Review of the Tecsun AN 200 Mediumwave loop antenna

My review of the Tecsun AN 200 Mediumwave loop antenna the good and the bad

[@buckan8r999]

I realize that your passion for SW radio is apparent and it is much appreciated sir. Thank you. I wish we learned more of this stuff in school

[@curtchase3730]

I know this is old video, but I have had a TERK Advantage loop for years. I live in a rural area and this thing is great. With some fiddling and experimenting with it's placement and the dial, I can really home in on a weak station AND be able to null out some local noise sources to boot! Yes, radios with ferrite bars work great, but have had good results with old tube radios with that oval wire loop on the back cover. Glad there is still a product out there like this.

[@NightimeDemon]

I've learned a lot from your channel. My dad was a radio enthusiast, and we kept a bunch of the stuff he had over the years. I finally started going through some of it in the garage and found an old Select-A-Ttenna that works like the antenna you show here. So far I've had good luck using it with my d808.

[@focus82grothm.84]

About a textbook experience of what i experienced with my Tecsun AN-200 loop antenna with the Tecsun GR 88 radio. We in Norway don't have super strong stations, but BBC is one of a good strong stations here around in the evening and night. Great video. 73de from ham operator LA5IRA in Norway. 😊🇧🇻

[@notvalidcharacters]

Have to give it up to Gilles for one tip he gave here at 2:36 --- plugging an outside antenna into the jack on the loop. I hadn't thought of that, but I've been running my longwire into the loop and then linking to the D-808 with it. Not only does it transfer nicely *including* on shortwave, but it solves the problem of the terrible overload on the D-808. Plus, by moving the loop around and tuning the loop and the preselector I was able to pick out two mediumwave stations on the same frequency in different directions and identify each one separately, nulling one or the other. And in the same way I can null out local noise.

[@costaconstantinides14]

Hello from the island of Cyprus. Glad to hear from you. I am waiting for my Tecsun AN 200 in the next few days. I am using the JRC 525 Receiver. Plus the Tensun Pl 310. Sangean ATS 909 X. Icom R70. My mini whip antenna from Ukraine. Plus a long wire antenna. 73 Costa Constantinides Cyprus. Dxer since 1969.

[@whollyunaware5185]

I was hoping you would do this review, because I knew you would experiment with this amazing device until you got a grasp of its actual advantages and optimal application. Thanks Gilles - I highly respect your knowledge and opinion!

[@WilliamParmley]

I've had mine for a couple of days and I'm impressed. I concur with your observation that the performance at night is not as impressive compared with daytime, where I'm getting an S3 to S4 signal boost on my Crane Skywave SSB for most stations. I suggest giving it a try within two hours or less before sunset when the band is starting to pick up (I assume D Layer absorption is dying out). I've been able to pull in quite a few distant stations during that time before the wall-to-wall nighttime conditions take over. Now check this out: I used the supplied accessory cable to hook mine up between a 75-foot random wire and ground. OMG. At least one station on every frequency almost. Best DX so far (in terms of miles per watt) was a 250 watt station 115 miles away (that's after just a few minutes of fooling around with it). Several stations that were essentially inaudible or barely audible but uncopyable were brought up to S8 or S9. Fantastic!

[@peterspeets9950]

Thank you Gilles for your video. I am a beginner so I don't know much. I bought a second hand Kenwood r-1000. I also ordered a tecsun an 200. How should I connect the loop with the Kenwood?

[@davidsradioroom9678]

Excellent. You can use a "Lazy Susan" to put the loop and your receiver in. You can turn the Lazy Susan and this moves both radio and loop at the same time.

[@alvinmorris5404]

I have a couple different sizes of lazy susans that I use for that

[@vahanyazarian5582]

Thanks for informative video.Is there any difference between An 100 and AN 200 except shape?

[@jisa98]

Gilles I bought this antenna recently, im still experimenting with it and my radio collection. I have taken note of ur observations, will see what can i do with it!

[@elton7931]

Hi, Gilles. I have the Grundig-branded version of this antenna and it's great. Only thing I'd ask for is a vernier tuning knob.

[@nuraman00]

Perhaps a demo of a radio station, with and without the AN 200, would be helpful. So viewers could see how much of a difference it made, in reception, for a station.

[@bretwayne8302]

Yes,I use a lazy susan to rotate the radio and the antenna at the same time. It works well for what it is. kc2nxp :-)

[@alvinmorris5404]

I think you will find that there's a lot of us who have a lazy susan or two around in different sizes👍

[@marjla]

Great 👍 idea.

[@AudiophileTubes]

I am currently using my Icom 756 Pro3 for AM broadcast band DXing, using my Amateur Radio GAP Eagle DX vertical antenna. It seems to work very well, but am wondering if connecting this Tecsun loop to the Icom's antenna jack would work better than the outdoor GAP vertical. I already have the AN200 loop directly hooked up to my Yaesu FRG-100 with the supplied cable. I am looking for a cable that would directly connect the Tecsun loop to my 756, but can't find a 3.5mm stereo to PL-259 cable. I am not good with my hands, or soldering, so I am looking for one that is ready made. Do you know where I can find one? I looked online, but no one seems to sell this kind of short cable. Any help would be appreciated. By the way, I tried indirectly coupling the Tecsun loop to the Icom 756, but the 756 is just too well shielded, plus it doesn't have an internal AM antenna (ferrite bar) to couple to. Thanks!

[@sincerelyyours7538]

I've had an identical Grundig model several years now. It works, but as you say only on some radios. It works nicely on my 1970s era Sony AM-FM-SW Cassette-Corder but not at all on my much more modern Elpa 12-band SW1-10 pocket radio. Some days seem to be better than others and the cap is finicky to adjust at times. I'd also like it to be more easily disassembled as the plastic case is quite difficult to spudge apart without damaging it.

[@stevenemert837]

As you said, it's important to keep the radio aligned with the loop antenna. As you rotate it to point in the direction of the station, it can be a bit of a pain. So this may sound kind of silly, but as an experiment I cut out a couple of corrugated cardboard discs to make a sort of lazy susan and out a box on it so a radio can sit inside the loop and rotate with it. It actually worked well and made it much easier to rotate the antenna and radio in unison.

[@Kritiker313]

Nice loop. In the unlikely case that there's directionality in received noise, you could conceivably orient the loop at an angle such that it attenuates the noise while boosting the desired signal.

[@andrewmcphee8965]

Thanks Gilles, very good review and tips for use. I have a couple of decent radios (Tecsun PL-880 & XHData D-808) but am experimenting with cheaper sub $50 radios just for fun and giggles so the AN 200 should make a difference. Have ordered one, can't wait to play with it. Best wishes from Australia.

[@mikeschager3267]

Here in Arizona, I use this antenna to DX at night with my Tecsun PL-880 and it is incredible the difference it makes. I prop the radio against the antenna (about a 45 deg angle) so the tuning knobs of both are inches away. By fine tuning the antenna and the frequency (3 kH above/below) , I can separate multiple stations pretty good to get a station ID, depending on the skywave conditions, etc. I want to try a small lazy susan to rotate both units, although once the front of the radio is pointed away from me it would be harder to do the fine tuning, sitting at my patio table. I hope your results are favorable when you try this antenna.

[@nuraman00]

Thanks for the video. One of my goals is to get better reception on an AM station about 120 miles away, inside the home. I can get reception of this station in my car outside, but not on my Tecsun PL-600 inside the home. I can kind of hear it, but it gets worse after 5 PM. After that, I have to strain to really hear it, and it’s a bit garbled as another radio station on a frequency 10 Khz away interferes. Also, I notice that when my TV is on, then I get noticeably reduced reception on that radio station, as compared to when my TV is off. So if I get this AN-200, do you think it will help with some of these conditions?

[@duncan3417]

Works great with my Realistic DX440 and Sangean 405 , do they have these for shortwave? Nest Wishes

[@richardparkersmith4810]

I have had an AN 200 for a few years and it us very useful. I agree that it is difficult to tune. Needs gearing ideally.

[@franciscole3039]

Hi what’s the difference between the stainless whip antenna and the stock whip antenna on the Tecsun PL660? Is it worth upgrading to the stainless steel antenna. I noticed on several tecsuns radios I picked up that the interface between the antenna sections is sort of sloppy and was wondering how you avoid them coming apart ?has that ever happened to you a section come out of another section. On the old radios I felt as if the antennas were built to a higher tolerance between parts have you had this issue with a come apart. This is a brand new radios that I pick up in the stores and I see it all the time. Do you suggest always buying a spare antenna for all the new radios you buy. please advise thank you

[@vadflo]

Hi. Indeed is an interesting antenna and in many cases improve AM reception. Regarding this output am jack on the base of antenna, can work also as an input signal by connecting an external passive antenna and improve signal much more. I have made this discover this night and upload one short video on KZbin. Best regards

[@vincestaffo895]

Is there a Antenna like the AN-200 that will pick up signals in the 10 to 500 Hertz Frequencies?

[@dougsmith9571]

I have the Grundig - Eton An200 , same basic thing I believe. It's a good antennas for the money imo. It looks unique and high quality. The knob could be better , and marked more visible , but if you can find one for around 25 bucks I'd recommend it

[@bigradiofan7216]

What is that radio you picked up at the start btw ? I've always used my Terk AM 1000 loop, wonder if this is better maybe ?

[@FrozenDoberman]

The Tecsun AN 200 Mediumwave loop antenna is beautifully made and very affordable. However, it is not ideal for long distance reception. The loop main tank coil diameter area needs to be at least 50 cm. The tuning sharpness or Q is always higher towards the lower frequency. Q is a function of the L/C ratio. High inductance, low capacitance, and low frequency = higher selectivity and tuning sharpness. Higher Q also translates to greater signal output. Someone might take the housing design and make it larger with fewer tank coil turns. I like the ideal of coupling a longwire or beverage via the antenna jack. Used inductively, the AN 200 would act like a RF preselector.

[@raffaele2205]

Very kind, unfortunately I don't understand much less English, so I couldn't understand everything. I have this antenna and a receiver that can work with external antenna even on medium and long waves. I tried to connect this antenna to the receiver, but I realized that it works better by induction, perhaps because by induction I simultaneously receive the signal both from this antenna and from the integrated one of the radio. I'm looking for a good antenna for medium and long waves, maybe amplified, to be mounted outside. I should be able to use it because my receiver (Sangean ATS 909-X) is adjustable in sensitivity via a side knob. Unfortunately I am a neophyte and I would not know how to build anything at the moment. Can you recommend an antenna to buy? It would also be good to build one, but at a first search I did not find projects explained in detail on how to build an antenna really superior to the AN200 or the ferrite one. Thanks so much!

[@michelberkane2379]

MLA30+

[@richardmerriam7044]

The large radios such as the GE Superadio III or the CCrane EP Pro won't really benefit from the AN-200 as the ferrite bar is large. Pocket portables with tiny internal antennas will get the best results, as you inferred. I will be buying a "Lazy Susan" for my future DXinjg efforts. Great video!

[@michelberkane2379]

I have a sangean 909 X2 . I'm near Paris in this area there is nothing in day on MW . Maybe it will help thanks

[@theforester3426]

Would it be possible to use this antenna with my crystal radio.?

[@joepangia4413]

Lol funny that you should say that about the xhdata D808 not coupling well with this antenna. I just ordered this antenna off eBay yesterday for my D808 oh well time to get another radio :)

[@asparrow5431]

I've got a 78 Kenwood Eleven III Stereo receiver and I can hardly pick up any AM with it. Would you recommend this, for that?

[@alvinmorris5404]

It'll work it even comes with a wire that has a 3.5mm plug on one end and tinned ends on the other so you can hook it to back of your radio or stereo 👍

[@markmontgomery9722]

i agree 100% i use loops for all my listening on all band's for RX they out perform a lot of my TX antennas and are quiet easy to make cheap as well . nice over view on this AN200 and great info for some people looking forward to watching more. 73s

[@rushymoto]

I wonder how many turns it has on the loop

[@Liofa73]

It's interesting that you haven't had good results on the XH-Data D-808, there are other videos on KZbin that show improved performace. Clearly this loop will improve the performance of radios with poorer MW sensitivity, the D-808 is fairly sensitive on MW due to quite a large ferrite rod.

[@grahamwishart4832]

I have found that it does work pretty well with my D-808... Actually amazingly sometimes!

[@juslitor]

The large ferrite antenna is the reason the improvement in S/N is small.

[@DJ_Cthulhu]

I finally got round to ordering one of these. :)

[@jordandobrikin8611]

By better radios you should explain radios that have a bigger longer internal ferrite loop antenna.

[@juslitor]

Few modern radios have an adequate ferrite antenna. Old radios usually need service before working to spec. Some do not have the capability to fix up their radios.

[@notvalidcharacters]

Speaking of noises, what's up with that toilet that keeps flushing in the background? This loop comes with several different brand stamps. Mine says Grundig and I got it from Grove.

[@marjla]

😂😂

[@Jdub41Utube]

I have a question on the tuning capacitor: The knob on the the Tuning Capacitor knob feels flimsy as its wobbly . However does work great ! Is this normal .

[@OfficialSWLchannel]

My is firm and does not wobble you might have a defect there

[@TheMajkla]

I have been using it for a week and it's not wobbly. My Tecsun PL 310 ET's tuning knob was a bit askew from the beginning and once it fell out..

[@Jdub41Utube]

@@OfficialSWLchannel Mine feels like a joy stick. The knob fits OK however even without the knob it feels like a joystick. Well I purchased it several months and it stills works great !

[@Jdub41Utube]

@@TheMajkla I have 310ET and have the problem with the ill fitting knob. It works good I just be careful with the knob.

[@Jdub41Utube]

Update on the wobbling knob: The problem was a loose screw ! I pulled the knob off and tighten the center screw and know works great.

[@fernandovazquez4396]

Greetings, are there great antennas for DXing?

[@petemitchell6788]

Bump- I noticed the higher the frequency the higher the sweet spot on the tuning dial and vice versa.

[@bluestorm9651]

I bought the Grundig version. It definitely works better during the day.

[@trustin.p9504]

A lot of good info.👍. To bad it does not work for shortwave

[@juliocesartorresvaldez3158]

Excelente video, muchas gracias, las personas que saben vuelven lo complicado simple, felicidades

[@TheMajkla]

LOL, what was I thinking - instead of plugging my wire into the loop's jack, I've made a tambourine: kzbin.info/www/bejne/goerZaJqi6ahnrs But nevermind as it worked perfectly when coupling long wire with loop. Improve this loop, it looks nice, it helps to amplify a weaker signals and it's fun to use. 73s, Ron

[@madmax2069]

My Eton Elite Executive does better with the AN-200 if I rest the radio on the side of the loop like a stand, instead of having it on the side of the radio. If I have it on the side it often will attenuate the signal instead of improving it.

[@sp3vzx]

Audiobook ?

[@gabevee3]

No actual demo?

[@cheshirecat1595]

I have 2 of them. The AN100 and the AN200. Say no more.

[@DE-iv8if]

His Pronunciation of Ferrite is actually _correct_ .. :D (to my German Ears.. ) This is _very_ close to the original Way of saying it like it is done in Latin which the Word is actually from.. :D (It is from the _Latin_ Word for Iron "Ferrum" .. :/ The "i" in Latin is spoken like in "Spring" and never like in "like".. )

[@Liofa73]

Usually English speakers pronounce it "Fer-right". It differentiates it from the animal Ferret, which is kind of the way this guy pronounces it.

[@DE-iv8if]

​ Liofa - I just searched for UK and Ferrite and the Person in the first Video that I found also said it the Way like it is done in _this_ Video.. So at least some People in the UK seem to pronunce it this Way too... :/

[@chronobot2001]

I love mine. It works great.

[@stephenwright8103]

You pronounce ferrite ferret or is this the Canadian pronunciation as the ferret is the domesticated form of the European polecat lol. good loop antenna though.......

[@Liofa73]

It's because of his French Canadian accent. His first language is Quebecois French. English speaking Canadians pronounce it like English people.

[@stephenwright8103]

@@Hiram8866 Is it this or that or Dis-n-Dat 😂

[@ricktemmen6272]

I wanted this for SW don't need it for MW I can listen to that on my smartphone with I💜radio. Nice review though. Thanks. 😎👍

[@revansland]

could you put that thing down please.

[@markschneiderhan4300]

Use it w/the Realistic.....