Below is my test loop. 18 gauge wire with a 470 ohm/.5watt resistor soldered in, hooked up to an old AMB20 style pickup on a plastic coat hanger with a 6' rg59 coax w/bnc connectors! Measures about 12"x12". Transponders (L to R) are MyLaps 4 Pure (3 wire), AMBdp and 1 of 4 rechargeable s. 4 cell battery pack to power the PT's. BTW....the AMBdp is probably the first personal used in the USA!
On the display 119=signal strength and 24=background noise. The signal strength should not be lower than 60 and at least 60 points higher than the background noise. When I move the decoder away from the loop the background noise drops 10 points!