I am looking to buy a good active antenna..
i have looked at a few Antennas on the net.
but you can look all you like there is nothing better than advice of current
users.. the main two antennas i have been looking at are.
dressler Active antennas and also wellbrook Active antennas
the wellbrook is an active loop antenna for HF use.
the dressler is a short active vertical...
what is the better antenna users comments only please.
if i buy the wellbrook active loop would i need to mount this on a rotor.
or can anybody recommend a better Active antenna to buy.
i have about £250.00 to spend on the antennas and any cabling and connectors
i may need to buy.....
i am living very close to Heathrow airport in the uk .
i am using an AR5000 receiver ....
any advice would be more than welcome...
Thanks: john

Hi John,
If you are handy with a soldering iron and hacksaw you might look into this:
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/0109031.pdf
It cost about $75US for the parts and will outperform just about
anything on the market. I built one and it was easy to assemble and
works very well compared to a 100ft long wire. I am feeding a Harris
RF-590A.
Mike

big boy now wrote:
I am looking to buy a good active antenna..
i have looked at a few Antennas on the net.
but you can look all you like there is nothing better than advice of current
users.. the main two antennas i have been looking at are.
dressler Active antennas and also wellbrook Active antennas
the wellbrook is an active loop antenna for HF use.
the dressler is a short active vertical...
what is the better antenna users comments only please.
if i buy the wellbrook active loop would i need to mount this on a rotor.
or can anybody recommend a better Active antenna to buy.
i have about £250.00 to spend on the antennas and any cabling and connectors
i may need to buy.....
i am living very close to Heathrow airport in the uk .
i am using an AR5000 receiver ....
any advice would be more than welcome...
Thanks: john

Mike wrote:

Hi John,
If you are handy with a soldering iron and hacksaw you might look into this:
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/0109031.pdf
It cost about $75US for the parts and will outperform just about
anything on the market. I built one and it was easy to assemble and
works very well compared to a 100ft long wire. I am feeding a Harris
RF-590A.
Mike


An alternative to the Amrad antenna is you can connect a high quality rf preamplifier to a whip.

That's what I do for the antenna on my 7030+ "portable".

The one I chose is an avantek 30db preamp that I picked up at the flea at MIT for $5 or $10. (I expect a new one with similar specs would sell for a few hundred) The whip is connected to the input of the amplifier with a 9:1 impedance matching
transformer.

I often dial in some attenuation when I'm listening below about 5mhz. Other makes for milspec RF preamps include Aiken/Norlin/ACL/Applied Communications (same company, different names) and Watkins Johnson. I'm sure there are others too - I'm just not
familiar with them.

I'm not knocking the Amrad - if I had the time to build one, I probably would.

As for the Dressler, and the Wellbrook, I think between the two, I'd go for the Wellbrook. IIRC, the Wellbrook has more dynamic range. Loops are less likely to pick up RFI. I've also noticed numerous favorable comments about it, and relatively few
comments (positive or negative) about the Dressler.

big boy now wrote:
I am looking to buy a good active antenna..
i have looked at a few Antennas on the net.
but you can look all you like there is nothing better than advice of current
users.. the main two antennas i have been looking at are.
dressler Active antennas and also wellbrook Active antennas
the wellbrook is an active loop antenna for HF use.
the dressler is a short active vertical...
what is the better antenna users comments only please.
if i buy the wellbrook active loop would i need to mount this on a rotor.
or can anybody recommend a better Active antenna to buy.
i have about £250.00 to spend on the antennas and any cabling and connectors
i may need to buy.....
i am living very close to Heathrow airport in the uk .
i am using an AR5000 receiver ....
any advice would be more than welcome...
Thanks: john

"Mark S. Holden" wrote in message
...

An alternative to the Amrad antenna is you can
connect a high quality rf preamplifier to a whip.

That's what I do for the antenna on my 7030+
"portable".

That's right up there with those that call the old
Hammarlunds and Hallicrafters boatanchors
portables because they had a handle. ;-)

The one I chose is an avantek 30db preamp that I
picked up at the flea at MIT for $5 or $10. (I expect
a new one with similar specs would sell for a few
hundred) The whip is connected to the input of the
amplifier with a 9:1 impedance matching transformer.

I often dial in some attenuation when I'm listening
below about 5mhz. Other makes for milspec RF
preamps include Aiken/Norlin/ACL/Applied
Communications (same company, different names)
and Watkins Johnson. I'm sure there are others
too - I'm just not familiar with them.

Okay, that brings up the question of the MFJ-1020
used as a preamp. Admittedly, you can't beat
and Avantek for $5-10, but is the MFJ-1020 worth
the price, or can you find schematics for decent
preamps lying around??

I'm not knocking the Amrad - if I had the time to
build one, I probably would.

As for the Dressler, and the Wellbrook, I think
between the two, I'd go for the Wellbrook. IIRC,
the Wellbrook has more dynamic range. Loops are
less likely to pick up RFI. I've also noticed numerous
favorable comments about it, and relatively few
comments (positive or negative) about the Dressler.

Actually, I've read a bit about the Wellbrook from replies
on lists and on the occasional webpage on it, but what
puzzles me is the spread that the Wellbrook claims that
the loop is good for. After all, it's not a tunable loop and
it looks like an aluminum hoop (about 1m diameter) with
a preamp and matching transformer attached. The best
I saw on a homebrewed magnetic loop after an hour
or so of perusing the web was about 5-17 MHz for
usability.

I figure that it looks simple enough of a design that
someone could build one at home (or at least emulate
one) easily enough, but some of the claims don't seem
to mesh with that people who have built these type
of loops have discovered.

--Mike L.

I have been getting superb performance from my RF Systems DX 1 Pro active
antenna for some years now. It is made in Holland and is used by many
embassies and government services. My reception on LW, MW and Tropical Bands
is outstanding and the antenna is very quiet compared with my longwire
antenna's which I have now dismantled.

Get a copy of Passport 2005 where you will find very good reviews of all the
available active antenna's. They favour the Wellbrook antenna's.
See http://www.passband.com/ if you want to order one

Don't believe what they say about the DX 1 being noisy, as it's not.
Visiting DXer's to my urban town shack always remark on how quiet it is.
--
John Plimmer, Montagu, Western Cape Province, South Africa
South 33 d 47 m 32 s, East 20 d 07 m 32 s.
RX Drake R8B, SW8 & ERGO software
Sony 7600D GE SRIII
BW XCR 30, Braun T1000, Sangean 818 & 803A.
Hallicrafters SX-100, Eddystone 940
GE circa 50's radiogram
Antenna's RF Systems DX 1 Pro, Datong AD-270
Kiwa MW Loop

"big boy now" wrote in message
.. .
I am looking to buy a good active antenna..
i have looked at a few Antennas on the net.
but you can look all you like there is nothing better than advice of
current
users.. the main two antennas i have been looking at are.
dressler Active antennas and also wellbrook Active antennas
the wellbrook is an active loop antenna for HF use.
the dressler is a short active vertical...
what is the better antenna users comments only please.
if i buy the wellbrook active loop would i need to mount this on a rotor.
or can anybody recommend a better Active antenna to buy.
i have about £250.00 to spend on the antennas and any cabling and
connectors
i may need to buy.....
i am living very close to Heathrow airport in the uk .
i am using an AR5000 receiver ....
any advice would be more than welcome...
Thanks: john

Hello John
i looked at the DX-1 PRO RF System as they are advertised
hear in the uk in short wave magazine sold by Haydon communications at a
cost of £359.95....
i tried looking this antenna up on the net for the spec but could not find
any information on the antenna...
would have a website address for the company who makes the DX-1.
i would need to research the antenna before i buy due to the high cost.
as i am living right next to Heathrow air port....
and as you can imagine there are lots of strong signals from the air port.
some days i can not even use some of the HF bands do to interference ...so i
would need to know what would be best for me to use i don't mind spending
good money on an antenna but only if it improves my reception would not want
to spend all that money and not see a big difference.......could you post
the spec of the antenna hear what is the size of the antenna when fully
assembled....
i don't have any problems putting an antenna up out doors.

thanks: John


"John Plimmer" wrote in message
...
I have been getting superb performance from my RF Systems DX 1 Pro active
antenna for some years now. It is made in Holland and is used by many
embassies and government services. My reception on LW, MW and Tropical
Bands
is outstanding and the antenna is very quiet compared with my longwire
antenna's which I have now dismantled.

Get a copy of Passport 2005 where you will find very good reviews of all
the
available active antenna's. They favour the Wellbrook antenna's.
See http://www.passband.com/ if you want to order one

Don't believe what they say about the DX 1 being noisy, as it's not.
Visiting DXer's to my urban town shack always remark on how quiet it is.
--
John Plimmer, Montagu, Western Cape Province, South Africa
South 33 d 47 m 32 s, East 20 d 07 m 32 s.
RX Drake R8B, SW8 & ERGO software
Sony 7600D GE SRIII
BW XCR 30, Braun T1000, Sangean 818 & 803A.
Hallicrafters SX-100, Eddystone 940
GE circa 50's radiogram
Antenna's RF Systems DX 1 Pro, Datong AD-270
Kiwa MW Loop

"big boy now" wrote in message
.. .
I am looking to buy a good active antenna..
i have looked at a few Antennas on the net.
but you can look all you like there is nothing better than advice of
current
users.. the main two antennas i have been looking at are.
dressler Active antennas and also wellbrook Active antennas
the wellbrook is an active loop antenna for HF use.
the dressler is a short active vertical...
what is the better antenna users comments only please.
if i buy the wellbrook active loop would i need to mount this on a rotor.
or can anybody recommend a better Active antenna to buy.
i have about £250.00 to spend on the antennas and any cabling and
connectors
i may need to buy.....
i am living very close to Heathrow airport in the uk .
i am using an AR5000 receiver ....
any advice would be more than welcome...
Thanks: john

Hello John,

I have no experience with the Dressler antennas, but I own a Wellbrook
ALA 330S Active Loop Antenna. This is the best overall antenna I have
ever used. (At one time, when I lived in a ranch-style home, I was
able to run a 100-foot wire mounted at the very top of the attic; my
Wellbrook, also attic-mounted in my small townhouse, performs better,
overall, especially in the summer. It really attenuates atmospheric
and local electrical noise, which is present in abundance at my
location.)

It probably is not really necessary to mount the antenna on a rotator.
I mounted mine on a Radio Shack $100 model, but I have found that I
rarely use it. I mostly listen to SW 49 meters and down. (I do find it
useful to rotate the antenna when listening to the 60 and 75 meter
tropical bands.) You can always manually rotate the antenna if you put
it in your attic. Note: PASSPORT says the Wellbrook works best if
mounted outdoors, but this is not an option for me. They also say that
attic-mounting is a very tempting alternative. They are quite correct
in that assessment. My antenna works extremely well. S/N is far better
than any other antenna I have tried at my current location (I must use
an indoor antenna as our very active homeowners' association forbids
outdoor antennas except for small satellite dishes, and even they must
be approved on a case-by-case basis).

You do need to supply your own coaxial cable, but this is not a major
consideration.

I read on some postings here that some people can't believe the
Wellbrook is wide-ranging in frequency coverage as claimed (3 - 30
MHz). Take it from me - it is! Even on MW (on which I do very little
DXing), it is quite good.

My receiver is an AOR AR7030 Plus. I also sometimes use a Grundig
Satellit 800 with this antenna.

Obviously, I am very pleased with the antenna. I bought mine from THE
SHORTWAVE SHOP in the UK. In my opinion, they are a first-class
operation. You can telephone (or e-mail) them with any questions or
concerns about the Wellbrook antennas.

I hope this is of some help to you.

Best,

Joe

"big boy now" wrote in message ...
I am looking to buy a good active antenna..
i have looked at a few Antennas on the net.
but you can look all you like there is nothing better than advice of current
users.. the main two antennas i have been looking at are.
dressler Active antennas and also wellbrook Active antennas
the wellbrook is an active loop antenna for HF use.
the dressler is a short active vertical...
what is the better antenna users comments only please.
if i buy the wellbrook active loop would i need to mount this on a rotor.
or can anybody recommend a better Active antenna to buy.
i have about £250.00 to spend on the antennas and any cabling and connectors
i may need to buy.....
i am living very close to Heathrow airport in the uk .
i am using an AR5000 receiver ....
any advice would be more than welcome...
Thanks: john

good reply as usual. i am also looking at wellbrook's.
could you tell me why you picked the 330S over the
1530? and, thanks again for helping in my decision on the
7030+. great radio. seems every time i turn it on i learn
something new about it. i have an on going battle here
between the Drake R8B and the AR7030+. i'm still looking
for that extra filter between the 2.2 and 4.0mhz included
standard filters. any info on what brand to look at?
thanks joe...
drifter...

Hello Drifter,

Thanks for the nice comment. After contacting Wellbrook and THE
SHORTWAVE SHOP I decided to buy the '330S over the '1530 because the
'330S is superior on the shortwave bands to which I listen most. I do
not often DX on MW (frankly, due to the generally poor quality, in my
opinion, of the programming available). I'm told by those sources
mentioned that the '1530 has an extended range (down to the LW band)
but is somewhat (slightly) less effective on the SW bands. Of course,
if you do listen to MW extensively, and if you can mount an active
loop antenna outdoors (or higher than I am able), the better
positioning might make the '1530 superior overall to my attic-mounted
'330S.

It's somewhat a matter of "luck," though I think that I'd still rather
have the better SW performance of the '330S. One could always buy
another dedicated MW antenna. (I use a C.Crane Justice AM antenna,
sometimes in conjunction with a Select-A-Tenna with my Grundig
Satellit 800. I keep meaning to use it on the AOR but, except for one
quick trial, I haven't really experimented with it.)

I have a crystal 2.2 kHz filter which I had installed at the factory
when I ordered my '7030 Plus. My 4.0 filter actually measures 3.5 kHz.
The 6.0 filter measures 5.1 kHz on my receiver and this is the filter
I use most for program listening when using the Sync circuit. When
reception is "tough," I use ECSS tuning with the crystal filter (which
makes the signal sound just about the same as straight AM, though with
little interference!). That crystal filter is really terrific. From
the above, you can see that, at least with my particular receiver, I
have no need for a filter "in between" 2.2 and 4 kHz. (I also had the
7.0 kHz filter installed - it measures 6.5 kHz on my receiver - and I
also have the 10.0 -measures 9.5 kHz - for narrow band FM.) However,
your requirements may be different. Have you called Richard Hillier at
AOR UK? I understand that KIWA also installs filters. I have had no
experience personally with them, but I understand that they are a good
organization. You might wish to call them, though I would still
recommend calling AOR UK first. I have been extremely pleased with the
service/advice/help I have received from both Richard Hillier at AOR
UK and also the personnel at THE SHORTWAVE SHOP.

Hope that helps. The AR7030 Plus is one fantastic receiver, isn't it?
One of my friends, upon seeing it (and being extremely impressed with
the quality of construction/components both outside and inside - I
opened it up for him) and hearing it called it positively the
"Rolls-Royce" of radios. I agree with him.

In conjunction with the Wellbrook ALA 330S it offers the finest SW
listening I have ever experienced.

Best,

Joe

Drifter wrote in message ...
good reply as usual. i am also looking at wellbrook's.
could you tell me why you picked the 330S over the
1530? and, thanks again for helping in my decision on the
7030+. great radio. seems every time i turn it on i learn
something new about it. i have an on going battle here
between the Drake R8B and the AR7030+. i'm still looking
for that extra filter between the 2.2 and 4.0mhz included
standard filters. any info on what brand to look at?
thanks joe...
drifter...

thanks for the info Joe. best radio i ever laid my hands on.
i my ask about that 7.0/6.5 filter. have been in email with
Richard. he is trying to locate a XTAL filter in japan for me.
i may do the install myself. i'll have to take a look inside
first. shortwave shop installed the daut. board prior to
shipment. i will look closer at the 330S. i'm also more on
the SW bands. by the way, which size torque fits the screws
in the case? i read it's easy to strip them out...
thanks Joe...
Drifter...