There are microwave-rated relays that do a good job of 50 ohms and not really expensive if you are in to VHF+ I don't think these things matter much at HF and MF for receiving. It's not about maximum

I would call that a success and a half. Now to tackle that fading... David G3UNA

This site may help a few builders. I just came across it an hour ago and have had only a cursory look. It contains a lot of useful info on other topics as well. You need to scroll down to section 7. h

Simon Re sensitivity / signal strength v f/b ratio: if you have a good amplifier then sensitivity might not be an issue. I would rather reduce strength of other signals getting in to increase signal t

It's been around for a few years now and has undergone a little massaging. Need to take care of the mechanics of stringing wires and cords in the air but I'm told they work well, if quite expensive. S

Simon I'm staggered by your results and you must have some local magic going on to get a noise floor of -140dBm, don't change a thing, you're in a sweet spot. BTW if you can't hide your loops you coul

CCW have been using Cat5 for many years. It is also endorsed by Jim Brown K9YC, something of a guru. David G3UNA

Great work, Simon. I'm sure a lot of folks will be interested. David G3UNA

QST March 2015 by DK6ED may be of interest and shows 4 fixed loops in an array, alongside a small rotatable array. The rotatable array looks relatively straight forward to build and his personal web s

Eric We are only interested in receive capability not transmit, so, cable loss is not so important, ie dB per m, etc. It's most important to prevent ingress along the length of the feeder and shielded

That's interesting. Are cables otherwise identical, eg single screen, diameter, manufacturer? Chris has a good track record in using Cat 5(S?) cable which is excellent at keeping noise out. David G3UN

Hello Simon Sturdy looking loops and it looks like you've put a lot of effort in to them. I was wondering how these would compare to Chris's idea of bicycle rims. David G3UNA

I would be tempted to use a discrete regulator off your 12V supply, with suitable heatsink David G3UNA

John End fed wire to loop with proper common mode treatment will be night and day, but don't just look for signal level comparison, the aim of the game is signal to noise ratio. The SW8 should easily

Tom Very sound. Please keep us posted on further developments. I have a friend in this situation and your method has given me some clarity and a way forward for him. David G3UNA

I agree with John's sentiments, we seem to live in a society of suspicion and litigation for the slightest thing someone might point at. Having said that, you need to establish that you are not transg

Thanks for the tip, Adrian. David G3UNA

Yes, I did the same and it means learning 4NEC2 which I don't have time for right now. It would be easy if it were in EZNEC which I am familiar with. I assume the issue is the EZNEC doesn't model wire

I found it pertinent and funny. David G3UNA

Yes, it's been pretty active for a few days now. I hope he does well out of it. David G3UNA