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Reviews For: DX Engineering RF-PRO-1B

Category: Antennas: VLF/LF/HF Receive only

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Review Summary For : DX Engineering RF-PRO-1B
Reviews: 4MSRP: $550 USD
Description:
Active Magnetic Loop Receive Antenna
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-rf-pro-1b
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0045
AC6BW Rating: 2021-06-14
Great Low Noise Rx Loop Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
You name the noise source, and I've got them all in my suburban CA neighborhood. EV and Battery chargers, solar panel inverters, plasma TVs, LED and grow lights, sodium street lights, motor noise, electrical power line noise. I've got them all!

I bought this antenna primarily as a Rx antenna on 40m and 30m. My noise level on those bands can be anywhere from S6 to S9+. I decided to give this mag loop Rx antenna a try, and I'm glad I did. I have it installed on a short 8' tripod mounted mast in my backyard, without a rotator. This may be temporary, but I've weatherized all of the cable connections.

This antenna has brought the broadband noise level down to S3 or less. Sometimes it is S1. This is in a 3 KHz SSB bandwidth. If the antenna is oriented properly, I can null out the huge 20 KHz birdies from one of my neighbor's battery chargers, which has been plaguing me for some time. For skywave signals, I've found the antenna to be pretty omnidirectional. The Rx signal levels are perhaps 1 S-unit down from my vertical Tx antenna, but the SNR through the loop is much higher than the vertical. I don't have a 80m or 160m Tx antenna, but I listen quite a bit on those bands, and this antenna really seems to perform well, and has extremely low noise levels. I experimented a little with this antenna on the higher bands, but my 2 el hex beam at 37 ft has better performance on 20m and up. This is primarily a low band antenna, IMO.

I haven't decided if I'll roof mount the loop yet, or if I'll put a rotator on it. It's working just fine now on a tripod in my backyard. All in all, this is a fine antenna, and the construction is high quality. I really like the ability to switch off power to the preamp when transmitting. The antenna is a bit spendy, but well worth it if it allows you to be able to operate, when you otherwise could not. 73, Roger- AC6BW
N2PQQ Rating: 2020-08-15
Excellent Loop Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The pro1B loop is excellent for getting rid of noise.
Replaced a Wellbrook loop with the pro 1b.
The difference is amazing made a s9 noise level drop down to s2 on 40 meters.
Can now hear clear across all bands .
N1UW Rating: 2017-12-21
A Near Religious Experience Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The S7 noise level in my neighborhood had driven me to such despair I was ready to take my entire station to the next swap meet. After reading many articles and watching several You Tube videos on this antenna, I decided to give this antenna one last try to save my hobby.

This is as close to magic as you can imagine. On my worst band, 20M, the noise level dropped from S7 with no audible or visible signals on my Flex Panadapter to S1 with a band full of easily readable signals. On other bands where some signals do rise about the neighborhood noise floor, the improvement in signal-to-noise levels made all signals much more enjoyable to listen to.

When switching from the vertical to the loop, some signals will go down in strength, some will go up, and others will stay the same. The vertical is a compromise antenna to be sure and the loop does have a figure-eight pattern so the azimuth direction of the station and the incoming signal angle will have some effect.

This antenna is not a replacement for full size arrays, but if you are plagued with high noise levels, this antenna will keep you on the air while no big antenna will save you.

ONE CAUTION: The loop, the preamp and the power inserter use RG-6 cable with Type-F connectors. I thought I was being careful connecting a connector to one side of the preamp but I managed to torque the connector enough to rotate the bulkhead connector and pull a ground lead from the connector to the circuit board. Fortunately it was an easy repair to make inside the preamp. If you make the same mistake on the loop antenna itself, you are doomed because the circuit inside the loop is potted and would be hell-and-back to repair. Other than that, this thing reeks of quality from the moment you open the shipping carton.

If you have questions or want me to send you some screen captures, send an email to my call sign @arrl.net.
K0YQ Rating: 2017-10-23
Exceeded expectations Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
HOA bound and 80 and 160 had become totally useless due to neighborhood RFI. No room for any kind of K9AY or SAL or array. Results have *greatly* exceeded my expectations and allows me to at least get back on the low bands. The nulls are very sharp and drops the noise floor dramatically. Rated on that criteria easily a 5.