(https://airspy.

com/)
Software Defined Radio

An Ultra Portable Magnetic Loop

The success of our award winning Airspy HF+ series brought
us a lot of feedback from hundreds of customers and
enthusiasts. Most of the problems were related to
ineffective RX antennas that were too sensitive to the
surrounding noise, had excessive gain and lack the
necessary linearity. So, we decided to bite the bullet and
design a new Noise-Cancelling Passive Loop (NCPL) to fix
the noise problem, leverage the low-noise performance of
our SDR receivers while being perfectly suitable for portable
operation. After a long deliberation in the community, we
named it “YouLoop” after its designer, Youssef.
(https://v3.airspy.us/product/ant-youloop-1)

Architecture
The YouLoop is a generalization (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generalization) of the Möbius loop where a balanced
electric shield is used as the center of a multi-turn loop. The rest of the turns run inside the shield. This construction is
electrically balanced for large wave wavelengths, ie. when Lambda is very large compared to the size of the antenna. This
helps cancelling the electric noise at the lower bands, exactly where most of the electric noise energy is concentrated. To
preserve this electric balance from alteration by the transmission line, a low loss miniature BALUN is used. Neat, isn’t it?

The following diagrams illustrate conceptual architecture described above. The more turns, the higher gain at the lower
frequencies. Note that to preserve the electric balance, the number of turns increases by increments of two.

(/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/YouLoop-2T.png)

(/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/YouLoop-4T.png)
VHF Performance
Another interesting aspect of this two-turns coax build is its response in VHF. The same HF magnetic loop can be used in
the FM and the 2m HAM bands with a slight change of its core principle: It’s now a folded dipole. Actually, the feed point
of the folded dipole is on the top and the actual legs are composed of the coax ground. At this feed point, the signal is
routed through the two coax legs to the wide-band, low-loss BALUN. The gray curved line depicts the signal path in VHF,
which should be familiar for most. This makes the antenna perfectly usable for FM Broadcast, Aviation Band and 2m
HAM Band; A very welcome option for portable VLF/LF/HF/VHF operation.

(/downloads/YouLoop-VHF.png)

Further Improvements
In order to further improve the impedance matching and flatten the frequency response, a high impedance external
pre-amplifier can be used near the antenna to present a constant output impedance to the receiver. We are working on
a J-FET low-power pre-amplifier that could help DX’ers with extremely weak signals. This pre-amplifier also allows using a
loop with a much smaller diameter, which improves the portability.

Bill of Material
Following the large demand from our customers, we decided to offer the Two Turns version via our distributors
network. This could be the best option for those who do not want or cannot build the antenna from scratch. We picked
the best quality components and pre-assembled the PCBs with the BALUN so the only remaining action is to connect
the SMA cables. The whole antenna can be assembled in a few seconds. For permanent outdoors installations, it is
recommended to seal the “T” and “Inverter” elements with waterproofing tape. The coaxial cable we supplied is stiff
enough to hold its shape. Note that for proper performance, it is recommended to use perfectly matched, Spectrum
Analyzer grade coax cables. Any phase or amplitude mismatch results in a sub-optimal performance. The ones we are
proposing match these performance criteria.

2 x 1m RG402 or RG141 18 GHz Coax with SMA Male Connectors – Branches

1 x 2m RG402 or RG141 18 GHz Coax with SMA Male Connectors – Transmission Line
Phase Inverter
T shaped low-loss wide-band BALUN

Specifications
HF Response: 10kHz to 30 MHz
VHF Response: up to 300 MHz
Maximum Power: 250 mW
Passive Design
No Tuning required
Low-Loss Wide-Band BALUN with 0.28 dB loss typ.

Compatibility
Airspy HF+ Discovery (Recommended) (/airspy-hf-discovery)
Airspy HF+ Dual Port (with R3 shorted) (/airspy-hf-plus)

Any other SDR with MDS <= -140 dBm (There aren't that many)
Notes
It is very likely your third party radio will not be sensitive enough to operate with the YouLoop properly. We have even
seen self-documented failed attempts (https://www.youtube.com/results?
search_query=Trying+a+pre+amp+on+my+homebrew+youloop+build) to build pre-amplifiers to compensate for the lack
of sensitivity and/or the required dynamic range in third party radios. Use your brain, and eventually an Airspy HF+
Discovery (/airspy-hf-discovery/).

Purchase

Airspy.us ships from the US to the Americas and offers other high quality services and products.
(https://v3.airspy.us/product/ant-youloop-1)

Wimo ships from Germany and serves all the European Market. (https://www.wimo.com/de/catalogsearch/result/?
q=airspy)

AOR Ltd. sells Airspy products in Japan and offers other high quality services and products. (https://www.aordirect.jp)

RTL-SDR.com ships worldwide via Amazon Fulfilment from China and offers many other high quality services and
products. (http://www.rtl-sdr.com/store)

FB Radio is a supplier of communication and electronic equipment in Sweden and the Scandinavian markets.
(https://fbradio.se/search/?q=airspy)

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