Very interesting video. I've just bought a MLA30+ and so far I have only tested it on my balcony. I live in an apartment, in a dense urban area with FM transmitters around. SW listening is all but impossible with a radio and the whip antenna. I am amazed by what the MLA30+ can do in terms of filtering out FM breakthrough and electrical noise. Impressed, really. I will be using antenna for outdoors DX sessions on a 4m mast attached to my car. But not yet. I expect even much better.
Thanks for going to the trouble of testing these side by side - the difference is stark in the lower and upper bands! They've done some good work improving the loop. Interesting how the original MLA 30 was rated to start covering upwards from 100kHz and the MLA 30+ starting at 500kHz yet the new plus well outperforms the original on the LW band. MW is an added bonus too, would be interesting to see if you could catch some transatlantic LW/MW DX with the plus. On the strength of this video alone I've ordered the MLA 30+ "Brother Scare" coming in TOO well! Keep up the good work and 73s from Ireland
Ordered the MLA-30 for the same reason. However the ebay company shipped me the MLA-30+. Thanks for the video causing me to cancel the return. Sometimes you'll get less on ebay, but in this case I got more.
The noise floor comes up too when you switch to the mla-30+. I wonder if adjusting the pot inside of the old mla-30 bringing the noise floor to the same level would help the signal at all on the mla-30 old version? It would be interesting to see if it could be adjusted to be the same.
Thank you so much for the info. It will be interesting to see how it does against the MFJ1886 after you mod it. I'm going to get me a 30+. I think anybody who values their money will do that.
Sorry for the silly question but as I see the Gain changing in SDRUno when you switch antenna I wonder if you used the IF Gain in auto position or not. It look like it was on Auto mode. If so, I would use IF GAIN in manual mode and , maybe to its minimum value.At that point, if the RFGain is never changed, you´ll see the true difference between the two MLA-30s. Does it make sense to you ?
I noticed that you assigned the original 30 to the B port with bias T power. But the 30 plus on the A port, using the supplied bias T insert? One is running on 5 volts and the other at 12-13. Is this a realistic test condition?
Is that using the stock coax cable that comes with both MLA-30 and MLA-30+ and are you using the supplied bias T power supply or the bias T from the RSP? I've allegedly ordered the MLA-30+ on e-Bay but I most likely won't get it for the duration which could be months or more, Where did you get your MLA-30+ from?
I have 2 MLA 30+ antennas. The Biasing Tee powers up fine on a USB plug in power adapter but when I try and power it through a portable power bank the power cuts off after a few minutes. This happens with both antenna Biasing Tees and with several different portable power banks different power cords. I would like to use the antenna for portable use but cannot power it. Is this normal or do I have two defective antennas.
are both aligned in exactly direction ? I find my original very directional on MW and I assume the same on LW as well. I can actually null a pretty strong local like CFRB and receive WINS clearly at night. Different orientations could explain different results on the low end. I need another anyway , will try to get the plus version.
I have powered it with batteries to make sure the power supply does not make any noise, there is no difference, the power adapters I use are very quiet
Okay... I just got interested in SW listening-- well, re-interested, I guess. Nostalgia, really. Remembering listening to the radio at night with my Dad or over at Grandpa's house. That, combined with the uncertainty of 'things' in general these days, got me inspired to get my hands on a SW receiver. Went a bit overboard, I'm afraid. Amazon is probably tired of hearing from me. Anyhow... I've got several small-- in a few cases very small-- portable receivers now. Tecsun: 368, 680, 880, 9012, 9700 Raddy: 320, 750, 760 They all came with a wire antenna of some kind, but I'm wondering about an MLA 30+. Could the smaller ones, or any of them for that matter, be damaged in some manner by this antenna? As I say, I'm quite new at this, & I keep hearing the word 'overload' without really understanding what it means or whether it could tear up a radio.
To be honest. Yes the signal is stronger, but the SNR is only around 2db better on around 11 mhz. The MW and lw is a lot better. The SNR is the thing that matters.
Thank you for a good and helpful movie. I thought that you used the original bias-t box for MLA30+, and the bias-t function of SDRuno for MLA30. I felt Noise floor level of MLA30 is lower than that of MLA30+, because of the lower noise level of bias-t of SDRuno. However I understood that the gain of MLA30+ was very high.
I purchased it from the same seller of my original MLA-30, there is no mention of MLA-30+ but that is what I got. www.ebay.ca/itm/MLA-30-100kHz-30MHz-Ring-Active-Receive-Antenna-Low-Noise-Medium-ShortWave/283557477378?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
@@OfficialSWLchannel There is now mention of the MLA-30+: "Good NEWS !! This item been upgraded to MLA-30+ (MLA-30 Plus) , if your order is in or after Feb.1th of 2020, it will ship with Upgrade Version (MLA-30+)"
I'm not sure about your results. First of all, it is necessary to show where the antennas are placed! It's easily to put one antenna inside the bathroom and the other one on top of the roof, and then to compare. I don't believe that this video is correct.
Location can make a huge difference, noise might be a problem at one point and not at another, orientation also, loops are very directional, usually we install them to have the lowest noise possible
@@OfficialSWLchannel So, should you try testing the antennas in different locations to see if that effects the results between the new and old antenna?
BACK IN THE DAY... General Motors "magically" managed to increase the horsepower ratings of the same sized engine and they did this year after year. This marketing tactic proved to increase sales for the newer cars. I'll bet we will see the new and improved MLA-30 Plus Plus Plus on the market within a very few years although it is probably available but not for sale today.
Thanks for testing these and providing a link where you got them. Thumbs up.
Very interesting video. I've just bought a MLA30+ and so far I have only tested it on my balcony. I live in an apartment, in a dense urban area with FM transmitters around. SW listening is all but impossible with a radio and the whip antenna. I am amazed by what the MLA30+ can do in terms of filtering out FM breakthrough and electrical noise. Impressed, really.
I will be using antenna for outdoors DX sessions on a 4m mast attached to my car. But not yet. I expect even much better.
Thanks for going to the trouble of testing these side by side - the difference is stark in the lower and upper bands! They've done some good work improving the loop. Interesting how the original MLA 30 was rated to start covering upwards from 100kHz and the MLA 30+ starting at 500kHz yet the new plus well outperforms the original on the LW band. MW is an added bonus too, would be interesting to see if you could catch some transatlantic LW/MW DX with the plus. On the strength of this video alone I've ordered the MLA 30+ "Brother Scare" coming in TOO well! Keep up the good work and 73s from Ireland
Thank you!!! I had just ordered the MLA 30 and quickly cancelled that order and ordered an MLA 30 plus!
Very useful review. I was contemplating getting the mla30 due to the LW range. Glad I found this review. Thanks indeed.
Ordered the MLA-30 for the same reason. However the ebay company shipped me the MLA-30+. Thanks for the video causing me to cancel the return. Sometimes you'll get less on ebay, but in this case I got more.
The noise floor comes up too when you switch to the mla-30+. I wonder if adjusting the pot inside of the old mla-30 bringing the noise floor to the same level would help the signal at all on the mla-30 old version? It would be interesting to see if it could be adjusted to be the same.
Watch the SNR.
Thank God the 30+ works better (Just picked one up).. (Also SDRuno Looks nice).. Thanks for posting your test.
Great comparison Vid. Just having greater MW reception alone convinces me to upgrade to the plus. Thank you.
Thank you for the informative video...
Thank you so much for the info. It will be interesting to see how it does against the MFJ1886 after you mod it. I'm going to get me a 30+. I think anybody who values their money will do that.
Based on your videos [subscribed] I went ahead and bought a ATS-25 and this MLA-30+ antenna. Looking forward to using both.
Interesting video. Thanks.
Been watching your videos and appreciate the channel.
Thank you!
Sorry for the silly question but as I see the Gain changing in SDRUno when you switch antenna I wonder if you used the IF Gain in auto position or not. It look like it was on Auto mode. If so, I would use IF GAIN in manual mode and , maybe to its minimum value.At that point, if the RFGain is never changed, you´ll see the true difference between the two MLA-30s. Does it make sense to you ?
Hello, thanks for the video! I've a stupid question: is it possible to use the MLA upside down? Does it work the same? Thanks for info
Thank you Gilles.
Off course better very simple plus means There is something plus very good test thank you 73s
I noticed that you assigned the original 30 to the B port with bias T power. But the 30 plus on the A port, using the supplied bias T insert? One is running on 5 volts and the other at 12-13. Is this a realistic test condition?
Do you use an SDRplay? On my the RSP2 the MLA-30 was far better on longwave using the Hiz port.
Hallo Grüsse
Is that using the stock coax cable that comes with both MLA-30 and MLA-30+ and are you using the supplied bias T power supply or the bias T from the RSP?
I've allegedly ordered the MLA-30+ on e-Bay but I most likely won't get it for the duration which could be months or more, Where did you get your MLA-30+ from?
do you have both pointed in the same direction...exactly?
I have 2 MLA 30+ antennas. The Biasing Tee powers up fine on a USB plug in power adapter but when I try and power it through a portable power bank the power cuts off after a few minutes. This happens with both antenna Biasing Tees and with several different portable power banks different power cords. I would like to use the antenna for portable use but cannot power it. Is this normal or do I have two defective antennas.
Nice. Thanks a lot!
Btw.: Brother Scare?! 😂
Thanks, really helpful!
Great stuff!!! Many thanks ......
I have stupid question: why cant it transmit for HF radio? I need the argument as Custom Officers want to tax it as Ham Radio Antenna
it falls in the category of amateur radio gear. Does not need to transmit for that.. it is a antenna for a radio
Amazon just delivered the one I ordered and its a + model.
I am going to add a MLA30 plus to my Kenwood ts590sg rx port as a receiving antenna. Hope it works out.😊
UL FTW!
Lol! There is a transmitter site in Kirkland and another in a residential part of Dorval but I'm still not sure which is UL.
Are these performance results using an SDR replicable using a standalone communications receiver/shortwave radio?
Nice comparison. But with the antennas being so close, could that affect their performance?
Good job, as usual.
please can you post the link for the new mla30+?
are both aligned in exactly direction ? I find my original very directional on MW and I assume the same on LW as well. I can actually null a pretty strong local like CFRB and receive WINS clearly at night. Different orientations could explain different results on the low end. I need another anyway , will try to get the plus version.
They are about 3 feet appart but their orientation is exactly the same to make sure there is no difference
Hoping to get the newer version when I order , not getting any NDB's here anymore and years ago I could
Do you use a clean power source? The same source? USB adapters and so can have a lot of noise ...
I have powered it with batteries to make sure the power supply does not make any noise, there is no difference, the power adapters I use are very quiet
Okay... I just got interested in SW listening-- well, re-interested, I guess. Nostalgia, really. Remembering listening to the radio at night with my Dad or over at Grandpa's house. That, combined with the uncertainty of 'things' in general these days, got me inspired to get my hands on a SW receiver. Went a bit overboard, I'm afraid. Amazon is probably tired of hearing from me. Anyhow... I've got several small-- in a few cases very small-- portable receivers now.
Tecsun: 368, 680, 880, 9012, 9700
Raddy: 320, 750, 760
They all came with a wire antenna of some kind, but I'm wondering about an MLA 30+. Could the smaller ones, or any of them for that matter, be damaged in some manner by this antenna? As I say, I'm quite new at this, & I keep hearing the word 'overload' without really understanding what it means or whether it could tear up a radio.
To be honest. Yes the signal is stronger, but the SNR is only around 2db better on around 11 mhz. The MW and lw is a lot better. The SNR is the thing that matters.
I wish I had seen this video before I got my MLA-30.
for most people they don't see much of a difference and if you ordered one they are shipping only the + version now
@@OfficialSWLchannel Thanks!
Wow its awesome
Have you tried swapping the ports on your SDR? To rule out interference on your SDR circuit?
yes I did and even swapped the power of Bias T .. no difference, same results
Very good
Thank you for a good and helpful movie.
I thought that you used the original bias-t box for MLA30+, and the bias-t function of SDRuno for MLA30.
I felt Noise floor level of MLA30 is lower than that of MLA30+, because of the lower noise level of bias-t of SDRuno.
However I understood that the gain of MLA30+ was very high.
You need to try a different waterfall color scheme there... I don't know how you make heads or tails of any weaker signals. ;o)
My silly question, can i use for TX?
no
Gilles: this is RSP1A or RSPdx! Thank you!
That test was done on the RSPdx
How you change color on sdruno
Who is selling the 30+ model?
I just searched on Aliexpress and didn't show up. Can you share a Link 🔗?
I purchased it from the same seller of my original MLA-30, there is no mention of MLA-30+ but that is what I got.
www.ebay.ca/itm/MLA-30-100kHz-30MHz-Ring-Active-Receive-Antenna-Low-Noise-Medium-ShortWave/283557477378?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
@@OfficialSWLchannel There is now mention of the MLA-30+: "Good NEWS !! This item been upgraded to MLA-30+ (MLA-30 Plus) , if your order is in or after Feb.1th of 2020, it will ship with Upgrade Version (MLA-30+)"
so where is the plus available at?
I think that most of them now have this, but no one really advertise it
You're using different Bias-T inputs. The one powered by SDRPlay is not as much power
that is not what made any differences here, test was done with both bias t box same results
@@OfficialSWLchannel Replace the metal loop provided with a 1/4" piece of copper tubing formed to loop same size, may get a surprise.
I'm not sure about your results. First of all, it is necessary to show where the antennas are placed! It's easily to put one antenna inside the bathroom and the other one on top of the roof, and then to compare. I don't believe that this video is correct.
It is compares two antennas outside that are different, it is a known observation here the the MLA 30 loop is not as good as my end fed above 20 MHz
After this, can you try to add a larger loop to the MLA 30 +? Because that will increase the performance too
I plant to try this soon
OfficialSWLchannel awesome! Can’t wait! I have made that mod to my MLA 30, it seems to work better. Probably around 3-5 more DB in SNR
Does antenna location make a difference?
Location can make a huge difference, noise might be a problem at one point and not at another, orientation also, loops are very directional, usually we install them to have the lowest noise possible
@@OfficialSWLchannel So, should you try testing the antennas in different locations to see if that effects the results between the new and old antenna?
can this go up to 800mhz?
BACK IN THE DAY... General Motors "magically" managed to increase the horsepower ratings of the same sized engine and they did this year after year. This marketing tactic proved to increase sales for the newer cars. I'll bet we will see the new and improved MLA-30 Plus Plus Plus on the market within a very few years although it is probably available but not for sale today.