Large Loop Antennas
Large Loop Antennas
Large Loop Antennas
Perhaps
251 the best approach is to use the quarter
A (I) wavelength matching stub in series with the
FMHz
transmission line. The length of the quarter
Or, for the overall length: wavelength stub should be:
998 (2)
246 v
Overall L (3)
where: where:
A and Overall are the L is the length of the matching stub in
Large Loop Antennas lengths in feet (ft) feet (ft)
FMHz is the frequency in FMHz is the frequency in MegaHertz
Mega Hertz.
In this Quad Loop
The overall length is four
month's col- Figures 1 and 2 show the basic times the length of the individ-
quad loop antenna. The antenna ual sides.
umn, we will has been likened to a folded dipole that
has been "pulled open." The nice thing Impedance GUSSET
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Large Loop Antennas
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Nuts & Volts Magazine/ DECEMBER 2000 33
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Large Loop Antennas
Figure 6
Two-band
compact loop
A i
B A A
~___,l_
antenna.
B A
J_
of Figures 1 and 2, giving it horizontal
polarization, the antenna can also be fed
along either vertical wire radiator segment for ver- loop is that it is triangular shaped, which makes
T B
The quad loop antenna can be formed into a ner. The antenna can also be inverted (sharp
beam antenna (Figure 4), giving a unidirectional point up) and it will work approximately the same twin-lead is used, then multiply that distance by
pattern . The nice thing about the quad antenna is as for the case shown. the velocity factor of the transmission line.
that close to the earth's surface it behaves better The coaxial line is a Q-section made of 75-
than a Yagi beam antenna. The antenna can be Two-Band Compact Loop ohm transmission line. It is cut to a quarter wave-
built in either of two ways: a driven element and length of the upper band, i.e., twice FMH z used
either a reflector or a director. The driven element Most of the loops discussed thus far are basi- in the calculations above.
overall length is found from Equation 2, but the cally monobanders, unless multiple loops are built
director and reflector element overall lengths are on the same frame and fed in parallel. The loop in The Bi-Square Loop
found from Equations 5 and 6: Figure 6, however, operates on two bands that
are harmonically related to each other. For exam- The bi-square loop in Figure 7 is twice as
Director: 976 ple, if FL is the lower band, and FH is the higher large as the quad loop. The overall length of the
Overall (5) band, then FH = 2 X FL. wire is two wavelengths, so each side is half
FMHz The overall length of the loop is half wave- wavelength long . The overall length is calculated
Reflector: length, _b ut it is arranged not into a square, but from:
1030 rather a rectangle in which the horizontal sides
Overall (6) 1919
are twice as long as the vertical sides, i.e., the feet (10)
FMHz LMeters
horizontal elements are quarter wavelength and FMH-;:.
Spacing (0.13(): the vertical sections are one-eighth wavelength . while each side is:
128 The section lengths are: 480
s (7)
LMeters feet (II)
FMl/z
Horizontal : 246 FMH~
For a spacing of 0.13A., the maximum gain of A f eet (8) The bi-square antenna can be used on its
the two element quad beam antenna is 7.3 dBd, FMH~ design frequency, and also at one-half its design
or 9.2 dBi. At a spacing of 0.13A., the feedpoint frequency (although the patterns change). At the
impedance is about 60 ohms, which is a good Vertical: 123 design frequency, the azimuthal pattern is a clover
B feet (9)
match to either 52-ohm or 75-ohm coaxial cable leaf perpendicular to the plane of the loop, and is
FMHz
(the VSWR when used with 52-ohm cable is only horizontally polarized. At one-half the design fre-
1.15:1). In both equations, the frequency is the center quency, the radiation is vertically polarized and
frequency of the lower band of operation. the directivity is end fire.
Delta Loop Antennas The vertical stub is made of 600-ohm parallel The feedpoint impedance of the bi-square is
open wire transmission line, although 450-ohm on the order of 150 ohms. This means that some
The Delta loop antenna (Figure 5) gets its twin-lead could also be used . The length of the form of impedance matching will be needed to
name from the resemblance to the Greek upper stub is found from the same equation (above) as match the impedance to 52 or 75 ohms used by
case letter "delta" ~). The characteristic of this the vertical segment if open wire line is used. If most receivers.
Conclusion
SECRETS OF PRACTICAL
RF CIRCUIT ANTENNA The large loop antennas offer gain over a
HANDBOOK dipole, and can be built on smaller sized lots than
DESIGN a host of other antennas. They are easy to build
l'!!:Jrom one of today's .-,iie most popular and use. NV
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