Bill’s simple Sony SRF-59 passive loop antenna modification

In reference to our previous posts about the Sony SRF-59 ultralight receiver, SWLing Post reader, Bill Mead, writes:

“As someone who doesn’t normally open the backs of radios, this is my mod on my ultralight. All it takes is a bit of electrical tape to hold the belt clip on the loop.”

That is, indeed, a brilliant and simple mod. The SRF-59 inductively couples to the loop antenna, so no soldering is needed; simply tape the belt clip to the loop, making sure the position is convenient for tuning the SRF-59 and the loop’s capacitor.

You can find passive loop antennas ranging from $19 to $50 US. The Grundig AN-200 and the Terk AM Advantage are two models currently on the market. Here are a few places you can check prices:

Grundig AN-200:

Universal Radio ($19.99 at time of posting!)
Amazon.com (who also sells the same antenna branded as the Kaito AN-200)
eBay.com

Terk AM Advantage:

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7 thoughts on “Bill’s simple Sony SRF-59 passive loop antenna modification”

rtc October 27, 2015 at 2:16 pm

Tecsun does (did?) make an external mw loop like
the Terk or Radio Shack:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TECSUN-AN-100-Tunable-Medium-Wave-Annular-Antenna-AN100-/250711107189?hash=item3a5f8be675

or from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Kaito-Tunable-Passive-Antenna-Panasonic/dp/B001KC579Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1445969623&sr=8-1&keywords=tecsun+an100+loop

BTW you can parallel a 220 pf disc capacitor across the variable
and thru a switch and it will cover 400-530 khz band very nicely
for the new 630m ham band.

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rtc October 27, 2015 at 2:22 pm

Or,if you prefer a ferrite bar passive coupling antenna
for MW and LW,the Q-Stick:

http://dxtools.com/QStick.htm

Gerry is a nice guy,builds a nice unit.

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1. Thomas Post authorOctober 27, 2015 at 2:24 pm
  
  Very cool! Thanks for the great tips!
  
  Reply ↓
  1. rtc October 27, 2015 at 2:48 pm
    
    You are most welcome.
    
    This discussion would not be complete
    without mentioning Paul Karlstrander’s
    excellent PK loop antennas:
    
    http://amradioantennas.com/am_antennas.htm
    
    Build quality is superb as is performance.
    He does them for MW and HF;the passive
    150-500 is a winner for LW…this is a
    “150-500 special order” item.
    
    I have all the above (inc. the 150-500 PK
    above) and can vouch for them.
    
    Reply ↓

Mike October 27, 2015 at 11:52 am

That’s not an AN200 in the picture though.
It’s a Radio Shack 15-1853.

I’ll have to try the electrical tape on the belt clip method and see how it works with my SRF-M37V. I just use a rubber band to hold my Sony SRF-M37V on the loop.
http://mesamike.org/radio/SRF-M37V/m37v-loop.jpg

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Thomas Post authorOctober 27, 2015 at 1:36 pm

Yeah, I recognized that RS loop; sad they’re no longer on the market. To my knowledge the only two still being sold are the AN-200 and Terk Advantage. Curious if I’ve missed any other passive loops.

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