[Skimmertalk] Another Skimmer Antenna Idea

[N4ZR]

Recently, I stumbled across an inexpensive active antenna kit offered by 
a Ukrainian ham 
<https://www.ebay.com/itm/MiniWhip-Active-Antenna-Assembled-in-Box-HF-LF-VLF-mini-whip-sdr-RX-portable-/222469570201> 
He acknowledges that it is based on a design by a PA0, but that's 
between them.  Anyhow, it is a cute little package (photo at the link), 
with the antenna proper housed in a 6-inch plastic housing about 2 
inches in diameter.

My thought was to use this for the RBN's gap-filling program, since 
shipping an 8-foot whip is a royal pain, and I assumed you would attach 
a wire antenna to the top.  Imagine my surprise to discover that the 
antenna is completely inside the small plastic package.  I don't pretend 
to understand the  theory of the thing - something called an E-field 
probe, I gather - but the only antenna in it is a roughly 1.5 x 2.5 inch 
section of the PC board at the top end.

Humph, I thought - how can this work?  Well, it does, and very well - as 
I write this my QS1R is happily copying stations on 160, 80 and 40 
meters with signal-to-noise ratios at least as good as my Clifton Labs 
whip, my standard of comparison for years. Earlier today, I compared 
sensitivity and noise on 40-10 meters, and was pleasantly surprised.  My 
methodology was pretty crude - SDRMAXV and a Mark 1 eyeball - but the 
two antennas appear to be within 5 dB at most, with the advantage on 20M 
and above going to the "MiniWhip".

I think this first copy of the antenna is going to find its way to 
EL-land, soon.  Stay tuned.

-- 

73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the Reverse Beacon Network
at <http://reversebeacon.net>, now
spotting RTTY activity worldwide.
For spots, please use your favorite
"retail" DX cluster.