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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
25824.9
K4WS Rating: 2017-04-03
Great little loop! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this in early March and have been very
impressed with its bringing the weak stations out of the noise. I have very limited space and beverages are not possible. Larry is super helpful
on technical questions and very responsive. He sent me an extra control box when I asked about an older rig, other than my FTDX3000-at no cost but shipping cost for him. I thought I had an
intermittent problem with my amp outside and he sent me another amp to try asap at his shipping cost. Very honest, friendly and wants the customer to be happy. I worked 5u5r, tu7c, 9g5x with this little loop bringing them out of the static on 160. I now have a rotor but the season is about over. I turned it to v31ma last night and
he came out of the terribly high qrn on 80 cw when I did so. It works and about 1/2 the price
of the others. Thanks Larry!
KQ5S Rating: 2017-03-28
Works Great at My QTH Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just put up this antenna and so far it is working better than I had hoped for. I have a high noise level and wanted to try a loop. Larry was excellent in answering my questions and providing advice. I have made several audio clips switching between my dipole on 40 and 80 meters and the loop and have shared them with others. They all say the loop is definitely a noticeable improvement. I have the loop mounted about 7 feet off the ground.

I used the antenna this past weekend in the WPX SSB contest and can say the antenna was responsible for me making several contacts with stations that I otherwise could not copy well enough to attempt a contact on my dipole.

To reiterate my "issue" is a high noise level and this antenna works very well for me to lower the noise. Don't look at the S meter reading just enjoy the reduced noise and improved copy of the signal.
N9YZM Rating: 2017-03-13
Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
As a Ham, I enjoy building my own equipment. Especially loop antennas, both RX and TX. Larry, W6LVP fully supported this and after email and telephone conversations to establish my actual requirements, and within my budget, I was able to purchase The Loop Amplifier as an 'A La Carte' item. The amp was pressed it into service immediately, using a 2.3 ft dia loop of LMR400. The loop is small but hangs nicely on a hook behind the bedroom door. Using a battery powered, home built bias tee for the power supply, the loop performs as it is claimed to do and receives everything from AM broadcast up through 30mhz. Hang a shirt over it and....Stealth !! I am very impressed with both the performance and the build quality of this loop amplifier. I have already requested delivery of a second amp which I plan on installing on my camper. I also have the RF-Pro-1B RX loop, and during the summer I would like to perform a side by side test, but my gut feel is that it will be hard to tell the difference (if I can make the loop dimensions similar). Larry, W6LVP is providing the perfect solution for those of us who require performance with portability at a sensible price. I plan on purchasing the TX/RX switch unit later this year to support RX Loop / TX antenna switching for my IC700. So far, based on current experience, this product gets a 5+
K4BDN Rating: 2017-03-08
Very good! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had thought about building my own loop and even scrounged around for most of the parts, but after looking at the cost of preamps and filters I decide that this was a better value. I looked at several ones, but decided to give W6LVP's a try. I contacted Larry and he was very helpful in helping me select the best option for my station. It's now been in use at my station for a couple of weeks and through The ARRL DX SSB Contest. Though I bought it primarily to use on 80m and 160m I found it useful for 40m and even on 20m. On 160m I use a 1/4 wave sloper and the noise level is always horrendous. When I switched to the loop and the line noise drops and the signals I could not hear are now such that I can work them. Tried it on 80m with even better results, the noise disappears. I have it mounted on a rotor about 20ft off the ground and there is a very noticeable difference when turning the loop in the direction of any noise. If you are looking for an antenna to help out with noise, this is well worth the investment. Plus, Larry's customer service is outstanding.
JGUBB Rating: 2017-03-05
Excellent antenna with good workmanship. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This antenna performs better than I expected. It is also a great value compared to Pixel and Wellpoint. On par with MFJ for price, but well.....MFJ....um, not.

I have used it for several contests and nets with great success on 160 and 80 meters. Heard contacts that were down in the noise compared to my inverted L and verticle. The signals are a bit stronger, but it is the YUGE difference in noise that makes all the difference. I would liken to listening to someone in a noisy room that then falls silent. I don't see as much change at 20 meters and above. I have a flex 6300 and feed it into the transverter input as a receive only antenna, so I didn't get the tx/rx switchbox version.

This antenna really shines if you want to monitor on 630 and 2200 meters. I had my first succesful WSPR spots on 2200 this weekend.
K2QB Rating: 2017-02-28
Big Difference! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had built a loop of my own last season and although it worked, I was a little disappointed with the actual performance. After looking around, I decided to give W6LVP's receive only loop a try. It's now been in line at my station for a couple of weeks and through a couple of contests as well. I bought it primarily to use on 80m and 160m for chasing DX and some JT65 work. The first night I used it I had a S10 line type noise on 160m and was not able the hear too many weak signals. Switched to the loop and the line noise totally disappeared and the signals were there to be heard. Tried it on 80m with the same results. During this past weekends RTTY contest I used it exclusively on 80m receive and was very impressed. No line noise and made copying much easier. I have it mounted on a rotor about 15ft off the ground and there is a noticeable difference when turning the loop in the direction of any noise. Overall I am very pleased with the loop and the quality of it as well. He even includes a roll of tape to seal the connections. If you are looking for an antenna to help out with noise, this is well worth the investment.
W4CLJ Rating: 2017-02-13
Superb Performer Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have the receive only model since my focus is on MF/LF/VLF DXing. Generally I, use a 280 ft Inverted-L for these frequencies. QRM and QRN is tough to overcome on these bands but the Loop is effective at overcoming both problems. Listening to a station on the Inverted-L can present me with one station; then switching to the loop I hear an entirely different station on the same frequency.
Noise (QRN) in the LF and VLF spectrum is very problematic on the Inverted-L but the Loop virtually eliminated the noise and lets me receive stations previously unheard. This Loop is a great addition to the shack. Larry's communication with his customers is second to none! By the way,this antenna surpasses all others I have used for monitoring very low powered WSPR transmissions.
W9OY Rating: 2017-02-12
Youtube review Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I replaced my Wellbrook receiving loop with Larry W6LVP's wide band receiving loop. The Wellbrook antenna worked FB but after about a year the amplifier blew and it became problematic to get the amp working again, since the Wellbrook antenna is made in England. Larry's antenna is good ol' U.S. made so I knew if I had any issue I could give him a buzz out in Santa Paula (north of LA) and he'd fix me up. The loop uses a 10 ft piece of LMR-400 which makes it quite portable, and if you want to make the loop bigger just get a longer piece of LMR-400 add a couple BNC's and you're in business! The amp is in a nice diecast aluminum box. Larry makes a version which has built in RF switching if your radio happens to not have a separate RX input but I'm running a Flex 6700 which has multiple inputs so I opted for the version which is sans the extra relay circuit. I mounted mine on a 24ft fiberglass pole out on a part of the property away from any buildings or other antennas. I do not have a rotor on this setup, I merely rotated the antenna for least noise on 80 and 160, my primary bands of interest and put a nail in it. I tuned to a HR5 (Honduras) pileup on 80 and the antenna made a DRAMATIC difference. My noise on the vertical was -93 dBm or S5 on my calibrated Flex S meter and dropped to as low as -118 dBm or S1 a good 25 dBm! I made a youtube demo to tell the tale. Works great!

https://youtu.be/_ldP-Z3lyBY

73 W9OY
AF7NX Rating: 2017-02-09
Diversity with a Receiving Loop Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have tested and compared performance of the W6LVP loop against my wire antennas. The Loop does a good job especially on 40, 80, and 160m bands.
Amplified loops potentially have a problem with IMD from nearby broadcast stations. With a couple of AM stations only a mile away from me, this has been an issue with my wire antennas. The W6LVP loop I tested included an AM broadcast band HP filter which kept the broadcast band IMD mixes in check.
The vertical loop provides polarization diversity when used in conjunction with horizontal dipoles. Used with two receivers, one with the loop and one with a dipole, polarization fading on one antenna will be readable on the other.
The W6LVP loop is useful as a DF antenna for tracking down pesky RFI. The amplified antenna is sensitive and wideband, with a strong directional characteristics. I use it with an RTL-SDR dongle and laptop for quantitative walk-around RFI hunting.
AJ8S Rating: 2017-01-29
Easy to use, works great. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I mounted the loop 10 feet off the ground and turned it by hand for lowest noise. The provided switch box made it simple to install. I connected it between my Flex and the linear running the RF and the relay line through the switch on its way to the linear. This allows easily switching receive antennas without affecting transmit. Even without the relay line connected the unit protected the pre-amp with only 100 mw of output. I found receive quality and level the same as my much larger Wellbrook loop. When compared with my 204 foot doublet at 57 feet using WSPR on 30 and 40 meters, sometimes the doublet did better and sometimes the loop did better, particularly on low angle radiation. Below the AM band the loop left the doublet in the dust. Being able to switch receive antennas is definitely an advantage. This is an excellent broadband loop.