Well, I don't want to enter into a debate about loops vs long wires. Suffice to say, my outdoor long aerial works perfectly well for my needs. Bags and bags of signal level, stations, and very low noise. Like I said above, almost FM like in quality. It cost about £50 all in including the rigger, is VERY authentic in the vintage wireless idiom, is nice for an enthusiast like myself to look upon, and it works a treat with no power supply, no power consumption and no electronic parts to fail. It is the defacto way to receive AM signals and for me it's a resounding success!!