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write your own review of the Hustler 6BTV Vertical.
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KE4EX
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 27, 2009 17:24
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Great Vertical
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had this antenna for five years.
I run it on CW, PSK most other digital.
I ran it for two years gound mounted.
No problems what so ever, little weak on 75.
Last month I added some radials #12 wire, two cut for each band plus 10 at 33'. After a tweak on SWR adjustment, she is rocking. At the time I also marked my final adjustments, took it apart and cleaned the puppy.
I have worked all states cw. I have worked all state PSK minus HI and west by god.
If you get one used you will be very pleased...
73
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G4RNI
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Rating: 3/5
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Aug 7, 2009 08:40
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Beware Hidden Corrosion!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Well, it's fairly low profile although does require guys. It's also reasonably ok performer, once you work out how to connect your coax to it.
It doesn't have an SO239 on the base, just a large diameter screw. I used a 1:1 commercial balun to connect mine and all seemed well for a couple of years until...
...Yesterday I found some very strange reading when checking things over. Not resonant where it used to be etc etc. I checked the connections, eventually finding I couldn't undo the terminal screw at the base.
No amount of WD-40 or even (last resort) heat from my propane torch pencil jet budged it! No amount of force with Snap-On gear, not even mole grips!
Eventually I admitted defeat and cut off the bottom 2" of the heavy duty base pole to find the terminal screw assembly/bush rusted to hell!
I've replaced the bush with a large diameter rawl bolt, liberally dipped in Finnigan's Waxoyl car rustproofing fluid.
I'm about to write up the work for mods.dk.
My advice, if you buy one, soak the bottom section with oil, REGULARLY!
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MM6GLI
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 26, 2009 05:53
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great antenna , with radials down
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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As a new ham operator, it can be a mine field out there when it comes to picking a good antenna , you will not be disapointed with this, i have worked vk, hk, to name but a few on 10 watts. I have mine ground mounted on a pole about 6 inches of the ground with 2 radials per band.It is neighbour friendly which is important these days.If you are looking for a antenna that is low profile and performs really well this is the one for you , the only thing i can fault it for is it is abit narrow on 80m i only get about 60 khz bandwidth ,not much of a problem as i do not use 80m much at all.i give this antenna a 5 .
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AB4ZT
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Rating: 5/5
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May 25, 2009 10:07
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Works Well
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I gave it a 5 because it works as intended, is constructed well, and is priced very reasonably. I have an MA5B for 20 through 10 so I use this one mainly for 30, 40, and 80. I don't have room in the yard to ground mount so it is elevated with radials. Works well on 40 with 4 radials and even 80 is ok with just one radial (worked VQ9LA on 80 with the one radial), but yes I know I should have more. It is not a miracle antenna, just a well-designed trap vertical. Don't hesitate to try one. Also, I agree the way to go is to order through DX Engineering.
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N6MUK
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 13, 2009 09:05
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Lots of radials make this a rewarding antenna project.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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First let me say that you should buy this antenna from DX Engineering! They have the best price (significantly) and are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Trust me, the people at DX Engineering really want to help you on the phone and by email. They want you to succeed. I could tell that they were wishing I was close by so they could come help in person. They know this antenna well and how it reacts when properly installed over a field of radials. The DX Engineering printed instructions are invaluable during the initial tune up and to the ultimate performance of this vertical antenna! The Hustler instructions are oriented more towards a "CB" style installation.
I assembled this antenna according to the Hustler and DX Engineering instructions and erected it on a 4' long, 2" pipe that I drove into the ground, out in the orange tree orchard, 120' behind my shack. I was paranoid that all the orange trees, in such very close proximity (3'), would de-tune the vertical and possibly distort my, hoped for, low angle radiation. I decided that an antenna near the trees was better than no antenna at all so I just got over my tree worries and started to build it.
Determined to have a well done radial ground system, for once in my life, I decided to lay down many 66' long radial wires on the ground around the antenna. First I dug an 8" deep narrow trench back to my shack and laid in the coax cable. Next, I soldered a 15" diameter ring of 3/8" copper tubing around the base of the antenna and started to solder radial wires to it, and then stretch them out like spokes on a wheel. I secured the end of each radial with a 6" nail pushed into the dirt. After each 4 radials installed, I measured the resonant frequency on each ham band with my Array Solutions antenna analyzer. Once I reached 20 radials, the resonant frequencies were getting lower than the ham bands and not changing very much, as I added more wires. When I reached 80 wires, nothing was changing anymore, so I decided to stop adding radials. All in all, I spent a couple of hours a day (before and after work) for a week to complete the radial field with 84 wires, each a quarter wave on 80 meters... not an insignificant task.
On a Saturday I spent about 4 hours with the antenna analyzer and the DX Engineering instructions, in order to tune the traps to resonance in each ham band. Everything tuned up just like I wanted and just as the guys at DX Engineering said it would. I contained my excitement for another few days while I wound coax choke baluns, for each end of the feed line, made some final checks and connections to my rig and caught up on some family and work responsibilities that had been deferred while laying down all those radial wires.
I started using the antenna casually on the air yesterday. I spent an hour before work yesterday and today and also several hours last night and again tonight. 14 DX countries on 40, 30 and 20 meters, running barefoot, has been my initial haul. The 40 meters performance has been particularly gratifying. 40 can be a productive band for fine business DX with a high efficiency, low angle radiator like I have never had (until now). Many amateurs fret over which vertical antenna works best. It seems to me we should fret about the radials and consider the vertical antenna as merely something necessary to resonate the system. The radials make or break a vertical antenna.
I'm hearing and working DX countries that were unknown on all the assorted dipoles I've had in years past. I don't doubt that a dipole at 90' would work great, but how was I supposed to get a wire 90' in the air? The 6BTV is only 24' tall, self supporting, and somewhat stealth (I painted it flat gray with a spray can). Stealth is important to me because my XYL is the original "Antenna Nazi". The trade off you make is in the WORK required to do the radial ground system installation properly.
I have a ham friend who lives 15 miles away. He is an avid DXer with a 4 element quad on top of his 60' tower. A few times, we have hooked up by cell phone while on the air to compare his quad to my 6BTV. A couple of times we tag teamed DX stations on 20 meters and once got into a 3 way QSO on 30 meters. There is no doubt that the 4 element quad is superior when he turns that rotor right onto a DX station. The quad puts out a death ray and his legal limit amp doesn't hurt matters for him either. Nevertheless, the 6BTV gave a very good account of itself and worked what the quad worked with the exception of only the very weakest DX stations that my 6BTV just could not hear. Of course the quad usually got better reports from the DX stations, but my point is, I got DX reports with the 6BTV!
If you must break the pileups in a hurry, pull out the weakest and rarest ones and compete for DX honors, look elsewhere for an antenna. If you want to get in the game with a solid low angle performer that offers an easier visual profile, and you don't mind investing time and backache labor in a proper ground radial system installation, the 6BTV may be just right for you too!
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VE3ELL
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 9, 2009 13:25
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Great Antenna
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had the 6BTV for 3 years now and recently came across an article to fine tune the traps.I saw this on the Dxengineering site.I tried what they suggested and now the antenna works even better than a dipole mounted 30ft up.Signals are 3-4 s units higher even for local rag chews.I would like to see some kind of modification so it could be used on 160M.
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K0BT
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 15, 2009 19:52
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Excellent Vertical if Installed Correctly
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had one of these at my last QTH and it was a marginal performer. It turned out to be my installation. I didn't have enough radials down.
I just installed another one using the DX Engineering radial plate and tilt base. I put down 60 radials, each one 55 feet long. The radial length is based on a recommendation from the ARRL Antenna Book. I was a true believer from my first contact (Falkland Islands). This is an excellent antenna. The more radials you put down, the better it will work. It will resonate without enough radials, but it will not perform near as well. With a lot of radials, you will most likely have to shorten the traps a bit in addition to the usual tuning adjustments.
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KB8WPJ
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Rating: 0/5
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Feb 10, 2009 11:46
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great lawn ornament, but nothing more
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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had this antenna up about a year, and finally got tired of fooling with it, and took it down last fall.
Impossible to tune, even with 24 radials buried... tried to add the radial plate, and more radials, and still was fussy as heck.. if i got an improvement on one band, I lost ground on another.
Finally said to heck with it and took it down. For the $350 I spent on it, I did much better on everything but 80 and 160 with a simple inverted Vee made out of scrap coax, and hundred feet of 14ga wire, and a $20 1:1 balun...
Absolute waste of time.
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M1DDD
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 31, 2008 06:55
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997 Q's in CQWW SSB
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Hello all - This is an update on my 6BTV which i had installed 5+ years ago. Apart from the sheep tripping over the cable and pullng off the coax feed braid, it has worked superb in very wet and windy cimate here at 1600 feet. This year have worked all major DXped's inc Willis Island and have just completed 997 QSO with 100W in CQWW on 80-40-20-15m with a claimed score of 585000...One antenna, one cable on rig. This included ZL,VK, Galapagos, VU4 etc. I run mine with 3 or 4 x radials per band (I forget how many are left as the local farmer who owns field behind house has to take up the aerial when he wants to mow the grass and normally wrecks the radials!. Great value for money. You must however use a decent radial system to get the performance. I have just retired my 6BTV from service as have an antenna clear up (farmer!) but will be installing 5BTV (no need for 30m for me) at portable QTH at 1670 feet (see qrz.com). I may also test one against a SteppIr BigIr. Cheers NICK M1DDD, MD1DDD, 9H3DD
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KI4FIA
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 8, 2008 15:14
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Best Vertical for the Money!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I’ve now had my 6BTV for over 3 years. Originally install it with 2 radial per band however over the last years I’ve been adding radials of various lengths (what ever fits in the yard). I’m up to about 1,000’ worth of radials. This is by far the best vertical you can find, much better than verticals costing twice as much!
I purchased mine from DX Engineering (best price, best service!) along with their tilt over mount and radial plate. When my order arrived I already had a pipe driven into the ground for mounting so within an hour I was on the air. The Hustler instructions were right on the money and with the help of the MJF Antenna Analyzer it took very little time to setup the antenna. Since I operate 90% CW I tuned my for the CW portions of each band however 10, 15, 20, 30 meters I have full band coverage. 40 mtrs is almost the entire band (it would be if I didn’t have my resonance point at 7.025MHz). I do not use an antenna tuner with this antennas simply because I don’t need to!
I’ve worked over 140 countries on this antenna in the last 3 years (remember we’re at the bottom of the sunspot cycle!) on 100 watts. About a month ago I purchased an ACOM 1000 amp the antenna can take the power without any problems.
The quality of construction is top notice (much better than verticals costing twice as much!). After 3 years this antenna still looks like new and I live in a harsh environment, only 1500 feet from the Atlantic Ocean in Florida. This antenna sees salt spray nearly everyday as well as handling 60MPH wind gusts without any guy ropes.
If I lost this antenna I wouldn’t waste any time in calling DX Engineering to order a new one!
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