{"id":40345,"date":"2019-10-25T08:17:12","date_gmt":"2019-10-25T12:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=40345"},"modified":"2019-10-25T08:27:03","modified_gmt":"2019-10-25T12:27:03","slug":"rons-thoughts-on-rfl200-and-q-stick-longwave-antennas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/rons-thoughts-on-rfl200-and-q-stick-longwave-antennas\/","title":{"rendered":"Ron&#8217;s thoughts on RFL200 and Q-Stick longwave antennas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/RFL-200-e1572004769316.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-40358\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/RFL-200-1024x778.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"475\" \/><\/a>Many thanks to <em>SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Ron, who shares his thoughts on comparing two portable longwave antennas:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>To begin, for reference, <a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/the-professor-reviews-the-rfa200-external-ferrite-antenna\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">check out this post where The Professor reviews the RFA200.<\/a> Also, check out the following video from the replies of that post:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uTxeKF7vUcs?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Both the RFL-200 and the Q-Stick came in today.<\/p>\n<p>Performance of both was very nearly identical but for now the Q-Stick wins on price ($67.50 vs. $75.78 delivered) and the Q-Stick does both LW and MW.<a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/DSCF0006-1-e1571999770351.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-40354 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/DSCF0006-1-e1571999770351.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"148\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>But Gerry says he&#8217;s going to close RadioPlus early next year so-presumably-<br \/>\nthat will leave just the RFL-200 and its REA-200 sibling.<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;200&#8221; no doubt comes from the length, 200mm or 8 inches&#8230;the Q-stick<br \/>\nuses a 7-3\/4 inch ferrite bar which is probably why the similar performance.<\/p>\n<p>There is one thing: the small tuning knob is not hard to turn on the RFL-200<br \/>\nas it was on the REA-200 tested earlier but a bigger knob would be nice.<\/p>\n<p>But the tuning cap uses a 1\/8th inch shaft so finding a larger knob is too<br \/>\nmuch bother, most are for 1\/4 inch shafts.<\/p>\n<p>By comparison the Q-Stick has a nice big knob and is quite easy to tune.<\/p>\n<p>So for now the Q-Stick would be the better buy, but don&#8217;t tarry.<\/p>\n<p>[One more note,] if you want the most bang for your buck, forget both of these, <a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/08\/ron-is-impressed-with-the-pk-loop-mini-a-loop-mtam\/\">get<br \/>\na PK Loop<\/a> for $90.60 delivered (be sure to specify the 155-500 kHz model).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Ron!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/rover.ebay.com\/rover\/1\/711-53200-19255-0\/1?ff3=4&amp;pub=5574879351&amp;toolid=10001&amp;campid=5337672000&amp;customid=&amp;mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FLW-Antenna-for-Sony-Tecsun-Degen-Eton-Radios-125-530-KHz-Improve-LF-Reception%2F153048876261%3FssPageName%3DSTRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT%26_trksid%3Dp2057872.m2749.l2649%26redirect%3Dmobile\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Click here to check out the RFL200 longwave antenna on eBay<\/strong><\/a><strong>. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/rover.ebay.com\/rover\/1\/711-53200-19255-0\/1?ff3=4&amp;pub=5574879351&amp;toolid=10001&amp;campid=5337672000&amp;customid=&amp;mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FAM-Antenna-for-Sony-Tecsun-Degen-Eton-Radios-530-1710-KHz-Improve-MW-Reception%2F152783224257%3Fhash%3Ditem239296fdc1%3Ag%3AGgQAAOSwZW5aBr-t\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Click here to view the RFA200 mediumwave version.)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/dxtools.com\/QStick.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click here to check out the Q-Stick antenna at Radio Plus.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><strong><em>Do you enjoy the SWLing Post?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>Please consider supporting us via\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/bePatron?u=7466002&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fswling.com%2Fblog%2F&amp;utm_medium=widget\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/bePatron?u%3D7466002%26redirect_uri%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fswling.com%252Fblog%252F%26utm_medium%3Dwidget&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1534765144986000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEe7C7aRTKqwuFkU5YIo8XEqPqthw\"><span class=\"il\">Patreon<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/cgi-bin\/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&amp;hosted_button_id=TGGFP2XVZDPP2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/cgi-bin\/webscr?cmd%3D_s-xclick%26hosted_button_id%3DTGGFP2XVZDPP2&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1534765144986000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH45maBgVLGpqLmQQvviVKBNMEGUw\"><span class=\"il\">Coffee<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"il\">Fund<\/span><\/a>! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Your support makes articles like this one possible. Thank you!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/bePatron?u=7466002&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fswling.com%2Fblog%2F&amp;utm_medium=widget\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-33932 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/become_a_patreon-patron_button@2x.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"434\" height=\"102\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/become_a_patreon-patron_button@2x.png 434w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/become_a_patreon-patron_button@2x-300x71.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 434px) 100vw, 434px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron, who shares his thoughts on comparing two portable longwave antennas: To begin, for reference, check out this post where The Professor reviews the RFA200. Also, check out the following video from the replies of that post: Both the RFL-200 and the Q-Stick came in today. Performance of both [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3607,2436,3],"tags":[1643,4123,6856,8091,8090],"class_list":["post-40345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-antennas","category-longwave","category-news","tag-antennas","tag-longwave","tag-longwave-antennas","tag-q-stick-review","tag-rfl200-review"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-auJ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":30929,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/02\/the-xhdata-d-808-and-longwave-how-to-build-an-effective-antenna\/","url_meta":{"origin":40345,"position":0},"title":"The XHDATA D-808 and longwave: how to build an effective antenna","author":"Thomas","date":"February 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mad Radio DXer, who writes: I said I would share my results for attempting to receive LW signals on the XHDATA D-808, & if I can use a longwire to improve reception on this radio. This was after posting videos when I used around\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Accessories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Accessories","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/accessories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/XHDATA-D-808-Front-Panel-1024x686.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/XHDATA-D-808-Front-Panel-1024x686.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/XHDATA-D-808-Front-Panel-1024x686.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55279,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/01\/radio-waves-rtl-ends-longwave-ana-montes-released-mystery-antennas-across-utah-rip-mihail-mihailov-and-morse-in-music\/","url_meta":{"origin":40345,"position":1},"title":"Radio Waves: RTL Ends Longwave, Ana Montes Released, Mystery Antennas Across Utah, RIP Mihail Mihailov, and Morse in Music","author":"Thomas","date":"January 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio.\u00a0Enjoy! RTL Ends Longwave Service (Radio World) On 234 kHz, the new year rang in with static, not bells or fireworks.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Broadcasters&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/LE-Emetteur_de_Junglinster_les_trois_mats_vus_de_lOuest.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/LE-Emetteur_de_Junglinster_les_trois_mats_vus_de_lOuest.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/LE-Emetteur_de_Junglinster_les_trois_mats_vus_de_lOuest.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":41583,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/krasne-antenna-array-help-rick-solve-a-22-year-old-mysetery\/","url_meta":{"origin":40345,"position":2},"title":"Krasne Antenna Array: Help Rick solve a 22 year old mysetery","author":"Thomas","date":"January 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rick Slobodian, who seeks help solving a 22 year old mystery. Rick writes: [Perhaps you can help me] explain this antenna....a 22 year old mystery antenna (see photo above)? What sort of antenna is this and how does it work? It's at 49.8994 N\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Broadcasters&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/LW-antenna-Krasne-High-RF-damaged-pix-1998-rt-e1578997955224.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/LW-antenna-Krasne-High-RF-damaged-pix-1998-rt-e1578997955224.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/LW-antenna-Krasne-High-RF-damaged-pix-1998-rt-e1578997955224.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43981,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/06\/gerry-thomas-of-radiosplus-is-silent-key\/","url_meta":{"origin":40345,"position":3},"title":"Gerry Thomas of Radio Plus is Silent Key","author":"Thomas","date":"June 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I've just learned via Paul (N0CTF) that Gerry Thomas of Radiosplus passed away on June 19, 2020. Many of you are likely familiar with Gerry's excellent antennas and accessories, especially the Quantum Loop series and Q-Stick. Gerry was always very kind to work with and obviously a very talented engineer.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Accessories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Accessories","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/accessories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Radio-Plus.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Radio-Plus.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Radio-Plus.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39725,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/david-reviews-and-compares-the-mla-30-magnetic-loop-antenna\/","url_meta":{"origin":40345,"position":4},"title":"David reviews and compares the MLA-30 magnetic loop antenna","author":"Thomas","date":"September 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Day (N1DAY), who has completed a thorough review of the MLA-30 loop antenna. In this review, he compares the MLA to the Wellbrook ALA1530-LF and a 30 foot square ground loop antenna. In short, he finds that the MLA-30 performs fairly well on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Antennas&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/mla30_3-e1568805326349.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/mla30_3-e1568805326349.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/mla30_3-e1568805326349.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/mla30_3-e1568805326349.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40435,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/the-new-tecsun-an-48x-active-loop-antenna\/","url_meta":{"origin":40345,"position":5},"title":"The new Tecsun AN-48x Active Loop Antenna","author":"Thomas","date":"November 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who shares a link to the new Tecsun AN-48x Active Loop Antenna at Anon-Co. Here's the description from Anon-Co: TECSUN AN-48x is an active loop antenna for enhancing shortwave (SW), medium wave (MW\/AM) and longwave (LW) reception. Unlike previous models (DE31MS, A38-LMS)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Antennas&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Tecsun-AN-48x-Active-Loop-Antenna.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40345\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}