Joe, good to read this!

 

Regarding the loading coil, I would agree with Stefan that a large multiturn air coil is the best option. A laminated iron core would suffer from excessive eddy current losses, and the effect of ferrites is limited by saturation and hysteresis losses.

 

My 1.3 henry coil consumed 2.3 km of 0.4 mm enameled wire, using 7 buckets with 480 turns on each:
df6nm.bplaced.net/VLF/VLF_110304-06/coil_legospacers.jpg.
The advantage is that due to magnetic coupling between layers, you will need less wire for a given inductance. And the inductance is adjustable across a wide range, using spacers. Disadvantages are the high electric field between layers limiting voltage capability, and less effective heat removal from the inner buckets. Stuffing the buckets too tightly into one another is surely not a good idea:
df6nm.bplaced.net/VLF/pictures/arced_coil_140601.jpg

 

An nonresonant earth antenna across high resistivity rock could also radiate moderately well, avoiding coil making and high voltage issues altogether. But to compete with your vertical in terms of radiation resistance, it would need to be really long, on the order of a couple of miles. It will have magnetic loop directional pattern which may be a disadvantage.

 

For a transatlantic detection eg. by Paul Nicholson, a Rubidium or GPS locked signal source would be very beneficial. Using SpecLab with 1pps phase lock to eliminate soundcard output glitches has worked well for DJ8WX, PA1SDB, and myself.

 

Best of luck,
Markus (DF6NM)

Hi Joe, 

 

Fine to hear that you're give it a try. Please, don't ask Industry  

Canada if the 10mW is RF power of ERP! 

 

To get out a real signal on VLF, there is no alternative to a real large  

coil without ferrites! Think about the high voltages... But 100m of  

antenna wire is a good start. I remember 550 mH for my 100m kite  

antenna. For me it was 2000m of 0.4mm diameter wire :-) Nice work is  

that. Takes long but is a funny game :-) 

 

73, GL, Stefan 

 

Am 23.06.2014 21:33, schrieb [email protected]: 

Dear Group, 

I tried again to get an LOA  for VLF.  This time, the response from  

Industry Canada was favourable: 10 mW 8.0-8.3 kHz.  Yesterday, after a  

few slight rf burns, and  thanks to PA0RDT's miniwhip design and  

DL4YHF's Spectrum Lab and advice, VLF sigs on 8.277 kHz were heard at  

200m from the 100m wire aerial. This was a reception outside my back  

yard!  10 watts from an 1970's keyboard amp (volume control set on 3)  

were stepped up with an xfmr to a lossy 500 ohm tuning coil peaked  

with a ferrite rod for maximum squeal at L=0.35 H. 

Is it possible for someone who is not especially enthralled by winding 

a mile of 0.7mm wire to use an iron core to make a VLF tuning coil? 

73 

Joe VO1NA