Howdy to all,
I don't think anyone will question the fact that a good antenna system
is one of the most important factors in a ham station being able to
communicate efficiently particularly when using qrp power levels.
While I would agree that a full length dipole antenna, or beam antenna
would be preferable to a smaller 3' loop antenna, in my case that is not
only impractical but impossible at my home qth since I live in a high
rise building that has steel supports throughout the building instead of
wooden studs. This effectively makes the interior of my high rise
apartment inside of a faraday rf shield and prevents most radio signals
from radiating or receiving when using an antenna inside of my
apartment. This means an antenna has to be mounted outside of the
apartment, and the balcony is the only area available to install an
antenna. With such a limited area to install an amateur antenna, I find
the MFJ 3' loop to be one of the better alternatives to be able to
operate my ham station on the hf bands, and still be able to change
bands and tune the antenna remotely with the MFJ Remote Control Unit.
With the myriad of various CC&R's and antenna restrictions around the
USA, many hams are forced to utilize compromise antenna systems to
operate from their home qth, and finding the best alternative antenna
configuration for an individual ham's location can be challenging.
Therefore, I am very pleased with the various Loop antennas available
from various ham vendor sources, since it allows many hams the
capability to get on the air, when they might not be able to do so
without the smaller loop antennas. Before deciding that hf ham radio
operation is not feasible from an antenna restricted location, I would
encourage a person facing such restrictions to seriously consider trying
a loop antenna.
73,
--Bill - K6IH-
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