Wellbrook ALA1530 alike Magnetic Antenna Loop Amp

This design is about a clone of a clone. Following the footsteps of the WellBrook and the WellGood in this article, here's my version: 'The WellFlex Magnetic Loop Amp'!

Two amplifiers dominate the market for magnetic loop antennas for HAMS and radio amateurs. The LAZ1AQ amp and the ALA1530 from Wellbrook Communications. My derivation from the LAZ1AQ can be found earlier in this blog, but for various reasons, I lean more towards the Wellbrook. The issue with the original Wellbrook is that the manufacturer protected their product from weather conditions and/or plagiarism (who knows) by encapsulating the entire board in resin. Nonetheless, some users experienced defects. One of them (George - M1GEO) turned necessity into virtue and subjected his defective unit to X-rays. After that, he painstakingly freed the device from the resin with butalon (a type of acetone) as best as he could and mapped out the whole thing. Apparently, he succeeded well, and thus the 'WellGood' emerged as a clone of the Wellbrook. It's unfortunate that even subsequent Russian and Chinese variants emerged, but their performances are widely criticized. Wellbrook Communication eventually ceased sales and definitively closed its doors at the end of April 2023. To potentially use the WellBrook/WellGood amplifier as an alternative to the LAZ1AQ amplifier, I have designed a circuit incorporating everything I could find about it. I have received the circuit boards for those and I hope to equip them with components soon and then be able to tell you more about them in due course.

Below are some links I have collected, and attached some images of my version. As with all my designs, I have no intention of commercial exploitation. If I can help someone, I am always willing. Conversely, I would appreciate hearing from others about their experiences.

Downloads

schema and production files

Illustrations