Build your own Dressler ARA-2000 Active Wideband Antenna, sorta

[br0adband]

Saw this posted at the RTL-SDR.com website earlier:

Building an active wideband antenna for your SDR - rtl-sdr.com

which links to an article at:

https://apollo.open-resource.org/mission:log:2012:08:02:active-wideband-receiver-antenna-for-sdr

and I think I'm going to make an attempt to build one of these at some point in time. Curious to know if anyone out there has owned or does own the original antenna that this design is based upon, the Dressler ARA-2000 which has a somewhat fantastic reputation (which could be because Dressler disappeared many years ago and this antenna still survives in some places).

Should be an interesting project even if the end result offers nothing major over other antennas I've constructed but, it sure as hell looks to be one "outside the box" design that will prove a challenge to do it right.

So, anyone else have any experience with this antenna or even this type which appears to be defined as "a simple quadrilateral monopole, in the shape of a wedge, with a narrow start and a wider end."

Yeah, sure, that sounds good enough to me.

 

[prcguy]

I've owned two Dressler ARA antennas and have played with several others. I was not impressed and in side by side comparison a Discone works better up to about 200MHz then the Dressler is a little better but a Discone with a good preamp is better still.

The Dresslers also overload easily causing lots of IMD and a very high noise floor. I remember using an Icom R-7100 with analog S meter and watching my S zero noise floor in the VHF aircraft band go to S3 or S5 with the Dressler without any signals present. The high noise floor caused by the Dressler actually interfered with weak signals and a Discone provided a much more usable signal.

I will say the Dressler did ok in the 225-400MHz range slightly outperforming the Discone, but its a very expensive antenna for the general poor performance.
prcguy

 

[Lawman51]

New member and just saw this thread, I will tell you that with my experience thus far on the SDR dongles they are not very sensitive. It is not going to give you reception like a purpose made HF rig will with the intent being to pick up very weak signals for listening...there are limitations to the hardware.

 

[br0adband]

Well that's a given, but the Dressler isn't for HF operation anyway. As far as the "cheap USB TV tuners" thing, they work just fine for their (now) intended purpose of monitoring 25 MHz and up to their limitations. I've yet to have any issues with the two NooElec sticks I happen to have and consider them one of the best $20 investments I've ever made in this hobby I've been part of for several decades so far.

If I wanted some proper HF reception action that's what SDRplay/RSP is for and it's on the list to buy when the opportunity presents it.

Was just thinking making my own Dressler clone would be a nice project, I have the template cut out and at some point I'll find some proper copper sheeting to get it done once and for all and see what my contraption can do.