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write your own review of the Cushcraft Ringo AR-2.
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N5ZTPN5ZTP
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Rating: 5/5
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May 11, 2009 21:37
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good
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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i have owned several of these antennas and the only one that did not work was one that was put together wrong, that i bought used for $3. i now have one mounted on a 4 ft mast, standing in the corner of a bedroom. i do simplex 40 miles away with 20 watts. And i have run all types of omnis and beams that were better and some worse, I judge an antenna on whether it works or not, and this one works.
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K9FON
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 30, 2008 12:12
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Great!!!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Although i dont own on e of these i know several hams and buisnesses that use them and the antenna WORKS!
I used to work for a company that installed a AR-2 in 1978 and 30 years later it was still up and still worked. It is build to last and perform a yeomans duty. I have heard some guys say the antenna is not any good, but i dont think they read the directions when they installed it. The tuning ring on the bottom has to be installed just right or it will not tune well.
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GM6TVR
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 30, 2008 08:07
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Just the job..............
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Having had all the big hf and vhf vertical and beam antennas installed here in South West Scotland, none of which survived the high winds we get from time to time, I decided to buy and install the AR2. I am absolutely delighted with this one, and it is performing better than I ever expected it to. My Diamond X510, 17ele Tonna and 4ele SteppIR were either damaged or completely destroyed over the last two years, two Prosistel rotators also met their death during this period. Looks like my new AR2 will last as long as the mast is standing, and the performance is very good from such a small antenna. Also installed a new 17 ele Cushcraft 2mtr beam and Optibeam hf beam recently, should be able to save some time and money with the new hardware up and running. Please note that wind survival figures quoted by some antenna manufacturers mean nothing.
Good luck, John www.johnblack.org
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KI4HAD
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 23, 2008 13:24
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great budget antenna
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I gave this antenna a 5 not because it's a great performer but because it does what it's suppose to for a very resonable price. Also, it's built like a brick s**t house. This is important for those of us living in coastal areas where high winds and salt air are a fact of life. Now as for the performance, I run 35 watts max and can work all local repeaters. I can even do DX. I live in Ft. Myers, Fl. and have worked Melbourne Fl. on only 5 watts. Of course this was when conditions were right. Pretty good for a dummy load eh? My system is the AR2, a Yaesu VX-170, an MFJ-921, and a Mirage B34G.
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KE4ZHN
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Rating: 5/5
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May 2, 2008 11:53
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Very sturdy
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Ive had one of these for just over 12 years now. This little antenna is no world beater as far as performance goes, but it does work well enough for general purpose FM work. Its solid when it comes to standing up to the weather. Mine has survived 3 hurricanes and its still in operation. For the price how can you go wrong? Sure, there are higher gain 2 mtr. verticals available, but I dont know of a single one that will take years of nasty weather (let alone hurricanes!) and still perform like the first day you put it up. This little guy is the "energizer bunny" of antennas.
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N4ASX
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Rating: 5/5
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May 2, 2008 08:26
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Great antenna
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've been active on VHF for 30 years and I started with the Ringo 2 meter as it fit the balcony of my apartment and I could hang a plant basket on it and get around the antenna rules. I have Ringos for ARES use even though I've got multiband antennas on the tower. About every few years it's a good idea to take it down and clean the contacts, but it's very well made, easy to use and provides some gain over the quaterwave. For the guy who says no gain over the standard dipole, I beg to differ. The antenna is an end fed half wave and the other half is the ground system. I have a 6 meter Ringo up lower then my Diamond V-2000A and while the ring is 20 feet lower, it outperforms the quarterwave antenna.
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KC4FWC
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Rating: 4/5
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Mar 18, 2007 05:14
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Fine for what it is...
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The basic "Ringo" is just a 1/2 wave end fed antenna. That's it - do not expect any more from this! It does not have 3.75 dB gain over a 1/2 wave - it IS a half wave! If you want more, buy a G6 or an Isopole.. If you want even more, buy a Stationmaster or a DB-224.
The Ringo has two major problems, one being no ground radials which means the coax will radiate and give an unpredictable pattern. Make about 3 loops approx 6 inches in diameter when installing to force an RF choke. Second, water runs down the stud which bolts onto the tuning rod. Use hot glue or silicone over the threads to keep water from migrating into the coax.
I give this a "4" because for what it is, it does what it's supposed to do. Period.
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VE7REN
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 11, 2007 11:55
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excellent
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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how can someone give this a 0/5. cmon!!! in all reality this antenna performs very well, considering price. sure there are better,but i guess some people are pretty negative ,wgen in comparison to higher end antennas. believe what you want, this antenna works excellent and will give many yrs of trouble free long haul talking. you cant go wrong with the ar2 ringo!!
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K4JC
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 9, 2006 09:43
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Great antenna for a variety of uses
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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My first Amateur Radio antenna back in 1977 was a Ringo. Living in a large city with access to many repeaters I was able to hit most anything I could hear. Of course, being a greenhorn I really had no experience with any other antennas.
Since then I have tried many other antennas, but I find the AR-2 still holds its own. I use one now for emcomms. The antenna is lightweight, easy to just toss into the car with my "jump kit", and easily slips onto the top of an old music stand-type base. Attach a piece of coax and I am on the air in seconds!
As others have mentioned, it is good for "stealth" operation (I have seen several painted camoflauge colors and hidden in trees.) No, it is not a high-gain heavy hitter, but it can be the difference of being on the air or not!
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K9YP
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Rating: 4/5
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Aug 1, 2005 13:22
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good for ARES work
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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These little antennas are good to pack in a duffel with some military mast sections, guy wires, etc. I keep a kit with two of these, one at 146 MHz and one at 155 MHz for EMA communication. I use a drive-on (OPAR) base and a hitch receiver base and can turn my little pickup truck into a quick 2-station comm site. Maybe only 3 dB gain, but I can cover my county! Great for ARES/RACES quick deployments.
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