In article ,
"Michael" wrote:

"Telamon" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"POP_Server=pop.clara.net" wrote:

My personal preference is to use an Icom R75 linked into a Wellbrook
Indoor Loop Antenna.

Having previously used long wires etc, the enjoyment of shortwave was
masked by interference either mains borne, television timebase or
atmospheric.

A few month's ago I purchased a Loop Antenna for the R75 and quite
honestly it has been the best antenna which has been used due to
space restriction's.

The R75 comes to life from lf, mf, hf and the 30 MHz + section can be
quite interesting at times.

Interference is drastically reduced by using the loop and my loop is
connected via a short patch lead to the interface and R75 on the same
table.

The DSP unit is a must and on the amateur bands, especially at
nightfall the loop exceeds all expectation.

Wellbrook have certainly produced a loop which leaves the competition
behind and I must say that my R75 would never, ever be connected to a
longwire again.

Will provide a digital image of my basic setup if anyone is
interested.

People that are limited in space to erect a full size wire antenna or
reside in noisy urban neighborhood can greatly benefit from small loop
antennas that have better rejection of local noise sources. The problem
with them is they require amplification so people not into electronics
or have soldering abilities can't build them.


I keep thinking that an indoor loop would also be nice to have to
supplement my outdoor wire antennas that are both non directional. My
outdoor antennas are good for the most part, but a directional loop would
really come in handy. I bet I'd be able to copy some weak signals as I can
with my outdoor wire antennas, but I'd be able to copy them with far less
noise and potential intermod if I could switch to a directional loop and
isolate the direction once I've found the DX with my outdoor wires. The
Wellbrook loop was one of the antennas that I had in mind, but I'd like it
even better if I could build one myself for less money.

Because you are working with signals that refract through the ionosphere
the loop will not work very as a directional antenna. The energy is at
least somewhat scattered and the sharp null in the antenna can not be
used to great effect though it will still work to some extent. The main
advantages are size and local noise rejection.

You are always better off with more than one type of antenna because
those differing characteristics will cause one to pick up a signal
better than the other. You then use the antenna that works best at the
time.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California