Re: [IRCA] The "Pipe Dream" Traveling MW Monster Loop Antenna - a little OT

[D1028Gary@xxxxxxx]

Hi Dave,
 
Thanks for your comments on the PVC loop experimentation, and when the  
article comes out, I hope you will have fun building the size and design of  
your choice.
 
Although I don't have any information on the painting of PVC pipe, I have  
inadvertently made some weird psychedelic designs using too much of the blue 
PVC  glue in the fittings, when constructing the ten PVC loops. That, plus 
the fairly  stiff smell of the blue glue (which is for outdoor use only), 
can almost make a  DXer think he is back in the late 60's.
 
73, Gary
 
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 5/5/2009 8:09:47 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
DAVID.HASCALL@xxxxxxxx writes:

Thanks  for all of the hard work and great detail on these monster  loops,
Gary!

I'm particularly interested in anything that says  "foolproof."  You'd
have to know me, to fully understand.

I  have an off topic question (though it may be useful for DX'ers who
want  their PVC loop frames to have some "color" to them).  Have you  done
much painting on PVC pipe?  I have been reading up on  building
Australian didgeridoos out of PVC pipes.  Obviously a white  one, with
the manufacturers codes and such on the side would work but not  look to
good (and the codes sometimes show through paint).  I've heard  that you
should prime them and then use acrylic paint, others say sand them  and
then use Krylon Fusion paints (for plastics and fiberglass).  I've  also
heard that one should avoid oil paints as they may break down the  pipe.
So if you (or anyone) has any experience or guidance on painting  PVC,
I'd like to know.

For those inclined, google +make +PVC  +didgeridoo and there are dozens
(at least) of pages on building them but  the painting info is all over
the map.  I thought that building a  didgeridoo would be a good
grandparent - granddaughter summer project, on  the cheap (less than
$10).

73,
Dave in  Indy




------------------------------

Message:  4
Date: Mon, 4 May 2009 19:50:45 EDT
From: D1028Gary@xxxxxxx
To:  irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, ultralightdx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
am@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [IRCA] The "Pipe Dream" Traveling MW Monster Loop  Antenna
Message-ID: <bbe.4a42d13d.3730d955@xxxxxxx>
Content-Type:  text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Hello Guys,

In the  experimentation here to develop huge MW loop antennas using   
lightweight, tough PVC frames, I had often thought wistfully about  how
effective  
these monster loops would be on nearby ocean  beaches-- if only I could
fit 
them  in my compact car. It seemed  like an impossible dream-- or was it?

After building ten of these PVC  loops from 18" up to 7.5' feet per side,
I  
had lots of experience  in PVC assembly. I recalled that the larger
diameter 
of  PVC pipe  fits rather snugly in the fitting slots when fully
inserted, 
with or  without glue. There was also experience in using silicone
rubber to  
"lock in" symmetrical coil windings, after pulling out all the slack   in

the turns. Recalling these two facts made me convinced that  a
collapsible,  
fully symmetrical monster PVC loop could be  designed that would easily
fit in 
a  compact car, for easy  deployment anywhere a DXer wished to use it.

The project proceeded like  a dream, and the first "Pipe Dream" 6 foot  
(diagonal) collapsible  PVC loop is now a reality. The system uses
silicone  
rubber  sealant on all four coil winding pipes, with two removable
spreader  arms  
and two removable coil winding pipes. The single remaining PVC  pole of 6

feet  (with the attached coil) can then be easily  transported in a
compact 
car, along  with the removed  parts.

Reassembly is a foolproof 30-second job, in which the spreader  arms and

coil winding pipes are reinserted into their respective PVC  fittings.
The 
"Pipe Dream" Loop suddenly becomes remarkably rigid  and  symmetrical,
with gain 
and nulling ability equal to a  fully-glued 6' PVC  loop. This size of 
passive tuned loop antenna  provides SERIOUS performance  for any
receiver!

Of course, the  design is not limited to the 6 foot dimension. The  
collapsible PVC  loops can be as large or as small as the DXer desires
(although 7 
foot  diagonal loops are probably the maximum size for compact   car
owners).

Apartment and townhouse dwellers can use this  collapsible monster loop
for  
great DX at ocean beaches, state  parks, or anywhere else they choose (it

will even fit inside a standard  room, if your family can tolerate  it). 
Photos of the first "Pipe  Dream" collapsible PVC loop have been
uploaded to the 
"ultralightdx"  Yahoo group site, and full construction  information will
be 
given  in the upcoming PVC Loop article.

73, Gary DeBock    


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