Magnetic Loop Antennas: DIY Build Plans
Compact and Efficient Antenna Solutions
Magnetic loop antennas are compact and efficient designs ideal for HF bands. They operate effectively in limited spaces, making them suitable for urban environments. A well-constructed magnetic loop can achieve low SWR and excellent bandwidth, typically covering multiple bands like 20m, 30m, and 40m. The antenna's performance is influenced by its dimensions and tuning mechanism, which allows for optimal impedance matching. Users can expect reliable resonance and minimal noise when properly tuned. These antennas are particularly useful for QRP operations and portable setups, enabling effective communication even in challenging conditions.
To build a magnetic loop antenna, key components include a loop of coaxial cable or copper tubing, a tuning capacitor, and a balun for impedance matching. Materials such as PVC for the frame and quality connectors are essential for durability and performance. The tuning capacitor is crucial for achieving resonance across desired frequencies. Proper assembly and tuning can significantly enhance the antenna's efficiency and overall performance.
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The resource provides detailed information about a five-band indoor magnetic loop antenna designed for amateur radio operators. This antenna is capable of operating on the 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10 meter bands, making it a versatile choice for various HF communications. Constructed from a single 3-meter length of 22 mm copper tube, the design emphasizes compactness and efficiency, which is particularly beneficial for operators with limited space. The page includes insights into the construction process, tuning, and operational tips, catering to both novice and experienced users. In addition to the technical specifications, the resource also discusses the advantages of using a magnetic loop antenna indoors, such as reduced interference and improved performance in urban environments. It serves as a practical guide for those interested in building their own antenna, offering a straightforward approach to antenna design and construction. Overall, this resource is a valuable addition to the toolkit of amateur radio enthusiasts looking to enhance their station with an effective indoor antenna solution. -
A DIY project for an automatic tuner for magnetic loop antennas, featuring real-time adjustment, transceiver VFO syncing, and firmware details. -
The RockLoop Antenna is a compact multiband portable and indoor antenna suitable for QRP operations on the 10, 14, and 21 MHz bands. The page provides detailed information on the design and usage of this antenna, making it a valuable resource for amateur radio operators looking to improve their setup. The intended audience is amateur radio operators interested in building and using antennas for QRP indoor operations. -
Also known as Magnetic Loop Antennas, by AA5TB. Excellent article on construction tips and tecniques of a Small Loop antenna -
Magnetic loops are a compromise antenna and performance will be down on a full size-wire antenna particurlarly on lower HF Bands. This article compare this magnetic loop with a full-sized wire antenna on 80 meters by VK3YE -
A magnetic loop antenna for 144 mhz, two meter band -
Coaxial receiving loop antennas for 160m and 80m bands, ideal for reducing noise. -
PA1G loop antenna for 80 meters band, in dutch -
This note describes a relatively small, but efficient, loop antenna initially created for portable operation. With suitable modifications, it can be adapted for fixed station use. In this age of CC&Rs, an antenna similar to this may very well be the answer to your problems. Have a look, be inspired, get out the torch / soldering iron and create your own version! -
Magnetic loop antenna by GM3MXN -
If you find external wire antennas obtrusive for amateur radio or short wave listening, then this is the antenna for you, is just 1 meter diameter -
Able to cover all frequencies between 3.5 and about 10 MHz, the loop described here is directional, does not require a radial system, and stands just 1.8 metres tall. The antenna can be put together in a short time and is cheap by Peter Parker VK3YE ex VK1PK -
A well documented plan to build a magnetic loop antenna for Shortwave Listening, includes photos and diagrams. -
To build this antenna you need a lot that is at least 100 feet across. Antenna covers all bands 80-10 meters + 30, 17, 12 meter WARC Bands -
Described here is a simple multi-band magnetic loop antenna designed for 20, 30 and 40 metres, but by changing the overall length of the wire coverage of other bands is feasible -
Article on a small magnetic loop antenna for forty meters band by Ben Smith -
Article on using loop antenna in very low frequencies -
OK1FOU details building a compact, two-band magnetic loop antenna for HF, suitable for balcony mounting. It features a unique side-fed design with a -
Article on radiation patterns of small loops, equivalent circuits of loop antenna, small loops as receiving antennas, ferrite loops -
A small transmitting loop antenna for 20 metres using a aluminium bicycle wheel rim. -
Documents and schema on how to build a Magnetic Loop Antenna fo 80/30 mtrs -
This magnetic loop is 78cm diameter, with the smaller Hertz loop for tuning. Feeding is by gamma match. -
A german documento on magnetic loop antennas -
DL7JV Christian report his direct experience on magnetic antennas -
A magnetic loop antenna working from 30 to 15 meters with 100W -
Antenne Cadre Project by F5NGZ, description by F5TZA in french -
Portable magnetic loop antennas - G4TPH Mag-loop antennas Reviewed in PW and RadCOM, Both QRP and QRO, Portable. The only Magloop on the market that is fully portable -
This article describes a loop usable from 7 - 21 mHz, using half inch copper tube 3 feet in circumference -
Ham Station description of HB9ABX and CE3CWF, magnetic loop antenna details, Free Energy devices, Pictures from Switzerland and Chile. -
picture and dimensions of a coax loop antenna centered at 51.490 MHz -
Magnetic Loop antenna for broadcasts band reception -
A considerably shortened Magnetic Loop antenna with performance of a single conductor text book magnetic loop. -
Local and DX contacts from tight spaces, it works from 40 to 17 meters -
VK3YE magnetic loop antenna plan that cover 7 Mhz to 20 Mhz and shortening loop can work on 21 Mhz. -
HF receiving loop antenna, an easy-to-make receiving loop antenna for HF -
The antenna was built to be used for shortwave listening with a Tecsun PL-660 radio receiver. Later it was used with Yaesu VX-6 handheld transceiver and with Yaesu FT-817ND for shortwave listening. -
Magnetic Loop Antennas for The Radio Operator with Limited Space, a two part series of articles on how to construct a magnetic loop antenna, including directions on selecting high voltage tuning capacitor -
How can you vastly improve your Medium Wave reception? its quite simple really, all you need is 120 foot of wire, a few lengths of timber and an old tuning capacitor with which you can build the answer to every DX'ers prayers, a tuned loop antenna. -
An easy guide to "How to build your own magnetic loop" for 20 meters -
The concept of the "Hula Loop" came after many years of building medium wave loops of varying size, shape and performance. Usually these loops are constructed on a square wooden frame, with wire being wrapped around the periphery -
A Mississippi Style 40 meter magnetic loop made from available aluminum conduit, this antenna will not disappoint by Ken Holland, K9FV -
This receive only loop covers a frequency range of about 5 MHz to 22 MHz and is built from readily available parts. -
Car mount magnetic loop antenna plans from 3.5 MHz to 7.5 MHz, LA6NCA, Larvik, Norway -
Calculating the length of a resonant square quad loop -
Calculates resonant frequency of a loop antenna, correcting for distributed capacitance. -
HB9MTN loop motor control software. For motor control, either Centronics, RS232 or USB ports can be used, for CAT-Control the RS232 or USB ports. -
A page about a Magnetic loop antenna project for the 40 meters band, includes nice pictures and history of construction -
Although a magnetic loop antenna(aka small loop antenna) is very compact, its efficiency is close to a half-wavelength dipole if carefully built. -
Schematic diagram and description of a magnetic loop antenna that works from 10 to 20 meters band, made from junk -
Free windows program to calculate magnetic loop antenna.This small loop antenna calculator allow to determine capacitance and voltage based on Loop circumference, desired resonant frequency, conductor diameter and the operating power -
Magnetic Loop Antenna for 20/15m with Remote Tuning by George Szymanski -
If you have space constraint at your QTH for a HF antenna, you can try contructing this HF magnetic loop antenna for 40-20 meters bands -
Drawing and plan for an HF magnetic loop antenna -
A complete guide to magnetic loop antenna construction, with analysis of multi-turn and single-turn magneti loops, and and insight on choosing the optimal capacitor, or homebrewing your own butterfly capacitor -
A magnetic loop antenna calculator made with an excel sheet that run also with open office, let you design mag loop antenna dimensions by AA5TB -
Pictures and calculated values for this home made magnetic loop antenna for the 160 meters band by HB9MTN -
A light and portable magnetic loop antenna with improved bandwidth and performance by HB9MTN -
A magnetic loops for HF pedestrian mobile project by VK3YE -
Evolution of a project of a small magnetic loop resonating from 80 to 40 meters -
An homebrew HF Magnetic loop made with 2m length of 6mm diameter copper pipe formed into a near circle as the low loss inductor, a short length of coax as a capacitor,a short length of mains cable, again as a fixed tuned capacitor, a tunable 365pF air spaced capacitor, and a small Jackson C804 airspaced variable with a small 3-35pF trimmer in parallel -
A figure-8 double loop antenna -
A monster magnetic loop antenna for 160 meters band. This Magnetic loop is optimized for 1840 Khz + 50 Khz. PDF Article published on La Radiospecola 10.22 -
A custom made 80 meter loop antenna. Reports on usage and tips to build the support. -
Magnetic Loop antenna for 20 to 80 meters band using home made butterfly condensator kit -
Loop antenna picture gallery -
This loop it is small and light enough to carry while operating, it disassembles into small but rugged pieces that fit easily in a backpack or gym bag, and it can be tuned from 14 MHz to 30 MHz. This tunable magnetic loop antenna is my contribution to the well established art of amateur loop making. Can be tuned from 14 MHz to 30 MHz. -
A simple multi-band magnetic loop antenna designed for 20, 30 and 40 metres, made from 16 feet of RG58 coax cable. The performance is impressive for its size but not meant to replace a Yagi. The antenna features a tuning head, matching unit, tuning capacitors, band change switch, and matching transformer. The feedpoint is at the bottom of the loop. The document provides detailed instructions on assembly and operation. -
antennas experiments by David Reid PA3HBB G0BZF -
A 27-28 Mhz quad loop antenna by Bernard Mourot F6BCU in french -
A magnetic loop made just of wire. Suitable for portable usage and for QRP operations. -
Experience and practical use of magnetic loop antennas, by N0HC -
Article about magnetic loops, construction notes and diagrams -
Picture and reference links for STL Small tumed loops antennas by DJ3TZ -
NRSC AM bandwidth measurements with the loop antenna -
This ia a home built Magnetic loop antenna which was used by G3BGR, indoors on 7,10 and 14Mhz. The basic idea was in Radcom 1986 -
K6SGH introduce the hamloop antenna L7 series -
An Experimental, High-efficiency, Graphic-Tunable Magnetic Loop antenna and loop controller in a 52 pages PDF presentation with drawings and pictures -
Loop antennae have been used from ELF to UHF since the beginning of radiocommunications. At low frequencies, the main problem for loop antennae is to have enough sensitivity; the antenna being very small respect to the wavelength the collected energy is also small. To increase the output level the loop may be made resonant, so loosing it%u2019s intrinsic aperiodic characteristics. -
Plans to build a three or four foot box loop for the AM broadcast band, will tune from 530 to 1710 kHz. -
VHF magnetic loop atenna by ON1DHT -
VHF Antenna in a lunchbox. The magnetic loop on two metres band Lloyd Butler VK5BR -
Bill Rinker, W6OAV, handcrafted this compact magnetic HF loop from copper and pvc plumbing supplies, a 12 volt motor, and some teflon sheets. He's had great reports with it. -
Amplifier, vacuum tube, receiving beverage loop vertical and transmitting antenna system technical information radiation resistance, EH antenna, noise,receivers, and information on keyclicks. -
Interesting review about active magnetic loop antenna Wellbrook ALA 1530 and 330S by ON4SKY -
An home made magnetic loop antenna project using a military surplus 150pf capacitor by KF5CZO -
This PDF document provides a detailed guide on designing an 80m loop antenna. The content covers the construction, setup, and tuning of the loop antenna, offering practical tips and considerations for optimal performance. Whether you are a beginner looking to enhance your radio communication capabilities or an experienced operator seeking to improve your antenna system, this resource serves as a valuable reference for building an effective 80m loop antenna. -
An Arduino-based automatic tuning system for small magnetic loop antennas, designed for contest operations. It uses PC software to monitor SWR and control -
The latest version of the K1FM-Loop is electrically similar to the previous one, but it is designed around off-the-shelf parts or, more generically, items you can readily order online. This antenna relies heavily on 3D printing. -
LZ1AQ experimentally compares small wideband magnetic loops, focusing on sensitivity and the "loop factor" M (A/L), analogous to effective height in dipoles. -
A page describing how to setup a magnetic loop antenna with the DIY Magnetic Loop Starter Kit produced by Chamaeleon Antenna. Includes a video and a detailed instructions to setup. -
Build a DIY magnetic loop antenna with remote tuning for HF communication. -
A directional active loop receiving antenna system by J A Lambert G3FNZ article published on Radcom in november 1982 -
Amateur radio loop antenna project using a Comet CVBA-500BC vacuum variable capacitor. -
Here is a well documented plan of a 20m-10m compact magnetic loop antenna. Article includes lots of pictures and technical details published by KP4MD -
Basic magnetic loop antenna examples and loop aerials theory explained. This article inclued some interesting tricks on building magnetic loop antennas and an usefull excell sheet to help compute magneti loop antennas calculating power efficiency from 10 to 40 meters band -
A home made magnetic loop for HF Bands. This small and compact loop is designed to support small power transmissions on HF bands, from 7 MHz to 21 MHz -
Original HF magnetic loop antenna designed by the author to work in conjunction with QRP transceivers like the FT-817 in portable operations. In this configuration the loop can operate from 30 to 10 meters. Using a two spires radiator of the same diameter it also covers 40 meters. -
Fractional Wave Loops antennas are a sort of magnetic loop antennas that differs in several aspects from the standard ones. Author is now SK however in his page he posted several examples and interesting links -
A magnetic loop antenna using a 28\" bicycle rim for six meter band -
This is a group to exchange views, help and ideas for improvement of the Automatic Magnetic Loop Controller, as described at VE2AO web site. The Automatic Magnetic Loop Controller tunes a Magnetic Loop Antenna in real time, tracking every movement of the Transceiver VFO, by polling the Transceiver for frequency information and calculating an appropriate Capacitor position accordingly. The Controller can also perform Automatic Tuning based on SWR measurement. -
Jeri Ellsworthhas started a video series devoted to building a magnetic loop antenna for the 160- and 80-meter bands. The first video, included after the break, is an overview of the rationale behind a magnetic loop -
Compact and efficient magnetic loop antenna that cover from 40 to 10 meters project by G8ODE published by RSARS -
Pictures of a magnetic loop antenna for hf bands that works from 10 MHz to 24 MHz -
A few pictures of an homebrew magnetic loop RTX antenna project, working from 30 to 12 meters with excellent results -
Explore two magnetic loop antenna constructions, utilizing a 6-foot and a 12-foot square loop. Accompanied by a detailed description, the 6-foot loop features a built-in stepper motor control circuit, while the 12-foot loop incorporates a separate loop controller. Efficiency, tuning ranges, and the innovative autotuning solution using a microcontroller are discussed, offering insights into overcoming the antenna's narrowband limitations. -
This page by Keith Greiner describes a magnetic loop antenna project, providing step-by-step instructions to create two versions of a system with one large loop and one small loop. It includes details on how to construct the loops using different materials, along with the necessary equipment like antenna analyzers, tuners, and software. The page is divided into five sections covering project discussion, design summary, an improved small loop, construction steps, and radiation pattern analysis. Aimed at hams interested in building their own magnetic loop antennas, the page offers practical guidance and insights into impedance matching for improved performance. -
A small, easy to build, copper tube magnetic loop antenna for the 2 meters band. In Italian -
A magnetic loop antenna for the VHF band, featuring a high gain that can be compared to a quarter wave vertical antenna -
Experimentig magnetic loop antennas for VHF and HF by M0UKD -
This magnetic loop DIY site is ment to be an introduction into making DX high quality magnetic loop antennas that will beat any dipole -
The magnetic loop, thus named by the use of the magnetic component of the electromagnetic field, is a parallel circuit LC. In this article a sample project to home made a custom antenna. The circular form is often met on the commercial models but this antenna can be hexagonal, octagonal or square. -
This project is for those ham amateurs who do not have a commercial one . It's easy to build with a soldering iron, a plastic case and a little knowledge of arduino. The controller is made with budget components you can find easily in Internet. The main component is a cnc shield that fits over an Arduino Uno. Both made a compact, small and cheap controller. -
A magnetic loop antenna designed for 14 MHz. This kind of antennas is also known as STL, small transmitting loop and can be an excellent solution when you are not allowed to put antennas on your roof -
Magnetic loop for 20 to 6 metres pedestrian mobile by VK3YE -
Home-Made Magnetic Loop Antenna for 30 Meters by WA8LMF -
A magnetic loop antenna for 7 Mhz by ZL1BJQ -
Such kind of omnidirectional antenna gives the possibility to be QRV with horizontal polarisation, as commonly used for the CW and SSB section of the 2m band. This actual design shows a 1.3:1 bandwidth of about 150kHz, centered to 144.200MHz. -
Analyzes RF safety for magnetic loop antennas, detailing magnetic field intensity calculations and near-field considerations for ham radio operators. -
Unveil the secrets of efficient Magnetic Loop Antenna control systems, eliminating the hassle of frequent retuning. With real-time tracking and compatibility with various transceivers, including popular models from Elecraft, ICOM, Kenwood, and Yaesu, this controller ensures seamless frequency adjustment. Explore its high-resolution stepper motor and versatile communication capabilities, revolutionizing amateur radio operation. -
This antenna works on 17, 20, and 30 meters, with the best bandwidth on 20 meters. The bandwidth on 17 and 30 is quite small but usable. There is a 20 KHz bandwidth on 20 meters. -
Octagonal magentic loop antennas that work from 20 to 10 meters with pictures and efficiency reports by G1KEA -
No matching adjustments needed. Directly perfect match to 50 Ohms using a remotely switched wideband transformer -
A portable loop antenna, made with a 3 meter loop resonates with the chosen capacitor from just below 7MHz to about 28.300MHz which makes it usable on the bands from 40m to 10m. -
This is an uncommon loop antenna, hombrewed without the small feeding loop. With small spare parts is possible to build a loop antenna tuner for portable usage tha can ben used with common HF QRP transceivers -
This page is a project for a small loop antenna for reception of short wave broadcasting. It is in Portuguese and contains pictures and schematics to build your own antenna -
A homemade Magnetic Loop antenna from a spare 3m length of RG213 working from 30m to 15m with a 130pF tuning capacitor -
Article about small magnetic loop antennas with notes on realization of magnetic loops for several HF bands and the six meter band -
A NEC Model Comparative Analysis of Physical Orientation and Performance. The small magnetic loop is a useful compromise antenna for limited space and portability. For this reason, the magnetic loop antenna is a practical high frequency antenna solution for the restricted space of apartment dwellers -
A loop antenna made with common RG-213 coax and rests on a cross made of 6 mm fibreglass rods anf a 6.5- 30MHz tune -
This max size magnetic loop antenna for 14 MHz with a totall circumference of 6m is designed to attach to a wall