It seems to me that to keep the input referred noise as small as
possible, you would want gain.

Dale Parfitt wrote:

The active device is not a preamp. It is an impedance converter.

I thought that was clear from my post when I said Hi Z in.
And that is EXACTLY what is required in an "active antenna"
Although I do not own that particular Lowe board, my Lowe HF-150 "whip
preamp" has gain in addition to Z conversion, so I fail to see where the
term preamp does not apply.
Dale W4OP