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Author Topic: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?  (Read 5156 times)

Offline Sealord

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #15 on: February 18, 2023, 1411 UTC »
The fact that there's no concern with copyright infringement using logos or model numbers from a legitimate manufacturer is a red flag.

This is the equivalent of selling a Fiero Ferrari as a better alternative to the real 308.
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Offline alpard

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #16 on: February 19, 2023, 0005 UTC »
It seems saying that it is improved version of Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna. Interesting.

Chinese eBay sellers say lots of things. I'll go out on a limb here and say performance is nothing like a Wellbrook.

This BH5HDE QRP Loop antenna looks like the same or similar antenna to the Chinese WellBrook 1530.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upu7tBcFlgE
« Last Edit: February 19, 2023, 0007 UTC by alpard »
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Offline alpard

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #17 on: February 19, 2023, 0018 UTC »
So the 1530 version must be RX only version.  The QRP Loop in the videos seems QRP Transmitting / Receiving antenna covering mainly the HF Ham bands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJsmxDhlhzY
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Offline alpard

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #18 on: February 20, 2023, 1209 UTC »
The fact that there's no concern with copyright infringement using logos or model numbers from a legitimate manufacturer is a red flag.

This is the equivalent of selling a Fiero Ferrari as a better alternative to the real 308.

I think the new Chinese 1530 Antenna is totally different design.  I used to have a genuine Wellbrook 1530, and it was not tuneable antenna.  It had nothing for tuning, just an amp under the loop element and the power supply unit. 

The new Chinese antennas have tuning knobs on the amp, and also on the control box with psu = totally different.

They seem just using the name Wellbrook 1530 in the listings to attract attention, because Wellbrook is such a well known antenna name?
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Offline Sealord

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #19 on: February 20, 2023, 1422 UTC »
I'm still skeptical, but if you purchase this antenna I hope it meets your expectations :)
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Offline Pigmeat

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #20 on: February 20, 2023, 1524 UTC »
One of the best antenna purchases I ever made was a small Tecsun 200 MW loop. It works both proximately and with a short piece of coax with plugs to fit your portable's and the antennas jack. Replace the flimsy included coax with some RG-73 or even some patch cord with mini stereo adapters and you're ready to roll. The thing has a tuning knob and covers the entire US MW band. I paid 20 bucks for it new. Not all Chinese radio and antenna products are junk, you've got to vet them carefully to get your money's worth.

Who's going to be the sacrificial penguin for the Chinese Wellbrook? Who knows, you might get a steerable balloon to help hang it?

Offline alpard

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #21 on: February 20, 2023, 1606 UTC »
I feel the new Chinese Wellbrook 1530 is way over priced.   The price we see in eBay will not be the actual total for the antenna unless buyer is in China.
When it arrives to buyers country, it is likely to smash import tax on top of that, which can be anything between 20-30% extra, which makes the antenna just too expensive for what it is.

A genuine Wellbrook 1530 Loop might be actually cheaper than the Chinese antenna. I would rather go for another Wellbrook loop for similar or less the price.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2023, 1607 UTC by alpard »
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Offline Sealord

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #22 on: February 20, 2023, 1720 UTC »
One of the best antenna purchases I ever made was a small Tecsun 200 MW loop...

Yep, I have the same one and it works very well with my Palstar.

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Offline Josh

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #23 on: February 20, 2023, 1904 UTC »
After watching this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PTu0g5W9do I have the feeling dual crossed MLA30s (with 1 meter copper wire or tubing as modded in the vid) would be a better setup at about half the price of the chicom knockoff. I suspect there will be unit-to-unit performance variations on MLA30s but you can adjust the gain of the thing with the internal pot.
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Offline alpard

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #24 on: February 21, 2023, 2325 UTC »
After watching this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PTu0g5W9do I have the feeling dual crossed MLA30s (with 1 meter copper wire or tubing as modded in the vid) would be a better setup at about half the price of the chicom knockoff. I suspect there will be unit-to-unit performance variations on MLA30s but you can adjust the gain of the thing with the internal pot.

Wow, MLA-30 is not much different from Wellbrook 1530 in performance from the video (apart from LW, and the top band of Ham radio), and it is about  1/6 - 1/8 price of Wellbrook.  It seems the best value for money commercial HF RX active loop antenna?  Great video by the way, thanks for sharing.
« Last Edit: February 21, 2023, 2328 UTC by alpard »
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Offline Josh

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #25 on: February 23, 2023, 1850 UTC »
After watching this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PTu0g5W9do I have the feeling dual crossed MLA30s (with 1 meter copper wire or tubing as modded in the vid) would be a better setup at about half the price of the chicom knockoff. I suspect there will be unit-to-unit performance variations on MLA30s but you can adjust the gain of the thing with the internal pot.

Wow, MLA-30 is not much different from Wellbrook 1530 in performance from the video (apart from LW, and the top band of Ham radio), and it is about  1/6 - 1/8 price of Wellbrook.  It seems the best value for money commercial HF RX active loop antenna?  Great video by the way, thanks for sharing.

Yeah what I was thinking. The part that makes me wonder is why it's deaf on 160m. Still seems like a good deal for the cost on the rest of the bands.
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Offline RobRich

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #26 on: February 24, 2023, 1423 UTC »
The MLA-30 uses a cheap video preamp among other defficiencies. It can work okay for casual listening, but I would suspect some type of issue like maybe a very high noise floor if seemingly performing anywhere near a decent active loop like a Wellbrook, W6LVP, DXE RF-PRO-1B, or even MFJ-1886.
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Offline alpard

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #27 on: February 25, 2023, 2130 UTC »
The MLA-30 uses a cheap video preamp among other defficiencies. It can work okay for casual listening, but I would suspect some type of issue like maybe a very high noise floor if seemingly performing anywhere near a decent active loop like a Wellbrook, W6LVP, DXE RF-PRO-1B, or even MFJ-1886.

Yeah well spotted.  It brings me the memories of those moments when I had the same thoughts on MLA-30 actually.   It was ok for general strong stations SWL BCLing, but it had never pulled the rare challenging DX such as the QRP AM stations from Brazil and all around South America, Africa or Pacific Ocean.  It definitley worked, and worked OK.  But it wasn't excellent DX puller for sure.   But then the youtube comparison between MLA-30 and WB 1530 seems to be giving ideas that those 2x antennas are in similar level.   Testings done during the day time for strong stations not too remote locations cannot really tell the clues actually.  He should have tried copy Radio Tarma from Peru, or some Middle and South American low powered AM stations at nights - and then the winner would be clearer? :D
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Offline Pigmeat

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #28 on: February 26, 2023, 1231 UTC »
But that's hard, Alpard. It involves getting out of bed at odd hours and turning the radio on.

Offline East Troy Don

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Re: Made in China Wellbrook 1530 Loop Antenna?
« Reply #29 on: February 26, 2023, 1358 UTC »
One of the best antenna purchases I ever made was a small Tecsun 200 MW loop. It works both proximately and with a short piece of coax with plugs to fit your portable's and the antennas jack. Replace the flimsy included coax with some RG-73 or even some patch cord with mini stereo adapters and you're ready to roll. The thing has a tuning knob and covers the entire US MW band. I paid 20 bucks for it new. Not all Chinese radio and antenna products are junk, you've got to vet them carefully to get your money's worth.

Who's going to be the sacrificial penguin for the Chinese Wellbrook? Who knows, you might get a steerable balloon to help hang it?

I agree, probably the best $20 I ever spent (well, except for that one night in Frankfurt in 1972)
« Last Edit: February 26, 2023, 1359 UTC by East Troy Don »
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