If you build small loop antennas, typically 2 foot square or less, here's a tip on how to
tightly wind the wire on them.
The secret is to use your body weight to keep tension on the wire as you wind. You'll
also need to wind the loop outdoors unless you have a very large house.
Find a convenient place where you can lay out the entire length of wire you are about to wind.
Anchor one end of the wire, perhaps to a telephone pole, (I use a coffee cup hook screwed into
the pole) then go to the other end of the wire and anchor it to your loop's frame. (be sure to
leave a few inches of wire free for the capacitor connection) Then pick up
the loop, move backwards a bit to put tension on the wire then walk towards the other
end of the wire as you maintain tension, rotate and guide the wire into your loop's wire slots.
Be careful to NOT put too much tension on the wire else it might break depending on the gauge
of the wire. If you use AWG #20 or larger (larger diameter, lower AWG #), you can put a fair
amount of tension on it.
The tricky part is anchoring the final turn once you've reached the end of your winding while
retaining tension on the wire. I typically pre-drill holes and have my pop-rivet tool
laying ready to use (PVC Frame) at that point. It's an operation you need three hands for
but if you have someone waiting there (that can insert the pop-rivet) it's a breeze.
Give it a whirl - you won't tear up your hands and fingers trying to wrap the wire around the
frame and your loops will typically look and, maybe even, perform better.
Thanks to "Van", K6QGH, for sharing this outstanding tip with me when we were
building our MW-1812VE Loops a few years ago!
