AM Loop Antenna from PVC Pipe

REUPLOAD - Sorry folks, but KZbin decided to fill all the blank spaces with static in the last go-round. Call me picky, but I just couldn't stand it so here's a second go.
If you had commented on the 1st upload - THANKS! I wish there was a way to preserve that kind of thing here.
I built a loop antenna designed to boost the reception of AM broadcast radio. It's simple construction, requiring only some PVC pipe, speaker wire, and a variable capacitor scrounged from an old radio.
The results are pretty good, even through the weather decided not to cooperate on filming day.
Here's the link to the on-line loop calculation I used:
earmark.net/gesr/loop/joe_car...

[@rashidulhassan3038]

Radios always fascinated me. I love the way radio works.

[@emrilbennett8704]

Same

[@kensmith5694]

Crystal radios are near enough to magic.

[@czellner5894]

Thanks Matt. very nice design! I've tried building AM Loops without much success. but no one ever mentioned that I had to place the radio in the loop. For the record, I am definitely and old guy and love radio. especially AM. there's just SO much good stuff there. decades ago, I worked third shift and listened to Coast 2 Coast AM w/ Art Bell. Those were to good ol' days man. Thanks again, all the best, Charlie

[@hotpeppersrcool]

These days about 1/2 the AM band is taken up by COAST overnight. WHAS-840 is 50KW (day and night) and can be heard in most of the country - but Kentucky is college basketball country and the post game shows can preempt the COAST broadcast on many nights. Or, sometimes there are technical problems... I am building this to get the show from a dozen or more other stations just in case one might be down. Hopefully some of these stations are still broadcasting in HD too! Not to mention if your town came under some sort of an apocalypse! :-O Then a battery operated radio and this antenna could save your life!

[@robertfoster6070]

I built a 40" loop in Derby. It was used to pick up Radio Wales. The reception and sound quality was almost like FM.

[@Romin.777]

I am in the Netherlands and last night i recieved the Voice of Turkey wich is located in the middle of the country, some 3000 km away. With only my 1947 tube radio with only two 1 meter copper electrical wires hanging out of it as a antenna! I am fascinated by it. Heard languages i never new before. :))

[@OpekiskaWood]

When I was a kid I had an old Army surplus (still in my basement) Shortwave. What a thrill to listen to all the world's radio stations! I had long-wire antennas stretched in our attic and all over outside. Great fun and great memories. Thanks for the video.

[@rizzlerazzleuno4733]

Wonderful and fun video. 👍 As a teenager in the 60s we loved the Clear Channel 50,000 watt stations (or 250,000 watt station XERF in Mexico) we listened to in the evenings on handheld transistor radios, it was practically like shortwave because in San Diego we could get a bunch of stations across the country up to the Mississippi River. It was amazing to be in San Diego to hear a station in Chicago or New Orleans....no loop antenna required.

[@aa1ww]

Really well done, Matt. Clearly described and demonstrated with some great hints.

[@colinsmith4185]

This is a good quality construction tutorial,good practical work here,and a superb outcome,I am envious of your construction area.Colin.

[@heinerrambold8889]

Bought a commercial little medium wave loop some time ago. They attach two wires to the cap and bring the end via a phono plug into the receiver. Works from roundabout 500kHz up to about 3.8Mhz. Neat construction your loop Matt, thanks for the video!!!

[@jopeirson7950]

Thanks for an interesting video Matt. I bet you love your workshop as I do mine. I will have a go at this soon.

[@justinellison4214]

Great project built one this winter works fantastic with all radios. Great video!

[@aa7jc]

Awesome project video! I watched this and immediately got the itch to have a go with it.. Thanks for sharing!

[@WilliamParmley]

Nice job! Always enjoy watching a true craftsman at work. I'm trying to get back into BCBDXing and will have to give this a try. I think I have a box of air variables around here somewhere. Never would have thought of using hot glue on PVC!

[@iwabuchikun1]

Thanks for your easy-to-follow video. I may try this when I have a chance. Cheers from Japan.

[@josephrogers5337]

off topic, loved your Japan style wood saw. Love to have one myself. Like your build. Low cost common easy access to supplies.

[@franc_ea6fs]

Excellent work, Matt. I'm going to try a slightly more compact version during this confinement period. Thanks for the idea! 73! Franc - EA6FS

[@michaelbrown-ns4dl]

I love pvc loop antennas too and every time time I watch this video I LOL at the section where you wind it. I use a sharpie and a ruler and then a hacksaw to slot the pvc. I built a 2 footer as well using #22 magnetwire and 1/2 inch PVC. Great as a signal booster and a good local crystal set too. I also resurrected an older 4 foot version built with 1 inch PVC and widened the slots and wound it with #15 magnet wire. It is a ridiculous signal booster and a decent crystal radio set. I used balanced armature IEMs as earphones and matching transformers with a germanium diode and tinned the turns so I could just use an alligator clip to select the best place for listening. So far I have bagged 22 clear channel and regional stations at night using it as a crystal set.That is only 5 nights so far for a couple hours each night. Enjoyed the video. Loops are magic and heavy gauge wire is worth it. Best wishes!!!

[@johnbigbooty]

Nice presentation and construction.

[@ismaarevalocid6749]

Thank you very much for the information. Here a short wave DX and AM. Although my work is in FM radio. Much success, and thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@jedblow]

I built it and it really does work and in my basement. I couldn't get any stations clearly or at all. Now I can get dozens of stations.

[@gauravgulati3693]

Excellent Instructions. Thanks for sharing!

[@kevyelyod1211]

I used use two shortwave radios next to each other to demodulate SSB AM and listen to 11.175khz and hams when I was a kid, the radio hobby is such fun.

[@valtercesar4990]

Congratulations, good job!

[@stevesybesma]

This calculator is the holy grail...so all I have to do is change the pF range until I capture everything I want to do starting at 1.7 kHz and above...this thing is awesome!!!

[@emrilbennett8704]

The longer you live the more you realize how useful PVC pipes are

[@eduardopizzorno7658]

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[@Dallas-Rife-UDX-347-Tennessee]

That’s really amazing , great job

[@erichershberger3733]

I remember when I was a kid my dad would send me up on the roof of the house to adjust the tv antenna. Living in NJ we got the signal from the World Trade Center, but now as far as I know there is very little in the way of tv channels. Great video!

[@MattHeere]

+Eric's garage Broadcast TV is alive and well. We ditched cable 6 years ago. Lot's of Internet based content for sure, but there is an antenna for the TV as well, and we get almost 40 stations. The other interesting thing is that over-the-air content is not compressed nearly as much as cable or satellite. The HD picture is beautiful compared to what we used to have on cable. When people come over to visit they ask if I have a 4K set :)

[@ranakhandkar]

Great tutorial Matt!

[@lissajouscurve7572]

Excellent demo. Great antenna. Inductance is sexy.

[@mariajohn815]

KYW1060 All News All The Time. Been listening to that station for over 40 years!

[@RealMesaMike]

I think the best reason to use a loop antenna like this is mainly the ability to rotate the loop to null out an unwanted station that's causing interference.

[@robertbolleter8038]

Hi again Matt! Scrolling down from Rick suggestion made the capacitor an easy find! Robert

[@Marcos-pe8pk]

Nice job. I will convert the measures to the International System Metric. Thanks for sharing.

[@rEdf196]

I built the same 2 foot PVC frame antenna but I used 42 turns at 4 inches wide tuned to 150 khz to 1700 khz I used a hack saw to cut out around 35 notches each , yes some wires do overlap and are paired up to make the 42 turns needed to tune down to 150 khz. It actually works really good on LW and AM despite the hasty wire spacings. I want to make a larger 6 foot version with better properly spaced wires.

[@nieuwegeljo5645]

Simple and WELL explained. Thanks.

[@musicstylevariaty]

Hi Matt, thanks for your good information and explain how it's made by you, good design I hope I be able to construct such one. It's now 7 years back considering your post but it's one of the best. Greetings from Holland/The Netherlands and wish you succes with your hobby and best wishes for you and family for 2024.

[@MattHeere]

Thank you! All the best to you and yours in the new year as well.

[@kgabris3387]

Thanks Matt. Liked, subscribed, and shared 👍

[@lisettegarcia]

I kept watching even after I realized it wasn’t what I was looking for. Great production value and super informative! I especially loved the yodeling speed-up. Thank you!!!

[@paulschmolke188]

Nice job and it works great.

[@mnpd3]

I built one on the bedroom wall around a small shelf. Used long wood screws with the thread valleys setting both the spacing and the anchor points for the wire. Didn't need antenna rotation since the distant station I liked listening to was broadside of the wall. The antenna is still there.

[@DavidEsp1]

As explained by Matt in reply to other comments, the directionality of the loop is broadside-null. To receive a station at best signal, the loop should be such that the station is in the same plane as itself. Because it works by phase difference between its two vertical sides.

[@hamandshortwaveradioirelan4773]

All great information, thanks for sharing

[@AZStarYT]

Another loop antenna builder used a technique to save time (and cost of material) by using 4 conductor phone wire, soldering the ends to get 4 loops for a single length of cable. Even more turns can be made using older network cable (i.e. cat 3) that can be found pretty cheap at thrift stores, now that people are upgrading to cat 5e or 6.

[@billconserva1461]

Well done Sir!

[@kensmith5694]

I did one that is 4x4 feet with 4 turns. It worked quite well. My method involved no drilling. or glue I suggest others copy the idea. Imagine you are holding some PVC pipe in your left hand wit a T on top of it. You pass the wire on the side close to you below the T loop it around the T and to behind the pipe in your hand. The result is a wire that doesn't want to slip off the T. This is how I did the 4 corners of the frame. It works fine.

[@1000left]

EXCELLENT video!!!! Thank you!!!

[@ScipioMan]

Excellent vid!

[@JP-jh6ww]

Wow what are the chances that this is the channel I am trying to get and I happen to hit your video. Thanks!

[@oljames1687]

Great Video Matt ! Now you need to tackle the Digital TV Antenna. Then set up a "pirate" AM, Digital broadcast venue so we can listen or watch...!

[@frugalfishguy4870]

Ha, first tuned in to watch you mod your HF welder long time ago. Then found you again welding up your 3 point hitch for tractor. Today looking for AM radio Antenna info. So far covering 3 of my interests. What else will I see next on your channel. Thanks Good Info.

[@notvalidcharacters]

Don't know what direction you are from KYW but would have liked to see you turn 90 degrees. I did that the other night (just the radio, not using a loop) and was able to null out KYW and its 50kW and tune in WQMV in west Tennessee, 317 miles away running four watts. For all the faults of mediumwave ya gotta love the directionality. Love the simple practical design!

[@christopherpetroff9882]

Well done. Thank you. Many of the comments below are helpful, too.

[@lesjohnson9740]

Well done Matt, interesting watching Les G4XMX Cheshire UK.

[@dougtaylor7724]

It’s easier if you drill the holes, then take the band saw and cut a slot from outside to the hole. Then wind the wire around. I’m in Alabama and listen to stations in Maine, New York and up in Canada with a similar setup. I use a ham radio because modern cheap AM radios don’t cut it like the old radios did pre 1970. I remember listening to WLW and WLS as a kid. What I would do to here John Records Landecker do one more Boogie Check!

[@TempoDrift1480]

Sweet! I love AM radio for sleeping.

[@bobriley7676]

Good Evening Matt Looks good from here and i got to build one of these. Thanks for the good info as always kd8exr Bob

[@rockitguitar1918]

I just made a 1 foot one out of pvc pipe....it works extremely well 😃👍

[@danielmiller2977]

cool video. I'll try it and see what happens. Thanks.

[@billybassman21]

How well will this design work for short wave, 15 meters to 120 meters?

[@Radio478]

Thanks for great video its so helpful

[@alabamared2568]

Looks well made would love to make it but being a disabled first responder with no drill press I guess this one's out for me. But nice work Matt I bet it works awesome 👍😎

[@Systorable]

Building an AM radio antenna myself and have a couple questions. First, let me fill you in on background info. I have some thicker wire that's single strand I got from Lowe's. It's insulated, so there's no problem with the loops touching. The one problem could be thickness. It's 18 gauge, if I remember, and that may be too thick. The first loop will be rather far from the last loop, so the loose ends will have to close in fairly far to the capacitor. Question: Is this wire too thick? Question: Will the loose ends coming in to the capacitor cut across the field in such a way it'll interfere with the signal? Question: Can I use a 5 gallon bucket to make this antenna? I'll wrap the wire around the outside and tape it down with clear packing tape. I''ll put the capacitor inside the center of the bucket, mounted on a piece of PVC pipe. I'll put the radio by the capacitor. Will this work?

[@donalsop3226]

It works, It works, I was stunned and thrilled, It works

[@eddiejoubert2698]

Thanks Matt for a good project, There is a problem finding a 360pf vairiable capacitor now days!, the small ones used in portable radios are 200pf which will restrict the lower frequencies to about 650khz. The solution is to use two of those in parallel or increase the turns to 15 from 11.

[@kensmith5694]

Or get a 100pF and a 220pF fixed capacitor and a ON-OFF-ON switch.

[@jtownshend]

Your video was recommended by a member of a DX page on Facebook. It was worth watching. Loop antennas are specially good for AM listening during the day. I have a hula loop and a ferrite bar loopstick and they work wonders. But nothing like building your own. So I will definetely do it and use your model as a template. I've already got some variable capacitors. Thanks for posting. 73 PY3WHO

[@MattHeere]

Thanks for the heads on the DX page. I'll have to go find that. 73's - N3NWV

[@jtownshend]

Your video was posted on DX SOCIETY (The world of radio), a Facebook page dedicated to DXing by José Maranhão, one of the best DXers in Brazil.

[@christianlepere8641]

Is there any way to put a coax and pl259 connector on there? i have a bc-348Q that i am hooking this up to and would prefer an coax connection Thanks K5RCQ

[@clydestamp8441]

Simply simple. Now I can build one. Stay safe and thank you..

[@Mr.Tiger.2013]

Good job Matt! Love the fact that he is so a#al like many of us in drilling the holes and trying to put the pipe to the precise length.. lol

[@petercarvalho1931]

Thank you for sharing. The AM antenna center rod, or in this case the spooled wire, should be perpendicular to the source of the signal? Any comment how why this is?

[@KjetilMland_Nor]

Hi Matt, very nice and easy to follow instructions here. One little newb question though, as far as i could see here you just placed the radio inside the loop. so I guess any existing antenna should be placed inside or in relation to this ? Not actually connected to the radio?

[@MattHeere]

That's correct. The only reason I put the whole radio inside my loop is because it's own antenna is internal

[@njmikec]

Well done. Thanks!

[@dean5263]

A video worth sharing.

[@truebeliever6440]

Forgive me for being totally oblivious to any of this. I don't fully understand what you were doing with the wire. You start in the middle? What are you doing, threading an end through all the bottom holes, and then working upward? So, one end of the wire connects to the leg of that capacitor thing, and the other one the body?? I didn't see where it connected to the body. I'll watch it again, but didn't fully get that part. Thanks

[@144Walston]

Matt you mention a couple times about making a smaller loop to put inside to allow this to be used on a radio without an internal antenna. Can you give a little more detail on that small loop. I have an old stereo that has a very good receiver, but just 2 wire connections for AM Radio and I want to greatly improve my AM reception. What does small mean? How many loops? Do I hook the two ends of the lop to my stereo? Do I ground it? Etc. Many Thanks

[@antigoseraros]

Ficou perfeita! Parabéns

[@robertbolleter8038]

Hi Matt! I have been looking high and low for an older am radio or electronic surplus capacitor to build a similar antenna. Any suggestions? Thanks-Robert

[@tomweickmann6414]

I trust SW more than the internet pal. Good production thank you.

[@kensmith5694]

The math is a big tricky to get exact but close is good enough with a variable capacitor to tune with the inductance.

[@DavidEsp1]

For output to coax (say) to the terminals of a radio at some distance, you could add a secondary pickup mini-loop, untuned, e.g. of a couple of turns, in the same plane as the main loop. Needn't be of same diameter as main loop, and needn't be centred. Having said that, on my own 1 foot sides loop my secondary loop is wound in same V-slots as the main loop (all turns are in same single V-slot at the end of each arm. Not saying this is optimal (I have no idea) but it works. I imagine though, with long coax capacitance, a smaller pick-up loop might be advisable, to reduce its impact on the tuning of the main look.

[@Radionut]

Could you supply list of parts necessary to build this interesting project. Great thank you very much excellent video

[@stevesybesma]

Question, when you drilled the holes for the wire to go through, I would think they would have to have been offset all the way around, no? My plan was to create four PVC pipes over two feet long to put between two 6' square frames and then start by drilling a hole in the first PVC pipe 1 inch in, the second one 1.25 inches in, the third one 1.5 inches in, and finally the fourth one 1.75 inches in (and from THAT first hole on each pipe one inch apart) so that the spacing between each loop remains perfect on all four sides through the entire thing when doing the wiring.

[@coroamanicolai4527]

How mu make such a loop work both on LW and MW? I had to make 2 separate ones because my 36 turns one will only work on LW and the one with 8 on MW.

[@DANNYRBARNES]

How would you add a loop to connect the radio that has an antenna connection?

[@victoryfirst2878]

This is a great idea fella. Hope you can make an antenna for a TV. I would be interested.

[@Bruce_Wayne35]

What channel range are you interested in? UHF or VHF? The Gray-Hoverman antenna is an outstanding antenna. I have built 2 or 3 versions of them and they all performed like a champ on weak UHF signals. The last version I built is known as the gold standard.

[@victoryfirst2878]

@@Bruce_Wayne35 I am interested in the VHF and UHF. The VHF is because I live in a location where there are still a few channels that I would like to get and UHF all the way to 52 channel. I got what I need for the antenna build and am going to start. Not sure what is the gold standard ??? Nice to hear from you Sir. v

[@Bruce_Wayne35]

@@victoryfirst2878 It's what the members of the Digital Home Canada discussion board/inventors chose to call it. The gold standard version was the highest gain UHF version of the Gray-Hoverman antenna. It covers channels 14 to 51 and has usable gain beyond that a bit, so it would still work great on 52. They're easy to build. Even a sloppy build will amaze you with good performance. A double-bay version will have around 16 dbi gain.

[@grantw.whitwam9948]

Good job, but I still have some questions. Is this like a outdoor long wire antenna, except the tuner gives the ability to do the same as changing the wire length. I have a Sangean 803ATS with the external RCA jack.

[@MattHeere]

Hi Grant. What you're describing sounds like a beverage antenna. Loops share some of the characteristics of a beverage, but they have much higher Q (they are more sensitive to tuning) and they don't have the S/N ratio benefits. If you have the room for a beverage and the tuner, then that's the way to go. The loop is a better choice when you have less room.

[@PhiberOptik1979]

Also, I have a GE Super Radio III, great for DX on MW anyway. I am going to attach the feed line to the radio, the other to ground. I assume that the capacitor in this particular radio that is made for this will be enough to handle the tuning. I am not sure what kind of cap is in there but it has wide and narrow band, and auto freq control.

[@user-ig6ck3nc5e]

Would you like to complete the antenna with a coaxial cable or the like connected to the radio?

[@LearnPhysicsLPs]

Hello Mr. Matt heere.. If I will take wooden sticks instead of pvc... Which wire I must use for getting clear audios

[@kensmith5694]

A bigger version works great for a crystal radio. With some creative use of plumbing parts, you can enclose the workings.

[@1873Winchester]

How would you hook that up if you have a receiver with two ports for an FM antenna? Just connect both wires into it? Do they need the capacitor then?

[@philp.3978]

Good video.

[@rob4098]

Hey there Matt, I used to enjoy building antennas but lost an arm and can't do it anymore, is there any chance I could talk you into selling me one of these built by you?

[@larchman4327]

I'm making one out of hard wood. Already made one of softwood but was looking for the right variable capacitor specs.

[@rockitguitar1918]

Thanks for the info I made a 4 ft box loop many years ago and listened to Belize 834 khz I thought that was a good catch. Is it possible to make it around 2 ft? I would probably need more windings?

[@1000vox]

If you made a 2’ box loop, meaning that from center to center would each be only 6 inches per side, then merely increasing the number of loops wouldn’t do the trick. The inductance of the loop has to match the range of your chosen frequencies, in this case the AM broadcast band from 500-1700 KHz, and that inductance must be correct to tune it with a 10-360 pF tuning capacitor as shown. To maximize the power of that tank (tuning) LC circuit, two feet per side, or 8 feet per one complete winding is in fact a highly efficient amount when wound 11 times. Yes, you could make the loop antenna any dimensions you like, but you’d still have to match inductance and capacitance to tune the band you want to monitor. I even made made an equilateral triangular loop with each side measuring 2’8”, or a total of 11 feet per one complete wind, with a total of 8 windings that beat out my earlier box and cylindrical am loop antennas. Experiment and have fun. One thing really helps though: The larger your tuning capacitor (physical size, not capacitive range), the more selectivity (fine tuning) you will have on the antenna.

[@stefflus08]

Great video and result. But I don't want that thing indoors. So how do we connect it with a coax cable? Will I have to add a series capacitive coupling, or is that already behind the connection on the radio? Will the coax have to be terminated in some way?

[@MattHeere]

The coupling is magnetic, so if you want to get the signal onto coax or some other transmission line then you need a small loop placed where I had the radio. This is what you connect to the coax, twin-lead, etc. The design of the small loop is touchy, but you can pick them up cheaply enough. Any small loop advertised as an AM antenna will work. Your primary problem is that you need to be able to access the tuning capacitor and to rotate the loop. If you're remote mounting the loop outdoors, then you have to motorize and then weather-proof both of these. At that point I think I start looking into Beverage antennas if you have the room.

[@user-vj1hy8si7p]

That was very informative. How is the Harbor Freight drill press working out? I would like to get one of the big ones.

[@MattHeere]

Very well. I have a video or two on the press. Added a keyless chuck to handle smaller bits, and really have no complaints.

[@jldandrea334]

Could you post a list of parts needed and measurements? Thanks.

[@satheehkumars2201]

I purchased an old Akai tuner AA-R20 for listening Am station but it is not getting signal. If I use the same will it increase the signal

[@dennisjones8991]

If you have the ability to, a vertical antenna that is at least 1/4 wavelength at the LOWEST frequency you intend to listen to is ideal. If you really want to listen to DX stations, provide a ground plane and a earth ground to your radio. Am stations in north america use vertical polarization, and use a 1/4 wave long/high tower to broadcast from. This can also be used for amateur radio operators for transmitting using a matching device, although a ground plane IS REQUIRED for transmitting. The vertical antenna is usable from the lowest frequency you have it cut for up through 30 Mhz as a receiving antenna as well just by hooking the wire directly to the antenna terminal, just like for AM radio reception. If you want it to work better in the horizontal plane, have the wire at an angle of about 45 degrees from the vertical plane. Always disconnect the antenna and ground it during an electrical storm, preferably OUTSIDE the building. 73's

[@MattHeere]

For AM broadcast that's 530 kHz, so a 1/4 wave is 464 feet tall. Best of luck.

[@RGC198]

Hi Matt, thanks for the excellent video. I have just now subscribed to your channel. I actually use a wooden 3' Box Type Loop antenna here for AM, though in design, it is rather similar to yours here on the video. Loop antennas make a huge improvement to indoor AM Dx'ing. One of my best AM DX catches here in Melbourne Australia was 1110 kHz KFAB Omaha NE USA, which is included on my KZbin channel. Anyway, wishing you the very best. Robert.

[@DJ_BROBOT]

You're kidding.. You got an US medium wave station in Melbourne? That's so wild!! Great catch!!!!

[@RGC198]

@@DJ_BROBOT Thanks. Back in the 1980's both USA and Canada MW stations were heard here by myself along with a number of other DX enthusiasts at the time. One of the more "regular" catches was of 1120kHz KPNW Eugene OR USA. My KFAB once only reception is included on my KZbin channel.

[@RGC198]

Thanks for the tip. I haven't actually tried that.

[@supermaestro67]

Thanks for the reply. Another question: I use a Panasonic gx500.sia radio made antenna effect for (sw-kw). antenna I built with 7 rows of copper wire. correct? size matters and No. of copper wire rows? I'm interested to test (mw) and (lw) on the Panasonic gx500.What should be done for the reception? By the way: does the variable capacitor model matter? thank you very much.

[@MattHeere]

I've updated the link at the end of the description to point to a working calculator for square loops. It will let you experiment with size, row count, and the capacitor values to see the effect on loop tuning. The model of capacitor does not matter for this application, only the range of values it provides.