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| Reviews Summary for Arrow OSJ Model J146/440 |
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Reviews: 90
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Average rating: 4.8/5
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MSRP: $39.95
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Description: Dual-band aluminum j-pole
Wtih better quality SO239 - 3/8-24 Connector. All Stainless Steel. Better Threads and a more precise hole size for the PL259 connection.
As of 4-10-05 All OSJ's will have the new connector.
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More info: http://www.arrowantennas.com
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You can
write your own review of the Arrow OSJ Model J146/440.
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N8OIL
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Rating: 3/5
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Jun 27, 2008 17:38
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"OK"
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Best SWR that can be obtained is about 1.5:1 on both 2m and 70cm. There is no drip cup or ring to protect the coax connector from the direct force of rain -- good WX-proofing is mandatory. Otherwise, construction is very good.
It's "OK."
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WB1AAT
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 13, 2008 15:52
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Solid construction good performer
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've had it for about a year now. Built very tough with all solid elements. Very good performance for the price and oh-so portable! I had troubles with SWR on 440 even though I had a store bought, 9913 assembly. However unlikely, it was a bad run of coax and everything worked fine after replacement. Still using it and very happy.
I did put up a second antenna Jetstream JTB2 for another radio and it does beat the Arrow hands down with several S units better, but its not unexpected for twice the size and more than twice the price.
And what about that coax? It's not obvious to the UHF newbie that cheap RG8X coax may give you good SWR, but its misleading due to high loss. Good 9913 or LMR400 coax is better but a kink or bad connector can give you great SWR on 2M but be sky high or exhibit good SWR only over a narrow range on 70cm. This is what happened to me. It was verified by just putting a dummy load on the end and checking SWR at the different frequencies. And this "bad" coax seemed perfect on HF and on 2M.
I expect that many of spotty experiences on UHF is just a coax issue like mine.
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N9ESH
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Rating: 5/5
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May 9, 2008 11:06
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Like it!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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First thing I noticed was that it came shipped very robust, almost like military hardware. Took maybe 10 minuets longer to unpack than construct. Once constructed, it worked like an end-fed halfwave j-pole should. Both VHF and UHF work very well.
Previous posts that caution the user about not using cheap coax are not only applicable here, but on any brand VHF/UHF antenna. Don’t blame this antenna for poor performance if you use 50 or more feet of RG8m/x or something that’s been out in the weather since CB was popular.
Other than its excellent performance, I noticed that this antenna is very strong. No doubt that it will survive anything that it’s mount will survive. I would not hesitate to use it mobile with a suitable mount.
The only negative is that it is not DC grounded. But that can be easily fixed by using a ¼ wave shorted stub in the feed line. The VHF ¼ wave shorted stub works as a ¾ wave on UHF. The Army Mars Antenna Seminar gives a good description of the ¼ wave shorted stub. And it’s easy to build. http://www.zianet.com/nmamars/techcorner/lightning%20avoidance.pdf
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W7CNK
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Rating: 4/5
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May 9, 2008 07:49
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Good Antenna
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Received the OSJ 146/440 J-Pole yesterday. The shipping box is exceptional, antenna construction very nice. Measured the VSWR at the base of the antenna with an HP network Analyzer. VHF 1.2/1, UHF 1.2/1. After installing on the tower the measured VSWR at the end of the feed line, VHF 1.1/1, UHF 1.1/1, as expected due to feed line loss. Performance as expected.
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KC0HKM
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 7, 2008 14:22
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Perfection needs careful feeding
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I've installed this J-pole in the attic about 12 feet up. Works as advertised and the mechanics are top quality. I am able to hit all the local 2 meter and 70 cm repeaters using only 5 watts - and that includes the lone D-Star repeater. Even simplex at extended ranges is FB.
However, you MUST use high quality coax suitable for UHF frequencies - otherwise your transmit power is used to heat the coax instead of radiating - and your receive power is equally reduced before it even gets to the radio's front end. Depending on the feed line length, LMR-400 or similar might be your best choice.
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N2DY
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 21, 2008 21:21
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Elegant Simplicity
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Arrow has taken the simple design of a J-Pole antenna and has constructed it beautifully. Solid rod construction makes the antenna a breeze to throw together. It makes a great temporary or emergency antenna as well as a fine permanent base antenna. With no coils, capacitors or matching networks, there is really nothing that can go wrong with it. One reviewer mentioned having matching problems. That seems very strange to me. A J-Pole is a J-pole and physics are what they are. Like several others, I have painted one of mine to blend into the trees behind the house. It makes for a great stealth antenna because of its modest size. Performance is good, just like any other J-Pole. The real strength in this antenna is its terrific construction. I have purchased several. You can't go wrong with this antenna.
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KL3NP
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 21, 2008 19:48
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Great quality
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought one of these little marvels a year and a half ago. It was promptly deployed as a UHF link antenna on 1400 foot mountain top here in Arctic Alaska. I had reservations about it surviving the winter with the icing and high winds, but I made a trip up there last week by snowmobile (to replace the folded-over fiberglass VHF antenna), and the little Arrow looks like brand new.
It looks good, made exceptionally well, and flat out works...even in hostile conditions
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AE5EH
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 21, 2008 17:55
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Works great on 2m & 70cm. No problems.
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Have had this antenna for almost a year now. Can't be beat for the price. I have it propped up on my fire place mantle. Works great on both 2m and 70cm. Highest SWR is 1.5 to one across both bands. This is measured with both radio SWR mtr, and AEA Bravo VIA. Obviously VIA is more accurate. For those not familiar with antenna and transmission line basics, remember location, location, location affects SWR, and don't forget to use good proper coax with properly terminated connectors. This is a no-brainer to me, but may not be to others. Sometimes the simple basics may be overlooked. It may be easy to do.
The simplicity and functionality of this antenna makes it a value to me. It's also sleek, pretty and light as opposed to some of the horrible ugly home made copper and other metal pieces of junk I've seen some folks pedaling at the ham flea markets.
Great job Arrow.
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IRABREN
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 21, 2008 16:46
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Outstandiing!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just got one. This is great on 2 meters. I haven't tried it on UHF yet BUT - this is a real bargain and simple to put together - plug and play out of the box. They shipped it several hours after I ordered it !! - I tried it in the radio room but had rf coming out of my speakers. I put it up on a high piece of wood outside above roof, leaning against house. Signals on 2 meters excellent and I can hit all local repeaters. Using icom v-8000 rig which allows up to 75 watts output !
Get one of these for VHF at least - don't know much about UHF yet - You won't be disappointed!!
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KE7RVH
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 11, 2008 18:31
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great customer service
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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i got this antenna about 2 months ago. when i got it, the swr's were 2.0:1. i called arrow, and they advised me not to forget about the coax. i purchased a dummy load and a antenna analyzer, and sure enough, i had a bad connector. after a replacement of the coax connector my swr's are 1.2 across the 2m band and 1.3 across 6m. the antenna itself is very well made and is well worth the price.
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