A bit of background. I was very active on the bands up until about 10yrs ago when the noise levels in my area became intolerable, and neither the regulator nor the national body were of any use. I ended up mothballing all my gear and routed my energies elsewhere.

At the beginning of this year my interest in radio started to return and I dug out one of my receivers, a JRC NRD-535D, and made a crude antenna only to find that the S-9+ of noise, consisting of VDSL leakage, PLT, SMP's, etc, was still present. I experimented further with various wires and verticals, along with phasing boxes, but listening was still a chore rather than a pleasure.

I started looking at small aperture receiving loops but unfortunately the UK manufacturer of the industry standard of loops had chosen to retire April of this year and the MFJ Loop appeared to be the only PnP option available. As I had some money burning a hole in my pocket I decided to take the plunge and purchased the 1886 T/R option.

Even though the price of this antenna is high I consider it to be one of my better purchases in the hobby. Installation is quick and easy, and I say that as a disabled person. Construction is also very good, probably the most solidly built loop currently on the market. I have it mounted about 5ft above the ground on a lightweight Yaesu G-250 rotator, and the loop is fed with about 30feet of RG-Mini8.

The results have been truly transformative. The signal to noise ratio is exceptional. On MW I can hear some of the 1Watt community transmitters situated over 60km from me such as the one used at York University and another at the Catterick Barracks. Performance does roll off sharply below 500KHz but I can still hear Radio Algiers on 252KHz during the day. HF performance is also very good. On 40m, where the noise floor wiped out all but the very strongest of signals, the noise floor very rarely peaks above S3.

To fully exploit this antenna's potential I highly recommend the use of a rotator. The directional properties are as impressive as the low noise amplifier. Again on MW, I can null the very strong signal from BBC 5Live and resolve more distant stations on the same frequency. It is also just as effective at nulling out local interference.

Now that I've been using this antenna for the last six months I've decided to dig out my transceivers and use a simple end-fed antenna for transmitting and using the loop for receiving. The T/R version of the loop comes with a BiasT with a built in RF relay for auto switching between a receive and transmit antenna, and as I've only ever operated QRP there should be no issues with RF getting into the loop's circuitry.

As I live in a flat, my antenna options are limited. In the past I have used just various variations of a wire aerial. I only ever listen to the HF broadcast bands, although I have had a G7 license for thirty years, I have never used it to transmit anything.
Although I decided to treat myself to an MFJ 1886, I actually purchased the TRX variant as it was a bit cheaper at the time. I made up an arm to mount the antenna away from the building slightly and with room for it to rotate. I have two lengths of string to rotate it.
The directional properties are good, I have it aligned at about 100 degrees from my location in London which seems to be, for me, the best generally. I have used the aerial with my old Sony 2001D, my new Tecsun 501X, and my very old Racal 117E.
Although the 1886 works very well with the Sony and the Tecsun, it really shines with the Racal which has a built-in antenna tuner. It works well and I have no regrets about buying MFJ-1886TRX.

This is a very good receiving loop antenna , I Use my one with my A.O.R. ar - dv1 receiver every day & it works very well , To get the best out of it You have to put it up high over the top of your roof & use some very good coaxe not any cheap coaxe that you can get .