http://k1ys.blogspot.com/

Above right is a picture of my 80m vertical rectangular loop just west of Barre Commons in Barre, Mass. The antenna is over wetlands that drain into Cook's Canyon, a nature preserve. I've added some lines to show where the antenna is.  Here's some more pix on my blog . 

This antenna is fed with 450 ohm ladderline, is very quiet and has got great ears, especially since I added a BalunDesigns Tuner balun outside and use coax into the shack. I've been able to copy signals of Strength-0. I had a remarkable experience when listening to 17m ssb at dawn, I heard a very weak yl from China. She was giving out 59 reports to stations from the US west coast, Europe, Japan, South Africa and Australia. I turned on the pre-amp, cranked up the rf and af gain and I could hear them all. I heard 5 continents at the same time with not one ever moving the S-meter. A first for me. 

First got my ham license in 1956 (kn1mzg) when I was 10 years old, but let it lapse. Then got back on the air from Austin, Texas as kd5wby. Rig an icom706m2g running 100 watts. Antennas in Austin  were a hex beam up 32 feet, a dipole for 40 and 30 meters up 30 feet, and dual bander for 220 and 70 cm.

Also, am experimenting with "Software Defined Radio for the Masses". Check it out at http://flex-radio.com/

More pictures on my hexbeam at the yahoo hexbeam group page in Photos --> kd5wby. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hex-beam/

73's, Michael - k1ys, ex kd5wby, k1mzg