Loop Antenna Head Active 50 kHz-150 MHz with +12V DC BiasTee Injector

The Loop Antenna Amplifier ++ 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 - Applicable with 12V DC Power applied with BiasTee unit supplied

• Frequency range (Loop Antenna Amplifier 50 kHz - 150 MHz)  -  Note that coverage down to 18 kHz VLF transmissions 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 ): 25 mA

• Supply current (head unit fed with 13.8 V from bias-tee): 100 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)

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.
  

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