Chameleon CHA-RXL Stealth Receive Loop Antenna

Chameleon is releasing a new receive only loop, the CHA-RXL. Lets get it on the roof, test it out and talk about why receive loops can be pretty awesome.

The CHA RXL is a new design high performance Low Frequency (LF), Medium Frequency (MF), and High Frequency (HF) receive-only loop antenna that can be permanently mounted outside on a mast or used on a camera tripod next to an RV or on an apartment balcony. It’s broadband design is ideal for Software Defined Radios (SDRs), panadapters, hams wanting a small low-noise receive-only antenna, shortwave listeners (SWLs), AM broadcast band listeners, and anybody needing a small receive antenna.

Some of the key features of the CHA RXL are:

Wideband design – LF / MF / HF
Highly directional
Balanced input preamplifier to eliminate environmental noise and ground loops
Receives on new 2200m and 630m ham bands
Flexible mounting and power options
Stealthy – Navy gray loop fades into the background sky.

Receive loops are very quiet and highly directional. With the built-in preamplifier, the CHA RXL will enable clearer reception than many large horizontal wire or vertical antennas. The CHA RXL covers all frequencies between 137.5 KHz and 30.0 MHz. Become a WSPR Reporting Station on the new 2200 and 630 meter bands and join the fun!

Loop Amplifier Specifications:

Frequency: 135.7 KHz – 30.0 MHz continuous
Power: 12V DC (120V AC wall adapter included USA ONLY)
Size: 36 in. Loop
Weight: 7 lbs.
Mount: Mast or Camera Tripod
Operating voltage: 12-14 VDC – Polarity Protected, Over-Voltage protection 15.5V – 20V (sustained voltage above 18V may damage the preamp)
Gain: 25 dB @ 2.5 MHz, 12.5 dB @ 30 MHz (see graph)
Noise Figure: < 5 dB
P1dB: >0 dBm relative to the output
OIP3: > +20 dBm
Input (no damage): +20 dBm
RF Power Applied to the Output: 0.25W maximum (do not transmit into the pre-amp)

Bias-T Specifications:

Operating Voltage: 12-14 VDC – Polarity Protected, Over voltage protection 15.5V – 20V (sustained operation above 18V may trip the resettable fuse)
Maximum Current: 300 mA max.
Insertion Loss: < 0.25 dB @ 30 MHz
VSWR: < 1.3:1 @ 30 MHz