Tagged: youloop

Building a Mechanical Support for the YouLoop and HFDY Loop Amplifier

Thank you to Marco Cardelli (IZ5IOW) who recently wrote in and shared with us his design for mounting a YouLoop antenna indoors, which he uses with his Airspy HF+ Discovery SDR receiver.

Marco's build involves an MDF wooden base measuring 15cm x 15cm, supporting a vertical mast made from a 70cm long, 25mm diameter PVC pipe. The mast is secured to the wooden base using a repurposed metal bracket and cable ties.

Additionally, Marco constructed square loop enclosure out of 20mm diameter PVC pipe for containing his HFDY active loop, measuring 60cm per side. The HFDY is an active loop variant of the YouLoop, available on sites like Aliexpress.

Marco's YouLoop stand, and the inside of the HFDY active loop.
Marco's YouLoop stand, and the inside of the HFDY active loop.

RTL-SDR Blog L-Band Patch, Bullseye, YouLoop Sale

This Black Friday we are offering a discount on our L-Band Patch, Bullseye and YouLoop antennas in our store and marketplace listings! The sale will run until the end of November.

Our L-Band patch is an active design for receiving L-band satellites such as Inmarsat, Iridium, GPS and other satellites that transmit between 1525 - 1660 MHz (please note that you cannot use it for weak signals that require a dish like HRPT or GOES).

The Bullseye LNB is a TCXO stabilized LNB for the QO-100 geostationary amateur satellite and other Ku-band satellites.

The YouLoop is a super portable passive HF/VHF loop antenna designed for super low NF/MDS receivers like the Airspy HF+ Discovery.

  • L-Band Patch Antenna: US $59.95 $49.95
  • Bullseye LNB: US $29.95 $24.95
  • YouLoop: US $39.95 $31.96

Pricing includes free shipping to most countries. Please note that pricing does not include VAT and/or taxes which may be added for your country.

Frugal Radio: Testing the YouLoop on VHF & UHF

On this weeks episode over on the Frugal Radio YouTube channel, Rob investigates if the YouLoop antenna works well at VHF and UHF frequencies. The YouLoop is a popular portable passive loop receiving antenna that can be used with sensitive radios like the Airspy HF+ Discovery. It is mostly used for HF reception, but advertised to work up to the VHF band as well.

In his video Rob describes how the YouLoop can receive on VHF frequencies by acting as a folded dipole. To test this capability he connects an indoor YouLoop to an RTL-SDR Blog V3 unit, and confirms that he is able to strongly receive VHF airband ATIS, airband communications and various VHF digital and analogue voice signals.

Rob then goes on to check if the YouLoop works in the UHF bands, which it is not advertised as being capable of receiving. However, Rob does find that the YouLoop worked well on relatively strong UHF signals up to around 800 MHz.

Does the Airspy Youloop work on VHF? What about UHF and 700/800 MHz?

Airspy Summer Promo: 20% Off Airspy Products Including YouLoop in our Store

Airspy is currently holding a 20% off summer promotion which runs from June 28th until Julty 4th 2021. The sale is active at all participating resellers, which includes our own store where we have the YouLoop on sale for US$27.96 including free shipping to most countries in the world, instead of the usual US$34.95. Please note that due to new EU VAT collection laws, EU customers must purchase the discounted YouLoop from our eBay or Aliexpress stores. 

The YouLoop is a low cost passive loop antenna for HF and VHF. It is based on the Möbius loop design which results in a high degree of noise cancelling. However the main drawback is that it is a non-resonant design, which means that it works best when used with ultra sensitive receivers like the Airspy HF+ Discovery. 

Some good reviews include the YouTube videos done by Frugal Radio where he reviews HF reception and VLF & LF reception with an Airspy HF+, and later tests it with an RTL-SDR Blog V3 using direct sampling. Techminds also has an excellent review on his YouTube channel. We also have a product release overview on this post from March 2020.

Tech Minds tests out the YouLoop HF Passive Loop Antenna

Over on YouTube Tech Minds has uploaded a new video where he unboxes and tests a YouLoop HF Passive Loop Antenna with his Airspy. The YouLoop design is also known as a Möbius loop, or noise cancelling passive loop "NCPL". The passive nature of the antenna means that highly sensitive radios will work best with it, however limited results may still be obtained with other radios. The advantages are extremely low levels of interference pickup and high portability.

In the video Tech Minds explains the specifications of the antenna before demonstrating the antenna receiving the HF bands with an Airspy + SpyVerter. He also tests the loop on VHF, demonstrating its ability to receive a distant 2M beacon.

We note that we sell official YouLoop antennas on our store for $34.95 including free shipping to most countries.

YouLoop HF Passive Loop Antenna

RTL-SDR Blog Black Friday Sale Discounts On: RTL-SDR V3, YouLoop, QO-100 Bullseye, FlightAware, ADS-B LNA, RSP Enclosure

We're holding our first black friday week sale with 6% to 30% off selected products!

Only until Monday, and orders are subject to stock levels and possible back ordering if stocks sell out. Sale is only valid on our web store, Amazon and Aliexpress (the eBay platform will not be discounted due to high fees). Discounts are summarized below, with everything still including free worldwide shipping to most countries:

  • RTL-SDR Blog V3 Dongle with Dipole Antenna Set: $34.95 $32.95
  • RTL-SDR Blog V3 Dongle Only: $24.95 $22.95
  • QO-100 Bullseye TCXO LNB: $29.95 $24.95
  • Airspy YouLoop Passive Magnetic Loop Antenna: $34.95 $24.47 
  • FlightAware Prostick Plus: $29.95 $27.95
  • RTL-SDR Blog ADS-B Triple Filtered LNA: $39.95 $34.95
  • Metal Case Upgrade for SDRplay RSP1A: $24.95 $22.95

Please see our store at www.rtl-sdr.com/store for ordering.

Remember to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and via our email list to keep up to date on new posts, product releases and sales. We're also planning a giveaway or two in the coming months which will be done via those platforms.

Testing a YouLoop on an RTL-SDR Blog V3 with Direct Sampling

Thank you to Frugal Radio for submitting a YouTube video where he tests the YouLoop on an RTL-SDR Blog V3 running in direct sampling mode. The YouLoop is a passive HF loop antenna that requires a highly sensitive SDR like the Airspy HF+ Discovery to work at its full potential. However, in direct sampling mode the RTL-SDR Blog V3 does have enough sensitivity to work with the antenna to some extent thanks to the HF amplifier that is used on the direct sampling circuit. In the video Frugal Radio demonstrates the YouLoop receiving various HF signals.

Will an AirSpy YouLoop work with an RTL-SDR v3 on HF in direct sampling mode? It shouldn't...

We also note a second video by Bartłomiej Marcinkowski which shows an RTL-SDR Blog V3 in direct sampling mode running with a DIY YouLoop and MiniWhip. The MiniWhip does have increased signal strength, but the YouLoop is still usable and may be a better choice in the presence of interference. Later in the video he compares the RTL-SDR Blog V3 with MiniWhip against the Airspy HF+ Discovery with DIY YouLoop. 

RTL-SDR v3 & YouLoop vs RTL-SDR v3 & MiniWhip vs AirSpy HF+ Discovery & YouLoop [80m,40m,20m]

Testing the YouLoop on VLF & LF Reception with an Airspy HF+ Discovery

Over on his YouTube channel Frugal Radio has been testing his YouLoop passive magnetic loop antenna on VLF and LF reception with his Airspy HF+ Discovery. In the video Frugal Radio browses the VLF & LF spectrum, making note of some interesting signals, and showing how well the combo receives.

The YouLoop is a low cost passive loop antenna for HF and VHF. It is based on the Möbius loop design which results in a high degree of noise cancelling. However the main drawback is that it is a non-resonant design, which means that it needs to be used with ultra low MDS receivers like the Airspy HF+ Discovery. We have YouLoop stock available in our shop for $34.95 with free worldwide shipping.

Airpsy YouLoop passive antenna review on VLF & LF with an HF+ Discovery and SDR# during storms!