Here are links to my two photos of Kiwa's tropical band loop antenna: https://app.box.com/s/glcwtutzhehn9i60l0vi84gvs0u7xkor
https://app.box.com/s/qz1rchj9iclskb8lsalxywg4khgdcquf I have fond memories of the trip during which these photos were taken. It was in the summer of 1992 (as best as I recall) that Craig Siegenthaler and I agreed to meet at a dispersed camping area near Ranger Creek, Washington for Kiwa antenna and equipment prototype testing. We also did some DXing during the two or three-night camping trip, swapped a lot of stories, and enjoyed a few beverages (the non-antenna type :^) I'd been "field testing" some of Craig's in-development products for a few years already by 1992, but this trip was my first chance to experience his tropical band loop. I remember being impressed with its low noise performance, sharp tuning, and portable construction. The four "arms" of the loop folded together for easier transport. The loop was intended to be mounted on a user-supplied camera tripod. Despite my urgings, Craig never made a tropical band loop for sale. My guess is that he had become very cautious about construction time and parts costs of any new Kiwa products, as he was being "burned" by his over-engineered Kiwa MAP unit (Multiband AM Pickup). That product had *many* screws in its custom enclosure, just one of the reasons the device was barely profitable (or not at all). It was a tedious device for Craig to assemble. The powder-coated and CNC machined enclosure made the MAP sturdy as a tank; Sherwood Engineering's competing SE-3 series outboard synchronous AM detector accessory looked toy-like in comparison. The Kiwa High Performance AM Loop was also a labor intensive product; at one point he even built his own screw-feed cutting tool for making the spiral grooves in the 12-1/2 inch diameter PVC pipe for the enameled wire. The tool used some parts he found pushed to the curb during a neighborhood "recycling day". If anything, Craig has always been very resourceful! As another example check out this photo of a receiver stand he lashed together from roadside trash he found in a ditch near the campsite when we were on a DXpedition to Table Mountain, north of Ellensburg, WA: https://app.box.com/s/21vn8n36oejqrjx73h30ulhz6n4ufyr8 I'm thankful to have known Craig for nearly 30 years, and to have had the chance to give feedback on some of his early designs. He and his firm Kiwa Electronics are on my short list of small companies that are BIG contributors to the DXing and radio hobbies. 73, Guy Atkins Puyallup, WA _______________________________________________ IRCA mailing list [email protected] http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca Be sure to register now for the Joint DX Convention Kansas City, September 9 to 11. Hotel space is filling up. Registration info: http://www.nrcdxas.org Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org To Post a message: [email protected]
