Hello Ron, Peter, Ginger, Michael and All,

Welcome to our Ultralightdx Yahoo group, Ron, and we are very happy to
have another Oklahoma ULR-DXer in our growing community! Oklahoma has
always been a "hot spot" for Ultralight DXing, primarily because of the
influence of our late co-Founder, Dr. John Bryant (ex-Professor of
Architecture at Oklahoma State University, in Stillwater). John would
typically spend the winter and spring months DXing in Oklahoma, then
move to his second home here in Washington state (on Orcas Island) to
enjoy summer and fall TP-DXing with the local gang. Because of his
influence, both Oklahoma and Washington state are hot spots for
Ultralight radio DXing.

Peter, there are a couple of reasons why FSL's (Ferrite Sleeve Loop
antennas) are not likely to be sold commercially any time soon, even
though they are highly effective for portable radio DXing. The main
problem is the cost of the ferrite rods, which makes the antenna's cost
quite a bit higher than many DXers are willing to pay. The use of
surplus Russian ferrite rods can keep the cost down to about $150 for
an effective 7" diameter version, but even that price level is
excessive for many DXers in the current troubled economy. The supply of
these Russian surplus ferrite rods is also uncertain; they must be
ordered from overseas eBay sellers in the Ukraine, who are unlikely to
tell us exactly how much stock they have, and are always out to get as
many rubles as possible. There is a stable supply of American-made
ferrite rods available, but at about three times the cost of these
Russian surplus rods. For these reasons FSL antennas are unlikely to be
sold commercially anytime soon, even though the current DXer demand for
them is very high.

73, Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA)