TECSUNAN-48X Indoor Active Loop AM/LW/SW Radio Antenna

Once when shopping Amazon for a possible shortwave radio purchase, I noticed the Tecsun AN-48X antenna. The fact that it was only a single turn loop intrigued me, along with it’s ability to also cover shortwave and longwave. I didn’t pay too much attention to it as I already have an amplified AM model from another company. The problem with that product is that while it’s terrific when used with standard production radios, for the crystal and regenerative sets I use, its performance is so poor, it’s basically useless. I assume this is due to its lack of a gain control.Eventually I ordered the AN-48X thinking that since it also picks up shortwave, and I’m thinking of eventually buying a shortwave set at some point anyway, why not buy it. The price was reasonable as well. As I’ve experimented with my double-tuned crystal set and regenerative one-tube radio, the results have been encouraging.My first band scan with it was during the day. With the crystal set I netted 6 stations with the best catch being a 1,000 watt station at 30 miles. That’s 2 stations better than any other indoor antenna solution I ever tried. The one-tube regenerative set netted 10 stations. One was a 50,000 watt station at 100 miles and another with the same power at 165 miles.The following week I conducted a nighttime band scan. The crystal set total went down to 3 local stations. That’s not too surprising since, as some of you realize, many stations reduce power at sunset. I was hoping that at least one DX signal would be heard but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Since loops are directional, I need to try more antenna positions which may improve the situation. The regenerative set was much better. In fact, I lost count around 10 stations. The best catches included a New York station (777 miles) and one from Nashville (570 miles).I can tell you from experience that when using radios like the one’s I’ve described, a passive antenna of substantial size might get a similar or perhaps even better station count. However, any strong local signals are likely to swamp large portions of the mediumwave spectrum. That means you’d have to rely heavily on an antenna tuner and QRM rejector. If you enjoy that challenge, I certainly understand as it’s all part of the fun of experimenting with crystal and regenerative sets. On the other hand, the AN-48X not only allows me to hear DX on my regenerative set, but on both types of sets I discovered it allows them to tune much sharper so strong local stations don’t tend to swamp adjacent, weaker signals.The problem with the AN-48X is that the tuning control is very touchy. A larger, tabletop-type controller box would be a welcome change, with a tuning knob large enough in diameter so that it’s not so easy to miss stations when moving through the band. The current format is obviously the better choice in terms of portability.I did try this on a vintage, budget AM/FM tuner and on an older, high performance portable. The tuner is neither very sensitive or selective, while the high performance portable is just the opposite. I’d say that on better radios this antenna acts similar to my amplified AM antenna and other passive loops I’ve tried, so don’t expect a significant increase in the number of stations you’ll receive. Instead, expect it to primarily boost and clean up what ordinarily would be weak signals.Another thing to be prepared for is the occasional situation where the antenna actually attenuates a signal rather than amplifying or clearing it up. That happened to me just once during testing with one of the above mentioned production receivers. As I recall, I’ve had this happen before, not only with my amplified AM antenna, but with two other passive loops I own.One thing that crops up surrounding antennas like this is the thought that it will not only amplify the signal, but noise as well. Since this antenna is directional, some noise issues might be mitigated by that fact alone. I have a very low level noise issue but it’s related to grounding as it shows up immediately when connecting my sets to the cold water copper pipe system. Although I’m still early in the experimentation process, I’m pleased to report that this antenna adds no additional, audible distortion. I also have yet to experience any negative performance effects related to the cable that runs between the amplifier and the control box. I mention this because it’s thin so I assume it’s not shielded. Mine measured 16 feet, 6 and one-half inches, from tip to tip.Once it’s attached to a window via its included suction cup, this antenna may not appear to be as refined looking as some others, but I believe that aspect can be improved. For example, take a look at the setup presented by Amazon reviewer i700plus from February of 2022. The idea of using a tripod is a great one, especially if you can keep the system assembled and stored somewhere when not in use. That way you avoid any wear and tear or accidental damage from continual setup and removal.So if you’re a crystal or regenerative set builder and like me your living arrangement involves an apartment, or perhaps you live in a condo and you’re scratching your head wondering how to get the most out of such radios, consider trying this antenna. I paid less than half what I did for my amplified AM model that I purchased 3 years ago, and since that one only covers one band, that makes the AN-48X a much better value. Crystal set purists may scoff because of its amplification, but this antenna gives my homemade radios a level of performance that should allow me to better hear the results of any modifications I make. Overall, it’s making my radio hobby efforts a lot more fun!I’ll update this review if I experience any noteworthy reliability or performance issues related to continued use of this antenna, not only with my current radios, but with any new sets I build or buy.Antenna Usage Update—January 2024I recently took delivery of a new Sangean 909x2 multi-band portable radio. Together with the AN-48X antenna, the combination works great. My first nighttime band scan from my Midwest location netted AM stations from Canada to the Deep South and from West of the Mississippi to the East Coast. Most were not 50,000 watt stations either. Many were stations of considerably lower power whose signals were traveling well beyond their fringe signal range. On shortwave I picked up 23 stations in an area of the spectrum ranging from 4.84 to 9.71MHz.When scanning the AM band with this particular radio, the gain dial wasn’t necessary as any increase seemed likely to cause overload. Instead, I merely used the tuning dial about every 20kHz or so and rotated the antenna to see if that would peak the signal as well. I was able to do this because I followed the example of Amazon reviewer i700plus and mounted mine on a camera tripod.I was blessed to run across a heavy duty, professional tripod at a local thrift store. The camera mounting plate has a threaded stud with a protective cap. I took the cap to the hardware store and had the thread size checked so I could purchase an insert with the same thread type. I had a piece of scrap balsa wood sitting around that measured about 1-1/8 inches square by 36 inches long. I drilled a slightly undersized hole in the center of one end and glued/screwed the threaded insert into the hole. Now all I need to do when I want to begin a listening session is to screw this “spine” onto the tripod and finish assembling the antenna. On the other end of the spine I cut a slot which holds the antenna in place. At the bottom where the loop terminates into the LW/AM/SW switcher, for now I simply make a loop out of a piece of tape and stick it to the back of the switcher and stick that to the balsa spine. That way the lower section of loop isn’t flopping around as I swivel the antenna. A future modification will involve some sort of clip to hold the telescoping spreader bar to the spine. That will stabilize things even more.Keep in mind that this antenna does have limitations. For example, the instruction sheet lists the effective range for shortwave as being from 3,500kHz to 20,000kHz. So if you need wider coverage, you’ll need to look elsewhere.Some people complain that this type of antenna adds noise. That simply isn’t true. Regardless of the antenna type, if there’s a nearby noise source or one between you and the station, that’s basically what you can expect…noise! However, it’s the highly directional characteristic of loops that allows you to be able to tune away from the noise. In fact, you may find that sometimes turning the antenna in a certain direction may cause a reduction in signal strength but because the noise clears up, that station becomes listenable. If rotation in any direction doesn’t allow you to find a point where the signal is free or relatively free of noise, it isn’t the fault of the antenna. The antenna is letting you know that you need to seek a different location.Would it be better to have a loop above your house? Possibly. I say that because there’s more than just signal to be concerned about. Remember, you’ll need a way to turn that loop so that means installing not just the antenna but a rotor as well. Then there’s the installation. Are you going to do it or will you have a local antenna installer handle it? What I’m getting at here is that while I suspect there likely would be some improvement in having an outdoor style loop up high vs. the AN-48X indoors, would the improvement be worth the cost and effort? Since I’m in a house apartment in a reasonably quiet RF environment, for me the answer is no.So from home-built radios to multi-band production receivers, for me, as a space restricted apartment dweller, this antenna works very well.

So this thing works wonders on my 880 but makes my 330 worse. So I’m at a loss here. Maybe it works better with older model I dunno. On my 880 I tune in to 3330 can’t hear anything, turn it on it comes in clear. 330 I can here it with the antenna on the radio. With this antenna it becomes distorted. I can say the knobs do work but really touchy. It’s cheap feeling, can take much abuse of any. The stand is useless. But like I said works great for my 880

I've been using this with a HackRF to listen to hams out there chewing the rag and pounding away on CW. Honestly, for an inexpensive, super compact receive antenna, it works amazingly well. Due to the small size of the dials on the tuner/amplifier, it can be a bit fiddly tuning in the antenna, but once you do the difference is really quite amazing. I use it inside my bedroom hanging from a lamp right next to a whole mess of electronics around my computer and the receive quality is excellent. It really works well around the 80 meter band. In fact, it works far better than a number of much larger shortwave antennas I've used on it. I haven't done much on a regular SDR with it yet, but I have to believe it would work quite well for that as well. It really is a good buy for someone extremely limited on space who wants to tune into the ham bands, or any shortwave bands really. Due to it's incredibly small packed size, I also bet it would be fantastic for out and about usage as well. It is quite directional, but with the included hook and clip, it's easy enough to turn in any direction to catch a hard to nab signal. Gets a solid recommendation as far as I am concerned.

I tested upon receipt, but couldn't find it improved the signal in any way, and is much more "fiddly" and impractical than the standard antenna on Tecsun radio (which is rather nice). I bought it because I like the small Tecsun radio that I acquired earlier.

Easy to set up and comes with RCA, BNC, Alligator clip and ferrite bar coupler to work with just about any radio. Yes it does work over LW, MW and HF and provides substantial gain. Unfortunately in my case there is too much radiated noise from a computer , cable modem, router and other electronics to work well in my window.

Very little or no signal difference between this and the built in whip. The dial controls signal level are very sloppy and noisy. Same for the frequency range dial. Very hard to get it tuned correctly if at all. Not recommend.

I was surprised by the excellent performance of this antenna. I live in a second floor apartment. outside antennas not allowed. I have a regenerative radioFrom the 50's. I placed this antenna in a window, and my 2 tube regeneration radio came to life. I highly recommend this antenna. Especially to apartment dwellers.

Was not impressed. Not any help that I could see in urban situation. Might work in rural areas without as much RF activity.