Having been unable to arrange a day out at the field in June, and with the chance of some decent weather, it was decided to dedicate July's "activity day" to erecting and testing the club's Superloop antenna in preparation for the IOTA contest at the end of the month.
Thanks to Martin's line-launching prowess and some handy tall trees at the site, two supports around 60 feet high were obtained. Most importantly, we were allowed to leave the ropes in place until the IOTA contest. The "Superloop" antenna design attracts conflicting reports and analyses on the internet, but it seemed to work well for us. Of course we didn't go to the trouble of comparing it with a reference dipole!
The weather was kind, so it was pleasant operating under the shade of the gazebo, and nice to know that a tent was available for the 24-hour IOTA contest. The antenna appeared to work well and tuned easily on all bands using the internal tuner of the TS-2000. Contacts were obtained around Europe on 40m and Svalbard was a highlight on 17m. Contacts were also made to South America.
All told, it was a good day - here's hoping the weather lasts until the IOTA contest!