I have used the Wellbrook ALS-100M large aperture loop antenna (costing
around $250) for many years - originally as an SWL and more recently as
a receive-only ham antenna. On this model, you make your own loop out
of wire, maybe 15 feet on a side or it can be as large as your lot.
Directionality varies with each location, but in my case, seems fairly
omni-directional.
I also use the DX-Engineering Active Vertical Receive Antennas
DXE-ARAV3-1P (costing $250) with equally good results.
I live on a smallish suburban lot and both of these receive-only
antennas have been helpful at times - not all the time, but sometimes
one works better than the other, and sometimes either or both work
better than my transmit antennas. I notice no problems with noise in
the neighborhood, so it does not matter that one of them is a "magnetic
loop" that works primarily on the magnetic side, while the other is a
vertical working primarily on the electric side, of the electromagnetic
signal.
These receive only antennas are nice to have, but I figure it is better
to improve one's transmit antennas if possible - especially if one can
can replace them with antennas with more gain. To me, that is the
better place to spend your hard earned brass, but I recognize that is
not always possible under the circumstances.
Just MY take.
----------------- K8JHR ------------------
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