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| Reviews Summary for Cushcraft A4S |
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Reviews: 25
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Average rating: 4.2/5
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MSRP: $628.42
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Description: A4S Specifications
Frequency: 10, 15 and 20 meters
Elements: 4
Forward Gain: 8.9 dB
Front To Back Ratio: 25
VSWR 2:1 Bandwidth: 500+ kHz.
Power: 2000 watts CW
Longest Element: 32 Ft. (9.75 m)
Turning Radius: 15.5 Ft. (4.72 m)
Boom Length: 18.5 Ft. (5.48 m)
Boom Diameter: 2 inches (5.1 cm)
Wind Load: 5.5 sq. feet
Connector: UHF
Weight: 37 Lbs 16.8 kg)
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More info: http://www.cushcraft.com/
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W4VD
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 9, 2006 11:33
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Correction
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Correction on my up time, make that almost 4 and half years here,
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W4VD
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 9, 2006 11:28
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Great Trap Antenna
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I wanted to make a couple of remarks on longevity and strengths of this antenna, having had 2 of them for over 10 years total time on the air I do have a little experience with this antenna, the 1st was up for over 5 years, put up in the mid-80's it survived Hugo, ice storms and I never had to touched it. SWR was the same the day it was took down as it was when put up. Sold it and it was up another 10 trouble free years till the fellow went SK, it was sold again and is still in service today. The 2nd one I put up was on Dec 8 2001 and is my current tri-bander so it's been up over 5 years (identical SWR curve and performance to the 1st one), it's seen some very heavy ice loads over the years, so much so I was sure the elements were going to break but once the ice melted it's always bounced right back up like new. Now these were 3-4 day ordeals, to the gentleman with 3 month ice loads, all I can say is good luck, that's asking a lot from any antenna IMHO and I would not expect the A4S (or many other antannas as well) to survive 3 months with a heavy ice load on it. I am surprised you only lost one element, your situation calls for something extra heavy duty.
The SWR does not change when it's wet, rain has no ill effects at all, it sounds to me like some of these people may have installed the traps upside down, that's about all that could explain why the SWR would change in the rain. Water is getting into the antenna somewhere. Either the traps are upside down or you have a hairline crack in a trap or the coax isn't properly weatherproofed, the only thing for certain is water is getting in, you keep it out and your antenna will work fine. I would like to know what kind of fixes are being made to the traps on all these trips up the tower to work on the antenna. Knock on wood but I haven't touched my A4S since Dec 8 2001, the day it went up, it surprises me to hear people talking about this antenna like it's poorly made when that is not the case at all as long as it's properly installed, and barring 3 month ice loads of course. It is one fine antenna. I have talked to many other A4 owners on-the-air over the years and have yet to meet one who has a complaint.
The FB&FS are outstanding for a compromise three band antenna, I am not surprised at all that the gentleman who went to the Force 12 mentioned the A4 has better FB, it has decent forward gain too as I get thru the big DX pileups just like the big mono bander /w alpha boys do with my SB-220 and the A4 at a little over 20 meters high. I used to horse race with a fellow using a TH7DXX at 100' when my A4S was at 90', both using the same power within 15 miles of each other and we were about dead even on wins and losses, neither antenna whipped up on the other. (BTW same fellow later put up an A4S with the dual band WARC model above it to replace the TH7 and was quite happy with it) So my experiences show that the A4 can hold it's own with the other tri-banders out there as well as do it for LONG TIME for a lot less money. Don't let the negative post scare you away from this antenna. You can have a dependable tri-bander that really works well and put those extra hundreds you save towards a better rig or amp.
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KJ4XX
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Rating: 5/5
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May 31, 2005 20:15
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For the Money!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I just put up this antenna so can't attest to the longevity...however, if I lived next to the ocean I think I would not be so stupid as to put up a trap antenna then write a bad review....however....I'm getting signal reports double and triple some of my buddies...and have gone from not hearing stations they hear to working stations they cannot!!! If the traps go bad...I'll fix them...still cheaper than a $1,000 antenna!!
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KG5I
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 2, 2005 06:43
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Excellent
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had this antenna up at my previous address for almost 10 years. It went through severe wind and ice without a single problem. Mine had the 40 mtr add on kit as well. Only used 100 watts but always recieved good reports. I never had a trap problem. Now that I am looking for another tribander, guess which one I'm going to buy? That's right another A4S.
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WB5OAU
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Rating: 4/5
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Aug 24, 2004 10:15
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Good antenna!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've enjoyed my A4 for two years now. It was quite used (read: OLD!) and I took the time to
clean the traps and replace any corroded hardware.
Since that time I've had no problems with it, through the humid steamy summers and occasional
ice storms found here in central NC. I do have
the 40m kit and it works OK. I've had no mechanical problems either.
Keep in mind this is on a very old antenna that I purchased used.
I wouldnt hesitate to recommend this antenna. Replacement parts are available if you follow the procedure on the website. Do NOT expect to be transferred to anyone to chat about anything...it won't happen. The parts did arrive quickly and as described on the web.
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VE1MC
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Rating: 1/5
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Feb 28, 2004 23:28
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Poor Quality - there are better products
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I live a few miles from the ocean and my antenna's are exposed to winter gales and plenty of salt spray. Initially I had a 3 element quad on a 40 ft tower. I replaced the quad (damaged in an ice storm) with the A4S. At first the antenna performed as advertised and I liked the 40 meter capability. It only took a few years before the performance deteriorated. The traps were always causing me grief, especially after fog or rain. It was very difficult to maintain an acceptable SWR. The fibreglass centre insulator had to be replaced on two occasions after failing to survive winter gails. On both occasions this meant a climb up the tower to secure the free wheeling driven element. After 10 years of Cushcraft frustation I replaced the A4S with a Force 12 C3SS. The Force 12 does not have any traps, the SWR is flat on 10/15/20 & works great on 17/12 meters with the internal tuner. The Force 12 has survived 3 East coast winters without any difficulty. At the time I bought the A4S I also purchased Cushcraft's R-7 vertical (was a sucker for punishment). I have never been able to operate the R-7 without a tuner. I also had a Cushcraft Ringo Ranger 2 meter vertical that broke in half after a few years of operation. Oddly enough I spoke with a ham in VK-land shortly after I installed the Force 12. He had the identical station I had & had also switched from the A4S to the C3SS because of trap problems and poor center insulator quality. It is highly unlikely that I will be purchasing anything from Cushcraft again.
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M0HDX
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Rating: 3/5
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Jan 26, 2004 09:21
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problems TRAPS
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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the performance of the a4s was very good when it was working,i kept getting problems with the traps and intermitent high swr and it spent more time lying on the floor being repaired than it did up in the air..if you like to take your antenna down every couple of weeks and mess with traps the a4s is the one for you.
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AL7GA
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 30, 2003 12:11
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Good Equipment, Uncoopertive Company.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have used this antenna for 6 years, before that I had the ATB-34 for about 16 years. It has performed very well, even under the heavy wind loads of my foothills home. My only complaint is with the company itself.
When I lost the tower 3 years ago, the A4S was damaged in the fall. I used Cushcraft's website to order replacment parts (elements). After waiting close to a week for a confirmation of my order, shipping info or anything, I was told that they would not ship to me because I was not in the USA. They did not even have the courtesy to e-mail me that fact, just ignored me until I had written twice and then called. After attempting to explain to them that we were part of the US (Territory for over 100 years and a state for 43, UPS, FedEx USPO etc.!) they remained firm that the only way they would let me purchase was if I gave them a "stateside" shipping address and wherever that would be I would have to arrange to have it shipped here. Well that was not the only way. I found an aluminum tubing company in California who was not so archaic, and recognized our State, and was more than happy to send me the replacement material. Ken AL7GA
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N0BJJ
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 30, 2003 11:12
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Performance=5 Mechanical=3
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Installed my A4S in November of 2001 on a 60 ft. Rohn 25 tower. The SWR was as advertised with the measurements given in the manual. Good bandwidth and on-air performance was excellent. There was never a question of whether I could get through a pileup. Then came the January 2002 ice storm here in Oklahoma. (87 days later) Both the director and reflector broke in two where the U-bolt goes through the element. The driven element was bent but not broken. It only required one section to be replaced. Fast forward to September 2002. The antenna is repaired and once again up 60ft. onto the tower. Again excelent performance and one happy Ham. Fast forward again to December 2002 and another ice storm. (89 days this time) This time the reflector broke again as before but this time the driven element broke also at the U-bolt. I am now looking for an antenna that has better mechanical structure. I would much rather spend time on the air than climbing towers. So if you live where there is no ice, it's a great antenna. You could not ask for better performance from an antenna with only an 18ft boom. However, in you live in an area that is prone to ice storms, I hope you like climbing your tower and repairing antennas.
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KC6VCH
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 23, 2002 15:11
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Great antenna
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I wrote a review a few months ago and I had a problem with the antenna. The problem was I had a bad connector. Now the antenna is performing well on all bands.
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