches, since 6 m is approximately 240 inches. I’m not sure how critical the lengths actually are.
Mike says
When you get a chance, Google “Making a 6 meter loop out of an aluminum lawn chair”.. There was an article in a QST at least a dozen years ago.
Chuck K4RGN says
6 meters doesn’t require much of an antenna when the band is open. I’m in North Carolina. On Saturday I had a QSO on FM simplex 52.525 with a guy *in his car* in Toronto. All I have is a simple Moxon at 30 feet… nothing to brag about.
David A. Edenfield says
Without giving away too much, what would the book Ham Radio for Hackers cover for areas of interest?
Dan KB6NU says
It’s for “hackers” and “makers” who don’t really know what ham radio is all about.
Walter Underw says
I found an L. E. Cebik article, though it was about 160 m. He said the optimum gain was at a 3:1 ratio for the sides to the ends at 160 m. He has several pages about the family of “self-contained, vertically polarized wire antennas”, which he calls “SCV” antennas. Basically, a bunch of full-wave loops. The long rectangular ones are also called “magnetic slot” antennas.
He gives a formula for the ratio of sides to end that gives maximum gain and is valid from 1.8 to 146 MHz.
Here is the section on rectangular loops: http://www.antentop.org/w4rnl.001/scv3.html
Here is the introduction: http://www.antentop.org/w4rnl.001/scv1.html
Have fun!
Dan KB6NU says
I haven’t look at your links yet, but making the ration 2:1 gives you a 50-ohm feedpoint impedance.
Walter U says
He says that at 146 MHz, the optimum ratio for gain is 6:1, but the impedance is 7 Ω. Oops.
I might try a 5:1, partly because that divides nicely into a 6 meter full wave loop, and make the double loop version for 4X the impedance. So the sides would be about 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and the top about 0.5 m (1.6 ft). Seems pretty doable with a PVC frame.