Dear OMs and Yls,
Okay the subject line is rather "hoaky" but I write to tell you that
a wet string sometimes works. Brought up in the sixties on radio, I
remember the bunkum adverts for the Gotham Vertical. Two months ago I
worked a South Carolina station using a KX3 and AlexLoop inside his room and
this impressed me a good bit. I have a KX3 waiting for me in Connecticut
and was looking for a portable antenna to use with it. I still doubted the
AlexLoop would be an adequate antenna.
Tonight using a friend's AlexLoop inside the shack I worked across the
pond thirteen times between 19:36 and 21:52 using 9 Watts from the K3.
This antenna measuring just under a meter in diameter was sitting on my easy
chair. I am pretty impressed and you can take it Hugh that I will purchase
one for my self. This antenna collapses into a case 41 x 27 x 9 cm in size
and weighs perhaps 1 kg with the case. Surely a long wire out the window
would out perform the AlexLoop (magnetic loop antenna) but it is not always
possible to drop a quarter wave length out the window. I am not saying
these QSOs all came easily but many answered on my first call but of course
it was near the end of the contest and replies were becoming harder to
obtain. I believe the AlexLoop with my KX3 is going to prove fun while
visiting the USA.
States and Provinces worked during WAE:
VY2ZM NS
N8BJQ OH
K1LZ MA
W2LK NY
NY4A NC
AA3B PA
VE3AT ON
K1RX NM
K3WW PA
KE9KI IN
W1EQ CT
NB1N MA
K3WI MD
All of this was done on 20M CW earlier I was on 17M and worked six EU
stations in a short period of time. I have also managed two QSOs on 30M.
The antenna works. It is not near the equal of a 14AVQ with single ground
rod but my need is to be able to make CW QSOs when away from home. The
power limit for the antennas between ten and twenty watts. I would think
no more that ten watts for data modes and perhaps it is better to stay to
ten watts maximum when on CW.
Normally from my home QTH in Ireland I run the K3 at 65W to a 4
element SteppIR up 80 feet. I run 1500W now allowed in EI for contests.
There is no comparison between capabilities. This morning I found nothing
on 20M with the Alex loop and then went down to 30M to search out a couple
of QSOs. It is never the case that 20M is dead with the SteppIR but the
AlexLoop can travel with me on a plane and I can make QSOs and keep my fist
active. QRP is 5W but QRP into a Yagi is not the same as 9W into an indoor
AlexLoop. When one has worked most of the DX entities currently active
this adds a bit of zest.
73 Doug EI2CN
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