Man, you did an EXCELLENT job bending the tubing and flattening the ends so that it all looks professionally done. Have a great weekend Danny, and 73 from Mississippi! - K5SFC
@Danny install a 2 turns shielded loop. Basically it’s two turns of copper wire I side the copper tube, with about 1 inch gap on top. Brings noise down to about 125 and excellent reception. I think it is called YouLoop.I use two turns. Excellent reception.
I recently picked up a YouLoop and I'm very impressed with the low noise floor. I'm also impressed with the signals too. Thank you for watching. Have a great week Mathews. 😊
To compare the two, the important number is the signal to noise ratio (SNR) below your meter. As you pointed out, there were several times the copper loop had a higher signal but a higher noise floor. The SNR provides the better comparison. In many of the cases, the SNR is better on the 1886 in the higher frequencies and about equal to slightly better on the MLA30 on the lower. It is really hard to tell on SSB/AM. It would be good to compare the SNR on a constant carrier or a digital mode where you dont have the ups and downs of the voice. I have been looking at the 1886, and I still think it's the slightly better antenna. However, I may build a MLA30 like this as a proof of concept before dropping the cash on the 1886. Thanks for doing the videos!
Yes I would definitely try the MLA-30+. I don't think spending over $300 is worth it, just for shortwave listening. Thank you for the comment. Thank you for watching. Have a great week Steve. 😊
Danny, nice review but, if I may say so, didn't you made the wrong comparison? I think you should compare the original MLA30 with the copper tube MLA you made. I am very curious what that comparison looks like! Ik hope to see the results soon :-) Koos
I did that on an earlier video with the stock setup, this is the second video. You can view it here. th-cam.com/video/wHBVnEKobnM/w-d-xo.html Thank you for watching.
It would be interesting to see a before and after comparison, with the pipe vs. stock wire on the MLA-30. I suspect would provide higher bandwidth but would be interesting to see how it affected performance for DXing vs stock. Like WWV at same time of day comparison and SNR comparison or similar. Perfect candidate for a remote antenna rotator in that location.
I thought about that but there is minimal difference on the shortwave bands. However I did noticed that later on mediumwave and longwave there was an improvement. I made a video on how that copper tube MLA-30 loop made it down to VLF. Of course that was over a year later. Also an antenna rotator would be useless here as I have to point it at a fixed direction to lower the noise coming from the front of my home. I also addressed that in a future video. Thank you for watching. Good night Dave.
Great comparison Danny, the MFJ does do a better job especially lowering the noise floor and slightly improve SNR, but on balance it is $50 v $300 and if you are starting out on a budget it is a no brainer to give the MLA a go. Wish my QTH was as quiet as yours! I need to check your channel out. Regards from across the pond.
I got the MLA-30 and first thing I did was use a 10ft copper tube. I tried the wire in comparison and really not sure a big difference, and maybe the copper is noisier? I like the copper though because it remains in it's shape very easy, but wonder if the extra $ and effort was worth it
You can regulate gain/noise with the potentiometer inside, if I remember well it works anti-clockwise, but there should be an icon on the pcb. I'm waiting for mine, will be testing it with coax moebius vs standard wire then maybe with copper.
Thanks, also ordered the MLA-30 and RTL-SDR Blog v3 recently. Any thoughts about using SMA female connector so I can use my existing cable TV coax cables? They are probably 75 ohm but will this make a big difference? Any ideas for making an SMA female to 3.5mm mono jack to plug into the antenna jack of my Tecsun radio? I can use the RTL-SDR Blog v3 to power the antenna as has internal Bias-T, but when I use it for my radio, any recommendations on how to power the MLA-30 Bias-T (does portable cell phone charger introduce a lot of noise, or better than wall adapter USB?). Thanks.
You can use 75 ohm coax. Since you are only receiving radio signals. You can buy the adapter on Ebay. Yes you can use the RTL SDR internal Bias Tee to power the MLA-30. I used both a portable USB charger and my wall wart type cell phone charger and had no issues with either one. Congrats on your purchases. Thank you for your questions and comment. Have a good day Edy.
I have 2 MLA 30+ antennas. The Biasing Tee powers up fine on a USB plug in power adapter but when I try and power it through a portable power bank the power cuts off after a few minutes. This happens with both antenna Biasing Tees and with several different portable power banks different power cords. I would like to use the antenna for portable use but cannot power it. Is this normal or do I have two defective antennas.
What do think would happen If you were to use a one inch copper tube Ring , Cut it in the middle, squish the ends into tabs then drill a 1/4 inch hole add a screw, washer with a wing nut to make it easier to transport ???
creo que hay un filtro que mejora por de bajo los 2 mhz que mejora la copia en esa parte de la banda,gracias por tus experimento aprendo bastante con tus videos,gracias N4FAC
The real and first upgrade is to avoid the stupid and nonsense bias thee and feed the loop with 12V . Just imagine how much noise the upconverter (bias thee) powered by a phone charger will put on the loop amplifier .
You cant make copper to gold . MLA gain is up and noise also up MLA is MLA cant be wellbrook or MFJ . But it is bonus for your bucks and thank y for your efforts. To everybody dont spend money for mla to modify because this is cheap antenna and chinese junk I also use mla if I have budget will get wellbrook or bonito 305 or fx 73 s
Danny, do you feel this MLA30 would be a good investment for use with only the radio and no SDR? Just using it with my TECSUN PL-880? Nothing else. No Bias, etc. etc.
You need the Bias T to power the antenna otherwise it won't work. Yes I would recommend with any shortwave radio. The Tecsun PL-880 is a great radio, of course the MLA-30 would only enhance your listening experience. Thank you for the comment. Have a good day Greg.
Do you have a Diameter size for your copper loop please as I found with another loop that altering the diameter altered it band edge coverage, thank you for your great comparison video as I have ordered a MLA-30.
Why would you do that for a receive only antenna? Your voltage across the loop is dependant on loop area, and angle of incidence of the received signal - check using Maxwell's Equations.
Mirror mirror on the wall whats the fairest Coax of them all? These days, the quality of the coax cable is more important than ever. We have discussed this extensively in our article “ Why even good antennas need good coax cable….” www.bonito.net/newsroom/why-even-good-antennas-need-good-coax-cable/?lang=en Look into geting low noise coax with SMA Connectors I suggest the lightest weight, self supporting, copper tubing Refrigation/Capillary, to reduce strain on a reccomended TV Antenna Rotator that indicates Direction Most Bias T's are passive and pass up a supplied voltage, which should be LOW NOISE, Batteries, or a transformer based Type II Wallwart. Avoid switching power supplies like the plague. The big question is what kind of power is the SDR suppling Also what is your opinion of the newer MLA3x variants www.ebay.ca/itm/2020-K-180WLA-Active-Loop-Broadband-Receiving-Antenna-0-1M-180MHz-For-SDR-Radio/143558130215?hash=item216cbb3a27:g:asIAAOSwCf5ecYwI Note: without 3.7V 18650 lithium battery, The carrier can't ship the battery , please prepare youself Testing video：Video 1 Video 2 Description： The P.BOX feed box can be installed one 3.7V 18650 flat-head lithium battery with integrated power supply module. It is the only active antenna that does not require an external power supply and integrates a charge management chip. The MICRO USB charging port is compatible with the 5V charging head of Android phones. And charging cable, very easy to use. UHF low-noise preamplifier is used. The gain flatness is very good within the ultra-wide operating frequency of 0.1-180MHZ. It provides a gain of about 20DB, even when working to 450MHZ gain, there is still about 8.9DB. The receiving frequency covers long wave, medium wave, short wave, FM broadcasting band and VHF aviation band. The small ring diameter 55CM is simple to set up. It can be set up outside the window, balcony, terrace and roof. Lovers erected. All the screws of the antenna are made of 304 stainless steel, and the preamplifier box is fully waterproof, which can be used for long-term outdoor wind and rain. Suitable models include Desheng S-2000 PL-660 PL-880 ICOM R71E YAESU FRG-8800 and all short-wave receivers, especially for SDR receivers. Note: The antenna is equipped with a dual SMA male adapter cable, an SMA to 3.5 plug adapter cable, and an S2000 BNC adapter, which means that your radio can be used with SMA female, BNC, and 3.5 jacks. Requires additional accessories. Receivers and radios with other interfaces need their own adapters. Package content： The K-180WLA antenna includes a ring oscillator (304 stainless steel), One RF.BOX preamplifier box, One P.BOX feed box, Two P.BOX fixing clips and screws (304 stainless steel), One double SMA male adapter cable (one meter in length), SMA male to 3.5 plug adapter cable (1 meter in length), One Micro USB 2A charging cable (one meter length), TNC male and SMA male 50-1.5 feeders (10 meters in length), Two antenna mounting and fixing hoop (304 stainless steel). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.ebay.ca/itm/AMLA150-Magnetic-Loop-Antenna-Adjustable-Gain-Low-Noise-For-FM-HA-SDR-Radio/154096152052?hash=item23e0d8adf4:g:TKAAAOSwOGdfaa9k&var=454231645392 Why AMLA50 antenna is better than MLA30? The MLA30 antenna will have noise near 10MHz and 20MHz, because it uses ordinary power or mobile power supply (mobile power has a boost function that will affect the antenna reception)，There is another disadvantage. MLA30 uses a feeder to power the external antenna, which will further affect the receiving effect and reduce the receiving performance. The solution used by AMLA50 antenna is different from that of MLA30. We use a professional receiving chip with excellent reception. Radio enthusiasts are welcome to buy it for evaluation and comparison with other types of antennas. Type 7: 1. Finished board x 1 (with 8.4V rechargeable lithium battery). 2. SMA-J male to BNC-J male (6 meters) x 1. 3. Loop antenna x 1. (304 steel wire, steel wire Φ1.5mm, loop vibrator Φ60cm)
Man, you did an EXCELLENT job bending the tubing and flattening the ends so that it all looks professionally done. Have a great weekend Danny, and 73 from Mississippi!
- K5SFC
Thank you for the kind words. Thank you for watching. Have a good night. 73. KD2ZZE.
@Danny install a 2 turns shielded loop. Basically it’s two turns of copper wire I side the copper tube, with about 1 inch gap on top. Brings noise down to about 125 and excellent reception. I think it is called YouLoop.I use two turns. Excellent reception.
I recently picked up a YouLoop and I'm very impressed with the low noise floor. I'm also impressed with the signals too. Thank you for watching. Have a great week Mathews. 😊
To compare the two, the important number is the signal to noise ratio (SNR) below your meter. As you pointed out, there were several times the copper loop had a higher signal but a higher noise floor. The SNR provides the better comparison. In many of the cases, the SNR is better on the 1886 in the higher frequencies and about equal to slightly better on the MLA30 on the lower. It is really hard to tell on SSB/AM. It would be good to compare the SNR on a constant carrier or a digital mode where you dont have the ups and downs of the voice.
I have been looking at the 1886, and I still think it's the slightly better antenna. However, I may build a MLA30 like this as a proof of concept before dropping the cash on the 1886. Thanks for doing the videos!
Yes I would definitely try the MLA-30+. I don't think spending over $300 is worth it, just for shortwave listening. Thank you for the comment. Thank you for watching. Have a great week Steve. 😊
Danny, Excellent information. Thank you so much for sharing this. What a game changer on this little antenna.
Thank you for watching. Thank you for the comment. Yes this little antenna is a game changer. Have a great week Mike. 😊
Thanks for the video. It was showing a nice comparison between these 2 loops !!
Thank you for watching. Have a good weekend.
Danny, nice review but, if I may say so, didn't you made the wrong comparison? I think you should compare the original MLA30 with the copper tube MLA you made. I am very curious what that comparison looks like!
Ik hope to see the results soon :-)
Koos
I did that on an earlier video with the stock setup, this is the second video. You can view it here. th-cam.com/video/wHBVnEKobnM/w-d-xo.html Thank you for watching.
👍thanks Danny
It would be interesting to see a before and after comparison, with the pipe vs. stock wire on the MLA-30. I suspect would provide higher bandwidth but would be interesting to see how it affected performance for DXing vs stock. Like WWV at same time of day comparison and SNR comparison or similar. Perfect candidate for a remote antenna rotator in that location.
I thought about that but there is minimal difference on the shortwave bands. However I did noticed that later on mediumwave and longwave there was an improvement. I made a video on how that copper tube MLA-30 loop made it down to VLF. Of course that was over a year later. Also an antenna rotator would be useless here as I have to point it at a fixed direction to lower the noise coming from the front of my home. I also addressed that in a future video. Thank you for watching. Good night Dave.
Great comparison Danny, the MFJ does do a better job especially lowering the noise floor and slightly improve SNR, but on balance it is $50 v $300 and if you are starting out on a budget it is a no brainer to give the MLA a go. Wish my QTH was as quiet as yours! I need to check your channel out. Regards from across the pond.
Yes I agree. Thank you for the comment. Thank you for watching. Have a great week Pete. 😊
Very nice comparison video. Thank you Danny. 👍
Thank you Papas.
Thanks very much for the great info
Thank you Sir. Stay safe and be well my friend.
HAHAHAHA THATS ME SAYING " I HAVE TO GO BRUSH MY TEETH on 3814 at 16:20, LMFAO
Thank you for watching. Have a good weekend.
I got the MLA-30 and first thing I did was use a 10ft copper tube. I tried the wire in comparison and really not sure a big difference, and maybe the copper is noisier? I like the copper though because it remains in it's shape very easy, but wonder if the extra $ and effort was worth it
Works well for me. Thank you for watching. Have a good weekend.
I really enjoy your channel
I appreciate that! Thank you.
@ 25:01 286khz for instance, could you had centered that freq. on display if you wanted to with that software?
Thank you for watching. Have a good weekend.
You can regulate gain/noise with the potentiometer inside, if I remember well it works anti-clockwise, but there should be an icon on the pcb. I'm waiting for mine, will be testing it with coax moebius vs standard wire then maybe with copper.
Thank you for watching. Have a good weekend.
Thanks, also ordered the MLA-30 and RTL-SDR Blog v3 recently. Any thoughts about using SMA female connector so I can use my existing cable TV coax cables? They are probably 75 ohm but will this make a big difference? Any ideas for making an SMA female to 3.5mm mono jack to plug into the antenna jack of my Tecsun radio? I can use the RTL-SDR Blog v3 to power the antenna as has internal Bias-T, but when I use it for my radio, any recommendations on how to power the MLA-30 Bias-T (does portable cell phone charger introduce a lot of noise, or better than wall adapter USB?). Thanks.
You can use 75 ohm coax. Since you are only receiving radio signals. You can buy the adapter on Ebay. Yes you can use the RTL SDR internal Bias Tee to power the MLA-30. I used both a portable USB charger and my wall wart type cell phone charger and had no issues with either one. Congrats on your purchases. Thank you for your questions and comment. Have a good day Edy.
I have 2 MLA 30+ antennas. The Biasing Tee powers up fine on a USB plug in power adapter but when I try and power it through a portable power bank the power cuts off after a few minutes. This happens with both antenna Biasing Tees and with several different portable power banks different power cords. I would like to use the antenna for portable use but cannot power it. Is this normal or do I have two defective antennas.
Thank you for watching. Have a good weekend.
What do think would happen If you were to use a one inch copper tube Ring , Cut it in the middle, squish the ends into tabs then drill a 1/4 inch hole add a screw, washer with a wing nut to make it easier to transport ???
Sounds like a good idea. I'm sure it would work as well. I may do something like that. Thank you for the question and idea. Have a good day Dan.
creo que hay un filtro que mejora por de bajo los 2 mhz que mejora la copia en esa parte de la banda,gracias por tus experimento aprendo bastante con tus videos,gracias N4FAC
Muchas gracias. Cuídate y estar bien Fernando.
You need to buy the newer 30 plus, it's way better
I did buy the MLA-30 + and it is much better than the original. Thank you for watching and comment. Have a good day.
If you make the copper loop larger will it pick up more signal?
I am wondering the same thing?
@@polarwind2574 Yes! The MLA-30+ works better with a loop twice the diameter!
The answer is on my playlists and videos. Thank you for watching. Have a good weekend.
You are Great thanks a lot
Thanks bro. Thank you for watching. Have a good weekend.
Mirror Mirror on the wall Which is the fairest of them all?? aka which is the better/best low noise Coax/Triax to use to upgrade the MLA-30
The real and first upgrade is to avoid the stupid and nonsense bias thee and feed the loop with 12V . Just imagine how much noise the upconverter (bias thee) powered by a phone charger will put on the loop amplifier .
Thank you for watching. Have a good weekend.
You cant make copper to gold . MLA gain is up and noise also up
MLA is MLA cant be wellbrook or MFJ . But it is bonus for your bucks and thank y for your efforts. To everybody dont spend money for mla to modify because this is cheap antenna and chinese junk I also use mla if I have budget will get wellbrook or bonito 305 or fx 73 s
Thank you for watching.
it seams to me that the SNR is better with the MFJ
Thank you for watching. Have a good weekend.
Danny, do you feel this MLA30 would be a good investment for use with only the radio and no SDR? Just using it with my TECSUN PL-880? Nothing else. No Bias, etc. etc.
You need the Bias T to power the antenna otherwise it won't work. Yes I would recommend with any shortwave radio. The Tecsun PL-880 is a great radio, of course the MLA-30 would only enhance your listening experience. Thank you for the comment. Have a good day Greg.
Do you have a Diameter size for your copper loop please as I found with another loop that altering the diameter altered it band edge coverage, thank you for your great comparison video as I have ordered a MLA-30.
Thank you for watching. Have a good weekend.
@@dannyshortwave And yourself Danny take care,
Why would you do that for a receive only antenna? Your voltage across the loop is dependant on loop area, and angle of incidence of the received signal - check using Maxwell's Equations.
Okay Genius. Thank you for watching. Have a good weekend.
Mirror mirror on the wall whats the fairest Coax of them all?
These days, the quality of the coax cable is more important than ever. We have discussed this extensively in our article “ Why even good antennas need good coax cable….” www.bonito.net/newsroom/why-even-good-antennas-need-good-coax-cable/?lang=en Look into geting low noise coax with SMA Connectors
I suggest the lightest weight, self supporting, copper tubing Refrigation/Capillary, to reduce strain on a reccomended TV Antenna Rotator that indicates Direction
Most Bias T's are passive and pass up a supplied voltage, which should be LOW NOISE, Batteries, or a transformer based Type II Wallwart.
Avoid switching power supplies like the plague. The big question is what kind of power is the SDR suppling
Also what is your opinion of the newer MLA3x variants
www.ebay.ca/itm/2020-K-180WLA-Active-Loop-Broadband-Receiving-Antenna-0-1M-180MHz-For-SDR-Radio/143558130215?hash=item216cbb3a27:g:asIAAOSwCf5ecYwI
Note: without 3.7V 18650 lithium battery, The carrier can't ship the battery , please prepare youself
Testing video：Video 1 Video 2
Description：
The P.BOX feed box can be installed one 3.7V 18650 flat-head lithium battery with integrated power supply module. It is the only active antenna that does not require an external power supply and integrates a charge management chip. The MICRO USB charging port is compatible with the 5V charging head of Android phones. And charging cable, very easy to use.
UHF low-noise preamplifier is used. The gain flatness is very good within the ultra-wide operating frequency of 0.1-180MHZ. It provides a gain of about 20DB, even when working to 450MHZ gain, there is still about 8.9DB.
The receiving frequency covers long wave, medium wave, short wave, FM broadcasting band and VHF aviation band. The small ring diameter 55CM is simple to set up. It can be set up outside the window, balcony, terrace and roof. Lovers erected.
All the screws of the antenna are made of 304 stainless steel, and the preamplifier box is fully waterproof, which can be used for long-term outdoor wind and rain.
Suitable models include Desheng S-2000 PL-660 PL-880 ICOM R71E YAESU FRG-8800 and all short-wave receivers, especially for SDR receivers.
Note:
The antenna is equipped with a dual SMA male adapter cable, an SMA to 3.5 plug adapter cable, and an S2000 BNC adapter, which means that your radio can be used with SMA female, BNC, and 3.5 jacks. Requires additional accessories. Receivers and radios with other interfaces need their own adapters.
Package content：
The K-180WLA antenna includes a ring oscillator (304 stainless steel),
One RF.BOX preamplifier box,
One P.BOX feed box,
Two P.BOX fixing clips and screws (304 stainless steel),
One double SMA male adapter cable (one meter in length),
SMA male to 3.5 plug adapter cable (1 meter in length),
One Micro USB 2A charging cable (one meter length),
TNC male and SMA male 50-1.5 feeders (10 meters in length),
Two antenna mounting and fixing hoop (304 stainless steel).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.ebay.ca/itm/AMLA150-Magnetic-Loop-Antenna-Adjustable-Gain-Low-Noise-For-FM-HA-SDR-Radio/154096152052?hash=item23e0d8adf4:g:TKAAAOSwOGdfaa9k&var=454231645392 Why AMLA50 antenna is better than MLA30? The MLA30 antenna will have noise near 10MHz and 20MHz, because it uses ordinary power or mobile power supply (mobile power has a boost function that will affect the antenna reception)，There is another disadvantage. MLA30 uses a feeder to power the external antenna, which will further affect the receiving effect and reduce the receiving performance. The solution used by AMLA50 antenna is different from that of MLA30. We use a professional receiving chip with excellent reception. Radio enthusiasts are welcome to buy it for evaluation and comparison with other types of antennas.
Type 7: 1. Finished board x 1 (with 8.4V rechargeable lithium battery). 2. SMA-J male to BNC-J male (6 meters) x 1. 3. Loop antenna x 1. (304 steel wire, steel wire Φ1.5mm, loop vibrator Φ60cm)
Thank you for watching. Have a good weekend.
If you totally avoid th stupid upconverter ( bias thee ) and feed the loop wth 12V (wich is what's required from the amplifier) = the better .
Thank you for watching. Have a good weekend.
C00L
Thank you for watching.
C00L
Thank you for watching.