AmateurRadio.com

The new Alexloop antenna

Just over 2 weeks ago I placed an order for the Alexloop,  For some time I have been debating what antenna to use when I was out and about with my KX3. I looked at the Miracle whip, Par end fedz antennas and the Alexloop. For my needs it boiled down to the Alexloop. I did have a miracle whip in the past and it is a great antenna but just not worth the money for the performance you get. The Alexloop was ordered and arrived within a week and a half!! I was very impressed with the reviews online and the testimonials at Eham. . The antenna comes in a very well made carry case that can be taken into the field with all parts contained for your setup......well almost all parts...a tripod is one of the recommend ways to setup the antenna for field work. There are other ways it can be deployed including holding it by hand (not as young as I used to be so this method my not work for me). You can clamp it to a pic-nick table or attach it to a chair....just for starters.  The unit cost's 299.00 and I will say this is not cheap but it's very well made and portable as well. The case that holds the unit is about 1.5 by 1 foot in total. I also want to add that the case is very well made with a shoulder strap and carry handle.

A quality case

So lets get to the nuts and bolts.....how does it work....sure anyone can say anything about their antenna but the proof is in the radio waves!!

Antenna location..cat standing guard

I wanted to do a comparison between my attic dipole which is the Alpha Delta DX-EE up about 30 feet in the attic and the Alexloop set up in my XYL's office just opposite my radio room. Let me state that this is not a comparison to see which antenna preforms better as that is not a fair comparison....but I wanted to see how well the loop did compared to my attic dipole. The Alexloop was mounted on a tripod....well ty-wrapped to it as the the Alexloop would not fit over the tripod center pole section. This is something I will have to work out later. Each of these antennas have their disadvantages....the dipole is in the attic, this means a wooden roof above, rafters all over and insulation below. The Alexloop is in a second floor room, it's a small loop antenna and very close to the ceiling. So really both antenna are far from ideal when it comes to location.

Temp tripod mount

For the rig I used my Elecraft KX3 (as this is the rig I will be using when in the parks, backyard and where ever else I decide to go!) The power output was set to 5 watts and the bands I chose were 20m and 40m. The plan was to run coax from the Alexloop to a 2 position antenna switch and switch between the two antennas. The Alexloop did not seem to take a liking to the added coax. I was not able to get the SWR down below 2. Once I used the length of coax that came with the loop (about 10 feet) all was well. This just meant I was going to have to connect and disconnect the KX3 from one antenna to the other for the comparison. I was calling  CQ on 14.060 and 7.020 on the attic dipole and call CQ on 14.050 and 7.032 on the Alexloop and check out the Reverse beacon network to see who was picking up the CQ call. Not sure if the conditions were not all that great but both on 20m and 40m the attic dipole just got hits in the U.S as did the Alexloop. There was one big surprise when the Alexloop had a hit with OL5Q (along with the attic dipole) I was very impressed that a loop antenna in a bedroom was able to get a report from OL5Q!!
My overall impressions of the Alexloop are as follows:
1. Shipping was fantastic, this antenna got here from South America faster than products I have ordered from the U.S.
2. The support is great, I had a question about the loop when it arrived and it was answered within 30 minutes!!!!
3. This unit is quality quality quality from the carry case to antenna!!
4. The tuning was a cinch, turn for peak noise and then transmit and tune for lowest SWR....takes about 20 seconds!

14.060, 7.032 Alexloop

5. Assembly is done in 4 minutes for a first timer and I imagine with practice I can cut that time in half.
6. Antenna foot print is very low profile and can be used vertical or horizontal.
7. The SWR on 20m and 40m (only bands used so far) was 1.4 at 14.060 and 1.7 at 7.032.
The bottom line is I am very very impressed with this antenna and I will be taking it to the field and updating the blog on how it does.  Up to this point would I recommend this antenna.......dam right I would it's support is excellent, quality of the product is way above par and so far the results have been very impressive.