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write your own review of the ATX Walkabout Portable Antenna.
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G0LGB
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Rating: 4/5
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Jun 16, 2008 08:23
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Excellent!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Well I got back into radio a few months back after a gap of many years, I bought myself a little FT-817 (a cracking qrp rig)& I read the reviews I bought one of these ATX telescopic whips from a local dealer...(from his comments & price paid F5NZY seems to be confusing it with the Miracle whip??).
£45 for an all band antenna seemed too good to be true but after reading assorted reviews i thought I'd give one a go.
It's unlikely to last very long mobile,its not meant to,so I parked up on my way home, connected it to my mag-mount on the car roof, tuned the rig to 10m fm, dropped the power,plugged the little wander lead into the correct holes, put out a carrier & adjusted the length, as per instructions & watched the swr...sure enough within an inch or two of the recommended length the swr dropped to zero. This procedure only took about a minute or so.
Tuned up the band & found a HB9 station just winding up a qso..I waited a min then gave him a call...5&9 he replied...I was pleasantly surprised , then I noticed i hadn't changed the power setting...I had just worked him on 2.5 watts not the full mighty 5! That's approx 1,000kms!
I changed bands/modes to 20m ssb, again the antenna tuned in very easily, I put out a call or two & got a Dutch station again fine report...
Then i started getting "broken" reception & the swr kept shooting up, the 817 flashing the dreaded HIGH VSWR warning..I wiggled the antenna about slightly & discovered the problem...& to me the only fault with this antenna...the supplied adaptors.
Throw them away & buy some decent ones, they really are lousy very lightweight items.
It seems the centre pin on the 3/82 to PL259 adaptor had been damaged by the small amount of breeze, as the antenna bent slightly, it broke the centre pin so every sway disconnected the antenna.
So back to the shop, £4.50 spent on a quality adaptor & I was back on the air again.
In a couple of hours i had got a wide & varied selection of stations from 80m up to a local 6m repeater, all good reports & the antenna performed flawlessly!
Back home, due to space & neighbours (& no garden!) I have nowhere for a decent outside antenna so it was "stealth mode" time...this involved sticking the ATX back into the mag-mount..this time in my attic(to try to reduce rf in the "shack")...ok not the best location for an HF antenna...but you have to make do with what you have...I use an MFJ931 artificial earth to balance the antenna against a tunable counterpoise...& again I cannot fault this antenna!
In the last couple of months I have got into psk & all the other digital modes with great success with this antenna from my attic...43 countries, all over Europe,averaging around 1500kms but getting as far as 5,000kms at times.
(although last time i was on air we were at sunspot max...this minimum business isn't fun is it?)
I've recently put a small end fed zepp outside, purely as it was such a chore to change bands with it in my attic, so I only use it portable now, but it has had lots of use, works well & i'd recommend them to anyone...just remember spend a little more & buy some decent adaptors & you should be very happy with this little antenna.
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M3OCH
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 21, 2007 06:26
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excellent
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Time owned: months
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Just bought an ATX Mk 2 to go with my Yaesu 817ND
Great little antenna works well with counterpoise no probs £49 great value for the money been into europe from the uk several times today! easy to operate and set up.............if you have an 817 try one of these you will not be dissapointed!
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F5NZY
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Rating: 1/5
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Feb 17, 2007 08:54
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No miracle...
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I took this antenna with my FT-817ND. I paid it 150 euros in France, and it is a bad investment.
This antenna could be use, pedestrian mobile, for RX, but It works vy bad for TX.
I ordered a 12m fiberglass pole, from Spiderbeam.
I will use it as a support for a center fed, an inverted L or a vertical LW. I am sure it will be far better.
Anyway, no miracle.
73,
Steph, F5NZY
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OE3SGU
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Rating: 3/5
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Oct 15, 2006 11:46
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Ok but not great
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The ATX is good built and quite flexible when it comes to connect it to the rig. Either 3/8", PL or BNC connectors are delivered with it which allows it to use it with several rigs. The antenna is very compact in transport and the optional powerport transport bags are a nice addition. Now the bad thing: The fact that you need a counterpoise makes it less flexible (in my opinion) for using it during travelling and for "beddesk operation". I prefer the miracle whip because its easier to tune and just as compact (but more expensive).
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G0DJE
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 20, 2006 03:48
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Very Good Compromise
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Was great for me while I was without a base installation for HF for several months.
Having worked New York state - SSB - at the kitchen table with my '817 and 5watts and rag chewed on 80M from my study desk, also '817 and 5 watts, I have to give this a "5".
Like all things in life there are puts and takes. It took me 2 hours to get the counterpoise and whip adjustments for each band, but they did all work, SSB and CW, on a repeatable basis.
Only comment would be - don't bother with the BNC...get PL-259. And remember to support the radio as it can easily fall over with the antenna attached!!
I sold mine to part fund a power supply and some wire for a base station dipole, but I'd certainly buy another.
Steve
G0 DJE
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OZ1LQO
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Rating: 4/5
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Jun 29, 2005 01:47
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So far so good
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I got the antenna as a cheap, easy to store/pack, qrp/p antenna to be used on hikes in southern France in a couple of weeks and the only reason why I don't rate this antenna a clean 5/5, is because I've only used it one time so far.
I brought my 703, the antenna, and a single radial cut for the 20m band (as described in the single page manual) on a days hike in the local hills, set up the station at an open location and immidiately worked a russian station some 3200km away. Not bad with some 5watts output :)
I'll be back with further comments after my trip to France and hopefully I'll be able to upgrade my rating to the 5/5.
best 73 and have a great summer out there
Soren
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AC7WL
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 2, 2005 22:39
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Great for portable operation!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Picked mine up about 4 months ago and a great little antenna when you are on the go. Without a counterpoise it works great on receive, shortwave listening as well. I put together a camera tripod stand as well as some radials. Tuning this with my Z-11 to take out the "slack" gives me a decent performer for the field. Working 40 meters with such a small antenna can be a bear, forget 75/80. Working anything 20 or above is fine, and I get decent reports. Not a bad investment and complements my Yo Yo Tenna deluxe quite well.
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DF2DD
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Rating: 0/5
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Sep 26, 2004 06:54
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Unusable
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I used this antenna in order to do some nice QSOs during the contest last week with my 817. Nearly impossible to get an accurate SWR with this antenna. And the BNC-Connector is a real pain. Very unstabil on the 817. So I quickly selled this antenna. I cannot recommend this Antenna to anyone.
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WB1BPV
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Rating: 1/5
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Feb 12, 2004 16:11
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Makes the Miracle Whip look like a beam!!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Not sure where to start.I purchased an FT-817 on EBAY last year and the ATX came with it.This antenna(and I use the term loosely)is great for receiveing, but it is nearly impossible to get a decent swr on tx.I've tried all different formulas for counterpoises and nothing works.My miracle whip and 20 watts without a counterpoise puts the ATX to shame.Good workmanship gives it a 1, but thats about it.Don't waste your money.
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PE1RLN
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 8, 2004 08:53
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Good for it's size
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I have used this antenna quite a few times and every time it works great for what it is intended for. Do not expect great DX but for reception on close talks it works fine.
Ik use it on my FT817 (like anyone else) and it works only with counterpoise. I use 100m of installation-wire in a box. Always enough!
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