In article
,
Joe Analssandrini wrote:

On Apr 5, 8:04 pm, wrote:
Are they still selling pretty good? What's new with them?
cuhulin

Dear "Cuhulin,"

I'm pretty certain that they are still selling very well indeed. Here
is their web site: http://www.wellbrook.uk.com/ where you can
find out all the latest information about their products. I
understand that there was a delay in filling orders about a year or
two ago due to the fact that Ibiquity, the inventor and licensor of
so-called "HD Radio" (IBOC) ordered quite a large number of Wellbrook
antennas in order to do testing of AM IBOC; Ibiquity found that the
Wellbrook antenna gave the best and most consistent response in
picking up their signals. But I'm pretty certain that, at least in
regard to fulfilling orders, things are back to normal now.

In a location that affords a lot of open space AND is electrically
quiet, say a rural farm area, the best antenna is a long wire of the
random length type or of the Beverage type. (Also a dipole.) If the
plot of space is somewhat more restricted, a "sloper" type, which is,
in fact, a trapped dipole, may do as well. Note that these are all
passive antennas. In the proper location, a passive wire antenna will
generally outperform any other type for reception of radio signals..

The problem, of course, is that nowadays MOST of us do not live in
such an ideal location. We live in congested suburbs or cities; we
may live in a town home or condominium community; we may have a very
small plot of land; we may have homeowners covenant restrictions; we
may have neighbors who have electrical items which cause
interference, and we may even have these things ourselves! Any of
those conditions, and a few more besides, greatly interfere with AM
and, especially, shortwave reception.

In these cases, we must look for solutions to the problem (or else
give up the hobby - not a satisfactory alternative). One of the best
solutions is a loop antenna which will respond more to the magnetic
portion of the radio signal as opposed to the electrical portion of
that signal. And, as practically all owners will attest, the very
best loop antennas are made by Andy Ikin of Wellbrook. His designs,
constantly being improved, are positively amazing in what they do for
shortwave reception. No other antenna can perform as well in the
"usual" adverse conditions most of us find in our living areas.

I can vouch for that - and in a way that may surprise some. During
the summer, when we are listening to shortwave radio, it is always
easy to tell when a thunderstorm approaches; you'll hear the
lightning crashes on your radio - that is you will if you have any
antenna BUT a Wellbrook! I have found that I must be VERY careful in
the summertime when using either of my two Wellbrooks because it has
happened that a thunderstorm was upon me before I had any indication
it was coming. There were NO lightning crashes audible on the radio
until the storm was practically here and I could hear the thunder.

What this means, of course, is that, especially in the summertime,
when atmospheric noise is at its highest, you will be able to listen
to shortwave signals with full enjoyment and freedom from extraneous
noise. Even those who live in "ideal" conditions and have a long wire
antenna may benefit from the Wellbrook's quietness. The Wellbrook
active antenna would certainly NOT be a replacement for a several-
hundred-foot antenna, but it most definitely would be a worthy
supplement to that.

Should "everyone" order a Wellbrook (ALA 330S - my models - or the
ALA 1530 [S or Plus] the MW-enhanced model)? Well, these antennas are
certainly not inexpensive nor are they as easy to install as is a
passive wire. In addition you need a rotator and a few other odds and
ends (including RG-58U cable) obtained locally which adds to the
cost. And, to add insult to injury, the dollar-to-pound ratio is
atrocious at the present time. Obviously one who owns only a portable
shortwave radio (the Grundig Satellit 800, the Eton E1, the Drake
SW-8, and various older Lowe "port-a-tops" excepted) would not buy
such an antenna; it would almost be equivalent to filling the fuel
tank of your Kia Rio with jet engine fuel!

But if you're a dedicated world band listener and you own a good
tabletop shortwave receiver and you happen to live in a less-than-
ideal location AND if you can have the discipline to save up the
required amount of money, you will find NO antenna even COMPARABLE to
any of the Wellbrook range of active antennas.

All the above is, of course, as is everything else that I write,
strictly my own opinion. But I have never seen anything "negative"
written about ANY Wellbrook antenna written by an actual owner who
has actually installed and actually uses one of these antennas.


You can make a passive loop that can approach the results you get with
the active loop. It will have to be larger and the local noise
cancelation will not be quite as good. However, the passive loop is
impossible to overload and does not generate any 2nd or 3rd order image
products. Best of all it is inexpensive to build out of coax cable. A
comparable passive loop would have to be 30 to 50 feet in
circumference, which does not take as much space to erect as a
long/random wire.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California