Does the Airspy Youloop work on VHF? What about UHF and 700/800 MHz?

Since my first videos on the YouLoop, I have been asked several times if it works on VHF. This video is to help answer that question!
I used an RTL-SDR v3 Software Defined Radio, connected directly to the YouLoop for these tests.
If you don't already own a YouLoop, I recommend you avoid so you end up with a GENUINE product. Use the links at airspy.com/pur... to get a list of genuine suppliers. I recommend ITEAD and RTL-SDR Blog Store (www.rtl-sdr.co...) as I have purchased multiple products several times from both sources.
All my videos on this antenna are in my YouLoop Playlist : • Airspy YouLoop - Fruga...
Details on the RTL-SDR v3 SDR can be found at frugalradio.co...
As always, thanks for watching the Frugal Radio (FR) channel

[@accesser]

Thankyou for the time you put into these videos, I just gone my Youloop in the mail as my first SDR/Antenna , fun day listening to aussie air traffic as I worked from home today. For reference, I live about 55KM from one of our airports and I was able to listen to some of the conversations , I do however live on a flight path, so that may help, for anybody considering getting one you cant go wrong

[@FrugalRadio]

Thanks for your report!

[@FrancoDX]

Great antenna for what it costs and I actually have a ‘fake’ version. I use mine mostly for MW/SW as it is useful to blank out noise or other signals on the same frequency. But was also surprised how well it worked on VHF Airband. Thanks for the interesting video 👍🏼

[@FrugalRadio]

Thanks for taking the time to comment!

[@JoloNavarro]

Waited for this one! As always, tons of information frugal! love it! ❤️

[@FrugalRadio]

Thanks!

[@swlistener9053]

Youloop, RTL-SDR V3 & DragonOS Pi64 on my Pi4 are my main setup and work really well together. Thanks for this video.

[@FrugalRadio]

Sounds like a good setup. What frequency range do you monitor most with that?

[@swlistener9053]

@Frugal Radio Having SDR++ available on Linux means I can now use it for all my general AM/FM Broadcast & Ham bands browsing and listening. During the recent burst of solar activity I was using a pair of RTL-SDR V3s and a pair of crossed Youloops along with Gqrx & WSJT-X to monitor and log FT8 propagation to PSKReporter.

[@FrugalRadio]

I like the sound of what you've got going there. So you're using the RTL-SDR v3s for HF as well as VHF & UHF?

[@swlistener9053]

@Frugal Radio yes, usually just to see what shows up on the waterfall for the band and then listening to it directly or finding a local KiwiSDR via Skywave Schedules. The V3's direct sampling isn't as good as using the Youloop with the HF+ or the RSP1A with the Miniwhip but as a simple low power setup with the Pi to just leave running monitoring FT8, etc it's very good.

[@button-puncher]

Very cool! Thanks for the information! If you have the time, I'd be interested to see a signal level comparison between the YouLoop and a basic/cheap/small-ish discone (scanner) antenna.

[@NeilHoward]

Great test. It is also pretty easy to make a similar loop ("a Noise-Cancelling Passive Loop (NCPL) antenna" - you can search for that ) with rg58 and a ferrite core - just to be even more "frugal". I have made a few and they work well - I have used one on VHF while traveling

[@FrugalRadio]

Excellent, and good to hear. How did it perform for you?

[@NeilHoward]

@@FrugalRadio really well! They are great.. not big signal strengths but the noise floor is always low

[@zach0gr]

I tried for myself doing a frugal with rg6 cable but missing something the loop didn't work Full of images and carriers It is based on the SWLing info idea

[@FrugalRadio]

Might be worth checking your cable. But for HF frequencies, regular RG58 would be fine too.

[@zach0gr]

@@FrugalRadio I thin something was missing possibly the grounding or possibly that the design was not for permanent design as I didn't solder cables Instead I used fixing belts

[@catalinalb1722]

I have two of them :) did not know that are good on UHF and 800 MHz, I will connect one of them to my LoRa TTN Tracker that works on 868 MHz. As far as I remember it suports transmiting with it with a lower power.

[@FrugalRadio]

Thanks for your comment. I'm glad you've been enjoying your YouLoops. I found reception on 800 to be weaker, but it would be interesting to see how it works for your tracker.

[@TheMadRocker]

Nice.. was wondering how it would work, since I only use it for HF.

[@FrugalRadio]

Surprisingly well it seems... It's worth giving it a shot to see how well it works in your area.

[@zach0gr]

My test in shortwaves was fair Poor high frequencies. Above 17mhz Good lower FREQS Didn't try VLF at nigts as it too late I used the rsp1a but for short times outdoors. In the balcony

[@FrugalRadio]

Thanks for the report!

[@markr.1984]

I hooked it up to my Uniden SDS200 and listened to my local trunking public service stuff and those frequencies are up around 700 to 1000 mHz!! It worked pretty good but no better than the regular indoor whip antenna that came with it. So, it at least work all the way up to 1gHz. But not an improvement over a regular telescopic whip. So not worth it.

[@Nielsquake0]

Antenna: works You: WOW hahaha just kidding man thanks for the comprehensive vid! I decoded some pretty good Meteor M2 passes with this puppy so it works pretty well as a VHF antenna. Peformanse wise comparable to my homemade v dipole specifically for the weather sats

[@FrugalRadio]

Really - VHF Sat usage. This I have to try! Thanks for your report & comment.

[@Nielsquake0]

@@FrugalRadio Noaa and Meteor sats are on 137mhz ish and you can track them online to see when they pass! its really fun to do and relatively easy with the sdr# or sdr++ build in plugins (for meteor) and you can find the decoders online for the both of them respectively. I havent managed to do it in the summer yet so I only get the thermal IR data but if it was summer I would be getting some quality color images aswell!

[@FrugalRadio]

Yes, this sounds like lots of fun!

[@SCzxjk]

And those it work just as good on traditional scanners??

[@joseg3259]

I'm new to the hobby... will the YouLoop work on a portable radio (SW & MW)?

[@FrugalRadio]

Not especially well. It works best with a highly sensitive receiver, not your average SW/MW radio.

[@aunumero73]

Hi there ! What would you recommand as a fine airband antenna ? I'm currently using a dipole, centered on 125 MHz. Not that bad but ...Thanks.

[@FrugalRadio]

My favourite airband antenna was a home-made bow tie. It worked very well, even though not specific to 118-137. It also performed well in Mil Air, which is why I built it. I'm planning a video on that over the next few months. Commercially, the Diamond D777 and DPD Productions airband antennas have good reports. If I lived in the UK, I'd probably ask Darren from Broadsword to make one for me. A dipole centred on 125 MHz, like you have, should give pretty decent results.

[@steveparkes]

@@FrugalRadio I know you said you're thinking about doing a video on it (and I can't wait) but a quick look at the calculator suggested a bow tie near the low end of the band where my local airports are would be about 6 foot wide. Really interested in seeing the reception you're getting on the air band with a smaller bow tie before I jump in and try and make one.

[@FrugalRadio]

The one I made before was certainly smaller. The snow is finally melting here, so hopefully I'll get a chance to get the materials together for it soon.

[@SCzxjk]

Is it no better then a table telescopic antenna on vhf/uhf?

[@FrugalRadio]

It may be a little better, in that you can hang it from a light fixture or a window. The additional height brings benefits on VHF/UHF. However the telescope kit that comes with the RTL-SDR will perform better by a window because you can time it to the length you need for the signal you wish to monitor.

[@skideric]

First Like !

[@FrugalRadio]

Congrats, and thanks!!!

[@paulstringer7083]

Was the FM signals digital or analog?

[@FrugalRadio]

The FM radio signals were regular broadcast band analog.

[@skideric]

Man,you sure could use some Ferrites on that USB Ext Cable....

[@FrugalRadio]

Yep!

[@TwstedTV]

Everywhere I look, they are out of stock. 😢

[@loz9324]

There ya go!

[@FrugalRadio]

Perhaps the supply chain issues have caught up with these now as well...