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Reviews Categories | Antennas: HF Directional (Yagi, quad, log periodic, etc) | AOR LA380 Help


Reviews Summary for AOR LA380
AOR LA380 Reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0/5 MSRP: $370
Description: The LA380 is a compact active (1 foot diameter) loop antenna specifically designed to provide good reception when away from the main monitoring location or when large external antennas are not practical.
Compact, but achieving high performance, it features an internal high-gain amplifier (20dB for 10kHz-250MHz) and excellent overall strong signal handling (high IP3 +10dBm).
More info: http://www.aorusa.com/la380.html
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EB1CYY Rating: 5/5 Jun 3, 2008 00:33 Send this review to a friend
The best option for indoor places  Time owned: more than 12 months
First impression when i opened the box was that i have purchased a cheap Chinese antenna. but when i connected it to my AR7030 the performance was great. I live in the center of Spain and can hear without problems the overseas airplanes, HAM radios from Italy and Great Britain Weather stations.

The knobs are well constructed and provides a precise adjusting. The loop is fixed to the main box with a simple BNC connector that is very delicate but does the job well.
The band steps of 60khz and 40khz are really useless for me and the “Others” step it too imprecise. I would like to have 0.1-3Mhz, 40-150Mhz and 144-500Mhz steps instead of the useless 60Khz and 40Khz.

For use it with handheld scanners the history changes, i recommend you do not buy this antenna for portable “super-wideband” receivers. I have put it on my IC-R20 and the performance fell down. I listen the same stations that i can listen with a simple Diamond RH-795

If you live in a small flat with “not-friendly neighbors from Hell” maybe this is your best option.
There is many articles written by active antennas retractors who can create you a serious doubt about the performance of an active antenna. My opinion is they are not right at all. Long wire and dipoles are the best option if you live in the country far away from any urban area, but if you live in a city, the several noises and interferences may annul your wire antenna. After read some articles by passive antennas enthusiast, i purchased a Buddipole for DX only and the performance in outdoor is the same that the LA380 and into my house the Buddipole is deaf like a chair.
Finally beware if you purchase an LA380 as a travel antenna, is a very delicate antenna and easy to break. The loop screws and the BNC are delicate like porcelain.
 


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