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High performance indoor shortwave antenna, the Carpet Loop II is an ideal step upward for the listener who wants something better than a random wire but doesn't want the expensive dice roll of an active antenna.

You will find on these pages my experiences and results on antennas and local/non-local QRM/noise reduction. Using a broadband vertical active magnetic loop and a home made / designed broadband amplifier. Two vertical magnetic Alford loops are used in an array. Analog and Digital Signal Processing and a dual phase coherent Software Defined Radio (SDR) are used. By PA0SIM

Broadband active loop antennas for radio amateurs and hobbyists

Interesting review about active magnetic loop antenna Wellbrook ALA 1530 and 330S by ON4SKY

Article on using loop antenna in very low frequencies

A shielded broadband (~200 MHz) active loop antenna offers more quiet and relatively less interference reception.

Phased Spaced Active Whips and Broadband Loops by WA1ION

This active antenna for the shortwave band provides surprising performance, even indoors. As the name implies, the main loop is made from a Hula-Hoop with the metallic paint stripped off and a single turn of 14AWG copper wire inserted inside the hoop.

This study details a reception comparison between vertical and horizontal active loop antennas, specifically two identical _Wellgood active loop antennas_, on various HF bands. The experiment, conducted in a densely populated QRM-prone area, monitored FT8 signals over a 24-hour period using two identical receivers. The methodology involved direct comparison of signal reception across the HF spectrum, aiming to identify performance differences based on antenna orientation. The results indicate that vertical loops demonstrated superior performance on higher bands (10m, 15m, 20m), while horizontal loops excelled on lower bands (30m, 40m, 160m), particularly for receiving long-distance (DX) signals. The horizontal loop's advantage on lower bands is attributed to potentially better low-angle performance and reduced sensitivity to man-made noise, yielding a **2-3 S-unit** improvement on 160m. The study provides practical insights for optimizing antenna placement in challenging urban environments, noting that the horizontal loop consistently showed a **10-15 dB** signal-to-noise ratio improvement on lower bands.

This project explores the construction and performance of an Alford Loop antenna as an alternative to a round loop. The Alford Loop, symmetrically fed at opposite corners, behaves like a small loop despite its larger size. Built using PVC pipes and secured with tire wraps, the antenna integrates an LZ1AQ active amplifier for optimal performance. With deep nulls in its horizontal radiation pattern and improved resonance characteristics, this design has significantly outperformed previous active antennas in reception quality.

Chavdar Levkov, LZ1AQ, presents an experimental comparison of small wideband magnetic loops, building on his previous work on wideband active small magnetic loop antennas. His research focuses on increasing loop sensitivity by maximizing the short-circuit current, which is directly tied to the "loop factor" M = A/L, where A is the equivalent loop area and L is its inductance. Levkov's methodology involves reducing inductance and increasing area through parallel or coplanar crossed (CC) configurations, comparing these designs against a reference single quad loop of 1 m2 area. Experimental verification included testing three distinct loop types: a simple quad loop, two coplanar crossed (CC) loops, and eight parallel loops, all designed to have a total geometric area of 1 m2. Measurements were conducted at 1.8, 3.5, 7, and 10 MHz using a small transmitter 270 meters away, with a Perseus direct sampling receiver for precise signal level assessment. The results consistently showed that CC loops, particularly Loop 5 (two CC circular loops with 1.44 m2 total area), yielded significantly higher currents, up to 9.1 dB over the reference loop at 3.5 MHz, validating M as a reliable predictor of loop sensitivity. Numerical simulations using MMANA further corroborated the experimental findings, demonstrating an almost perfect correlation between the calculated M factor and the induced loop current for 15 different loop models. Levkov concludes that CC loops offer superior sensitivity for a given loop area, while parallel loops are advantageous for minimizing physical volume. Practical recommendations suggest using loops with an M factor greater than 0.5 uA/pT for quiet rural environments, and he provides a spreadsheet tool, WLoop_calc.xls, to aid in optimizing loop configurations for specific operational needs.

Demonstrates the construction of an active loop converter specifically designed for the Low Frequency (LF) bands, addressing common localized noise interference in LF reception. The design integrates a sharply tuned circuit and a tuned loop antenna, utilizing the loop as the sole tuned inductive element. By applying positive feedback, the converter significantly increases the loop's effective Q, achieving factors between 1000 and 2000, which sharpens tuning and reduces noise. The circuit employs an _NE602_ mixer stage, feeding its output to an HF receiver, with a crystal-locked local oscillator at 4 MHz. A 20-turn, 0.8-meter square loop antenna with 500 uH inductance is detailed, connected via 2 meters of figure 8 flex cable. The converter offers three selectable frequency bands: 195-490 kHz, 150-220 kHz (including the New Zealand amateur band), and 128-160 kHz (covering the European amateur band). Performance measurements indicate an effective 3dB bandwidth of approximately 100 to 200 hertz at 200 kHz. The article provides insights into component selection, including an _LF353_ op-amp and a trifilar wound transformer on a ferrite core. Sensitivity figures are presented, showing 7.5 uV of converted output per 1 uV/meter signal strength into a 50-ohm load, or 37.5 uV into an _FRG7_ receiver, highlighting its capability to extract weak signals from noise.