I have never had much success on 40m. Outside of the UK anyway. I have been using a trapped multi band dipole and thought that a change might be the way.
I found a plan for a 40m full wave loop which worked with my trees. This has an apex at the top as opposed to at the bottom. Like a pyramid I suppose.



So instead of the pole I have a tree and I have run the bottom element along the top of the fence with some insulators to hold it about a foot above the top of the fence.



i had a spare balun from the dipole so used that. It is no heavier than an insulator really.



I took off about 1m to get it resonant where I wanted it and by playing with the geometry of the triangle the VSWR comes down to less than 1.5 over the band. Easily matched.

I gave it a go late last night and had 59’s into Europe and Russia with the furthest Algeria. So there is some potential and it is much less noisy than the dipole it replaced.

So if you have a fence with a tree in the middle this might work for you.

Here is last nights 6m contest map. I was really please that I managed to get a good number of multipliers so hopefully the score will do us some good in moving up the table. Chris G8AJM was on as well so hopefully we will have some more scores coming in.

I was working people in Bolton using a 40m loop or dipole so if you have some sort of antenna you are going to be getting out. And lets face if …..you don't get much more on 6m at this time of the year than the contests.

Look forward to working you next time.

GB4MTE

JOTA was a success from the radio point of view , if, unfortunately, there were less Scouts than there were pizzas!

Our very full time team of G0SKA, 2EØSUR, G4EBY and me plus a load of other helpers whose call signs I can't recall at the moment got ourselves to the site for 8am on the saturday and built 2 masts and 3 stations. An HF 6-20 with the hex beam, a 40 & 80m on the club mast and a 2M vertical and yagi on top of that.

It is far to say that the day went well radio wise, maybe not so well for poor Charlie who I found out late in the day was being blatted out by the hex beam. To counter that we are going to look at a band pass filter setup. Hopefully Dave will be able to find some that we might be able to make….more electrical witchcraft.

So what did we work…..check out the GB4MTE QRZ page for more pictures. and we sent love and kisses to ML&S for providing us with log books which will be available for further club contests.


YB0IBM  Indonesia
LU5AB Argentina
WC2K USA
VK5SFA Australia
SV2ASP/A Mount Athos
CO8LY Cuba
NP2X Virgin Islands
F4HJO France
SU8JOTA Egypt
3B9FR Rodriguez Island
RA6AAW Russia
LY1JOTA Lithuania
P40JW Aruba
LA3NUA Norway
KK4SMJ Canada
K5XI United States
CR2EMA The Azores
GØBBB Bracknell
+ a lot more of Europe.

BBRC do JOTA 2015

17&18 October 2015



Jamboree on the Air - where we try to get loads of young people on the radio for the first time and this is a worldwide event.

We will be putting on few stations to try to make the most of the terrible propagation we have had over the last couple of months. Let us hope that the sun gets it’s act together by then.

Hopefully we will have a 6-20m HF setup with the HexBeam, a 40-80 with the inverted “V”’s and a VHF/UHF station with the GØKSC LFA Yagi’s.

So if you can be on the air to give us a shout GB4 MTE is the special call sign we would love to hear from you.17&18 October

Thanks to ML&S for providing us with Log Books for the event. Much appreciated chaps.