Hello Mal,
I have been testing a tuneable loop antenna against my mini-whip and did not
find any difference in receiving weak daytime signals in the 270 - 430 kHz
range.
At home I have been on and off comparing DX performance of a single winding
active loop and the mini-whip. This requires absence of local noisem, as at
my location the loop is much more prone to local noise pick up than the
mini-whip. When a station could be heard on one antenna, it was audible as
well on the other. I did not come across a single situation where this did
not hold.
Just like Jim, I have also used a phasing system with the above mentioned
active loop and a mini-whip. I could establish a reduction in received band
noise in the order of 3 dB compared to the mini-whip alone. This is caused
by the change from omni-directional to a heart shaped antenna pattern and
hence a lower level of received band noise.
The best results in regard to low noise, was an EWE. I might set it up again
and test it on some T/A signals. Though A/B comparisons are obvious, I have
intentionally descarded these with my mini-whip design. It has been fun to
watch the performance over time. Just stick to it and see what happens in
the long run.
Best regards,
Roelof Bakker, pa0rdt
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