SUCCESS!!!!!!!! The flying Delta Loop
worked! In the 2002 ARRL CW DX Contest and the CQWW 160 SSB
contest, it flew well, and the results were GREAT! Very high scores in the WPX contests of
2002 and 2003 (SOSB 160) attest to the antenna’s effectiveness. I used a
12-foot delta kite to give a lot of lift, and to stay up if the winds died
down over night. I could have used the Sky Hook Helikite, but I was out
of helium, so a kite took the load. It worked well, staying up all
night each time I used it. The kite was tethered about 50 metres from
the base of the Delta, and the apex of the antenna attached to the kite
line. Then the ends of the base were staked out,
and about 40 metres of line attached to each of the bottom corners to hold
the base down. The top of the
Delta was up about 80 metres, with the base about 77 meters long, and up 20
metres off of the ground. Each side was about
55 metres long, with the matching being handled by a co-axial feed line
consisting of a quarter wave of RG59 then RG58 to
the shack. The take off
angle was the best I have achieved so far. Very little of the power is in the high
angles and the signal is concentrated down at low angles where you need it.
|