Magnetic Loop antennas get a bit of a bad rap. Nay-sayers will frequently latch on their shortcomings: low power capability, tight bandwidth, dropping efficiency. Personally, I think they are just misunderstood. Magnetic Loops have a small footprint, excellent size to efficiency ratio, and a resistance to artificial noise. If there is ever a complaint about mag loops, it should be the cost. Yeah, they aren’t cheap. But they have value, and it’s up to you to decide if that value is worth the cost.
Learn more about magnetic loop antenna in this week’s video: https://youtu.be/RPdLKuUVRRE
Chameleon antennas supplied an F-Loop 3 in exchange for a video review. I did that review last year. If you want to learn more about magnetic loops and the F-Loop 3, you can watch it here. I am grateful for their support.
Getting out into the parks
A week or so ago Christine said that we haven’t done a park together in a very long time. She is correct, to a degree. Our trip to Milwaukee last February was the last time we were out at a park together. Unfortunately after that mid-winter jaunt, the weather turned brutally cold and snowy for the next six weeks. Last Saturday we were afforded an opportunity.
Ever hear of a de-stash? It’s like a hamfest, but for crafty folks. Instead of hauling out questionable ancient bits of electronics, crafters haul out their unused yarn, crafting supplies, paints, media, and equipment to sell. Basically thinning out their ‘stash’ they’ve squirreled away. There was a de-stash just north of us in the community of Merrill, WI and Christine just had to go. The weather was chilly and a bit rainy, so we made a day of it.
After picking through everything and buying a bunch of goodies, we had a quick lunch and headed to a park. I thought I would introduce her to some place she hadn’t been to, so we went to US-4272, Bill Cross State Wildlife Area. Bill Cross is an interesting character. In the mid 1800’s he set up a trading post on a portion of the Wisconsin River north of Merrill. This spot had some rapids, so fur traders and other travelers were forced to portage, making them good clients for his trading post. As fur trading dried up mid century, he closed up shop and eventually became indigent, living homeless on the streets of nearby Wausau. That spot on the river is still called the Bill Cross rapids and the wildlife area commemorates his life. Moral of the story is that despite what we think of the unhoused population, we need to recognize that every person has value, no matter their current station in life.
The rain kept us in the car and the CQWPX worldwide sideband contest forced me onto the digital portion of the bands. Traveling light, I only grabbed my QRP Yaesu FT-817 and a couple of hamsticks. I wasn’t planning on a long activation, so I was hoping this lightweight setup would be enough to make a dozen contacts. Not only were the phone bands crowded, but FT8 was just a bad. It took a good 45 minutes to get 11 contacts on 15 meters. Still, we had fun in the park and Christine made a bunch of progress on her current weaving. Plus we got to explore an interesting part of rural Lincoln county Wisconsin.
Finishing up
This week begins Season 13 for Ham Radio Outdoors. I run two seasons a year on my channel. Each one is roughly 26 episodes and spans April – September and October – March. This may seem strange to many, but these periods mark a shift in the content from the summertime camping and outdoor based videos to the wintertime indoor and day-based experiences. When you think of a season of programming for a television or streaming series, you may think of them being an annual affair. And they can be, especially if you are taking an extended hiatus for part of the year. With online content, I am producing just about every week and seasons for me mark the thematic shift in my content. Let’s just say that this seasonal indicator means that a we’re in store for a lot of great things.
I hope to hear you on the air
Michael
KB9VBR
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