AM DX - "Hula-Loop" NG9D Antenna Demonstration

Video shows a home-made antenna that improves AM radio broadcast reception. Demonstration of loop antenna allowing reception of WMT, a 5 kW 600 kHz AM broadcast station with Grundig G6 receiver.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Grundig
• G6
• shortwave
• radio
• AM
• DX
• reception
• loop
• antenna
• NG9D

[MixxiePixxie]

Just wondering what station that was on 600 kHz if you were in Ceder Rapids, Iowa? It wasn't WREC in Memphis was it, because if it was that would make the performance of that antenna nothing short of miraculous. I live only about 75 miles south of Memphis and can barely pick up WREC even at night. Anyway, how did you get the wire inside the hula-hoop please?

[NG9D]

@MixxiePixxie Hi! RCVR NR Chicago & STN WMT/Cedar Rapids - After the hoop is separated, the wires were threaded into the hoop by pushing them. If you try this, you may find that HDPE insulated 20 guage solid conductor wire works pretty well. But even so, after several turns the wires started to bind, so I sprayed a bit of furniture polish wax on them to reduce friction. That enabled inserting 11 turns into the small diameter tube - Instead of a hoop you could use open wire on wooden frame.

[wx9dx]

How many turn of wire was this? Oh and what value cap? Thanks!!

Jimmy, WX9DX

[NG9D]

@wx9dx Hi Jimmy. 11 turns of 20 gage wire w/ ~40 to 365pf variable cap. The wire is explained in the video annotations (turn on the "captions" feature of YouTube). Thanks for the question. 73 de NG9D . .

[KC8YOQ]

What is the value of the cap?

[NG9D]

KC8YOQ DE NG9D - THAT CAP IS AN OLD 365pF THE KIND USED LONG AGO IN AM BC RADIOS. YOU CAN ALSO USE VARICAPS, A LITTLE L-C EXPERIMENT! 73 DE NG9D . .

[luketrash]

I just got my first shortwave receiver (the G6) and saw this linked to someone else's video using a slinky antenna. I grew up in Cedar Rapids, so I remember listening to AM 600 quite a bit. Cool video and cool project!

[urbex2007]

Great demo, I must experiment.