Assuming one is running very low powers (milliwatts) and use (say) 10 ferrite rods "in parallel" for the core is there any reason why a single thick turn on a ferrite rod, suitably tuned and matched, would not make an effective transmitting loop antenna on the lower HF bands or 500kHz? As long as the core doesn't saturate I cannot think why this would not be feasible.
I have just been told about a Yahoo group for people experimenting with ferrite rods. The owner, John Popelish, experimented some time ago with stacked ferrite toroids to make a ferrite rod.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferriterodantennaexperimenters/
Check out this design for an experimentally tested transmitting ferrite antenna for 160m and 80m. http://www.zs6wr.co.za/anode/AnodeSeptember2009.pdf
ReplyDeleteThis might be the ultimate small-size qrp antenna for 160, 80, and 40, if it radiates efficiently enough.
I'd love to hear the results you try this. I think the ferrite rods will only work up to about 7 MHz. But above there normal magloops are pretty small anyway.