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Reviews For: W6LVP Magnetic Receive Loop

Category: Antennas: VLF/LF/HF Receive only

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Review Summary For : W6LVP Magnetic Receive Loop
Reviews: 82MSRP: 345 USD + shipping
Description:
Magnetic receive-only loop. With low-noise amplifier and transmit/receive switch and power inserter box for the LNA that allows radios such as the IC7300 with no separate receive input to easily use both a separate receive antenna and a transmit antenna. Also available with just LNA and power inserter for radios with a separate receive antenna input.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.w6lvp.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
15824.9
N5YPJ Rating: 2023-09-18
Works great as claimed Time Owned: more than 12 months.
After a severe RFI issue basically put an end to my HF operating I purchased two of these loops and a DX Engineering NCC-2 phaser. Each loop was mounted on a mast with a RCA TV antenna rotor spaced about 40 ft apart over our metal roof. Rotating the loops alone often lowers the noise level from S-9+ to S-3 S-5. Then rthe NCC-2 comes into play and adjusting the phase usually brings the noise down to S-1 from the mentioned S-9+, it is the difference in being able to copy a signal or not hearing it at all due to the noise level.

UPDATE: Needed to move one of the loops and the relocation put the loops 20 ft apart. It has made a big difference in performance on 40 thru 10 meters though some performance may have been lost on 80. I'm not that fond of 80 meters but do prefer the upper bands. The set up had seemed to be some what less effective on the higher HF bands compare to 40 - 20. Now it is overall much better. What a difference changing the spacing made.

The set up was not cheap but it saved my hobby. Would I buy it again? Yes in a heart beat.

Update 04/2021: Worked 80, 40 & 30 FT8 throughout the winter season using these loops daily as RFI at my QTH is as high as S-9/+20 working JAs, VKs, ZLs & YBs. I was pleasantly surprised to copy and work XV1X & HS5XWY. Added 40 new countries on 80, 30 on 40 mtrs and Around 50 on 30 mtrs. I am impressed, wish I had learned about this type of receive system a little sooner.

Update 09/2023: Both loops working like the day I put them up despite being permanently mounted outside in a record SW Texas summer, new daily maximum record of 115F! When I bought the loops my concern was our hot summers destroying the amps in short order but not so. There are times on 80 & 40 meters when the loops make the difference in a DX QSO or not.
K4JK Rating: 2023-01-27
Product and Service are Great Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had one of Larry's loops in service for many years, it has always performed great, and is the best value out there as far as magnetic receive loops.

After 5 or so years my preamp finally died (almost certainly due to nearby lightning) and Larry quickly replaced it at his cost. Hard to beat that.

Thank you Larry for your continued service to the Amateur community.
K7IM Rating: 2022-12-21
Great item for finding noise sources Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have been using this loop antenna since May 2022 and I find myself using it quite often. I use it for a variety of purposes but finding noise sources is usually my primary use. The null is very sharp and easy to use. Larry has GREAT customer service and I have learned a lot from him. He is very easy to contact and almost always responds very quickly. He goes above and beyond to make sure his customers will be happy with their purchase. He has shared a number of tidbits of information with me that I have found very useful. AND his product works very well at a reasonable cost. Five stars from me! Thanks Larry.
KB0BQQ Rating: 2022-11-07
Excellent receive antenna! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I’ve been an amateur radio operator since the late 80s and I also design antennas for a living (almost 25 years now). I am amazed at the signals I can pull in with this antenna and it is installed only 4-feet off the ground. The sensitivity provided by the very good LNA design allows me to pull in signals that I cannot hear on my main dipole in many cases. I live in a dense suburban neighborhood on a small lot with an HOA (my dipole is hidden under the eaves of my roof) and the loop allows me to null out the main source of noise in the neighborhood. I sometimes use the antenna as the second antenna in a noise cancelling system or for use with the several SDRs I own.

The construction is excellent and has withstood the weather superbly for two years now - I live in Colorado and the weather can be harsh.

Larry’s customer service has been top notch. I’ve emailed him a few times and I always get a response in typically less than an hour. The price is also good compared to more expensive options out there (Wellbrook, Pixel, etc.).

I would highly recommend the W6LVP loop, particularly for folks who have space limitation or HOA issues like I do or for those looking for a good receive-only antenna.

Update: The pre-amp went out on my system. I contacted Larry and he mailed me a replacement free of charge. He didn't even charge me shipping. You do not see customer service like this from many vendors! If you're looking for an active loop, I can't recommend Larry highly enough!

Scott, N0LS (formerly KB0BQQ)
KC2IEB Rating: 2022-06-11
Easy to set up, great support, excellent antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I live in a suburban area with a lot of solar panel noise. This loop does wonders for being able to dodge the noise. I use the loop as the 2nd rx input on my DX Engineering NCC-2 Noise Phaser. With my noise floor, it outperforms the more expensive amplified RX antennas I've been using. Took 5 minutes to put together, and so far so good! I'm considering picking up another for a remote sdr site.
EPII Rating: 2022-03-05
A great antenna and even better technical support. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'm just getting started with SW but I can already tell you this antenna really works! I'm located in NC and, using a Tecsun PL-330, I've already listened to stations in Spain, Romania and even Madagascar. It comes with everything you need to set it up, right down to a nice roll of electrical tape. The fit and finish is excellent and the materials good - after assembly it feels sturdy and durable.

As good as the antenna is, working with Larry is better. I got in touch with him and he patiently answered newbie questions in the course of exchanging several emails. He even asked if there was a station nearby so he could make a custom filter to keep it's signal from interfering with reception of weaker signals (I think I have that right...). If you have any questions or issues his assistance is a phone call or email away, and you can't put a price tag on that.
WD4MIR Rating: 2022-03-02
I really needed this! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I live in a HOA neighborhood. I fabricated a 54' attic doublet which has me at 64 countries in a little over a month. But, I figured it wasn't hearing very well. All my electric wiring is directly under my antenna and the noise level is high. The W6LVP loop is small and actually works great when mounted near the ground. Successive scans on 15m FT8 revealed 2 stations per scan on the doublet and 12 to 14 on the loop. I'm hearing stations I never heard before. Working them can still be a challenge with the attic antenna only about 20' above ground. But, if you can't hear em you can't work em. The T/R switch works great with my ICOM 7300. I highly recommend this antenna if you need to get out of the attic. I may eventually need a flagpole vertical for TX, but I think the loop is a keeper.
AA3R Rating: 2021-11-19
Fantastic! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Owned for about a month....in that time I have used for QSO parties, contesting, rag-chewing, and DX hunting....without it several contacts would not of happened! Worth every cent! Larry (W6LVP) the designer is a super guy....you email him a question and he is super responsive/helpful!

Update 11-17-2021...the pre-amp failed after a year, probably because out in the heat...Larry the owner is a stand up guy...not only did he replace for free with no questions asked, he shipped it out right away while I was packing up failed unit to send back to him....I wish there were more sellers like Larry in the Ham world, Hell, in the retail world!
K4SHF Rating: 2021-10-23
Surprisingly a very good performer Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I purchased one of these several months back with trepidation and made sure I could return it if it didn't work. I have very high noise on 75/80 (can be S9+) and it covered up most of the signals I was interested. My Yaesu has a third antenna port which can be designated receive only. This simple little loop cut my noise down to usually S2 from the S9 yet the signals I want are loud and clear. Sometimes the needle doesn't wiggle but they are still clear. I had one person across the state that was S9+ the other evening. This is the best $295 I've spent!
W6GEE Rating: 2021-10-06
It just plain WORKS! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
My W6LVP antenna is mounted 10' high on rigid conduit with an RCA light duty rotator. My two HF radios are Yaesu's FTdx-5000MP and FTdx-101MP. My usual modes are CW, FT8, with sparse SSB ops. I'm located on a city block completely lined with power lines and utility poles, so there are plenty of sources of noise outside of my own household.

Severe noise problems at certain times of day in my QTH often results in S7+ noise levels. Surprisingly, this antenna completely knocks down noise. Shipping is very quick and product support is exceptional. I was a little skeptical about receive antennas at first before a friend of mine clued me in on the W6LVP loop. It's incredible how such a compact and simple setup could be such a powerful noise-buster. Now I'm a true believer!