Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary DeBock (N7EKX), who shares this video and notes the following on YouTube:
This is the new 3.5 inch (89mm) “Baby FSL” antenna, designed to provide a powerful DXing gain boost for Ultralight radios (or any other portables) despite its very small size. It has 32 Russian surplus 140mm x 8mm ferrite rods and 31 turns of 1162/46 Litz wire. In the demonstration video it provides a daytime DX gain boost for 750-KXTG (Tigard, Oregon, 50 kW at 160 miles) from inaudible up to about S7 on the Eton Traveler III Ultralight radio.
Click here to view on YouTube.
Gary is certainly a first-rate DXer and an ambassador of our radio hobby. Gary shows us here that, with a little ingenuity, we can take a $50 radio and turn it into something exceptional! Homebrewing at its best. Thank you, Gary!
Also, I had never considered that a high-gain FSL antenna would require very precise placement of the receiver for proper inductive coupling. It makes sense, though. This loop is tuned for razor-sharp precision!
Some day, when I have a little free time, I’m going to build one of Gary’s FSL designs.
I’m curious to know if the proximity limitations can be taken care of by hardwiring a direct out to link the antenna via coax to external antenna jacks. Or is it functionally essential to position the receiver within the two foot range?
Has anybody given this the old college try? If not, I might have to give it a whirl. Lemme know!
Where do you get the ferrite bars?