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| Reviews Summary for Arrow OSJ Model J146/440 |
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Reviews: 112
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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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W1YB
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 30, 2010 07:52
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Score? 106 to 6
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Where is the 10 button?
There are, I think, 6 reviews here that are less than a "5". And there are over a 100 reviews that are a "5", and some of those reviewers would give this bargain antenna a higher score if possible.
Mine has been at about 15' for 3 years or so. With my 7800R I easily hit repeaters 100 miles away. In fact, I routinely participate in a Net that radiates from a repeater 128 miles (no misprint) from my QTH.
Do I realize the installation necessities of this member of the Zepp/Folded-dipole antenna family? Yes, I do! Feed them with balanced line or use an appropriately designed balun! But, right out of the box they are just killer!
One of the true bargains in amateur radio gear!
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KF6KYD
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 24, 2010 15:07
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Love it. I highly recommend
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have one of these sitting on a window sill on the first floor. I have a cheap piece of coax 25 feet long feeding it and I can easily reach all of the repeaters in my area. If you need an inexpensive well built antenna go with an Arrow. It is well engineered and built.
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KC2UJG
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Rating: 0/5
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Jan 24, 2010 14:52
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cheap garbage
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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bought one new from universal radio in ohio. installed in my attic temporarly, put good coax on it, did not work good at all. only could work one repeater that was only 1/4 mile from my qth. i tried installing the antenna outside about 30 feet, still same results. don't reccomend this antenna at all, save your money and get a real antenna from diamond, comet, maldol, hustler, hygain, or a real superior antenna manufacturer.
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KD8LXL
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 13, 2009 12:23
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wow
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Its not a lot of bucks, I think it took 2 minutes to assemble,and it works just fine.
I was quite surprised with the range that I was able to achieve with this at about 42 feet. I was hitting all the repeaters within 40 miles (50 watts), the only thing that keeps me from going a bit farther is some ridges.
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KF6UME
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 25, 2009 23:10
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Solid & Reliable Performed
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I own two of these well built j-pole antennas. I've had one on the roof of my office building for several years. No trouble with weathering whatsoever. I'm near the ocean, so a little bit of oxidization gets on the aluminum elements. I clean the elements with steel wool and WD40 every 6 months or so, and that keeps it looking new.
The second one I own is in my attic at home. Great signal reports all around. Wide banded: 137MHz to 164Mhz is under 2.0:1 SWR. Flat on 146MHz. This makes it usable for Marine band frequencies.
UHF is great at my office location, since it's roof mounted with no nearby metallic objects. SWR under 1.5:1 across 70cm band. At home, UHF SWR is a little finicky due to nearby metal ducting in my attic. Within 70cm band it's under 1.5:1 SWR. Out of band, say FRS frequencies, it's about 2.5:1.
Support; I emailed arrow for support regarding my attic installation and SWR issues. Answers were quick, helpful and easy to undertand.
Coax: I found an enormous improvement on UHF after switching from RG-8X to 9913. This, of course, is a comment on coax and not the antenna capability.
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KB3RPE
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 19, 2009 09:11
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Good antenna...
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Bought it a while back, went together easily in "no time", very solidly built. 1st install in garage rafters & now up about 20' +/- on chimney. Hits 2m repeaters 50+ miles away easily, great reception. Big "bang for the buck"!!!!
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W6GEE
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 11, 2009 22:21
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Does the job and then some!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I had a Yaesu VX5R kicking around the shack that I thought I'd get up running on 440 for a "fixed" station. I didn't think I wanted to be too serious about this so I just wanted to throw up a simple antenna a la J-pole with some lossy RG58 coax I had collecting dirt in my storage shed. While ordering a speaker mic from HRO, I asked about dual band J-poles and got the lead on this one. Not too expensive, so what the heck if it didn't work, so I took the plunge.
After getting things up an running, I was shocked at the exceptional performance of this antenna! I'm now getting into all the 440 repeaters in my area, and into a lot of not-so-line-of-sight 2m repeaters about 70 miles away. All this on a measley 5W HT! 2m performance with my HT and the OSJ is comparable to my fixed 50W rig and Cushcraft vertical (the "big" antenna).
SWR on 2m is 1:1 to 1.2:1 across the entire band. I don't have an analyzer for 400, but judging from the performance, I suspect the SWR on that band is low as well.
Great buy and great performance without busting the bank!
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KB3KLQ
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Rating: 3/5
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Sep 29, 2009 18:08
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I have to agree with AI4WC...
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Received this antenna a couple of months ago, and when I opened it, I marveled at the quality of engineering. This is truly a beautifully-built, well-machined antenna. I think I just got a bad copy that was out of spec.
Everything was great on 2 meters--low SWR across the band, usually close to 1:1, but never more than 1.5:1. On 70cm, it was a different story altogether. SWR was around 2:1 at the lower end of the band, but up to 4:1 at the upper end of the band. Ugh! BUT I had a 50' run of RG-8U between the radio and the antenna.
So I called Al. Very courteous, and very professional. I was impressed that he even took the time to field customer service calls. He immediately said the coax was the problem and that the antenna needed no trimming or tuning. Fair enough. A 50' run of lossy RG-8 coax seemed the likely culprit.
So I bought 50' of Belden 9913--I can't do any shorter because I'm renting the house and cannot drill thru walls. Hooked it up to the antenna (making sure all the elements were tight and the coax was snug). Same story. 4:1 SWR at the upper end of the 70cm band.
I'm sure I got a bad copy, and that others' experiences are more typical, but I didn't want to go through the process of sending the antenna back while waiting for another to arrive only to be disappointed again.
So, I plunked down $99.95 for a Diamond X50A. Installed it today on the same run of 9913 coax the J146/440 was on. Getting SWR of 1.5:1 or less on 2 meter, and close to 1:1 on 70cm. I guess it wasn't the coax after all.
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K2AFY
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 22, 2009 11:36
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Rugged and best bang for the buck
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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In my old house I had the Arrow Jpole in the attic and it did a great job. 3 years ago bought a new house and had to have one of the nice looking white fiberglass antennas on it. Well the wind took care of the new antenna went to the shed got the arrow out and mounted it on the roof. I have been through several strong storms and it is still working like the day I bought it. I have been recommending this antenna for quite some time. Once again it has proven its value to me.
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KD5FOY
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 20, 2009 15:00
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Superb!!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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1) 18 Aug 09 ordered
2) 20 Aug 09 received, superb packing/shipping
3) 20 Aug 09 assembled in 5 minutes, built like a tank, great finish on product
4) 20 Aug 09 tested, swr(a much maligned, misunderstood, misused metric) excellent.
would buy another without reservation.
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