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| Reviews Summary for Butternut HF2V |
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write your own review of the Butternut HF2V.
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F8AFC
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 22, 2008 12:41
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Review update
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I promised to revise my last review after 3 months of use...and decided to give it a 5/5 now.
Well, with 100W, I contacted more than 100 DXCC on 40m (including JA's, VK's and ZL's, which are roughly at the antipodes of my QTH), and more than 60 DXCC on 80m (including VK...). What more can I want, except some sunspots, HI...Ground plane is still the same (OK, I increased the number of 30 feet long radials from 40 to 48, and plan to go to 80 before next winter season).
Regarding its robustness, it is not guyed yet, and has supported winds above 80km/h without any damage (but bending quite a lot). I'll nevertheless guy it as soon as possible, the windy season approaching here.
I got my linear (run at 600W PEP) last week, and enjoyed creating a "small" pile-up from SA and the Caribean on my morning time...What a pleasure to call DX and get answers from VK, ZL, 4S7, HK or CE lands.
This antenna outperforms my expectations, but as with all verticals, require a good ground plane.
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N0JYC
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Rating: 2/5
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Jul 31, 2008 14:25
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Good Performer, Construction Let Me Down
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had this up 3 years and then it was leveled by the ice storm that hit Oklahoma last December. The base could not take the weight of the ice and it actually split the aluminum tubing like it was unzipped. I used this for 40 meters primarily and it did a good job without radials. But, I was disappointed in the construction when I needed to depend on it. I had 3 other verticals up including a R-7000 and they came through the storm with flying colors. Disappointed.
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W4RL
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 14, 2008 15:36
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Phasing Two HF2V's on 40 Meters
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Time owned: months
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I really enjoy my HF2V. Have had it up about 15 years. I do routine maintenance on it, that is cleaning up any oxidation on the vertical joints and grease them with anti oxidant grease in the tube from Lowes. My real success with it here in NW Florida's soil was to drive down about nine 8 ft copper clad ground rods in a symmetrical pattern eight feet apart and all connected with #8 solid copper wire, along with my 25 ground radials. Since then, this antenna really took to life. Tuning the antenna on 40 and 80 meters was so much easier with the MFJ 259 Antenna Analyzer .
Big Question though: Has anyone phased two of these antennas? I have a spare HF2V and would really like to know your experiences with such.
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N2DTS
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 25, 2008 11:08
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rubust!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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It works ok, like a good vertical does, different from a dipole, less close in stuff, better sometimes for dx signals.
But the thing has been up in my yard for about 16 YEARS, the trees have grown around/into it, and it has needed nothing done to it, despite getting battered by the trees.
I can say I have put it up about 16 years ago and have done nothing but use it since!
Brett
N2DTS
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WA2CCN
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 21, 2007 10:38
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Flat out WORKS!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Although I knew better, I fell into the trap of trying some so-called "no ground verticals". Ya just can't fool Mother Nature! About 15 years ago, I was working some distance from home and purchased a Holiday Rambler "Alumalite" travel trailer to live in during the week, then went home on weekends. To keep busy (and out of trouble!) I ran a Kenwood TS-440S/AT into a Butternut HF6V, using the aluminum body of the trailer as the ground - worked GREAT! So, I went back to Butternut... shame on me for trying some other junk! I've got a Tennadyne 8 el. log for 10-12-15-17-20, and needed an antenna for 30-40-80-160. Lack of big trees precluded runing wire antennas, so the decision to go vertical. I knew that I needed a GOOD ground for the HF2V to do it's thing, but I really didn't relish the task of running radials all over the place. So, I went to Plan-B... I purchased three 50' rolls of 5' high vinyl-coated chicken wire fence, laid one of them across the antenna's base (base in the middle), then cut the other two into 5'x25' pieces and spread them around the base (as trees and shrubs allowed). Then I soldered them all together... maybe 50-60 solder connections... and ran some RG-8 braid (about 8") from the ground lug on the antenna to the chicken-wire base. WOW! What a terrific ground! Tuning is rather sharp - indicating a high "Q" and a really good ground! 2:1 BW covers all of 30 & 40. BW on 80 is about 80-120KHz and about 50-75KHz on 160, depending on where the taps are located.
How does it work? Well, I've got a lot of experience working DX on 40CW, so I can gustimate performance compared to other antennas I've used over the years... dipoles, inverted "V's", verticals, etc., and this antenna is flat-out better than any other 40M DX antenna I've ever used. I routinely break through pile-ups running barefoot (100W). If I can hear it, I can work it. On 75-80M, it's a good DX antenna, but not good for local rag-chewing. I've checked into some rag chew nets within 200-300 miles, and get medoicre reports at best. But (for the first time) I can work Europe on 75 SSB, barefoot (100W), and get 5-9++ reports! The book is still open on 160. BW is so narrow that I can't easily tune aroudn the band digging up QSO's. If I catch someone in my "window", I'm OK. Again, not too good for local, but it does throw a signal out to the 250-400 mile+ range quite acceptably. Note that the mediocre local results have more to do with the low angle of radiation of the vertical then to any fault in the antenna. Also, most of the gang on 75 are low horizontal antennas (dipoles, inverted V's, Zeps, etc., with high radiation angles.
Construction was straight forward, even with the optional coils for 30M & 160M.
Would I buy this antenna again? You bet! In a heartbeat! Good job, Butternut, sorry I didn't put the HF2V up first. Also, for anyone interested, the chickenwire fence ground is fabulous!
73, Hank WA2CCN
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KA2RIT
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 27, 2007 08:01
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160 Meter Kit
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just home brew my HF2V from scratch with aluminum that was given to me. I had a very hard time at first trying to tune, so i bought a MFJ 259B analyzer which tune a breeze. I plan to build lots of other antennas. Anyway just like everyone else has said it is very noisey. First contact with NC was 55 and with Ohio 57. Still needs a bit of tuning.
Ok which brings me to my question for any that has the 160 meter add on kit. Like to know if anyone can tell how many turns are used in the 160 meter coil and if you have any picture of info on how to set it up. I have not located any info about this as of yet. Thanks you help my email is good in qrz ka2rit
73's
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W5AJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 13, 2007 20:53
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nice antenna
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This antenna will work and work the DX.
easy to put up and tune.
have had the door-knob cap break but replacements can be found on internet or scrap box...
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8P6SH
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 12, 2007 22:20
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Great Results!!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I thought I would give a short review of this antenna since I've owned 2 of them along with an HF6V over the last 10 years or so.
I'm currently working on a 40m phased array and after doing some looking around, I've settled on the HF2V as the vertical radiator.
The antenna works very very well for DX. If you do lots of local and regional short-skip QSO's -- this is not the antenna for you. But for longer haul 40 and 80m contacts, this antenna works very well.
Assembly and tuning is relatively easy and straight-forward. The coils are almost indestructable. For better bandwidth, I recommend experimenting with at least a couple top hats.
My only complaint is that compared to a few other manufacturers, the aluminium used is a little more lightweight. In the Caribbean, being so close to the sea, that means that you have to do more maintenance and cleaning. One antenna had all its sections virtually welded together after being installed for maybe 3 years. The coils and the door-knob were fine however. You also have to be careful with the door-knob as it is very very fragile. I have lost one of these over the years when it dropped -- never even got it installed.
All in all, caveats apart, I've had very good performance out of this antenna and look forward to seeing it perform in an array.
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K8YC
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Rating: 5/5
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May 20, 2007 17:07
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Very Good Performer
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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After 11 years of DXing, all I needed for 5BDXCC was 74 more entities on 80m. I "managed" to eke out my first 26 entities on 80m by "fooling" my R-7000 to work on 80m. CC&Rs forced me to become a member of team vertical. A friend had an HF2V sitting idle in his garage and loaned it to me. I installed it in early December 2006 over 8 shortened radials in a location about 20 feet away from my R-7000. I was somewhat worried about interaction between the two, but on a 1/4 acre lot, that's what you deal with.
In the three months ending with the ARRL International DX SSB contest on 4-March-2007 I had moved my entities worked total to 108. As of 20-May-2007, I have 93 confirmed and I am awaiting my last seven QSLs any day. The antenna works! It is excellent on 40m, too. I do run a linear amplifier. The pundits say, "Verticals radiate equally bad in all directions." Aha, but they also radiate at low take-off angles. So, running 800 watts driven by my 100 watt exciter provides me 9db of gain over what I'd get from a barefoot exciter. Once again, when you've been given lemons, make lemonade!
The April 1985 issue of QST (Technical Correspondence) cites a neat little modification to the HF2V (or HF6V for that matter) which allows you to switch the antenna from 80m to 75m while sitting in your shack. This provides excellent flexibility to be where the DX is. (A copy of this article is also reprinted in the ARRLs "Vertical Antenna Classics" handbook (c) 1995-1997).
If your situation sounds like mine, and you're dying to get on 80m, you can't go wrong with this antenna. E-mail me if questions.
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NK8A
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 20, 2006 13:27
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very good vertical
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I HAVE USED THE HF2V ELEVATED AND GROUND MOUNTED. I AM NOW USING THE HF2V GROUND MOUNTED AND IT WORKS GREAT WITH 26 RADIALS THAT ARE AT LEAST 20 FEET LONG. WHEN I USED IT ELEVATED I ONLY HAD ABOUT 6 RADIALS AND PERFORMANCE WAS POOR. NOW USING THE HF2V GROUND MOUNTED I CAN WORK ANYTHING I HEAR ON 40 AND GET GREAT RST REPORTS. WITH A TUNER IT WILL TUNE ON 20, 40,80, 30, AND 160 METERS. FOR ME ,THE HF2V "HEARS" BETTER THAN MY G5RV AND IS A LOT QUIETER.
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