Hello All,

For those hobbyists like Jerry who have wondered about the DXing
performance of a smaller-sized FSL compared to a 7.5" transplanted
loopstick, I recorded a couple of demonstration MP3's while at the
Oregon beach last week.

In the first recording a Tecsun PL-380 model with a 7.5" (transplanted)
Longwave loopstick receives the 1,000 watt Hawaiian beacon 353-LLD (at
about 2,400 miles) all by itself for the first three beacon ID's (in
Morse code), then it receives an inductive coupling boost from a 6.5"
diameter LW-optimized Ferrite Sleeve Loop antenna for the next three
beacon ID's http://www.mediafire.com/?jawtacwjzmjtj4n

In the second recording the same modified PL-380 receives the Alaskan
beacon 233-ALJ with only its transplanted 7.5" LW loopstick for the
first three beacon ID cycles, then with the inductive coupling boost
from the 6.5" diameter Longwave FSL for the next three beacon ID's
http://www.mediafire.com/?kan26xzeiyil3nd

In general a transplanted 7.5" loopstick (of effective design) provides
a quantum leap in DXing sensitivity over a stock Tecsun loopstick,
while a moderate-sized FSL (of effective design) provides an additional
quantum leap in DXing sensitivity over a transplanted 7.5" loopstick.
The 7.5" LW loopstick ("G" model) PL-380 by itself has been very
successful in NDB-DXing, having been used by three different DXers to
log over 100 NDB stations. On the Oregon beach it was also an effective
spotting receiver for propagation trends, and could be used in fairly
heavy rain. But the 6.5" FSL made all the difference in going after
weak beacons, and was critical in providing reception of the best NDB
catch of the DXpedition-- 270-FA in Samoa (a 1,000 watt beacon at over
5,000 miles).

73, Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA)