[Lf] Nags Head pilgrimage

[Andre' Kesteloot]

JOE NOVAK wrote:

> When do you all plan your trip to Nags Head?

the long week-end of 14-17 January

>  What do you think of the idea
> of me setting up shop here so that we can compare various LF signal
> strengths?

we would certainly prefer to enjoy your company

>  I'm right on the water you know as well as being about one
> half a mile from the beach.

I believe that the further south , the less likely that we will "make" Europe one day.The European amateurs involved in LF
are located around 52-54 degrees North, and by the way, so is Ontario
Nags Head is around 36 degrees, and your QTH must be located around 30 degrees North.

> Another issue.    I know that Sandy and George constructed loop antennas
> that worked very well last January.   Here are a couple of questions
> concerning loop antennas
>
>    1.    Is there much of an improvement in receive signal strength by
> increasing the antenna size?

in theory , yes, but I shall leave the answer to others, better experienced in that field

>     2.   What about polarization?   Is vertical better than horizontal or do
> we know the answer?

no idea

> The reason I bring this up is that I could design a loop antenna around one
> of my 14 foot balloon antennas.
> It can be rolled around and made work in any direction or polarization.
> And as you can see from the photos taken last April, its also very portable.

How about using your balloon to hoist a vertical wire?
How high can these things fly?
What happens if they break their tether? (Do we create an aeronautical hazard by doing so?)
How much "lift" do they have? Which will mean, eventually, what kind of electrical wire should they be connected to?
When we know the length of the wire, we can approximate the kind of tuner inductance we would need at the bottom to make the
whole thing look like 50 ohms.
Are they filled with helium?
our British counterparts have used kites quite successfully for transmissions. Eventually, in 2001, if we still have the
license, we could consider transmitting with one of these balloons, but it would be useful to get the feel for the.
How much of a mechanical problem is the management of these contraptions?

73 and Happy New Year
Andre'