Posted by Paul C. [ 157.30.176.33 ] on May 05, 2006 at 00:25:41:
Well, I was very unhappy with the non performance of a commercial AM antenna I purchased. The one I had bought claimed to be a "loop" but opening up the sealed black plastic case show it was not. And it didn't work. At all.
I made a quicky trash can parts loop antenna that is working great. Simply wrapped 5 turns of magnet wire around a rectangular piece of plastic cut from the bottom of a detergent jug.
I found this article (link below) about "The Ultimate AM Loop Antenna". As I was about to gather parts for it I found both a kit version and assembled version on eBay.
These "Ultimate Loop Antennas" are made by Jeff Burns. He has them on eBay quite often. They sell for $22 plus $7 shipping for the kit, and $33 plus $20 shipping for the assembled version. This antenna is 17" wide x 21" tall.
There is also a smaller assembled version for $26 plus $12.50 shipping. These prices are US Dollars. 9" wide x 11" tall. These are assembled.
I ordered the kit version. It just arrived today. All the wood was cut to size, edge of the base attractively routed, all holes drilled, and the wood nicely sanded. Screws and other hardware have an attractive bright brass or gold colored finish. Also included is wire for the loop, a terminal strip for connecting wiring, and a piece of 300 ohm twinlead to connect to your tuner or receiver. There are some clear plastic feet to go on the bottom of the base. There is even an instructional DVD.
All you need for the kit version is to stain and varnish. I checked the fit of the parts, and they fit perfectly. Right now the stain is drying overnight (I used Minwax stain). In the morning I will use a spraycan type poly acrylic varnish to seal it. This stuff dries in 30 minutes between coats.
After the poly coating dries it won't take 15 minutes to assemble. I'll be listening to AM by the time I finish my second cup of coffee. If it works as well (and should work better) than my "Jug-tenna" I will be a VERY happy camper!
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