Loop and L-Band Antennas for SDRplay Receivers
To compliment our range of L-Band Antennas, SDR-Kits has now been appointed Reseller of the Cross Country Wireless Loop Antenna.
Covering from 450 kHz - 70 Mhz and with reduced performance from 200 kHz - 146 MHz, this loop antenna offers a suitable compact yet cost effective solution for Receivers like the SDRplay RSP SDR Receivers.
Supplied with a 3 meter long wire loop it can be set up as a triangle loop with 1 meter sides or a square loop with 75cm sides, and positioned in front of a window or outdoors at 2 meter height from ground.
The CCW Loop antenna is a good alternative for those who cannot use outside wire antennas due to lack of space.
For SDR Receivers which host a +5V BiasTee supply option on the Antenna connector, the CCW ++ loop antenna may be connected direct to an Antenna port that offers BiasTee. Typical power consumption by the Antenna is about 20mA. Power to the CCW++ can also be also supplied from the optional CCW Power Injector connected to a +10V - 13.6V DC external power source.
See our range of Antennas below.
Loop Antenna Head with +12V DC BiasTee Injector
Loop Antenna Head Active 50 kHz-150 MHz with +12V DC BiasTee Injector
The Loop Antenna Amplifier LAA++ V4 contains all the electronics needed for
home DIY construction of an active loop (magnetic loop) low noise
receiving antenna.
The head unit can be used on its own powered by
the internal bias tee inside a SDRPlay receiver, or any other Receiver
that has a +5v DC BiasTee option.
Note: Although direct +5V BiasTee supply from Radio is supported, there is an increased risk of interference due to significant increase in Inter-modulation distortion. Using the 12V DC BiasTee unit (supplied) will always give better performance!
The
amplifier consists of two units: a weatherproofed outdoor head unit for
connection to a suitable loop and an optional bias tee unit to provide
DC power up the coaxial cable to the outdoor unit.
The outdoor unit is housed in a polycarbonate box with stainless steel antenna connections and a BNC socket. The bias tee unit is a PCB with two BNC connectors and a DC socket to take DC power from a battery or power supply.
The Antenna has RF overload protection to allow it to be used close to transmit antennas without damaging the amplifier or the attached receiver.
The loop depends on what the user has available. The Amplifier head has been tested with simple loops or deltas, coax loops and an alloy loop made from a bicycle wheel rim.
A 2.5m (8 ft) length of wire is supplied as a simple loop to make a first loop for initial testing or even permanent installation. This length is resonant on 125 MHz for Aircraft band monitoring.
The image on the right shows the 4 items supplied: Loop Amplifier, 12V DC BiasTee unit cased, 2.5m Loop wire, and the DC Power Cable (white is +)
The Bias Tee unit is intended for use with a +12 V DC feed, which allows the head unit amplifier to have a greater dynamic range than with the 5 V DC available from SDRPlay receivers, or other receivers that have a
+5V BiasTee option fitted.
The components in the internal bias tee within a SDRPlay receiver limits
the minimum frequency to 500 kHz. Using the optional bias tee unit
allows the antenna amplifier to work over its full range.
This is ideal for fixed station operations with high quality loops and high performance base station receivers or transceivers.
Specifications - CCW LAA++ V4 (filtered version) applicable with 12V DC Power applied with BiasTee unit supplied
Frequency range (Loop Antenna Amplifier 90 kHz - 55 MHz) - Note that coverage down to 90 kHz is possible with the BiasTee Unit supplied
Output impedance: 50 ohms
Inter-modulation distortion at 12V DC by using BiasTee unit Supplied:
-OIP2: >+70 dBm
-OIP3: >+32.5 dBm
(Note: Distortion is significantly worse when the loop is powered from +5V BiasTee source from Receiver)Gain (head and base units Loop Antenna Amplifier 25 dB at 14 MHz
Noise figure: 0.79 dB
Supply voltage (head unit): 4.5 to 15V from a bias-tee feed via the coaxial cable
Supply current (head unit fed with 5 V from bias-tee ): 30 mA
Supply current (head unit fed with 13.8 V from bias-tee): 40 mA
Loop antenna outdoor unit connectors: Two M6 stainless steel threaded studs and
BNC female (RF out 50 ohms)Loop antenna amplifier bias tee board connections:
-BNC female (RF input and DC feed to outdoor unit),
-BNC female (RF output to receiver),
-DC connector (for 5 -12 V DC power input)
SDR Kits Ltd is an authorized Reseller of the Cross Country Wireless Loop Antenna
Link to an independent Video review of 4 popular Loop Antennas including the LAA++ (34 min duration)
L-Band Inmarsat RHCP Receive Antenna A154R for 1540 MHz Band
A GPS-Style Active L-Band Patch Receive Antenna to explore and experiment with reception of satellite signals on frequencies between 1535 MHz to 1550 MHz.
Suitable for SDRPlay SDR Radios (RSP1A, RSPdx, RSPduo, RSP2 and RSP2pro) and also for other Radios fitted with Bias Tee facility supplying 3V – 5V DC.
Can provide reception of signal with popular JAERO software and other software where not forbidden by local Laws.
The Patch Antenna can be conveniently mounted by fixing a 10cm x 10cm iron angle bracket to an outside mast or other object and the magnet will hold the Antenna securely in place - similarly when placing the Antenna on top of the roof of a car for mobile reception.
Frequency band 1535 MHz – 1550 MHz for Right Hand Circular Polarized (RHCP) typically Inmarsat Satellites
Cable RG174 length 5 meters fitted with male SMA plug connector
Noise Factor < 2dB
Fitted with strong Magnet
Temperature Range: -40 to +85 C
Note: Reception on L-band frequencies from geostationary satellites requires the Antenna to be placed in a OUTSIDE Location with a clear view of the Satellite.
Unlike GPS signal - no reception is possible when the antenna is placed inside a car or inside buildings.
Adverse weather (rain or snow) and also change in Satellite
radiating footprint during the day may affect reception.
For tips on successfully using the L-Band Antenna watch this Youtube Video by Frugal Radio: https://youtu.be/RU7R0st1W28. Please note that Robin is an experienced User - if you are new to L-Band you may need to experiment and perservere to get the most out of the Antenna in your particular location.
Product Support Information:
Please read the following information before ordering the Antenna to avoid potential disappointment:
- This Antenna is designed to our specification and is successfully used with all SDRPlay Radios, RSP1A, RSP2, RSP2pro and RSPduo by many of our Customers.
- Successful operation has not been tested with other manufacturer's radios, like RTLSDR dongle which may have different front-end chips depending on the manufacturer.
- This is an Active Antenna with internal low-noise amplifier which will only work with Radios which have +5V Bias-Tee option.
- Bias-Tee must be enabled in software and LNA Gain and IF Gain controls must be set to maximum. When enabling Bias-Tee option you should immediately see the background noise increase by at least 10dB on the Panoramic Display.
- The Antenna comes with a standard cable length of 5 meters. Do NOT insert additional antenna cables, splitters or low-noise preamps as this will increase the overall losses which may not be recovered with a second LNA amplifier.
- Successful operation may not be possible if the antenna is located within 50m-100m distance from a nearby Mobile Telephone Base-Station or from local Transmitters operating nearby. A good test is to take the RX and the Antenna out into the countryside and place on top of a car roof.
- It is advisable to mount the antenna on a 12cm x 12cm or 9.3mm round dia metal sheet simulating a car roof which will give between 1.5 - 2.5dB additional gain.
- Omni directional in
horizontal and vertical plane, however about 1-2 db extra gain can be
obtained by pointing the patch antenna towards a satellite.
L-Band Receive Antenna A162 for 1620 MHz Iridium satellite Band
A GPS-Style Active L-Band Patch Receive Antenna to explore and experiment with reception of satellite signals on frequencies between 1610 MHz to 1630 MHz.
Suitable for SDRPlay SDR Radios (RSP1A, RSPdx, RSPduo, RSP2 and RSP2pro) and also for other Radios fitted with Bias Tee facility supplying 3V – 5V DC.
Can provide reception of signals to experiment with the Iridium toolkit where not forbidden by local Laws.
The Patch Antenna can be conveniently mounted by fixing a 10cm x 10cm iron angle bracket to an outside mast or other object and the magnet will hold the Antenna securely in place - similarly when placing the Antenna on top of the roof of a car for mobile reception.
Frequency band 1615 MHz – 1630 MHz for reception of iridium satellites
Cable RG174 length 5 meters fitted with male SMA plug
Noise Factor < 2dB
Fitted with strong Magnet
Temperature Range: -40 to +85 C
Note: Reception on L-band frequencies from geostationary satellites requires the Antenna to be placed in a OUTSIDE Location with a clear view of the Satellite.
Unlike GPS signal - no reception is possible when the antenna is placed inside a car or inside buildings.
Adverse weather (rain or snow) and also change in Satellite
radiating footprint during the day may affect reception.
Product Support Information:
Please read the following information before ordering the Antenna to avoid potential disappointment:
- This Antenna is designed to our specification and is successfully used with all SDRPlay Radios with Bia-Tee: RSP1A,RSPdx, RSP2, RSP2pro and RSPduo by many of our Customers.
- Successful operation has not been tested
with other manufacturer's radios that have BiasT, like RTLSDR dongle
which may have different front-end chips depending on the manufacturer.
- This is an Active Antenna with internal low-noise amplifier which will only work with Radios which have +5V Bias-Tee option.
- Bias-Tee must be enabled in software and LNA Gain and IF Gain controls must be set to maximum. When enabling Bias-Tee option you should immediately see the background noise increase by at least 10dB on the Panoramic Display.
- The Antenna comes with a standard cable length of 5 meters. Do NOT insert additional antenna cables, splitters or low-noise preamps as this will increase the overall losses which may not be recovered with a second LNA amplifier.
- Successful operation may not be possible if the antenna is located within 50m-100m distance from a nearby Mobile Telephone Base-Station or from local Transmitters operating nearby. A good test is to take the RX and the Antenna out into the countryside and place on top of a car roof.
- It is recommended to place the Antenna on a 12cm x 12cm metal sheet, (simulating a car roof) which will give a useful 1.5-2.5dB increase in signal strength