DE31 Active Loop Antenna mini review. If you're one of the MANY Chinese made radio haters skip this!
 

Ok, here's my 15 minute mini review.
First off:
It's 5:00 P.M. here where I live less than a mile from a 50kw
blowtorch.
Even though 1170 is EVERYWHERE at this time, I can null it out by
rotating the loop (provided there is a signal) With no OTHER
signal, I can NOT null out the blowtorch completely.

The AN-LP1 is noticeably better (stronger/quieter
signal) The tuning knob is fairly touchy and has no markings of any
kind but it's not that hard to tune it by ear.
It (DE31) is definately better than the 1103 is off the whip.
The 1103 on the wind-up reel antenna is close in performance to the
DE31 but doesn't have the ability to null out the flames from down
the street.
So, given my excitement and hope for what this loop could have been,
am I disappointed in it's performance?
Not at all. Was it everything I hoped it would be?
Not at all.
Is it worth $16+shipping?
Most definately.
I live in Silicon Valley, one of the noisiest areas around. Not many signals
make it through to me.
This is also the worst time of day for me to try this. I will try
again later tonight when the noise dies and the signals start
creeping in.

It works much better on the Sat800 than it does on the 1103,
I believe mostly due to the fact that the 800 is a much better radio!
The 800 is not as "noisy" as the 1103, to begin with. I get a
slightly lower but steadier s-meter reading with the 31 vs. my 65ft
random wire. The 31 is noticeably quieter than the wire. I tried it on
the high and low impedance connectors with little difference. Seems to
be slightly better in the 50ohm connector but I just pushed a screw
into the center conductor and clamped to it with the supplied clip.

Don't think I mention this but other than the fact that it doesn't
work as well as the $100 Sony, the cords are LONGER which I like.
I can't handle the fact that the LP1 box is only about 6 inches from
the radio. Too clumsy. The cord on the 31 is about 18" long, almost 3
feet with the clip adaptor plugged in. The cord going to the loop is
about 3 feet longer than the Sony, also.

Where the Sony has set switch positions for different Mhz, the 31 is
infinately adjustable making for more precise tuning. I think I
mentioned that it is VERY touchy, though. And the whole mess fits
easily into the cloth bag that came with the 1103.

Jim Hackett wrote:
Ok, here's my 15 minute mini review.
First off:
It's 5:00 P.M. here where I live less than a mile from a 50kw
blowtorch.
Even though 1170 is EVERYWHERE at this time, I can null it out by
rotating the loop (provided there is a signal) With no OTHER
signal, I can NOT null out the blowtorch completely.

The AN-LP1 is noticeably better (stronger/quieter
signal) The tuning knob is fairly touchy and has no markings of any
kind but it's not that hard to tune it by ear.
It (DE31) is definately better than the 1103 is off the whip.
The 1103 on the wind-up reel antenna is close in performance to the
DE31 but doesn't have the ability to null out the flames from down
the street.
So, given my excitement and hope for what this loop could have been,
am I disappointed in it's performance?
Not at all. Was it everything I hoped it would be?
Not at all.
Is it worth $16+shipping?
Most definately.
I live in Silicon Valley, one of the noisiest areas around. Not many signals
make it through to me.
This is also the worst time of day for me to try this. I will try
again later tonight when the noise dies and the signals start
creeping in.

It works much better on the Sat800 than it does on the 1103,
I believe mostly due to the fact that the 800 is a much better radio!
The 800 is not as "noisy" as the 1103, to begin with. I get a
slightly lower but steadier s-meter reading with the 31 vs. my 65ft
random wire. The 31 is noticeably quieter than the wire. I tried it on
the high and low impedance connectors with little difference. Seems to
be slightly better in the 50ohm connector but I just pushed a screw
into the center conductor and clamped to it with the supplied clip.

Don't think I mention this but other than the fact that it doesn't
work as well as the $100 Sony, the cords are LONGER which I like.
I can't handle the fact that the LP1 box is only about 6 inches from
the radio. Too clumsy. The cord on the 31 is about 18" long, almost 3
feet with the clip adaptor plugged in. The cord going to the loop is
about 3 feet longer than the Sony, also.

Where the Sony has set switch positions for different Mhz, the 31 is
infinately adjustable making for more precise tuning. I think I
mentioned that it is VERY touchy, though. And the whole mess fits
easily into the cloth bag that came with the 1103.




You might think about adding something like a 6:1 or 10:1 Jackson Ball
Drive to the tuning knob to make it easier to tweak.

Jim,

Still anxoiusly awaiting my "31". Thanks for the review.

Can you tell me where you hanged the 31? I know all the how-to's say
to do it from a window but I was imagining that one could do it from
just about anywhere?

Adam

I hung mine outside on the front porch...



"chevyorange" wrote in message
ups.com...
Jim,

Still anxoiusly awaiting my "31". Thanks for the review.

Can you tell me where you hanged the 31? I know all the how-to's say
to do it from a window but I was imagining that one could do it from
just about anywhere?

Adam

I wonder if the Chinese DE31 is a slightly simplified version of Sony's
tunable loop antenna described in Sony's U.S. patent (6,054,965). Does
anyone have a schematic of the DE31?

The only source for a DE31 appears to be direct from mainland China at a
total cost of about $30. Are there any other sources?

Mac N8TT

--
J. Mc Laughlin; Michigan U.S.A.
Home:

Finally got my "31". Think it is a great addition to my Degen 1102. I
noticed something interesting, though, when plugging it into the 1102,
without even turning on the amp I get a huge signal increse if I leave
the jack one notch from being fully plugged in.

I've tried it on all bands and it has the same results.

Anyone else notice this? I'm wondering if it is only an 1102 thing.

i have several sangean sw radios that exhibit the same signal increase
thing when the antenna is barely plugged in. even if the signal is
louder it seems that the signal to noise ratio remains the same. its
the same as just turning up the volume. the signal is louder but the
background noise level is also increased. after lots of fiddling and
testing i have figured out that there is no benefit at all.

Jim, thanks for the review.

Considering the suction cup "installation" system, is there a real way
to rotate the antenna to use the antenna's directionality to get good
nulls?

I have one of Ed's (Edek) Torus Tuner loop antenna's, which I find can
do wonders! The only problem with it, is that it's not too portable!
So, I'm looking for something to use with my SW100 on the road.

When I mentioned to Ed that my SW100 has power output via the antenna
jack (to power the antenna which comes with the SW100s), he changed his
loop design, so that the DC was blocked. I wonder what the situation
is with the Degen model???

As an aside, does anyone know of Ed's situation?

Thanks