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Reviews For: Pixel Technologies Active Magnetic Loop Antenna PRO 1B

Category: Antennas: VLF/LF/HF Receive only

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Review Summary For : Pixel Technologies Active Magnetic Loop Antenna PRO 1B
Reviews: 57MSRP: 550 USD
Description:
• Unique Moebius Loop architecture provides enhanced performance over standard loops
• Very low IMD, 30 dB Low-Noise Preamp insures good performance in both strong and weak signal environments
• Up to 30 dB rejection of locally radiated noise compared to whip antennas
• Figure eight directivity and deep nulls to further reduce interference.
• Primary coverage range: 100 kHz to 30 MHz
• Rejects power line noise
• Rugged construction, easily mounts to a pole or flat vertical surface, 1m dia. aluminum loop, supplied with LNA, power inserter and DC power supply
• No manual tuning necessary
• No Home Owners Association problems; low profile, easy to camouflage and works at ground level
• Modular design for easy installation and maintenance
• Adjustable output level to optimize output for your radio
• Internal Transmit / Receive Switch disconnects Antenna / Preamp from your receiver when transmitting
• Made in the USA
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.dxengineering.com/parts/pxl-rf-pro-1b
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00574.6
K0MU Rating: 2011-04-01
Pleased Time Owned: N.A.
I have owned the Pixel loop for about a month and feel that is sufficient time to provide a review.

1) Packing - excellent.
2) Contents - contained everything I expected plus proper mounting hardware. The company also includes a Y adapter to hook into your main rig Key line and already have an amp hooked up (no running to radio shack to get the y adapter... nice touch). Also includes a pigtail balun in case you use this on a short wave receiver with balanced antenna input. It also includes attenuator resistors which I don't use.
3) Performance. The unit beats (or meets) my DX-88 vertical on receiving stations nearly 100% of the time on 30-160. I have also picked up NDBs as far as Texas (I live in MN). I also picked up the WWVB 60 hz transmission. I have a small beam on 20-6 and the beam is mostly better on those bands. A couple of times I did use the loop to null out a plasma TV on 20 meters and it worked well. Many times, there are signals on 160-30 that I can't hear with the vertical that are q5 on the loop.
4) Nulling - I have the usual neighborhood noises and the nulling is quite good. I have some trouble trying to null an invisible pet fence but the source really isn't a "point source" it runs parallel to my yard. It does knock it down quite a bit and the NB on my radio takes care of the rest.

Long story short, I use it 100% of the time on 160-30 and sometimes on the high bands. When you first use it, you might not notice drastic changes. You do need to take time to get acquainted to the nulling and perhaps move the location around a bit (I have mine on a tripod with a rotor and currently have it on my deck about 10 feet up {total height 15 feet}. Get a rotar right away.

I considered the Wellbrook, but decided on the Pixel for three primary reasons:
1) inclusion of a keying circuit to shut down the preamp when transmitting on the main antenna. (DON'T EVER TRANSMIT ON THIS ANTENNA; IT IS A RX ANTENNA. Note: the switching works for QSK. Manufacturer says that the relays are good for millions of cycles.
2) American Made
3) Includes mounting hardware

Highly recommended.

K0MU
AD5VM Rating: 2011-03-31
OMG! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Ok.. Only had it for 24 hours but... I just didn't believe a tiny active hoop looking thing could do this!! I'm not some ham that's only had base loaded whips and shortened attic dipoles to compare this to. My previous two antennas have been full wave 160 meter loops fed with ladder line to a Palstar BT-1500A and an IC-7600. The last loop was 50 foot up and in the middle of the country with no RFI... I think this thing hears... dare I say.. almost as well... I mean, I've got this thing ten feet off the ground and 160 is full of QSO's, and an S2 noise floor. AM BCB is loaded with clear DX stations, longwave is full of NDB sigs and the freakin 60KHz time signal is LOUD and CLEAR! The only antenna I've had that preformed like this on the low bands was a 1000' terminated beverage three feet off the desert floor when I lived outside of Albuquerque. (but since I couldn't rotate it, I would rather have this antenna). I also had a full size K9AY and this thing seems to be about as good and has a deeper null! I know I know, I've only had it for a day and maybe I'm over reacting but, this thing cost a lot of money and if my first impression had been anything less than incredible, I assure you I would not have been compelled to jump on eham and post a review... If you want a small quiet RX antenna.. save your pennys, collect cans, sell a kidney and call Pixel Technologies. Who were very helpful and friendly on the phone btw.. (I have no affiliation with them)
FORMER_WF4W_TW Rating: 2011-02-20
Update--160 meters on ARRL DX Contest--Fantastic!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
All these were made with the Pixel Technolgies Receiving loop and a Bazooka for transmit. Some with the differential kicked in on the K3 and some without. The receiving loop does make a difference---condtions were very good too. After this weekend, it pushes my worked count on 160 Meters to 75. I usually work a few Caribbean stations and one or 2 Europeans on any contest weekend where I work 160.
All of these were made listening with the RF PRO-1A. I'm am extremely impressed with this antenna for receiving!!!
See my previous review--I'm on a 1/3 acre lot with the loop mounted above my HF beam at about 45'.

Countries worked on 160 this weekend

KP2 Virgin Islands
HR Honduras
V31 Belize
P4 Aruba
CT Portgal
D4 Cape Verde
VP9 Bermuda
S5 Slovenia
PJ2 Curacao
RA2 Kaliningrad
C6 Bahamas
HC Ecuador
KH6 Hawaii
ZF Cayman Islands
KP4 Puerto Rico
HI Dominican Republic
VP2M Montserrat
V4 St. Kitts and Nevis
XE Mexico
G England
OE Austria
OM Slovak Republic
9A Croatia
I Italy
UR Ukraine
4O Montenegro
SV Greece
HA Hungary
E7 Bosnia and Herzegovina
SP Poland
LY Lithuania
OK Czech Republic
SM Sweden
LZ Bulgaria
DL Germany
TI Costa Rica
ON Belgium

KJ4SLP Rating: 2011-02-14
A well-built low noise receiving antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My neighborhood is not plagued with restrictive covenants but my space for antennas is very limited. I've been using a DX Engineering 43' Thunderbolt which has been reasonably satisfactory--for a vertical--on transmit but terribly noisy on receive.

I previously owned a Wellbrook 1530 loop but found that the relatively lightweight (OK, flimsy) construction did not inspire confidence here in the land of hurricanes and severe thunderstorms. To make matters worse, the small plastic box in which the LNA is enclosed just crumbled and fell apart in the harsh Florida sunlight. While it worked, though, it proved to be a competent and quiet receive-only antenna.

A couple of months ago I ran across the PixelSat Moebius Loop Antenna and decided to give it a try. The all-metal construction quality is first rate, especially compared to the Wellbrook. I mounted it atop a 20 foot mast with rotator in the back yard, connected the power inserter, and fired it up.

My first impression was that the signal strength was quite low. This was only a momentary disappointment, however, as the noise level was even lower. Much lower. My Flex 5000 has ample AF and RF gain so I just cranked her up a little and found that I could pull stations out of the noise floor that I had never heard before.

I've been extremely pleased with the Pixel loop. The noise level is consistently far below that of the vertical. In the daytime, the loop can be rotated either to maximize signal or to null out noise. At night, of course, the effect is less noticeable but still sometimes useful.

Beyond ham work, the Pixel loop does a fine job at pulling out shortwave DX stations with my Drake R8B and Ten Tec 340.

To summarize, the loop is reasonably sensitive and very quiet, even in my hash-filled urban neighborhood. Construction quality is excellent with one exception. The LNA connects to the loop via a supplied short piece of RG6Q. Out of the other end of the amplifier box, one connects another piece of RG6Q that runs to the shack. These are all F connectors, apparently reflecting Pixel's main product lines--cable and satellite TV. When attaching the RG6 to the output of the amplifier, be sure to only hand-tighten the connector. I put a wrench on mine and promptly twisted off the wire inside the amplifier box. An email to Pixel and a dab of solder resolved that problem. Apparently, I am not the only person who has had this experience as the Pixel rep at Hamcation last Saturday told me that they have replaced that female F connector with a much sturdier product.

Speaking of Pixel reps, customer service could not be better. While I repaired the minor damage myself, they offered to do it for me at no charge. They were incredibly responsive, exchanging emails with me on a Saturday and Sunday.

The antenna was shipped the same day I ordered it and arrived from Colorado in three days. It was sturdily packed and included quite a variety of mounting hardware, cable adapters, etc. to accommodate all needs. Assembly takes maybe 15 minutes but be sure to follow the instructions carefully when it comes to using nylon washers to insulate the LNA from the antenna and the mast. Happily, the instructions are clear and complete, accompanied by multiple large photographs.

If a magnetic loop receiving antenna is what you need, the Pixel RF PRO-1A is an excellent choice.
WA9VEE Rating: 2011-02-05
Restricted Antenna Ham Radio heaven Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just got this antenna delivered yesterday. Thought I would write this while still amazed!

For over 2 years I have been running a K3 with 2nd receiver installed, a 200' stealth long wire, and a vertical wire stuck to the shack wall and using a little MFJ tuner for the 2nd receiver diversity receive function.

The long wire works really good even on QRP. The vertical wire works OK for diversity receive, now and then hearing better than the long wire. I suppose this is because using the long wire on all bands 160-10M it has a strange pattern with odd lobes. Anyway I was satisfied with the results.

I have this loop hung from the ceiling in the shack (really the living room of my 1 bedroom apartment, 2nd floor, wood building, brick facing).

Pros:
70% of the time it hears as well as my long wire although the longwire is more QRN noisy. On average the loop is 1 S unit down from longwire, but sounds better.

10% it hears worse, but always less QRN.

20% of the time 160M-30M it hears better. How can that be? I don't know... but that's what I'm finding. Above 30M it hears much better that the longwire most times because I think that at 200' the wire is just too long for those high frequencies.

I'm mainly a CW operator which is what those percentages above represent. I did listen to some daytime 80 and 40M SSB and see that with the wide voice bandwidth compared to CW, there is much more QRN allowed into the receiver. That's where this loop is unbelievably good. The longwire is so noisy that I couldn't make out the voice conversations on the weak QSOs I found. The loop is so quiet that the conversation is Q4 to Q5 pleasant copy. It really shines, changing the entire operating environment.

No tuning when changing frequency! Great.


Cons:
I'm not getting the sharp null when rotating the antenna that I should be getting. I had hoped to tune out some Plasma TV noise I get occasionally. I think this is because the antenna is indoors and wall wiring, close objects, etc. are affecting the pattern. It is somewhat directional but not sharply.

Summary:
I'm very lucky and satisfied. This Pixel loop antenna should improve my scores in contests overall and improve my receiving on 20M and up. If I operated SSB much, or SWL, I would consider this loop mandatory.

I would think it would be a great addition for anyone operating with antenna constraints. How would it work mounted outside on something like a porch? I may never know, but it could only be better.
K4PRO Rating: 2010-11-11
Great RX Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This antenna is designed for 500khz - 30mhz. I primarily purchased the antenna for 40-160 meters. Assembly was a breeze, it only took about 30 minutes to assemble. Everything was supplied including 3 different attenuators. Once I connected the Antenna to the FT-2000 i was sold. Signals that were deep in the noise on 75 meters and 160 meters were 100% audible on the loop. The first morning after installation I worked Hawaii on 160 from Florida. On the Inverted L the station simply did not exist, but he was Q5 copy on the RX Loop. Since then 5 new countries on 160.

It's my opinion that the RF Pro is a great antenna for those who do not have space for a beverage.
KD8IIC Rating: 2010-07-11
Superb Antenna! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got my Pro-1 loop a couple of weeks ago and my friends and are are flat-out blown away with its performance.It's super quiet period.That's the real reason for buying it.If you can't hear em you can't work em.The antenna is compact/easy to install.Mine's on a rotor 10ft up.It works very well even ground mounted .A major plus is it works from 100khz to 30mhz so it made me a Super LW/BCB/SW antenna too.The preamp and power supply are well built and serviceable.
Bottom line,you won't be disappointed.
Pixel's staff is good folks too..73,Lane.