Last week I purchased from PK's Loop Antennas here in Australia a
"HD Series Remote Tuned Amplified Long Wave Loop" to try and extend my NDB distances. The said product covers 150-500KHz.
Assembled all OK and mounted outside on a temporary 11 foot length of pipe, coaxial run from base of loop to tuner box and tuner box via coax with PL-259 to Yaesu FT-2000D base radio.
One sheet of paper came with the product, brief intro to the antenna and assembly instruction, no hints or exercises in using the antenna though and a list of NZ, PNG and Australian NDB beacons...
I rang the fellow in Melbourne to advise him it arrived OK in the post undamaged, and mentioned politely his NDB list was way out of date and had errors, he got quite testy about that and had the gall to ask me to update the list for him! Hate to think his response should I have asked for a "exercise sheet" on operating the thing.
Only real instruction on the sheet is:
* Tune your radio to desired frequency.
* Slowly tune the Manual Tune control to the point of strongest reception.
* Orientate the Loop Antenna to obtain clearest signal: edge-on towards the transmitter is best.
Over the past three days I have had a good fiddle about with it, during the day with local NDB's and at night/early morning when DX distance NDB's are in and the Loop is just not delivering a favourable result with me. I have found that in comparison, my existing 380 feet run of random wire in the trees (despite pulling in noise/crud/spurs etc) out performs the loop by far both local and DX wise.
Operating the Loop Examples:Tuned to PKS on 242KHz (Parkes NSW) local beacon heard 24 hours for 200kms distance 559 report on wire. Switched to Loop, tuned tuner slowly around no result, went outside and slowly turned Loop in full rotation circle and not a hint of PKS, changed tuner setting, repeated rotation and zero, PKS still 559 on my wire, why nil on the Loop?
Tuned to NF on 260KHz (Norfolk Island) at 1130z a DX beacon for 1,755kms distance 549 report on wire. Done the above tuning Tuner and rotating Loop slowly in full circle and back again and not a thing from NF, back to wire and NF has came up two spoints to 569 report.
Local beacons during the day:
347KHz RIC (Richmond military) 74kms distance, wire plus 20dB over, Loop antenna 559 at best after rotation and tuning Tuner.
305KHz GTH (Griffith NSW) 357kms distance, wire 569 report, Loop antenna, virtually zero.
398KHz MDG (Mudgee NSW) 127kms distance, wire 429 report, Loop antenna, not found at all, zero result.
In conclusion: with the Loop I would have thought it would have at least dragged MDG Mudgee up a few points on the meter, very disappointed not hearing MDG on the Loop at all, despite careful rotating of the Loop and tuning of the Tuner.
Yes, happy that the Loop has rejected most of the spurs, harmonics, noise and crud across the band, but where is the DX?
Very disappointed that 260KHz NF on Norfolk Island for 1,755kms distant and near 569 on the wire was not at all detected by the Loop, after all, that is what I bought the thing for was to enhance weak long distance signals.
Maybe I am missing something? I will put it across to HFU's panel of LW Loop Antenna experts for their valued opinion...