I recently learned about the commercial YouLoop antenna and it seems to be quite simple to set up. They said it was possible to receive satellite signals on amateur VHF (e.g. NOAA and other CubeSats between 144 - 148 MHz) and amateur UHF (435 - 438 MHz). Has anybody tried this before (e.g receiving images from NOAA or beacons from a CubeSat)?
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asked May 9, 2022 at 15:15
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$\begingroup$ Can you edit your question and include a link to this loop antenna? $\endgroup$– Mike WatersMay 11, 2022 at 18:38
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It looks good for HF and probably OK at 145 MHz. The benefits of the balanced loop are mostly below 50 MHz.
At 435 MHz I don't think it will work - they don't say it will. If the balun works at all, the pattern will be a mess because the antenna is too large.
Being so broadband is not necessarily an advantage - strong unwanted signals will overload the front end of the SDR if you are in major city with FM radio broadcast, VHF pagers, etc. This reduces its sensitivity and creates ghost signals that interfere with the wanted signals.
At 145 MHz it's probably not much better than any little dipole antenna - there are some commonly supplied with or for SDRs. Fold the arms down a bit to broaden the beam in the E plane.
