Tunable loop antenna help needed

[jr_tech]

Originally Posted by jimbofish

I'm still unclear about the spacing of the wires in the loop... should they be spaced apart? Or does that not have an effect?

Thanks.

As A DXer, I prefer spacing the turns, as IMHO, this configuration produces higher "Q" which yields sharper tuning and better nulls. Much of the time, when DXing, the loop is aimed to "null out" an interfering station rather than maximize the gain on the desired station.

A suburban listener, desiring to improve reception of semi-local stations, might be well served by a broader tuning, less critical loop, that may provide a bit of improvement on several stations, perhaps without re-tuning when the station is changed.

Note: Many larger portable radios, such as the CC radio, GE "Super Radio", Sony 2010, Panasonic RF-2200, Grundig S350, and similar larger portables contain a fairly large "loopstick" antenna, and show little, or no improvement when used with a smaller loop, like the one in my first picture.
jr