Giuseppe’s Multi-Band Milk Crate Loop Antenna

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Giuseppe Morlè, who shares the following guest post:

Dear Thomas and Friends of SWLing Post,

I am Giuseppe Morlè from Formia, a town in central Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

I have built a new “Multiloop” antenna using a 40 cm diameter milk crate. The crate is very sturdy and shockproof, making it an excellent base for this project.

Construction Details

I wound three different loops on the crate:
1. A single shortwave coil
2. Two shortwave coils
3. Twelve medium-wave coils

The design includes a single coil placed between the two shortwave coils, which picks up the signal by induction and transfers it to the receiver via an RG58 cable.

The heart of this system is a 2,100 pF variable capacitor with sockets connected to the rotors. Inside the crate, I added another 18 cm diameter loop positioned just below the two main coils.

The ends of this small loop are attached with crocodile clips to the external ends of the rotor. This small loop allows me to exploit induction and, by turning the capacitor, access all decametric bands from 160 to 10 meters.

Tuning Ranges

The variable capacitor enables tuning as follows:

- - In the lower ranges, it covers 80 to 20 meters.
  - When reversed, it tunes all higher ranges from 10 to 20 meters.

This works because the small loop and capacitor couple inductively with the primary turns. By increasing capacity with cables on the rotors, the antenna can even tune up to 160 meters.

The medium-wave turns cover frequencies from 300 kHz to 1,900 kHz. Essentially, this Loop Milk Crate antenna can access a wide range from 300 kHz to 30 MHz.

Testing and Comparisons

I tested the antenna using the Tecsun PL-660 and the Tecsun S-8800 receivers. I also compared the Loop Milk Crate with my “Ferritona” antenna and found surprising results!

Some of the videos were filmed in my shack because it was too cold to work on the balcony. Other videos were shot outside, either on my balcony or on the beach in Formia.

Videos

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoy my “crazy” constructions. Always remember, I’m not a technician—just a passionate listener who loves building with recycled materials.

Wishing everyone a year full of happiness and satisfaction!

Best wishes to all,
Giuseppe Morlè

SBC pulls the plug on FM radio

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia, who shares the following news item via SwissInfo.ch:

Swiss Broadcasting Corporation pulls plug on FM radio (SwissInfo.ch)

The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) switched off outdated analogue FM transmitters at 11:59pm on New Year’s Eve.

Connections to around 850 ultra-shortwave transmitters throughout Switzerland have come to an end.

Anyone wishing to continue listening to the radio stations SRF1, SRF2 Kultur und SRF3 in the new year, for example, will have to switch to the digital radio technology DAB+ or Internet radio. All other SBC programmes were previously only available via the Internet or DAB+.

SBC, SWI swissinfo.ch’s parent company, now only needs around 260 antennas for DAB+ broadcasting.

Around two dozen private radio stations in Switzerland will continue to broadcast via FM and will not discontinue the service until the end of 2026 at the latest. [Continue reading…]

Radiofax: First Kyodo News Morning Edition of 2025

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following Kyodo News Radiofax and notes:

First 2025 morning edition of Kyodo News:

“Happy New Year. We wish all ships a safe voyage.”

Kyodo News is the only news agency in the world that sends news to Japanese ships via radiofax.

Received in Porto Alegre, Dec 31, 2024, 23h UTC.

Main headlines:

- - One year since the Noto earthquake
  - Two survivors of South Korean plane may not have been caught in explosion at the tail
  - Arrest warrant issued for South Korean president

Looking Back at 2024 and Ahead to 2025: A Fresh Start with Correspondence

1 Reply

Good Morning!

It’s January 1st, 2025, and I’d like to wish you all a very Happy New Year!

As I mentioned on Patreon yesterday, in many ways, I’m happy to see 2024 in the rear-view mirror.

It was a challenging year for our family, but even amidst the difficulties, there were countless moments of joy and celebration.

Our biggest takeaway from 2024 was experiencing the overwhelming love, kindness, and support from our community after my mother’s passing, my father and father-in-law’s (multiple) hospitalizations, and, most notably, the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

This incredible community pulled us through, and for that, we are deeply grateful. Thank you!

Looking Ahead to 2025

As we enter the new year, I’m committed to maintaining a positive outlook. One of my key goals is to continue pouring energy into the SWLing Post.

Over the years, the SWLing Post has grown into a vibrant and diverse community of radio enthusiasts, and it’s a privilege to curate so many incredible guest contributions. I’m constantly inspired by your passion for the world of radio.

On the home front, we hope to fit in some travel this summer and work on the long list of storm repairs.

A Fresh Start with Correspondence

If you know me, you know how much I value the time and effort people put into reaching out. I take great pride in responding to every email I receive.

That said, even in the best of times, keeping up with correspondence is a challenge. I typically receive 12–24 personal messages daily—sometimes more—and that’s in addition to emails from our family business, organizations, and other responsibilities. It all adds up.

After Hurricane Helene, I was deeply moved by the flood of supportive messages from SWLing Post readers. While I’ve read every one, replying has been a challenge. Between storm recovery, family commitments, and running the site, my ability to keep up with correspondence virtually disappeared.

Recent hand soreness from storm cleanup has made extended typing difficult, and my overly aggressive SPAM filter has likely deleted over 30% of messages from new senders. Despite my best efforts, my backlog now exceeds 350 individual emails, and I know some messages have been permanently lost.

Moving Forward

After much thought and advice from a friend, I’ve decided to implement a correspondence moratorium for 2025.

This means I’ll archive my current 2024 email backlog and start fresh.

If you’ve sent me a guest post, news tip, or story for the SWLing Post and haven’t heard back, please re-send it—I’ll prioritize those contributions and get them in the pipeline. (Those of you who have sent me articles this past week, I’ve got them in the pipeline.)

For those who sent notes of encouragement: please know I’ve read and appreciated every word, even if I couldn’t reply.

Thank you for your understanding and patience.

Looking to the Future

While storm restoration projects will continue into the summer, I’m optimistic about finding more balance this year. As my daughters start their university journeys this fall, my family and I are deeply grateful for the support and kindness you’ve shown us.