Just for the Fun of It ! :o)
The Home Of Super Slinky Helical Antennas -by- KB0XA
K-B-Zero-X-A => http://kbzeroxa.com/
Rotatable Helical Loop Antenna
http://kbzeroxa.com/rotatable_helical_loop_anten.htm
Vertical Helical Antenna
http://kbzeroxa.com/vertical_helical.htm
New SWL Double Slinky Loop Antenna
http://kbzeroxa.com/new_swl_double_slinky_loop.htm
Yes - We Have Slinkys -and- We Make Antennas :o)
http://kbzeroxa.com/antenna_workshop.htm
67 Foot Shortwave Listening (SWL) Slinky Antenna
http://kbzeroxa.com/67_shortwave_listening_anten.htm
http://kbzeroxa.com/swl_slinky_uses_real_copper_.htm
http://kbzeroxa.com/new_swl_slinky_antenna.htm
Smaller Slinky Jr. Shortwave Listening (SWL) Antenna
http://kbzeroxa.com/slinky_jr_swl__antenna.htm
Indoor Slinky Dipole Antenna
http://kbzeroxa.com/indoor_slinky_antennas.htm
Please Note - This is NOT my website
and I am not associated with KB0XA.
But I do like all kinds of Slinky Antennas - iane ~ RHF
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Does a slinky antenna really work as a compact antenna?
IOW, does it perform as a 64 foot antenna rather than a 15 footer?
According to one of the gurus in the antenna group, it works as a
fifteeen footer, or whatever length it's pulled out to. The steel wire
also isn't as good as plain copper for conducting RF.
bob
k5qwg
> The steel wire
>also isn't as good as plain copper for conducting RF.
>
>bob
>k5qwg
The difference is immaterial.
Steel rusts.
bob
k5qwg
>On Tue, 11 Apr 2006 13:46:50 GMT, David <ric...@knac.com> wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 11 Apr 2006 13:24:33 GMT, Bob Miller <NOS...@neosoft.com>
>>wrote:
>>
>>
>>> The steel wire
>>>also isn't as good as plain copper for conducting RF.
>>>
>>>bob
>>>k5qwg
>>
>>The difference is immaterial.
>
>Steel rusts.
>
Stainless steel doesn't. Copper corrodes.
That's terrific, but not exactly a case for putting up a Slinky; an
equivalent length of penny-a-foot lampcord will work as well.
bob
k5qwg
So Why . . . Choose a Slinky over Stranded Copper Wire
for a Shortwave Listening (SWL) Antenna ?
Yes the Signal capture Area is only 15 Feet vice the 64 Feet of Wire
wrapped-up in the Slinky.
But when compared to a Single Copper Wire that is also 15 Feet Long
the Metal Slinky due to it's Coiled-Up-Wire {Spring} Shape has a
cross-sectional-area that has the electrical appearance of a Thicker
(Much Larger Wire) and thus is the better RF Signal gatherer.
Note - That the Slinky has the added 'dimension' of Thickness about
2.75 Inch Diameter vice about 1/8 Inch Diameter for the Copper Wire.
FWIW - The same could be said for an Antenna Element that is
made of an Inch Diameter (1") piece of Copper Pipe that is 15 Feet
Long over a piece of #14 AWG Stranded Copper Wire that is also
15 Feet Long.
Either way the Slinky or the Copper Pipe has a Larger-Physical-Area
and Greater-Surface-Area for the RF Signal Electrons to be gathered
'in' and and 'on' then the same length {long} of Wire.
So Why . . . Choose a Slinky over Stranded Copper Wire for a
Shortwave Listening (SWL) Antenna ? ? ?
- - - CAUSE IT'S A SLINKY ! :o)
yes i am a little bit slinky - iane ~ RHF
It's also a giant lumped inductance and highly reactive. If you want
a light structure that looks like a fat conductor you use ladder line.
Yodar
Ladder Line is mighty fine and you could
Climb All-the-Way-to-the-Stars with It.
BUT ! - IT AIN'T A SLINKY ! :o)
bong, Bong. BONG ! ~ RHF
I thought that at one time you were using a Vertical Slinky
with a Matching Transformer and Coax Cable feed-in-line ?
- - - Before you got the North County Active Antenna.
How long did you have the Vertical Slinky 'stretched-out ?
What was the Ratio of the Matching Transformer ?
1:1 ? -or- 4:1 ? -or- 9:1 ?
iwtk ~ RHF
Maybe someday I will hook up the two Pioneer speakers that came with the
radio and try it out.
cuhulin
RHF - perhaps you've been using the bong a bit too much 8-}
It be "My Slinky" that be doing the Bonging
as it slips-and-slides down the steps.
As for me my biggest vice is to Chug-a-Lug down Two Cups
of My StarBucks-with-out-the-Bucks Coffee in the Morning.
RHF's "StarBucks-with-out-the-Bucks" Coffee :
8-12 Ounces of Strong Coffee brewed with a Cinnamon Stick
Plus a Big Heaping Teaspoon of C&H Dark Brown Sugar
- - - Yes - I Love Dark Brown Sugar in the Morning :o)
Plus a Teaspoon of Carnation Chocolate Malted Milk Power
- - - Yes - I Love Chocolate in the Morning :o)
Plus Two Teaspoons of Chocolate Malt Favored Ovaltine Power
- - - Did I mention that - I Love Rich Chocolate in the Morning :o)
Stir Everything Up Real Good with the Teaspoon.
- - - Yes - I Love to Stir Things Up in the Morning.
Add an Once or two of Whole Milk for Color and Taste.
- - - Whole Milk for the Whole Body in the Morning
Don't Ya Know : "Milk Does A Body Good !"
the coffee is ready - drink-up boys ~ RHF
You are reverting to childhood. Clue: don't put loose change on top
of High Voltage electronics vents.
If you want to talk about capture area, I've known of more than a few
people who live under metal roofs, and they've tried attaching
feedlines and antenna tuners to their roofs. Results have been
somewhat mixed. Typically a lot of noise, mainly from iffy contact at
the metal seams.
bob
k5qwg
'nother clue: when buying used junk turn it over and shake it to see
if there are loose bits of metal rattling around inside.
DaviD - After all 'you' have often admitted to being a
Drug Addict; and that is the 1st Step to Recovery.
a speedy recovery david ~ RHF
Use the same Morning Thunder Tea Bag to brew three Cups
of Tea over a two hour period in the morning. Three Cups
from the same Bag would get me through four-to-six 8-Hour
Work Shifts before I would start falling asleep standing-up.
- - - Zzzzzzzzzed-Out ! ~ RHF
Two words - "cool factor"
FWIW, I've usually had better results tuning and using zip cord antennas
vs. slinky antennas, but nothing is a priceless as the look on my wife's
face when she first came in and found me using a slinky antenna!
-=RaOuL=-
Well, it's not every antenna that can walk down the steps.
bob
k5qwg
> Well, it's not every antenna that can walk down the steps.
My antenna fell off the roof once...
===================================
Some people are like Slinkys - pretty much useless, but they're fun to
watch fall down the stairs.
Anon
====================================
mike
> But how about a wire spoke bicycle or motorbike wheel antenna? Has
> anybody ever tried one of them?
Didn't you try that? If I recall, your coax wrapped around the spinning
hub, locking it solid. You did a quick flight over the handlebars.
mike
Dang - M II 'you' described most of my life :o) ~ RHF
Sorry to hear that. If it helps at all, I crushed my thumb in the car
door two days ago. The nail should be falling out really soon. I never
realized there were so many shades of blue or how difficult it is to go
pee without a thumb. I think I'll try sitting down next time. Rumour has
it that women have been using that technique for a few millenia.
mike
I guess you should try going lefty then ...
What it is,he once told me a few years ago about a U.S.Army guy (in
Asia) who ''swapped'' his Jeep with the rods knockin for one of their
good U.S.Navy Jeeps.
cuhulin
Now that created a hilarious mental image. At least to me anyway.
SC
there was an excellent slinky site now dead that acknowledged it had
shortcomings as a transmit antenna outisde its resonance (7.2 mhz) but
mine went up to 15 mhz as a receive antenna falling off as frequencies
elevated. Above 17.6 mhz it was worthless
I prefer my North county active SWL antenna which on a 10' PVC pipe mast
works BCB to 28 mhz
yodar
The problem with this type is that the current distribution along these
shortened antenna elements will not be correct or sub optional. This is
fixable problem though, which will require more "structure" to solve.
--
Telamon
Ventura, California