More on
K9AY
|
Basics
General
info on the K9AY loop
Performance
Listening test and other observations
Homemade
How to make your own K9AY
Grounding
The importance of good ground
Wires
How to place wires best
Remote
Remote control
of the KPAY |
|
 |
System
with 8 K9AY loops
By Al Merriman - K4GLU
K9AY web group, October 11, 2000
Having spent some additional time on testing a 2 / 8 loop system,
I have found this:
1. The system definitely works. I'm able to get nulls in
all 8 directions.
2. When the two loops are connected in series - NE/SE/SW/NW
- there is some improvement in signal strength - I'm seeing 2-4
db typical.
3. Unfortunately I'm unable to get nulls with the 2 / 8 setup
that equal what I'm currently getting from my two 2 / 4 setups where
I use separate Vactrols on on each loop. This is in all directions
- not just when the loops are connected together in series.
Most testing has been done during the day when signals were steady
and was done in two ways. Head to head where I used one setup on
each of my two sets of loops with the loops oriented as closely
as I could get them in the same direction and I also tested the
two systems by swapping them on the same set of loops so there could
be no question of slightly different loop orientation affecting
the results.
In all tests my 2 / 4 setup with two Vactrols out performed
the 2 / 8. Understand this is not in every instance - on some frequencies
they were virtually equal but on others there was enough difference
that it affected readability.
One example.
On 1160 kHz my dominant station is WOBN in New Jersey to the North.
With my 2 / 4 setup when I switch South I can completely eliminate
WOBN and hear VSB Bermuda in the clear. With the 2 / 8 setup while
I was able to null WOBN in no direction was I able to completely
take them out like I can with the 2 / 4. There were a number of
others frequencies where this same situation existed.
Since I already have a 4 / 8 setup using two sets of two
loops that works extremely well I don't plan at this time to do
any more testing with the 2 / 8 setup. Also my setup with two sets
of two loops allows me to select one loop from each set and use
them with a phasing unit. This works very well and allows me to
deal with the few situations where I can't get nulls with the K9AY's
alone.
A few words about the two Vactrol setup.
Back in 1998 one of the things I experimented with was the possibility
of using the two loops in a standard two loop setup to each side
of a phasing unit. Since the loops were at right angles to each
other I thought that there might be enough difference in pickup
pattern of the two to make this work. I built a set of loops that
were conventional in the fact that both loops were hung form the
same center support.
Beyond that I built a head/control unit that treated the two loops
as being completely separate antennas with each having its own Vactrol
termination, matching transformer and feedline coming into the shack.
This setup worked fairly well but there were some situations
where nulls were difficult to get. One thing I did find out was
that in some instances when using the antennas as a conventional
K9AY that nulls on the loop in use could be improved by varying
the termination of the loop that was not in use.
This seems to indicate that there is some interaction between the
two right angle loops. At times this null improvement made the difference
between completely eliminating a dominant and leaving it mixed with
the station you were trying to hear.
Also, when comparing this system against a normal 2 / 4 setup with
a single Vactrol the two Vactrol setup gives better, deeper nulls
in some but not all situations.
Hopefully others will do some testing with the 2 / 8 setup.
Although I have no plans to do any additional testing with mine
I may get it out from time to time and play with it a bit. |
|
|
antennX