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Reviews For: Wellbrook ALA-1530 Active Magnetic Loop Antenna

Category: Antennas: VLF/LF/HF Receive only

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Review Summary For : Wellbrook ALA-1530 Active Magnetic Loop Antenna
Reviews: 33MSRP: 264 £ + charge
Description:
Active Magnetic Loop Antenna for medium and short waves listening operations
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.wellbrook.uk.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00334.7
WU6R Rating: 2022-02-05
Works Really Well - Impressive Performance Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
As a receive-only antenna this loop really performs. Great bang for the buck. Straightforward and very easy setup, very high quality parts, craftsmanship and construction. It was extremely well packaged for shipping from the UK to Virginia. I wasn't sure what I should expect with it tripod mounted about 8 feet above ground and 15-20 feet behind my home in a HOA restricted community... Well, I'm very pleasantly surprised what this loop will receive. I alternate using it connected to the Rx antenna connection on the back of my Flex 6600M and my Elecraft K4 while using a 43' multi-band 10-80m vertical for my Tx antenna. I purchased an RCA VH226E tv antenna remote rotator for $110 on Amazon. The RCA VH226E works flawlessly with the Wellbrook loop. This loop would also work really well as a shortwave listening antenna. This is one of the best additions to my shack -- and at a modest price. Highly recommended.
G4EDY Rating: 2021-12-21
Excellent receive antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My first lasted 10 years, it eventually suffered corrosion issues that affected the electrical connection between the loop and the amplifier, it survived all weathers and being blown over several times.

My current loop is a year old and the design is improved with the electrical connections to the loop being made by flying leads which should make it last more than 10 years!

Compared to a 100ft doublet at 30ft the Wellbrook is generally only slightly behind in sensitivity from 2-30MHz, but is ahead of the doublet below 2MHz especially since the directionality is useful for nulling local interference. Signal/noise is sometimes better on the doublet and sometimes better on the Wellbrook - very little in it TBH -

I recommend mounting on a rotator to make use of directionality. In my location I have underground 11kV cables and I found the noise level improved if I mounted the loop about 10ft above the ground, I did try higher but there was no improvement. Being small it is easy to move the loop around your property to do a site survey to find the best location for signal/noise.

Highly recommended
G0YAP Rating: 2021-12-21
Overpriced. Amplifier issues. MLA-30+ a better buy. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Owned a couple of Wellbrook ALA1530's. Both suffered amplifier issues ( water ingress). They do work well but after selling them as I was fed up with the poor reliability, I bought a cheap MLA-30+ loop off eBay. Didn't hold much hope for this little loop..how wrong I was. This loop has a lower visual impact than the Wellbrook and despite being a 12th of the cost of the Wellbrook, certainly isn't a 12th of the performance. The Wellbrook is way overpriced in my opinion, the amplifier is poorly protected from the elements and I wished I'd saved my hard earned money and just bought an MLA-30+.
K7FD Rating: 2021-09-21
Wow! Very happy with this loop… Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Thanks to K7NA for steering me towards a Wellbrook loop. Today I finished putting up a permanent installation approximately 30’ from the house. It sits 56” off the ground perched on an RCA TV rotator. I am certain to add to my BCB DX and NDB totals this winter. AM signals just roll in. And the nulls are deeeeep. I’m also pleasantly surprised with its fabulous signal to noise ratio on the shortwave and ham bands! I’m not in an HOA but if I suffered such a fate I’d have one of these!
VK2VRC Rating: 2021-05-19
Works very well and 1st class backup service Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had my ALA1530 LNP for a few years now ,and have found it to work very well, but particularly now that I have extreme S9+ noise generated by our lovely NBN National Broadband Network. I initially thought my days on HF were over but using my Yagi, combined with my Wellbrook ALA 1530 LNP and using Diversity reception on my Apache Labs Anan 7000DLS Mk2, has allowed me to continue my love of HF and DX. Also the backup service from Andrew has been 1st class, as I accidentally transmitted 100 watts into the Loop, not long after purchasing it. I was able to talk via email to Andrew and work out that I needed another interface unit, which he was able to supply separately, rather than having to buy a new loop complete. I have recently had a friend borrow the loop and again do the same thing, another email to Andrew, and although he didn't have an interface in stock, he was willing to make one and I also ordered a new amplifier while I was there, just in case. I couldn't ask more than that.
W7LB Rating: 2021-02-16
Impressive as a 2nd SDR Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I decided to try out a mag loop as a way to add a no-tune multi-band antenna to my RSPduo SDR and SDRplay panadapter software. The primary feed I have for the SDR is the IF from an IC7300; so my panadapter coverage migrates with my change of bands. Using the 2nd antenna option on the Duo allows me to have the SDR locked on a different band irregardless of where the IC7300 is tuned.

I live in a rural area and thus have a low noise floor, so that wasn't a motivation for buying the mag loop. However, I wasn't expecting how well this 3 foot circle of aluminum, mounted six feet off the ground, would perform compared to my two dipoles strung at about 50'. After about 2 weeks of tuning around 20, 40 and 80 and making comparisons, I am amazed that this antenna doesn't seem to miss any weak signals even with my very low noise floor. Switching from a dipole, pointed directly at the transmitting station, I get a drop in signal strength that is commensurate with the drop in the noise floor. Therefore the signal to noise ratio is about the same.

The loop is mounted on a 6' pole at the edge of our yard. I should mention that I am running 150' of RG8X
coax which is 50% more than the 100' recommended limit on the pre-amplifier.

I haven't had a chance to "armstrong" the loop around enough to test out the side null. My primary concern has been how well reception using the mag loop would replicate what I am seeing on the panadapter from my dipoles; and I can say now that I am very pleased to see there is no apparent loss in signal readability or ability to pick out very weak signals. So I am rating this purchase 5 stars!
KY6R Rating: 2020-02-09
Fantastic Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have two of the ALA-1530LNP loops phased through the DX Engineering NCC-2 and it has opened up an whole new world as far as what I can hear.

I've used one of these as a noise antenna and that worked great and have these feeding my K3 in dual diversity mode and its greatly enhanced my hobby.

Andy Ikin has provided top notch service and support.
KF3EI Rating: 2020-01-11
Leads corroded Time Owned: more than 12 months.
When the loop worked, the SNR was superb but the Florida weather soon allowed water into the crevices where the loop tubing enters the amplifier case. The braid has completely oxidized to powder, and there is NO WAY to reattach leads because Wellbrook has sealed the amplifier with epoxy. The sealing part is over zealous since there is now nothing else to do but replace the entire head amplifier unit at great and unnecessary expense. I think Wellbrook should replace all heads of previous loop owners with their new version that has flying leads. Oh, and that BNC connector is the worst choice for any weather.
GD4EIP Rating: 2019-03-10
Update Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have dismantled the loop and checked everything. First I had the external diode protection incorrect and removed it. Then I found the self tapped screws very loose. I drilled through and replace the screws wit a nuts and bolts. Everything tight. The loop now works 100% better. On LF and MF it is outstanding and on HF it is very good but not as good as a 133ft Windom. I am now pleased with the loop. I wonder if Andrew installs protection diodes.
VE7SHM Rating: 2019-03-04
It works ok for SWL Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I use it for hf only its not quieter or receives as well as my 80 meter delta loop ....