Yeah, I kind of get the impression that this guy is over-worked, but I think
he's really created a niche. I'm going to order the 1530 probably tomorrow
or Friday. I'm interested in mw as well as sw dx, but mostly below 25
meters, and I don't really do much listening until late after-noon, so I
suppose the 1530 should suit me fine. There are three mw stations in my
town, but they're all 1kw, so hopefully ghosting will not be much of an
issue. My receiver is an Icom R75; not really sure of its if rejection
capabilities though. I'm mostly hoping that the antenna will reject a
majority of the noise that I have here from powerlines mostly, but also
routers, monitors, thermostat, etc. Well, I'll post comments when it
arrives. Wish me luck. 73
-Brian
Poor Andy - he's created a "monster!" He knew he had the best range of
shortwave antennas ever created, but I don't think he ever intended for
his business to grow so large. He hardly has time to sleep! (I haven't
helped the poor guy get any rest; Il tell anyone and everyone I can
about the fantastic merits of his antennae.)
His antennas are indeed hand-made to order and ARE WORTH EVERY PENNY
you pay for them, exchange-rate notwithstanding.
There is just nothing else like them currently on the market.
The difference between the ALA 1530 and the ALA 330S (if you are
unaware) is that the '1530 is more "broad-band;" in other words, it is
sensitive well into the LW frequencies. The '330S is not. HOWEVER, the
'330S is somewhat MORE sensitive on the higher frequencies (above, say,
12 MHz) and this is important if you do much daytime SW DXing.
Depending on quality of your radio's IF rejection, you could have some
MW "ghosting" into the shortwave frequencies, especially the tropical
bands, but even the 49-meter band, with the '1530. This does not occur
with the '330S.
It all depends on your listening habits and the quality of your radio.
For MW and/or LW DXers, the '1530 is best. For SW (mainly or only)
DXers, the '330S is the way to go.
Consider mounting the antenna (especially the '1530) on a rotator. Both
antennas are directional at lower (49-meters and below) frequencies and
a rotator allows you to take full advantage of this characteristic.
I have my '330S mounted on an inexpensive Radio Shack rotator in my
attic. Its performance there is unparalleled by any antenna I have used
previously in well-over forty years of SW listening.
Best of Luck,
Joe
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