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write your own review of the Miracle Whip.
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G4YVM
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 22, 2011 10:34
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Excellent little aerial
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Well, I bought this improbable HF aerial, plugged it into the back of my FT 817 sat on the dining room table, keyed the mic and worked 1700 miles on 28MHz. It's that easy.
Now, as with all QRP calls, it's much easier ANSWERING CQs than making them but nevertheless , 1700 miles is 1700 miles
Since that first time I have worked many stations around Europe. I've also put a full whacking ten watts from an IC 703 into it and worked even more on 14MHz. It struggles on forty though I have resisted adding counterpoints; what a mess they are.
I have not yet tried the MW on CW but I shall later.
This aerial is not going to replace an external wire but for fun, portable or hidden work it is very good. Mind you, it's awfully expensive for wht it is. Furthermore, if you are a kilowatter or a "3ele Beamer", you'll hate this device!
My only issue is that it seems somewhat fragile. It might be very robust indeed but it SEEMS fragile, so a 4 not a 5.
In summary, I love this little whip.
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VE2YMM
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 6, 2011 17:25
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A Miracle solution !
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I use this antenna with my FT-817 and now with my FT897D as a monitor receiver with my station, using an Icom 7700! This antenna is a real miracle! I've done a lot of comparisons with others antennas usually bigger, and this small one is the best I've ever use. Highly recommended.
You can read my small review (in French) on : http://ve2ymm.com/blog/index.php?/weblog/radio/378/
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2W0NNN
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Rating: 4/5
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Jun 10, 2011 15:19
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Hated it, now love it
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought the MW a couple years ago and it's stayed with me through 3 FT-817s, a few other radios and half a dozen other antennas. Initially I tried it out /P with an 817 on a hill-top, had almost no contacts and decided to sell it almost immediately. I never got around to it though and used it once in a while for receive... played around with radials once in a while, clipped wires on to it to extend it once in a while... always loved the simplicity but never the perormance.
That's all changed the last month where I've used it with a single spool yo-yo antenna from hamradiofun.com as a counterpoise crocodile-clipped to the rear lug of my 817. The trick is to spend a bit of time working out where the yo-yo is resonant (1/4 wave) on each band. Stick a bit of electrical tape at roughly the right place and it takes seconds to tune; the counterpoise also works better if you can keep the whole wire elevated a couple feet off the ground. Now I can get it with no SWR bars showing on each band and not bad performance to go along with it. The difference the counterpoise makes is easily audible; hear stations with it, disconnect it and the weaker stations just disappear. I'd estimate a 3-4 S-point difference - HUGE in QRP terms.
In short, I love the miracle whip. I still use a MP-1 once in a while but I'm usually too lazy to put it up, together with the obligatory radials, for perhaps a 1 S-point increase in performance (20m up). I still carry around a clansman dipole and balun as well which I use for low band NVIS and better performance on higher bands where I have support(s); again I'm usually too lazy to put it up. The MW does the job I need it to do and together with the counterpoise I can have the 817 from packed to on the air in about 2 minutes using them. Definitely a keeper. If they'd only add a socket to connect a counterpoise directly rather than connecting to the 817 and supply a yo-yo counterpoise (ideally also tunable) it'd be perfect.
Ioan
2W0NNN
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WA7NDD
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Rating: 2/5
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Oct 12, 2010 17:30
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Not worth the money!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I am down for 10 weeks in a chair because I don't have a knee. I have my FT 817 next to me to monitor only and not xmit on the ham bands. I can't get to my ham shack so I bought a Miracle Whip to use as receive only to help pass the time.
It did not work for receive hardly at all. At night the best band was 80 meter because every one uses amps and it penetrates the house better. But could only hear one side of the conversation most of the time. During the day almost nothing on any band. If you live in a high volume ham area like back east it might be better but in rural Idaho it a no go.
Ordered in a MP1 supper antenna set it beside my chair and the whole world opened up on my radio the MP1 worked very well on receive on all the bands that were open. It was like turning a light switch on there was such a dramatic difference between the two antennas. I have two more weeks of sitting in this chair before I can get a new knee but I can receive the HF bands well now with the MP1. I will get rid of the Miracle Whip as soon as I can. It was a waist of money at least foe me. Also the nut holding the PL259 on the matching network loosened up several times and I had to take it apart and tighten the nut on the Miracle Whip (aggravating). I don't write negative reviews but this thing made me mad.
Jim, WA7NDD
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KC0IPX
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 21, 2010 19:53
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First HF antenna
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just received my genral class ticket and went out and got a FT-817 and a miracle whip. I wasnt expecting much but wow. With little to no HF experience I was able to work multiple DX stations the first use. I worked VG7G at the Vancouver Olympics which was an exciting first HF contact. The only down side is the price. I still gave it a 5 because I'm still excited about the ease of use and the preformance. If you own a FT817 this should be in your bag!!!!! It isnt a 6 element beam but is you live in an apartment its a must have. I just cant wait to get it out on the trail this summer for some QRP portable. I would HIGHLY recommend this antenna.
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N2DCB
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 28, 2010 16:54
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Great
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've had mine for 8yrs. I got all the connectors so I could mount it on a mag mount. I use my car as a groundplane (stationary )and worked most of Europe with 5watts (ft-817) on 10 and 20m, cw on other bands. I used my VX-1210 HF manpack and put magmounted MW on a metal fence in the park, worked all over. Doesn't work so good plugged in back of the radio but great for listening that way. Needs groundplane!
It's great in a pinch, don't leave home without it. N2DCB George
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KV4AN
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 4, 2010 14:20
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PORTABLE HF LOG PERIODIC
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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No, it's not a portable HF log periodic...but it is a portable HF antenna you can and will actually use with your FT-817. You can't change the laws of physics, but it is better than nothing, which is what you normally are able to have when you travel. I have an FT-817 and a full-size 20 meter dipole and a Buddi-Stick. They both work better than my Miracle Ducker TL, but they both need time and space to set up (often, just too much trouble).
The Miracle Ducker TL (Miracle Whip with a detachable whip), will allow you to use your FT-817 more than you use it now. Don't expect miracles, but you can make contacts. I checked in to an 80 meter CW net in Virginia from Ohio. Sure, only one station could hear me, but I could hear the net and it was better than not participating at all.
The tunable box will definitely allow you to hear signals you couldn't hear without it and get a good enough SWR to transmit without a counterpoise or ground. A little SWR on 80 meters and flat 40 through 10. Somewhat high SWR on 6. It worked very well for listening to shortwave broadcasts.
The tuning box fits perfectly on the back of the FT-817 and is mechanically secure since the bottom of the tuning box rests on the table top. Be careful with the whip because it is very lightly constructed. I haven't tried a longer wire.
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KC5NYJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 29, 2009 15:25
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Works as advertised
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I didn't buy the MW with hopes of replacing anything, so there was no preconceived notion of how it should work. I got the IL model, because I figured I would possibly use it with an HT or the 817nd.
The first real test was tuning a 35' random wire for 20m PSK. The MW worked flawlessly, achieving a no-bar match without a counterpoise. I worked several stations from East to West coast on 20m that afternoon. Then I switched to phone and worked several stations.
The next good test was an outing to the Caribbean, with the 817ND, Miracle IL and the rollup wire antenna from my Coding Technologies DWT receiver. It's about 20' long and has a 1/8" plug on the end. I used a 1/8" to phono stacked on a phono to BNC adaptor into the MW IL and had surprisingly good results on 20M PSK to Central America from the Caymans.
The IL model tuner does have a couple of warts, though. I've had to resolder the input connector to the main tuning deck once due to flexing. The assembly is not really durable enough to stack up on top of a HT BNC with any sort of serious antenna whip. That's just this model though. Other models may vary. The one specifically for the 817nd would probably be more durable in that application.
The MW IL doesn't like to tune with a longer than 5" jumper to the radio, and seems to prefer wire antennas over coax fed. In other words, it's not as versatile with a coax fed magmount or other.
Actually, I was sort of glad I had the excuse to open the thing up to see what was in there... Very impressive. It doesn't look cheap and it's definitely NOT a speaker fader pot. I installed a few velcro tabs to the 817nd leather case where I can stick the MW IL to just to keep it steady and immobile.
It costs almost the same as the Z-817 auto tuner or the Elecraft T1. Don't buy it if you like smart gadgets. Do buy it if you crave simplicity and compact size.
It's an amazing addition to a handheld wideband receiver, but, again, don't expect to attach it to the top of your VR-120, add a rubber duck and stick it in your back pocket. It won't last long.
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W8AQ
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 21, 2009 19:57
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Works Well
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I've had my Miracle Whip for about a year now. That's been plenty of time to try it in pretty much all possible operating conditions. And though I certainly can't argue it's not a tri-bander, it DOES do the job I ask it to do.
First, as an SWL receive antenna it's excellent. I'm frankly amazed at the difference it makes when I attach it to my FT-817 or FT-897 just for some casual listening. Huge improvement. I've even clipped it to my VX-7R for a big difference.
As far as transmit, it does the job it was designed to do. For outdoors with no counterpoise and attached to the back of my FT-817, I have CW QSOs of over 2,000 miles using just over 2 watts on 15 and 20 meters on several occasions. Not a great transmit signal but readable. And very solid receive. Forty meters is tougher, as you would guess. But I do make contacts.
Indoors on the second floor in my QTH, rough to make QSOs....but it HAS been done.
That said, this is not an antenna you use at your home QTH. It's for those times when you literally want to grab your go-bag and be on the air in under 2 minutes. I can do that easily with the Miracle Whip and my FT-817. If I have time (or trees handy), sure I'll consider a wire dipole. But I can't get a wire up in two minutes either!
In short...as much as I've read about the MW being a waste of money, I have to disagree based on my personal experiences. The MW lets me use my radio far more than I would if I was using another portable antenna. I'm quite happy with it. Frankly, happier than I thought I would be given some of the reviews I've seen. I'd buy another one without reservation.
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EA5BLP
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 17, 2009 01:36
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The best portable antenna
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I´m an only cw operator and have worked 53 countries with the whip in less than a year using low power. The antenna works very well from 10 to 28 Mhz and even is usable on 40m (of course not with the same performance). I have uploaded two videos in youtube showing how the antenna works if you choose a good place for your qrp portable operation. Definetly, this antenna always surprises me. Here are the links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hliu_p3j6zg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV6GdYx7AsQ
73,dx.
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