April 18, 2025
Paul Hamilton, KE7UAE – Mag Loop Antennas,
From Theory to Workbench
Our speaker on Friday, Apr 18, will be Paul Hamilton, KE7UAE, who will talk about the theory and construction of magnetic loop antennas.
After earning his BS in electrical engineering at the University of Kentucky, Paul worked as an RF test engineer for McDonald Douglas, in St. Louis, where he looked after the test benches for radios in military aircraft.
He then moved to the Pacific Northwest, working as a test engineer for Motorola and other cell phone manufacturers and for Intel doing signal integrity work on computer motherboards.
Paul’s entry into ham radio began when he was taking a class in the principles of RF circuit design at Portland (OR) State University, where he went on to get a Masters of Electrical Engineering. His academic advisor, Rick Campbell, KK7B, got him interested in the hobby, and Paul earned his Technician, General and Extra classes while taking the class.
Paul regards Rick, KK7B, and Wes Hayward, W7ZOI, as Elmers who were key to his success as a ham. (Campbell and Hayward, along with Bob Larkin, W7PUA, authored “Experimental Methods in RF Design,” published by the ARRL.)
Now, retired, Paul divides his time between ham radio, his XYL, and his kids and grandkids. The accompanying photo shows him with his granddaughter, Lily, who is beginning to learn the basics of using a Morse Code key. Active in CW, primarily using bug keys, he belongs to CWops, LICW, and SKCC, where he is working towards that group’s Centurian designation.
Paul became interest in building and using tuned magnetic loop antennas when he realized that his QTH in Tualatin, OR wasn’t suitable for either an antenna tower or, “with trees like twigs,” for an elevated wire antenna.
“I needed an antenna that could work well for DX that could not fall on my neighbor’s property and would not need radials.” The answer, he decided, was a mag loop. He has built several of these antennas, of increasing size and sophistication, and will share with us both the theory and practice he brought to their construction and use.
To participate in this meeting, see our Zoom links page.
Field Day 2025
W6SD has begun planning for Field Day 2025, which will be held on June 28-29. We are holding planning sessions via Zoom every other Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.: March 5, 19, April 2, 16, 30, May 14, 28, June 11 and 25.
To participate via Zoom, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86700093061?pwd=amZOSXZKOTkwcWNDb2E5WW1MRmJqZz09
(Meeting ID 867 0009 3061, Passcode W6SD)
W6SD Get-Togethers
W6SD holds monthly speaker meetings on the third Friday of each month, at 7:30 p.m., via Zoom. We hold informal social get-togethers every Monday morning via Zoom.
Many members meet for breakfast at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday mornings at the Denny’s restaurant at 16575 Sherman Way, west of the Van Nuys Airport. All are welcome.
Join Our Mailing List
If you are not receiving email alerts about W6SD, or would like to have these messages sent to a different email address, please use this link to join our email list.
We respect your privacy; we do not share email addresses with any other organization, and all of our messages include a link that enables you to unsubscribe or update your email preferences.
W6SD – The San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club
ARRL Affiliated Club #1684
Founded in 1946, The San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club, Inc. (SFVARC) is open to anyone interested in Amateur Radio as a hobby. The Club is affiliated with the American Radio Relay League and the Los Angeles Council of Amateur Radio Clubs, Inc.
San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club
P.O. Box 5472
West Hills, CA 91308
info@w6sd.com
Interested in joining W6SD? Whether you are brand new to the hobby of ham radio or are an Extra Class expert, you are welcome here. Click here for information.