So he made that up? Quick thinking there.
No, it’s true that I did promise to replace the loop if anything happened to it. It was the wishing for inclement weather in the oceans bit that I was slightly unimpressed with!
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This SOTA chasing thing is quite good fun isn’t it? (When you can’t fill your time activating that is).
Another four SOTA chases from on board the MV Spirit of Adventure this morning, the highlight being a magloop to magloop contact with my good friend Guru @EA2IF.
Seeing what chaser award I can get to as M1EYP/MM - and maybe DXCC as well!
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I’ve been doing a bit recently and you can rack up points quickly. My chaser total is higher than my activating total.
But you soon learn your place in the World chasing! I was listening to CT7AUP/P activating this morning from South West Portugal. Could I get a place in the pile-up? It went on for ever but I saw the spot from Guru (EA2IF) and we managed a QSO although this took some time to complete due a combination of conditions and my lack of skill. 
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Thanks for the contact Tom today from Brittany (FL/NO-021). After your slowed down, I recognised your call and remembered this thread which helped me get the /MM; my first MM contact! You were loud and clear. The conditions were very good for today; I made a contact with K4DY a few minutes earlier.
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FB Romain. I was able to receive K4DY’s signal on the magloop on the ship when you were working him. Thanks for the contact.
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Hi Guru, can you give me details of the construction of your loop…or links.
73 de Geoff vk3sq
Hi Geoff,
I’ve got some other queries asking for details about the construction of my magloop antenna, so I’ll respond here for everybody to know.
But first of all, I want to let everybody know that I’ve got a warning email from Ingo DH5ST a few minutes ago recommending much care when using a magloop antenna because the strong magnetic field created around it has apparently been linked with several cases of cancer. This is something I had never heard before and I just want to let you know. This is Ingo’s email:
The big loop is 1.45m diameter and it’s made of 1/2" Heliax coax cable.
The variable capacitor is 240pF if I recall correctly, but other similar values may suit equally well.
These 2 items were a gift from my good old friend Jorge EA2LU.
The rest of the elements used were just things I gathered from my junk box.
The coupling loop I chose was the simplest of the possible options, as I read on the web some studies proving that the differences between all of them was pretty much negligible. These are the different ways I found at the time to make the coupling loop. The type A is the one I made:
So my coupling loop, which must be 1/6 of the main loop diameter is simply a loop made of solid copper wire with PVC cover and placed at the bottom of the main loop. There’s no electrical contact at all between the coupling loop and the main loop.
You need to always be very careful to avoid touching the variable capacitor during transmission, as small power like 5W can produce thousands of volts at the capacitor and a strong electrical shock is a real hazard.
Let me know if this is of help and don’t hesitate to ask should you need further info.
73,
Guru
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Mostly misinformation. As soon as you have suspected cancer, they pop you in an MRI scanner which subjects you to RF and the most intense magnetic fields imaginable. Provided your exposure does not exceed the ICNIRP guidelines (which are extremely conservative in themselves), there is no significant risk. It’s a pity that some radio amateurs are so gulible.
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Thanks Guru, very helpful and informative. I will look at building one after collecting all the parts. I think both you and Tom have got many operators interested in loops for their own sota kits
73 de Geoff vk3sq
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I just sent an email to Alex of the Alexloop fame telling him of this thread. His design may not be the most efficient but it scores highly as a neat transportable package. That is sometimes more important than raw RF performance.
He’s really nice chap - very enthusiastic!
Surely just the nautical equivalent of saying “break a leg”?
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In France and also in Spain it’s said “mucha mierda” = much poop to wishing good luck in the context of the theatre.
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Currently on 14.330 ssb from JO03uo - North Sea, about 50km north east of The Wash. Bands seem down though as I can’t hear any of the currently spotted SOTA activations.
Update: 28.074 FT8 from JO03to (and trying to chase SOTA).
Update: 7.0475 FT4
Now 7.074 FT8
18.084 CW - and still trying to get the spotted activators - but still no RX of any yet!
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Have you got access to the internet and see if you are being heard on RBN? I suspect propagation with HF over the sea from a vessel is going to be a learning curve.
From memory the Titanic had a 5Kw spark transmitter but the distress call was only heard on a vessel relatively close.
Yes, I’ve been monitoring the RBN with the filters set accordingly, and I’ve been getting widely “skimmed” with good strengths.
I’ll do another operating session tomorrow (Wednesday) at some point. Hopefully not another blank day for SOTA chasing!
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I’m up to 25 SOTAs chased since becoming M1EYP/MM. 43 DXCCs worked so far.
Still on around Britain cruising fir the time being and still not allowed on shore except for on the official excursions - which don’t allow for nipping up Holyhead Mountain GW/NW-069 instead of the coach trip around Anglesey, or to sit on a beach in the Isles of Scilly with an 817 while everyone else gets paraded around gardens.
Maybe things will change over the coming weeks and months but for now I’m just seeing which summits I can recognise as we sail around the British coastline.
Right now, anchored in the Solent for the Fastnet Yacht Race, that distinction goes to Brighstone Down G/SE-012. The nearest thing I can do to activating though is climb right up to Deck 14 and see if anyone around here wants to work me on 2m FM. I’ll be QRV in the next few minutes!
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My “summit” today (Observation Deck 14) was unfortunately roped off, so I had to operate from the Sun Deck 13. Great QSO with Nigel M0NRG in Fareham, who fired up his marine receivers and software, and later sent me this. Can you spot my ship…?
Blank day for SOTA chasing unfortunately…
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Partly true. It was also heard by a young enthusiast at his home in the watermill at Gelli Groes near Pontllanfraith in South Wales. The local bobby refused to believe him! When I first visited my Aunt in Pontllanfraith about 1950 his cage antenna was still visible though I had no idea what it was at that time. The next year it was gone.
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