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Reviews For: AlexLoop Walkham Portable HF Small Magnetic Loop Antenna

Category: Antennas: HF Portable (not mobile)

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Review Summary For : AlexLoop Walkham Portable HF Small Magnetic Loop Antenna
Reviews: 84MSRP: 129-299 USD
Description:
The AlexLoop Walkham is a Small Magnetic Loop Antenna designed by Alex - PY1AHD after nine years of field tests with more than 800 confirmed QRP DXs.
The new model goes on a small cushioned bag designed to accommodate 3 small 15 inches pieces that can be easily assembled and disassembled in less than a minute.
It has a registered record on 17 meters on the Hall of Fame of the Hfpack group - http://hfpack.com/hall/ connected to a FT817 QRP transceiver.
It is the ultimate solution for those hams who loves to be on the air anytime and anywhere and for those living with limited space.
It covers continuously any frequency between 7 MHz to 30 MHz and can be quickie and easily installed on a window or a balcony. And can go to your vacation or business travel.
It is so light that you can even walk and talk holding in your hand while tune it with your thumb.
The maximum recommended power is 20 watts SSB or 10 watts AM/FM
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.alexloop.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00844.9
VE3OP Rating: 2012-09-01
It works! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I received my AlexLoop yesterday - it only took a week from Rio to Ottawa. Alex is very responsive.

Although this antenna is a reasonably simple design, Alex has done a nice job commercializing it after 10 years' experimenting with mag loops to see what works best. It comes with a nice small footprint bag and goes together very easily in about 1 minute.

As the instructions state, you can generally find the resonant frequency just by listening and tuning for maximum noise, first. Then transmit with 2-3 watts to dial in the final setting for your chosen frequency. On this last step you almost have to breath to get minimal SWR, as it requires very fine tuning. But it can be done.

I have to say it is a great, small footprint receiving antenna, while coupled with the superb Elecraft KX3.

Today, I was sitting in my backyard using the KX3 running only 5 watts and the AlexLoop, 1 metre off the ground supported on my Buddipole mast. Even though 15m presented average conditions, I worked a number of stations across the US, as well as England and even Namibia (7,500 km short path). So yes, it definitely works!

Despite the product living up to every expectation, these are my dream enhancement wishes for the future:

1. Higher (perhaps 50-75w) power capability - not sure what this would take to achieve. Off course, this might require remote tuning to eliminate RF burns, so see my next point.

2. Remote tuning capability, even automated similar to screwdriver antennae.

3. If not remote tuning, a secondary "fine tuning" adjustment, to dial in the final minimal SWR setting.

I recommend you try this antenna out, especially if you enjoy the growing sport of HF backpacking and SOTA activation. It is a terrific addition to my kit bag.

'73

Craig, VE3OP
ve3op@rac.ca
PY2ONU Rating: 2012-07-09
Very very good! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have this antena since 2009 and made many many dx to this wonderfull antena! I live in Brazil and work more 100 contries in CW and Phone. See One of my videos posted in youtube below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzo50HfM9Pg
HB9DST Rating: 2012-06-29
some compromises but worth it Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'd like to give 4.5, but the scale won't let me. Not absolutely perfect, but not far off.

I bought the Walkham at Ham Radio Friedrichshafen (Germany) where I also had a chance to meet "the" Alex, and I've started using it on SOTAs. The performance is better than I had expected.

Today's SOTA was HB/SG-017, Hinterrugg, 2306 meters, plenty of snow at the very end of June! In less than an hour, I got 18 QSOs on 30 meters (10 countries) and 23 QSOs on 40 meters (8 countries). True, reports are not as good as when I use my end-fed halfwave antenna, and SOTA chasers are willing to put on their ears (I got reports as low as 339). But it's much easier to carry and faster to put up the Alexloop than a mast -- and I still made plenty of contacts. Especially for SOTAs where a mast is very inconvenient or difficult, putting a Walkham on a modified camera tripod works fine (even if I did have to guy the tripod today due to high winds on the summit).

Keep in mind:

1. Tuning is VERY touchy. Alex says you can get a rough idea of the setting in receive mode, but I am not able to do so. I take an antenna analyzer along to find the best setting on the Alexloop. Fortunately, with SOTA you pretty much settle on a frequency and stay there.

2. Your signals will be down. Mine are at least 2 or 3 S units down from an end fed. But QSOs definitely are possible.

3. Let's see how the construction holds up after 100 or so SOTAs...
WA8EBM Rating: 2012-05-04
Astounding antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This is a very well made, easily deployable, portable antenna for 40 to 10 meters. If you look at the charts and effeciency of loop antennas you will see that this size is very optimum for 17 meters and above. I have made contacts on 40 and 20, with fairly good reports but 17 and up is where it really shines. The tuning cap has a vernier but requires a light touch on the higher frequencies. SWR of 1.5 and lower is typical with the high Q circuit. It only has a power rating of 20 watts, which is fine for portable work. I decided to write this review after a contact I made this morning. I was on 17 meters SSB and heard a small amount of traffic. A Russian station, RA1AOB was coming in S7, on my new Elecraft KX3 transceiver, running 6 watts on a small battery pack. After a few calls he came back to me giving me a S4 report. I was sitting on my deck, under my Sunsetter awning, with the AlexLoop on a small modified camera tripod at 3 feet in the middle of a residential neighborhood surrounded by foilage and houses. If you search WA8EBM on YouTube you will find a video of me talking to WG0AT on 15 meters. We were both running AlexLoops and 10 watts. I was even surprised at how strong my signal was. It is fairly expensive, you could build something similar with info Alex has on his pages but it comes with a very strong carrying case that is big enough to hold a bunch of wire for lower band antennas. I think even Alex is amazed at some of the results achieved with his antenna.
NN1F Rating: 2012-04-01
A great travel antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This winter after getting my AlexLoop Walkham antenna, I took it to a state park in Portsmouth NH to try out my antenna and FT-817 at 5 watts plugged into the car. It was cold, so I set up the antenna just outside the car on a tripod and was transmitting from the passenger seat while my wife and son were looking for shells and glass on the beach. Low and behold, my first contact that day was 9A202NA in Croatia, a special event station. He gave me a 569. This antenna is going on a cruise with us to Alaska this spring. (as long as I get permission from the ship owner). This antenna should get me lots of DX and local contacts. I also used it in my den with my NC40A on battery power. that got me Parma Ohio, K8CMD. He gave me a 559. I am loving this antenna and plan on traveling with it as many places as possible with my FT817 or KX1.
I give this a resounding "5". Alex is a great guy and is very helpful with any questions.
VK2RF Rating: 2012-01-25
17,400km 5 watts Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Hi Alex,

I just had to let you know that yesterday night I made a contact with your Walkham Loop using 5 watts on an FT-857 from Sydney to France (F5PAU) . I gave him a 59, he gave me 52.
Distance was 17,400 kilometres! However he said he was beaming long path, so it's even longer.

I was inside a sailing club facing the ocean through a window, with a wooden ceiling and a carpeted restaurant on top.

Awesome, I love your loop!

Current conditions:-
SF 131. a=17, k=3
73 de Raffy VK2RF
HB9ZAP Rating: 2011-10-25
OTA Operation using AlexLoop Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Dear Alexandre,
Most of my activities are portable QRP- SOTA-Activations, using an IC-703, a LI-PO Accu (7.7 Ah), and , up to now, various portabel wire antennas. Since a few month I am using exclusively a Magnetic Loop, called AlexLoop, built by Alexandre Grimberg, PY1AHP. It is easy to carry along, wheiging 800 gr, fits into the backpack (approx 25 x 35 x 5 cm), and a short telescope tube of 1.0 m , extended, no 5 to 6 m mast is needed. Many time you span wires on mountain top, you easely getting problems with other climbers present, they call them trip wires, hi !
Well Alexandre, you did a fine job, I am very much pleased with the performance of the loop. There is practically no difference to my inverted dipol, nor to the vertical (L-shape) dipol. For the last 19 activations I used the AlexLoop , receiving the same reports as before with the wire dipols. First I was a bit skeptical about tuning, however it turned out to be very easy, tuning is just a matter of a few seconds.
As a QRP-Antenna ( 20 W max) I recommend the loop any time.

Kind regards Edwin hb9zap
IZ2QYF Rating: 2011-09-30
Fantastic! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hi,
I bought this antenna on july 2011 and use it in with my ft817 5w usb i worked from italy's mountains/beaches:

NEW ZEALAND!! USA , CANADA, BRAZIL, CUBA, NIGERIA, CAMEROON, OMAN, KUWAIT AND ALL THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

Alexloop, What's else?
73

KB3LAN Rating: 2011-05-25
The best QRP Portable antenna. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I picked up the Alexloop Walkham from Alex at Dayton. As soon as I got home Saturday night, I grabbed the 817 and went out on the deck. It honestly took a minute or so to deploy out of the case and tune to a flat swr. The 817 was sitting on 14.185. I hear EC1KR out of Spain, and the pile up trying to contact him. On my second call, with the 817 running 2.5 watts, I made the contact. I have had all of the popular portable antennas, with the exception of the TW2010, and none have performed like the Alexloop. It is very easy to pack, quick to deploy and super easy to tune. I like it so much, I'll be talking to Alex about a remote tuned, 100 watt version to install in the attic.
N8HM Rating: 2011-03-13
Great antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I live in an apartment so I am very limited in what I can do with antennas. I have experimented with end-fed wires hanging from my balcony and those worked well, but I am always wary of the reaction of those who live below me, plus the noise level made them very difficult to use, so I decided to try a magnetic loop and ordered the AlexLoop Walkham model. While this model may not be efficient as the model made from copper tubing, it can be easily packed up and put away when not in use (an important consideration when living in a small studio apartment).

So far this loop has exceeded my expectations. With 5 watts from my Yaesu FT-817ND on digital modes, I easily work across the United States and into Europe and South America on 17m-10m. I made 73 contacts in the ARRL DX SSB contest in 36 DXCC entities, including Alaska, Carribean nations, South America, and Europe. In total, I have worked 56 DXCC entities in a month and a half with this antenna.

It does have a couple of disadvantages. I have worked DX on 20m, but the antenna is clearly less efficient and it is more difficult to make QSOs. My JT65 signal has been copied in New Zealand and Australia on 20m. I have also made QSOs on 40m JT65, but with poor signal reports. The antenna does tune on 40m and 30m and some QSOs using weak signal modes may be possible, but it is 17m and up where this antenna really shines. My contacts often can't believe that I'm running such low power into a small antenna.

I am very happy with this antenna and look forward to using it out in the field as well now that the weather is warming up. It is pricey and if you have the skills, you can probably build a similar antenna yourself for a fraction of the price, but Alex has done a great job with this antenna. The quality of the components is top-notch, the included case is high quality, and the included velcro and nylon rope is a nice touch that makes it easy to pack up and mount the antenna. I use it mounted on a cheap, portable camera tripod. Visit my QRZ.com profile to see a picture of the loop mounted on the tripod and sitting on my balcony. Check out my log as well to see what you can work with this antenna!