conductive paint

[Wirechief]

Ok Reg that is really interesting and are you using this config. to a great extent at present ? I am curious if you were to lower the receiver coils say a 1/4 of an inch leaving the plane of the transmit coil what kind of change would take place and would it be an advantage at all ? I'm sure this would create drastic changes or if it would even work. I'm sure that it would have to remain a coplanar design to function properly. Don't you work with strictly PI instruments Reg ? Ok I will turn it back to you and CU later.

John Tomlinson, CET

[Radioactive]

Hi Reg,

Well it tended to clump up the first batch. I just mixed it in the epoxy before
I added the hardner. I added a little at a time, kept mixing, and mixing.

Now the neat part, I added it to a PVC coil I made, INSIDE! I filled it to the
top and let it hardened. This then after I wound the coil over the PVC, This
then became an Iron core transformer. The permability was different
everytime, so you had to play with it. The nice thing was I used this as an
underwater detector coil. It is heavy out of the water, but very managable
under the water. No need to worry about it rusting (NO AIR - sealed in epoxy)
so it works great. I'm an RF engineer, so I also experimented with making
a Lofer Coil 192 kHz transceiver antenna with the Oxide and PVC coil. It
works well and is small enough to manage. "Remember an Iron core reduces
the length of the antenna or coil. It did take a lot of tweeking.
I also needed to use an external antenna tuner I made to bring down
the SWR.

I purchaced the Oxide at a local pottery supply house. They use it as a
glaze to pottery and sell in small amounts. I would get the Black and ask
for micro ground type. This is the size of talkum power, and you need to
ware gloves, or if you touch it it will imbed into you skin!! I then use a
magnet to make sure that I remove any impurties. I pull the FeO out then
shake it a little, then remove the magnet (I use an electro-magnet). Hope
that helps you.

[Wirechief]

Hi Radioactive, What mode are you using on 192Khz ? Ok thank you for the great info and CU later also God Bless.

John Tomlinson, CET, KA5QYR

[Radioactive]

VERY VERY SLOW CW!

Because it's bandwidth is so wide, you have to use slow CW

Here is a link to info about it.

Now I was getting ready for the opening of the new band for amateur radio operators, but it fell through. So the only other one is Part 15 no license one.
Among the various sections and subsections within Part 15 are a number of interesting provisions. One permits the use of up to 1 watt of power and a 15 meter long antenna between 160 - 190 kilohertz, in the longwave bands, with no license requirement. Another permits similar operation from 510 - 1705 kHz, in the mediumwave band, with 1/10 of a watt and a 3-meter antenna. Yet another allows operation in a 14kHz-wide band centered at 13.56MHz, with a maximum field strength limit that works out to about 1.8mW into a quarter-wave vertical over a groundplane.

Experimenters operating under these sections of the rules have taken to calling themselves LowFERs, MedFERs, and/or HiFERs, depending which band(s) they utilize.

It's very hard to operate, and a lot of noise. Some have used a copper pipe antenna, but then pump Liquid Nitrogen into it to reduce the noise. We have had a lot of fun with it.

[Wirechief]

Hi Radioactive ! That's what I thought you were using and I believe everyone is using a computer to do this with. It sounds like fun and plenty of room to experiment. I use CW on the regular Ham bands and collect keys. I have several Lowfer websites saved. I will try it someday. Is Curry Communications still around ? Been a Ham Op. for 23 years now. Wow liquid nitrogen, that is literally cool haha ! I can't imagine the noise level down that low, I know that in the Summer 160 meters is very, very noisy ! Ok Ra I will CU later and have fun Lowfer. Oh yes what detector do you swing ? God Bless.

John Tomlinson, CET
John's Detectors
KA5QYR

[Radioactive]

Yes John,
I've been a ham for 36 years, but the fun has gone out of the hobby for me.

The Navy has been using Liquid Nitrogen to cool antennas on submarines
because they listen (never transmit) VLF/LF and operates in a frequency
range from 14 to 60 kHz and consists of five high powered, multi-channel
MSK Fixed VLF frequencies. So why not try it for yourself.

I made a 160 loop out of copper pipe from a QST article, and the cooled it
with Liquid Nitrogen. It was used for receiving only, and I transmitted on a
standard dipole. I heard stations others could not. The nice thing with a loop
is you can rotate it to null out the noise. 73

[Wirechief]

Hi Radioactive, thanks for the info and I still love Ham radio but I have taken up another passion, metal detecting. That is really neat using liquid nitrogen to reduce noise. I will have to try it someday. Ok I will say 73 and enjoyed the chats, God Bless.

John Tomlinson, CET

[Radioactive]

Yes wirechief;
This is the article that gave me the idea.
http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2001/04/01/
They (the local medical gas supplier) now will no longer sells Liquid Nitrogen the old way (the glass thermos bottle).
You now need to obtain a dewers tank to receive it.
But I found a way out. I found a local company that delivers to a doctors office every thursday at around noon time.
I wait around with my three thermos's and when he is finished filling the
large tank, he fills mine. I give him $5 and he's happy.
Yes, thats a lot more than what it sells for about $1.50 to $2.50 per liter, my
three thermos's together is about 2 liters or the amount in a 2 liter soda.
Now you need to use it, it will dissipate into thin air! I've kept them about
two weeks in the freezer in the thermos. Good luck in your Low Freq. Exp.
73