I have started a business manufacturing state-of-the-art antennas for radio amateurs with interests in backpacking as well as amateurs who face the challenges of putting out a signal from small city lots.

The kits are lightweight, small, and easily assembled in less than 10 minutes with no tools. American and Canadian patent applications are underway for this design.

For a look at some of the details regarding my line of antennas, a web site has been set up: <http://home.cogeco.ca/~zantenna>

PVC is used for the antennae's struts.

The loops, as infinitesimal radiators, have a gain of +1.73 dBi in the plane of the loop. The efficiency is limited by the efficiency of the toroidal matching transformer. I wind these as transmission line transformers and obtain virtually 100 percent efficiency. Before the transmission line design, I was using separate primary & secondaries and obtained 71% efficiency.

I have been an amateur radio operator and backpacker since 1965. Most of my career I have worked in academia and industry – Cornell University Arecibo Observatory, NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center, Los Alamos National Laboratory.

After a stint with Raytheon – where I worked on Kwajalein Atoll as a radar engineer and operated as V73BZ – I formed Z Antenna Systems.

I very much like to operate PSK. Recently, using a 15 meter PL-15 loop antenna, I had a long enjoyable QSO – in Spanish – with Camilio, HP1AC, in Panama City using 15 watts. Of course no one believes me when I describe my antenna!
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Bob Zimmerman, VE3/NP4B, is a professional engineer who heads Z Antenna Systems, based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He can be reached by the postal service at 54 Radford Street, Hamilton, ON L8S 3E6 Canada. Via e-mail: np4b@arrl.net