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You can
write your own review of the Terlin Outbacker series.
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VK4HG
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 5, 2009 04:45
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Reliable, performs
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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My Outbacker Perth is four years old now (see my first review as VK2HZA). The antenna has been bashed by trees, even hit a bird in flight (stinger bent), survived a collision with a snow plough (stinger replaced), roasted in the Queensland sun, endured hundreds of hours of salt spray beach driving and rattled over thousands of kilometres of corrugated dirt road. The outbacker keeps on performing. This weekend I rejoined all the connections, drove to the coast and worked stateside DX. Do the earthing right, mount it reasonably high and it will perform. No it’s not a auto antenna. Yes I will buy another one. Centre loading works.
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K3FXR
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 12, 2009 19:25
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GoodGreat mobile antenna!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I purchased this antenna back in the 90's and it worked excellent on my Jeep Cherokee and my tow truck. I achiieved my dxcc150 using this antenna with an icom 706m2g.
It sat in my garage for a number of years after selling my icom.
A few days ago, I purchashed a Yaesu 857D and reinstalled it on my Jeep. I use a 2 inch piece of angle iron and a few ground straps on the rear bumper. This time around, I made an air choke with a few feet of the feed line ( 10 turns of coax at 6 inches diam. ) and the rig and antenna work very well. The air choke took away all of the noise levels one gets with a mobile setup and I replaced the ground straps with new ones. After a week of DX contacts, I can say that this antenna still works great!
Sometimes, the bandwith can be aalittle narrow. I installed an LDG AT-100plus auto tuner for touch-ups on each band. Thiis does away with playing with the stinger when onthe fly.
If you are thinking about getting one, GO FOR IT!
K3FXR
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EI6DP
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 5, 2009 08:59
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Outstanding/Brilliant
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Hello Brethren,
I have owned two Terlin Outbacker's over the past 5++ years.
The first Outbacker I clapped my eyes on was when I borrowed one from a friend of a friend of mine (Bill EI5FY). My mate (Mike EI2EO)brought me the antenna which was bolted to a square frame welded together from 2" angle-iron.
I placed the antenna on the balcony of my apartment and had several QSO's on various frequencies. To say the lease the Outbacker was bloody great. Its performance was decisive! I purchased one straight away, I purchased the Outbacker Outreach (10-160mtrs). Even on Top band I was getting very good reports.
I then bought the Outbacker Outreach 500W (6 - 80mtrs) which I still have and use regularly (either ground mounted or mobile). I also used it Motorcycle Mobile see (www.qrz.com/ei6dp) for photo.
I use the SGC Power Cube (500w) with the Outreach and the performance is just outstanding.
Well done to Terry Clinch and his gang. & 73's to all.
Gerald EI6DP
(Its one bloody great antenna mobile or base )
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K6USN
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 19, 2008 19:27
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Always dependable
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Over the years I have owned the Terlin Outreach, the Perth and the Tri-Split. All have performed
well for me in a variety of field applications.
I have personaly seen them in use comercially all over Australia, and in the Outback.
I have used them mobile as well as portable with appropriate counterpoises and grounding. Any shortened antenna is a compromise, and mobile antennas especially need careful thought as to placement and grounding.
I highly recommend this antenna from 10 years of hands on experience all over the South Pacific and the USA.
Allen
K6USN
Ex E51USN, VK4DSN
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VK2HVA
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 2, 2008 06:48
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Amazing
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Bought the Terlin Outbacker OB8 antenna after reading a few reviews and a recommendation from a Ham friend of mine. After fabricating a purpose built sturdy bracket that looks like part of the car, the antenna was mounted on the drivers side [ RHS Australia ] of my Subaru Outback H6 wagon. Earthing is very important, wide braided straps etc, I was amazed the first night I took it for a test drive with strong signals I could hear from VK4, VK7 and VK5. So I tried working them, however had some RF problems. They could hear me ok, but not always intelligbly etc. Bugger. Back home, some chokes etc on leads, etc, and took it for another test run a few evenings later. This antenna, driven by my IC 7000, just was amazing, with reports from far away suprised that I was portable mobile. Took it off road a number of times, no sign of it falling apart, had the odd whack by a tree branch, the heavy duty spring saving the day.
The build construction of this antenna is rock solid, bullet proof, quality. the sales and support from Terlin Australia excellent, Highly recomended. Must work good, there are many fitted to coaches and trucks when you travel the outback roads of Australia. Buy another one, you bet. My beautiful girlfriend went up to it, looked and touched it, and said that it looked 'cool' on my white Subaru wagon. Black antenna. She approved of it and likes it hanging off the back. What more could I as for. Go for it. Our dodgem car.... ha!
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VK6ZMS
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 6, 2008 06:31
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OUTBACKER OB8
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I was surprised how well this antenna performs. I have had contacts into Russia and Norway on 20m while mobile.
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VK2XB
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 1, 2007 06:48
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Robust Plus!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had a Terlin since before they even began marketing as the "Outbacker".
To be honest, I have had mine for so long I even forget when I purchased it! I am an interstate (or over the road) truck driver and I would guestimate that mine has endured about 5,000,000 Kms of torture over some of the roughest roads and terrain in the world - outback Australia. It looks terrible, these days, as it has copped a proper flogging, having been belted off trees, been clobbered by all sorts of debris and suffered terrible vibration, sitting on the front of a "bullbar" for all of its life.
It still works very well, though and has never failed to perform. Having said that, the fact that the counterpoise (truck) is a quarter wavelength or more long on 80 Metres, so that helps the thing work even better!
I have "home brewed" antennas, and had just about every conceivable alternative that is available commercially in this country, but it still shines head and shoulders above the others in both performance and robustness. The only other make that was as good or better is no longer available.
The ONE weakness I have found is in that darned stupid tuning spike! Whilst the stick itself has managed to handle everything thrown at it, that tuning spike is a completely different matter.
I believe that Terlin do not market "hoseclamp" tuning simply because it needs to be resonated individually on each band, and every time you tune one band it effects all other bands and most hams haven't the patience or knowledge to do this properly. Pity, because such a system would take it from being a great antenna to being superlative!
All in all an excellent product to the extent that I am considering purchasing another one (that looks the part as well as playing the part) for the new truck when it arrives! You can't have a geriatric, knocked about looking antenna on a pretty, new big banger, can you?
I have to say that I would thoroughly recommend this product if you are looking for one of the sturdiest pieces of equipment you would ever want to hang off your vehicle as an antenna.
Last but not least, most people who have had dramas with getting ANY mobile antenna to work on the HF bands (particularly the lower ones) have had difficulties due to either inadequate counterpoise or lack of knowledge in resonating such a device - they can be trickie and a pain in the whatzit until you learn the "knack" of it!
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PD9CHR
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 21, 2007 11:54
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outreach 500
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Expensive,but very good quality.Make a lot of contacts with good reports.Together with Alpha delta tri-pod works 100%.
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M0ZOL
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Rating: 1/5
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Mar 20, 2007 09:24
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outbacker construction
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have an outbacker antenna , owned it for 4 yrs , this particular model was made 1999-2000. the coating on it is bad(cracked ,flaking and chiped off) ,outbacker is helpfull only if you can find your original receipt.:(( and will charge you for the lifetime warentee repair work.the antenna is a good performer i'll give them that ,and i will have to bodge it all up now with some wax and insulation tape.I'm just very very sad about the customer support.will purchace other antennas in the future.
i give it 1 as it works.
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N4RAP
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Rating: 4/5
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Aug 3, 2005 14:15
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Great all in one antenna
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I love these antennas. Over the years of being a ham I have owned about 10 Outbackers of one kind or another. They are not cheap but they do work and are not sucha bad "eye sore" on your good looking car or truck. In my opinion, they don't work quite as good as a Hamstick, but what do you expect? Each Hamstick is a monobander and should have superior performance to almost eveery other thing out there. But if you don't want 8 antennas and stingers rolling around in your trunk, and don't like re-ordering stingers that you have lost, bent or misplaced...then the Outbackers are for you. I swear by them and wouldn't be caught dead without one. They are rugged and do what they are advertised to do. they are also attractive and that's a plus, if you are married. Like any other antenna in productin... the longer models work better than the short ones, but believe me the short one DO work and they will surprise you. Also some models have long stingers and some models have short stingers. Although all of these antennas work, as you may have guessed by now, the longer stinger'd antennas have more efficiency and a higher "Q" and therefore work better.
If you buy one, I think that you would be at least satisfied with the performance and really happy with the convenience of keeping up with only one mobile antenna.
73 from the Northeast Corner of Texas
N4RAP is clear.
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