CUSTOMER COMMENTS
Price $105.00
US Shipping $10.00
US Customers
Take a 5% discount for payment by check or money order. $109.25
When
possible an antenna mounted preamp is best because the feed line
is very likely picking up locally
generated noise
from electrical equipment in your local area.Take a 5% discount for payment by check or money order. $109.25
An easy test is to disconnect the feedline from the antenna. If you can still receive some signals, the feedline is acting as part of the antenna. If it is picking up signals, it is also picking up noise.
The AP-1 Antenna Mounted Preamp amplifies only what the antenna receives. The feed line must be coax. It is for Receive Only and covers from below the AM broadcast band to well above 100MHz with approximately 10db of gain and a 3db noise figure. Power is provided by a module at the receiver that sends power through the feedline to the amplifier. It can be switched ON or OFF as needed. When it is OFF, the signal is passed through uneffected. It will work with any type of receive antenna. Lightning protection using a gas discharge tube and a 1/8 Amp fuse is provided but not guaranteed. If the tube fires, the fuse will blow. The power supply is included. The AP-1 is housed in a waterproof plastic box.
I have done a lot of testing over the last six months compairing the weakest I can find, with and without the preamp. I am using an Icom R71A receiver. When atmospheric and man made noise is low, stations that are barely audible without the amp, often become fully identifiable. For DXers it's the difference between loging or not loging a station.