Wellbrook ALA100M

I'm thinking it's time now to upgrade my HF antenna, which at the moment is a piece of wire strung the length of my attic. It does work fairly well, but it's also pretty noisy. I don't have a huge backyard, space is a consideration so I'm thinking loops.

Now everybody seems to recommend the ALA1530/1530S+ loops, and no doubt for good reason. What I don't see however is much talk of the ALA100M, where you basically provide your own loop. To me this would have some interesting benefits, allowing more flexibility and experimentation with different diameters, again nothing massive though. Also...it's cheaper. And right now the Canadian dollar isn't doing that great, and the exchange rate sucks... so that's a very real factor for me.

I mostly listen to HF utilities, don't care quite so much about MW broadcast. Wellbrook's website does seem to praise the ALA100M for it's MW and LW performance, and HF isn't mentioned too much, so I'm worried that it would be a disappointment on HF. Anyone have any comments on this?

At the end of the day if you guys think the ALA1530S+ would be more worth my while over the ALA100M considering where my interests are, I'll start saving the pennies.

Thanks!

I do most of my work with HF Utilities as well. I love my wellbrook. I've done some videos on YouTube. Check them out.
https://youtu.be/TqHAMKcXUbw

http://youtu.be/GDXJAFkMbCc

http://youtu.be/GxAS4Cxe63o


Never Forget 9/11

Might be a few more on my YouTube channel search around. A few other members did some nice videos too

Tony
Tampa Florida


Never Forget 9/11

Thanks! Your second video there says you're using the ALA1530S+, any experience with the ALA100M?

hfxChris said:

Thanks! Your second video there says you're using the ALA1530S+, any experience with the ALA100M?

Click to expand...

Chris,

Yes I purchased one but I cannot use it due to its gain settings. I received mine shortly after its release. The electronics were cranked up so high that it overloaded my SDR -- even when using a simple 30ft wire loop. I worked with Andy on this and he suggested their older, proven model. While he was willing to tweak the electronics for me, he ended up sending me the 100LN as a replacement instead. (The 100M was intended to replace the 100LN model. He actually brought back the LN model due it's proven reputation.)

It's essentially the same thing as the smaller loops but there are a few caveats:

First, I recommend having a large, open space. You can use it for whatever size loop you feel like making but I wanted to go big. There are a few Perseus remotes that use the wire loop kit that are incredibly low-noise; however, that's also due to their location (middle of Alberta.)

Second, as with the first point, your enemy is RFI. The smaller 1m loops provide that ability to eliminate the E field. The larger 100M/100LN loops have such a large capture area that they don't mitigate RFI like the smaller loops.

Third, while not a caveat exactly, you'll need to experiment with different sizes and configurations. Probably the "ideal" configuration would be a square loop using 40ft masts in each corner. Once you start getting up around 200ft (50ft each side) it probably wouldn't matter much. If you have the extra space, then it may be fun to experiment and see which configuration works best for you. (There are configurations for DX, Directional and NVIS.)

I use the 100LN model with a ~180ft loop in a similar configuration to a delta loop. The wire is 14ga Flexweave which is very nice to work with...

Here's an example of my configuration (ignore the lengths) --

http://www.myham.be/images/DeltaLoop.png

I highly recommend the ALA100LN-2 model as long as you have the space.

Link: http://www.loop-antennas.com/North_American/ALA100LN-2



Good luck,
-Nick

Thanks for your response Nick, I appreciate it. I have one question, my understanding from his website is that the 100M was meant to be used with smaller diameter loops than the 100LN, the PDF document he has states it can be used with a 3-10m circumference (about 1-3m diameter) loop. I certainly don't have the room for anything as large as what you've got there
I may have however misread the information.

hfxChris said:

I have one question, my understanding from his website is that the 100M was meant to be used with smaller diameter loops than the 100LN, the PDF document he has states it can be used with a 3-10m circumference (about 1-3m diameter) loop. I certainly don't have the room for anything as large as what you've got there
I may have however misread the information.

Click to expand...

Nah they're the same kits just with different electronics. The M is a higher gain model and easier to produce than the LN model. (The LN model is very low noise but harder to produce. This is why he almost discontinued it.)

Thanks Nick!

hfxChris said:

I certainly don't have the room for anything as large as what you've got there.

Click to expand...

You can try the wire kit model but if you're limited on space then I highly recommend the 1m loop version. It's hard to beat especially if you're located in suburbia... (...which usually means a lot of RFI!)