Hi, Mike.
I invested the MFJ 10-30m magnetic loop when we moved into an apartment in 2014.
Frankly, I am still rather astounded at just how well it plays given its physically small size.
For sure, it’s not a 3 element tribander but it does surprisingly well, especially on the higher bands.
I also have a 43 foot end-fed wire antenna that I use which is supported on a 20 foot fishing rod. The loop usually performs better than the wire in head to head comparison - certainly when it comes to signal to noise ratio, but usually also on pure signal strength.
I do use the wire for 40 and even occasionally 80/160.
On the loop, I have worked the following on 30-10 metres.
Band
DXCCs
30m
70
20m
150
17m
106
15m
128
12m
87
10m
114
Mostly CW, but some digital and SSB too, FT8 especially in the past couple of years.
I decided to accept the challenge of very limited HF antenna capacity when we moved from a house to an apartment and never expected to be able to do what I have been able to do.
So, if you’re forced into using a compromise HF antenna system, I would absolutely recommend magnetic loops- they do work unbelievably well - just don’t expect them to compare to a TH6DXX!
Chris Cox, N0UK
[email protected]https://www.credly.com/go/IR77aRbH2rFDdOiymuxu2w
On Dec 16, 2022, at 19:29, Mike Singer <[email protected]> wrote:
Hi Chris, I see you in the QST article. I am currently reviewing the loop antennas due to a postage stamp size lot. I see you have one. Any feedback is appreciated.
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Mike Singer
N6MJS
760-484-8257