Optimizing the Magnetic Loop Antenna

by John Portune, W6NBX

January 20th, 2024

Excerpt from regular meeting minutes

We were to have had a live talk, “Optimizing the Magnetic Loop Antenna,” by John Portune, W6NBC, from Los Angeles, California.  But sadly, due to a time zone misadventure, John didn’t make it in the 10-11 am hour.  John sent an email apology with a willingness to set up another talk day/time.  Carson had a Plan B, and aired a YouTube recorded presentation of John doing this talk in the past.  There are several such recordings of John’s mag loop optimization talk on YouTube.  

Some links [are included below.]

John is a great teacher and an innovative ham antenna designer.  His recorded talk was great and worth a watch for those who couldn’t attend today, but we missed his live spontaneous charisma and off-the-cuff ham brilliance in Q&A.  It must be said that John is quite emphatic about his design mag loop being optimal over all others—and in the recorded talk we watched he hammered that nail in hard.  Carson is finishing a build that is based on John’s original design, and will report on results as they transpire.  It’s a great design.  But Carson is a bit more laid back on the subject, with the view that if a mag loop antenna works to consistently make solid ham contacts to meet the ham’s radio goals then it’s a good mag loop!  Don’t tell John I said that…