{"id":64962,"date":"2025-12-27T08:09:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T12:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=64962"},"modified":"2025-12-20T08:09:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T12:09:38","slug":"don-pushes-portable-antennas-further-loop-size-performance-and-real-world-limits-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/don-pushes-portable-antennas-further-loop-size-performance-and-real-world-limits-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Don Pushes Portable Antennas Further: Loop Size, Performance, and Real-World Limits (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor\u00a0Don Moore<\/a>\u2013noted\u00a0author<\/a>, traveler, and DXer\u2013who shares the following post:<\/em><\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

\n

Two Portable Antennas for Remote DXing (Part Two)<\/b><\/h1>\n

By Don Moore<\/b><\/p>\n

Don\u2019s traveling DX stories can be found in his book\u00a0Tales of a Vagabond DXer<\/a>\u00a0<\/i>[SWLing Post affiliate link]<\/i>.<\/i><\/b>\u00a0If you\u2019ve already read his book and enjoyed it, do Don a favor and leave a review on Amazon.<\/i><\/p>\n

In my initial comparison of the PA0RDT mini-whip and the MLA-30+ MegaLoop<\/a><\/strong>, the mini-whip performed best on medium wave and the lower shortwave bands, while the loop worked better on the higher bands. But, I wondered, why should the MLA-30+ be restricted to that small steel loop? The wire loops I use with my Wellbrook ALA-100LN typically range from twenty to fifty meters in circumference.<\/p>\n

I threw a twenty-five-meter wire over a tree branch and formed it into a delta with the MLA-30+ in the bottom center. Remember, I was testing in the northern Chicago suburbs. My SDRs were completely overloaded. Medium wave was useless and I had strong MW stations all over the shortwave bands. The MLA-30+ doesn\u2019t have the same strong-signal handling capabilities as the Wellbrook. And there are a lot of strong medium wave signals in the Chicago suburbs.<\/p>\n

So I took that wire down and replaced it with a loop of twelve meters circumference.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

That did the trick. I had lots of signals on medium wave without the overloading. Here\u2019s what the upper end of the MW band now looked like with the MLA-30+.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For comparison, here\u2019s the same wire loop using the Wellbrook ALA-100LN. The Wellbrook has a slightly lower noise floor but otherwise the signals are about the same.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Out of curiosity, I replaced the Wellbrook power unit with the Bias-T from the MLA-30+ but left the Wellbrook antenna head unit in place. With this hybrid setup there\u2019s no visible difference with the full Wellbrook.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I was satisfied with my findings but I still wondered how much wire the MLA-30+ could handle. A few weeks later I ran some more tests in Kansas, where I knew the dial wouldn\u2019t be as crowded. The MLA-30+ easily handled a 25-meter delta loop without overloading.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Two weeks after doing the Kansas tests I was at a DXpedition in rural western Pennsylvania. The MLA-30+ worked fine with a 40-meter circumference loop, other than being a tad noisier than the Wellbrook with the same wire. So how much wire you can use with the MLA-30+ components depends on how strong your local medium wave stations are.<\/p>\n

Findings<\/b><\/h1>\n

From the SDR images above it would be easy to conclude that with the right length of wire an MLA-30+ is just as good as a Wellbrook ALA-100LN even though it is significantly cheaper. But that\u2019s not the full picture. Back in the 1990s my Drake R-8 cost about three times what my Sony ICF-2010 did.\u00a0 All other things being equal, I would say that 95% of the DX heard on the Drake could have been heard equally well on the Sony. I wanted the Drake for the other five percent.<\/p>\n

I have no doubt that if I did a very careful head-to-head comparison of the two units under serious DX conditions on the same wire that the Wellbrook would get things the MLA-30+ couldn\u2019t. But I suspect the difference would be around that five percent mark. I\u2019m willing to accept that tradeoff for an effective cheap light-weight travel antenna. And the MLA-30+ is like having two antennas in one. I can use it with the steel loop in limited space situations or with a larger wire loop when I have access to some garden space with a tree. Together, the MLA-30+ and the PA0RDT make the perfect DX travel antennas.<\/p>\n

The only thing I didn\u2019t like about the MLA-30+ was that pre-attached coax cable. It\u2019s not the best quality and I\u2019d rather carry my own cable. I\u2019m not very handy with a soldering iron in tight spaces but at our recent DXpedition my friend Bill Nollman replaced the coax with a BNC jack for me.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The MLA-30+ now looks like this when connected to a wire loop.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally, I should address powering the MLA-30+ via USB. While it can be connected to a spare USB port on your laptop, I found doing that sometimes introduced a tad more noise. Instead I\u2019ve been using one of those battery packs used for recharging cellphones. Mine is rated at 6700 mAh and it can power the MLA-30+ for over 48 hours before needing a recharge. But be sure to test yours before doing any serious DXing. I\u2019ve read that some power packs have a minimum required power draw and will automatically shut off if the draw is too low.<\/p>\n

Another Option?<\/b><\/h1>\n

While I was finishing this article I heard about another option from my friend Guy Atkins.\u00a0 This antenna is a combination of the YouLoop with a low-priced Chinese made clone of the LZ1AQ amplifier. Some users say it\u2019s better than the MLA-30+. Guy says it works well on shortwave up to 16 meters but he hasn\u2019t tried it on medium wave. Guy says it\u2019s a \u201clow price, good value\u201d antenna. I\u2019m traveling in Southeast Asia for the winter but will definitely have to try this antenna when I get back to the USA. So maybe there will be a follow-up article next summer.<\/p>\n

Links<\/b><\/h1>\n

[Note: Amazon links are affiliate and support the SWLing Post at no cost to you.]<\/em><\/p>\n

Info on ordering a quality PA0RDT from Roelof Bakker. (Other cheaper versions have had issues with quality control.)<\/p>\n

https:\/\/dl1dbc.net\/SAQ\/miniwhip.html<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

There are various versions of the MLA-30+ and the original MLA-30. This is the version that Mark Taylor recommended and that I bought.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/amzn.to\/3MEKjPY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

There are numerous YouTube videos on using and modifying both versions of the MLA-30+. This one shows how to replace the coax with a BNC jack.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OAqh2Lawwdc<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the Amazon link for the YouLoop\/LZ1AQ antenna that Guy has.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/amzn.to\/4s1RB09<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

And the same antenna on Ali Express.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.aliexpress.us\/item\/3256808527623276.html<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor\u00a0Don Moore\u2013noted\u00a0author, traveler, and DXer\u2013who shares the following post: Two Portable Antennas for Remote DXing (Part Two) By Don Moore Don\u2019s traveling DX stories can be found in his book\u00a0Tales of a Vagabond DXer\u00a0[SWLing Post affiliate link].\u00a0If you\u2019ve already read his book and enjoyed it, do Don a favor and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[3607,5935,8752,3194,433,3,129,43],"tags":[10020,10998,1810,6811,10999,4667,11001,10997,10995,10996,1247,7668,11000],"class_list":["post-64962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-antennas","category-dx","category-field-radio","category-guest-posts","category-mediumwave","category-news","category-reviews","category-shortwave-radio","tag-antenna-comparison","tag-dmgicpro-mla-30","tag-don-moore","tag-drake-r-8","tag-field-antennas","tag-loop-antennas","tag-lz1aq-loop-amplifier","tag-mla-30-megaloop","tag-pa0rdt-mini-whip","tag-roelof-bakker-pa0rdt","tag-sony-icf-2010","tag-wellbrook-ala-100ln","tag-youloop-antenna"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-gTM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":64937,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/portable-antennas-for-serious-dxing-dons-field-tests-from-parks-to-the-open-road-part-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":64962,"position":0},"title":"Portable Antennas for Serious DXing: Don’s Field Tests from Parks to the Open Road (Part 1)","author":"Thomas","date":"December 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor\u00a0Don Moore\u2013noted\u00a0author, traveler, and DXer\u2013who shares the following post: Two Portable Antennas for Remote DXing (Part One) By Don Moore Don\u2019s traveling DX stories can be found in his book\u00a0Tales of a Vagabond DXer\u00a0[SWLing Post affiliate link].\u00a0If you\u2019ve already read his book and enjoyed it,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","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\/2025\/12\/25_PA0RDT.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/25_PA0RDT.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/25_PA0RDT.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/25_PA0RDT.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/25_PA0RDT.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36590,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/03\/radio-travel-a-complete-sdr-station-for-superb-portable-dxing\/","url_meta":{"origin":64962,"position":1},"title":"Radio Travel: A complete SDR station for superb portable DXing","author":"Thomas","date":"March 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Don Moore\u2013author of\u00a0\u00a0Following Ghosts in Northern Peru\u2013for the following guest post: A Guide To Vagabond DXing By Don Moore Ever since I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras in the early 1980s, Latin America has been my primary focus for both DXing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Accessories"","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\/2019\/03\/10_ManizalesDXing.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/10_ManizalesDXing.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/10_ManizalesDXing.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/10_ManizalesDXing.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27082,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/portable-powerhouses-comparing-the-bonito-boni-whip-and-wellbrook-ala1530lnp-antennas\/","url_meta":{"origin":64962,"position":2},"title":"Portable Powerhouses: Comparing the Bonito Boni Whip and Wellbrook ALA1530LNP Antennas","author":"Guy Atkins","date":"July 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"One fits in a car (well, most vehicles anyway) and another easily slides into a small daypack; which antenna is best for DXing on-the-go? The ALA1530LNP and Boni Whip are at opposite ends of the portability scale (as well as the price scale). I've written about the ALA1530LNP in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","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\/2017\/07\/MtRainier-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/MtRainier-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/MtRainier-1024x576.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25555,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/used-bonito-boni-whip-and-mega-loop-at-universal-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":64962,"position":3},"title":"Used Bonito Boni-Whip and MegaLoop at Universal Radio","author":"Thomas","date":"May 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"If you've been considering either the Bonito Boni-Whip or MegaLoop NTI ML200, you might check out these second-hand units at Universal Radio: While browsing Universal's used list this morning, I noticed the two Bonito antennas. Both are listed in \"good\" condition and Universal Radio backs their used equipment with a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","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\/2017\/05\/Boni-Whip_bl_kl.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":64348,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/taming-the-noise-don-moores-simple-cheap-filter-solution-for-traveling-dxers\/","url_meta":{"origin":64962,"position":4},"title":"Taming the Noise: Don Moore\u2019s Simple, Cheap Filter Solution for Traveling DXers","author":"Thomas","date":"October 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor\u00a0Don Moore\u2013noted\u00a0author, traveler, and DXer\u2013who shares the following post: A Cheap and Simple Noise Filter By Don Moore Don\u2019s traveling DX stories can be found in his book Tales of a Vagabond DXer [SWLing Post affiliate link]. If you\u2019ve already read his book and enjoyed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DX"","block_context":{"text":"DX","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/dx\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/10_NoiseFilter_01a.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/10_NoiseFilter_01a.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/10_NoiseFilter_01a.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/10_NoiseFilter_01a.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/10_NoiseFilter_01a.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40648,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/rick-compares-the-bonito-ml200-cross-country-wireless-and-wellbrook-1530ln\/","url_meta":{"origin":64962,"position":5},"title":"Rick compares the Bonito ML200, Cross Country Wireless, MLA-30 and Wellbrook 1530LN","author":"Thomas","date":"November 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Ladd, who shares the following video by Rick King who compares four mag loop antennas: the MLA-30, Cross Country Wireless, Bonito ML200, and the Wellbrook 1530LN. https:\/\/youtu.be\/FRhDHHpLoaM Click here to view on YouTube. Excellent comparison, Rick! Although we've previously posted reviews and comments\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","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\/Mag-Loop-Comparison.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Mag-Loop-Comparison.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Mag-Loop-Comparison.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Mag-Loop-Comparison.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64962","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=64962"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64962\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64967,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64962\/revisions\/64967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}