SkyTracer2 — Shorted Active Loaded Dipole — 500 KHz - 30 MHz

Included

• SkyTracer2 (choose one configuration):
  • Standard: 0.5 m arms with 15 cm diameter capacitive end-disks
  • MAXI: 1 m arms, no capacitive end-disks (more gain on 40–10 m)
• Stainless Steel (RVS316) mounting bracket
• Bias-T (13.8 V) — F-type to SMA
• Short SMA-to-BNC patch

Optional

• 10 m INTSAT-170-ELITE 75 Ω coax (2× F-type connectors)
• RVS Ground Peg (with F bulkhead) + RX Line Isolator

Description

SkyTracer2 is a precision active shorted E-dipole. The Standard version adds capacitive hats to strengthen low-band response; the MAXI version uses longer arms without hats for more output on 40–10 m. It exhibits deep, loop-like nulls and directionality that depend on the arrival angle of incoming waves. Coverage spans 500 kHz–30 MHz, with a sweet spot on the lower HF bands.

Key Features

• Wideband coverage: 0.5–30 MHz reception
• Two versions: Standard (0.5 m + hats) and MAXI (1 m, no hats)
• High-linearity front-end: dual, push-pull low-noise gain stages for strong large-signal handling
• Pre-LNA filtering: dedicated FM-broadcast and 50 MHz notch sections ahead of gain
• Input protection & CMR: common-mode choke plus limiter/ESD network at the feedpoint
• Transformer-coupled output: broadband RF transformer with post-filtering and ESD at the F-connector
• Built-in RF limiter: tolerant near QRO (keep ≥ 8 m separation)
• Horizontally polarized with excellent common-mode rejection
• Powering: 13.8 V via bias-T; local regulated rails (~10 V) with RF chokes and robust decoupling
• Critical capacitors use stable NP0/COG dielectrics

Deep Nulls

Operating Guidance

Standard (160–10 m)

• HF 1–10 MHz: NVIS / regional work
• HF 14–30 MHz: DX (slightly less gain than MAXI above ~20 MHz)

Best height: 5–6 m — mixed NVIS + mid-angles (≈1–14 MHz), still effective up to 30 MHz.

MAXI (40–10 m)

• HF 7–10 MHz: strong NVIS
• 10–30 MHz: DX (a bit more gain than Standard)

Best DX height: 6–8 m — lowers the main response from zenith to capture typical DX arrival angles.

Applications

• Amateur-radio HF reception (160–10 m)
• Shortwave broadcast monitoring
• HF propagation studies & experimentation
• Portable/field reception & educational labs

Installation & Use

Mount the active head on a clear mast, connect the 75 Ω feedline, and power via the included 13.8 V bias-T. For best common-mode rejection, use an RX line isolator near the antenna and a second before the coax enters the shack. Add the RVS ground peg if you want a hard RF reference at the feed.