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| Reviews Summary for Diamond CR-8900 |
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Reviews: 13
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Average rating: 3.3/5
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MSRP: $100
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Description: Quad band mobile antenna - 10m, 6m, 2m and 70cms. 1.26m long, 60 watts max for SO239 mount.
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Product is in production.
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More info: http://
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write your own review of the Diamond CR-8900.
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W2TKW
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Rating: 1/5
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Dec 11, 2011 07:42
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Poor quality under the covers...
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had two of these antennas, with both failing due to the same problem.
The first antenna I purchased with my FT8900 rig. I was impressed by how it looked and felt in hand. It appeared to be fairly well built and it had some weight. It gave the impression that it could handle the abuse a mobile environment could give it.
Initially the SWR on the 2m segment was a nice 1:1. I didn't bother tuning the 6 and 10m sections at that time because the bands weren't open. I planned to used it for 2 meter and 70 cm repeater work until the other bands opened up.
I could hit repeaters from quite a distance. I regularly made contacts the local repeaters as well as on the Mt Mitchell, 2m repeater ( 6600' level located just north of Ashville, NC) while traveling back and forth from Knoxville, TN to Charlotte, NC and I had great reports on my audio.
About a year after I got this antenna a couple of ham friends mentioned my audio wasn't as crisp as it had been. A check of the SWR showed that the 2 meter section was severely out of tune with a SWR of over 5:1.
I purchased the second antenna figuring to swap parts to figure out what went bad and order a replacement part from Diamond. I suspected the base coil had been damaged. Using the base coil section from the new antenna and the remainder of the old antenna I checked the SWR on 2 m and found it returned to 1:1. Returning the parts to their original antennas I installed the NEW antenna and tuned the 6 & 10m sections at that time. The SWR's I achieved were
2 m -- 1.0
6 m -- 1.2
10m -- 1.1
Soon after, the 10 meter band opened and I attempted to make contacts. Knowing that HF contacts for a mobile setup can be difficult, I did not really know what to expect. What I found was I could hear great, picking up stations from all over the western US, Europe, and South America. However very few heard me. I ran grounding straps from my trunk lid to the car body thinking that the ground was not good enough. No difference. I checked the output of the radio thinking that the radio was not putting out the selected wattage. The radio was transmitting fine. About 4 months after getting the second antenna I checked the SWR again, and found that all section were de-tuned with the 10m section at 8:1 and the 2 m section being 2.5:1. who would have thought an antenna would fail so quickly! The failure symptoms again point to the base coil section.
At this point I have given up on this antenna. No need throwing more good money after bad. Ill let u know how my new antenna system fairs.
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KV4AN
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 9, 2011 16:09
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Better than expected
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Based on the other reviews, I expected problems, but I had no trouble tuning the antenna. Had acceptable SWR on 440, 2, and 6 out of the bag. The SWR was above 3:1 on 29.6, I noted it was close to 1:1 around 28.0 with the tip all the way down. I trimmed a 1/4" twice off the tip and the the SWR is now close to 1:1 on 29.5. Mounted on a Diamond K400S mount on middle right edge of lift gate of Jeep Liberty. Heard station in St Louis on 10 FM this morning and lots of other activity. Worked a local station on 6 FM. Worked good on the 2 meter repeaters too. A convenient no-holes installation with better than expected and very acceptable performance. Using with a Yaesu FT-8900.
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F4ILX
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 10, 2011 14:27
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So far So good, even very good !!!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Bought as a new toy last month, I made a try this evening, leaving the week end family house on the hills near Toulouse in JN13FL, i've heard a QSO in Portugese on 29600 FM, I made a call and a PY2 replies ...
From Sao Paulo Brazil !!! About 5000 miles !!!
I made that QSO with only 20 watts !!!
The antenna is yet a must for a Yaesu FT 8900 !!!
73s QRO de F4ILX
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MD0MAN
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 7, 2010 16:46
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5 years - still works great
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is the only mobile antenna I have had for 5 years and is still working well.
I have moved the Yaesu FT-8900 rig and antenna to the 4th vehicle in 5 years since owning them both from new.
Both are still working perfectly, our local 2m repeater is down, but still get plenty of UK stations.
I have worked with a colleague on setting up a couple of local 70cms repeaters using the AllStar system - this antenna still works flawlessly on all bands, fine on 70cms and I mostly work no more than 5-10 watts on this band.
5 years on and I am still making 10m contacts 3-500+ miles into Europe from the Isle of Man when the bands are open (not worked and major 6m DX yet - missed the openings on this band- but still have 1.5:1 or less SWR).
The MOST important thing with this antenna is to have a proper ground for 10 & 6m, if you are going to use a mag mount - use a good bit of braid as a ground strap and make sure this is properly connected to the body/earth of your vehicle - if you can't do this - then forget using this antenna, you will be unhappy!!!
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N8UH
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Rating: 5/5
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May 1, 2010 10:19
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Works FB for me.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I followed the instructions. They state clearly that this antenna is not for mounting in the center of the roof. I have mine mounted on an the rack rails of my SUV, and have the mount well-grounded (also in the manual). I had to hack .5" off the top tuning stub, and now it tunes exactly like the manual says it should. No problems.
As for performance, 2m/440 work excellent. 6m and 10m are fine too. Not a 1/4 wave, but good for a compromise antenna. I use an ft-8900. Mobile, I have worked TX on 10M FM from the 'burbs of Las Vegas. Not too bad.
Construction quality seems good, but time will tell.
So, if you have an ft-8900 and need a single antenna solution, you don't have many choices. It's this one or the Comet. This one has a slightly lower profile and slightly less wind loading. I would imagine they perform similar.
If you get it, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS and make sure your mount is grounded well. It should work fine! I like it!
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N0FPE
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Rating: 0/5
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Nov 18, 2009 14:41
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not a bad antenna
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Nope its not bad at all. It is down right CRAPPY. I could never get each band tuned right and the darn thing fell apart within months. Almost thought it was made by MFJ!!!
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M0COM
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 18, 2009 13:39
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not a bad antenna
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Lets start with no mag mounts
this antenna needs a very good earth . I got mine from Japan on e-bay nice and cheap compared to some of the ripoff prices in the UK.
I put it together mounted it on a k400 mount on the boot and ran a separate earth to the mount
and guess what!
2m swr 1-1.2
70cms swr 1-1.4
6m swr 1-1.7
10m swr 1-1.1
I have worked all over Europe on 10m. I have worked state side on 10m. On 6m I have worked 8 European countries.
On 2 and 70 a good 20ish repeaters.
This is driving home from work not parked up on top of a hill.
This antenna will never be as good as a mono bander but close attention to where it is mounted
and a good earth. Please read the instructions that come with this antenna
and yours should work as per their specs. Total time spent tuning antenna was aprox 5 min
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K7TUX
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Rating: 3/5
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Jul 16, 2009 10:32
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great on 2m and 70cm
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have gotten nothing but rave reviews from other people concerning the range/sound of my antenna. On 70cm and 2m, I regularly hear that I sound the best that anyone has heard at my range. I regularly hit repeaters within 40 - 60 miles on 2m and 70 cm. I have done simplex on 2m up to 30 miles with little to no static. I am still working on testing the full range.
However, where this antenna fails, is on 6m and 10m. I have tuned it to the best that it can be tuned, and still have yet to hear a 10m contact. I can hear 6m ok, but have yet to make any contacts. Maybe when the band opens a bit more, that will change, but I just cannot seem to be able to hear/reach any of those two bands. NOTE: Grounding is super important to the 6m and 10m bands. Make sure the grounding is to the frame or to a good solid ground. I was not able to get any reception on 6m until i grounded the antenna.
I also have had an issue with the fold-over spring being weak. When I hit 60 - 70 mph, the antenna starts to fold over on its own due to wind drag. I have contacted Diamond antennas for support. I will update this when they get back with me. Hopefully, they can replace the spring, etc.
Would I recommend this antenna? I am not sure. I have only had it for 2 - 3 months. I will hold my final evaluation till after my antenna gets returned from Diamond.
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KD8IZM
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Rating: 3/5
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Aug 10, 2008 14:21
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Specs for you to decide
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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This can be a good antenna for you. You just need to decide how much performance drop you are willing to take, and what bands are important to you.
Mounting the antenna on my Subaru outback, very close to the center rear of the roof, about 15cm from the complete rear of car (including the back hatch) with a permanent drilled in NMO mount with a uhf adapter:
My best overall swr per bands (on average, middle of band numbers) are approximately; 1.4:1 on 2m and 70cm. An amazing almost completely 1:1 on 10m, I can't tell you exactly what it is, but it is closer to 1:1 than it is to 1.1:1 on my meter, and last, 2.2 on 6m.
The best I could do on each individual band was 1.2:1 on 2m and 70 cm, the 1:1 it is now on 10m, and 1.9 on 6m. These peak numbers however are at a larger expense to the other bands (except the 10m) Ex. You can get 1.9:1 on 6m, but then you have about a 1.9 or 2:1 on 2m and 70cm.
If you are not to much into 6m, this is a good antenna. Unfortunately for me, I would MUCH rather that 1:1 to be on 6m than a 10m ban I don't use. I have heard someone using 10m fm only once during a good sp-E. Yesterday was an great aurora opening on 6m, and even though I can year it just blowing up, I can't talk back. I would guess that part of that 25% of my signal lost at some ends of the 6m band would have something to do with that. If 6m is quite important to you also, you will likely want to use a separate 5/8 wave 2m antenna and a switch with this antenna for best performance. That way (at least for me) when I hear that 6m is opening up, I can flip over to the other antenna and get a 1.1:1 on 6m. Of course most people (including me) did not buy a quad-band antenna to have a second antenna on their vehicle, and, well, it is just a letdown. If you are not big on 6m though, the swr on 6m is acceptable and will not hurt your radio.
I did in the past have this on the mfj tri 5" mag mount with a uhf connector for those considering it. It worked great on 2m and 70cm, and for complete crap on 6m and 10m as one would expect. The swr's were not damaging, but were close. It was not something I would recommend if you will really use your radio on 6m and 10m.
This antenna is alright. I would have gave it a 4 if the 6m was not so weak. I would expect all areas of an antenna that are mounted in placement that the manufacturer suggested, and on a better mount than they suggest, would at last be less than 2:1 on all bands it covers.
This antenna is also quite comparable to the only other quad band antenna that I know of, and it is a bit cheaper.
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VR2XMQ
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Rating: 2/5
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Jul 24, 2007 22:48
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Not Good
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Have tested the antenna on 29MHz FM, 51MHz FM, 144 and 430 MHz. Mine was from Diamond from Japan, so instructions were all in Japanese.
After giving it to a Japanese friend to translate, I tuned the 1OM FM as specified, installed the antenna and used an antenna analyzer to test it. Despite trying to tune the end stub for 10M FM the antenna would not resonate anywhere near the 10 FM portion that it is specified to. The only way to even get it near resonance is to use a antenna matcher.
The same poor performance was found with 6 meters and it did not resonate in the 51MHz portion as so specified. The best was a match at 50.200MHz 1ith 1.8:1, to lower the swr again a matcher is needed.
144 and 430Mhz were ok, but performance was not something to jump up anddown about.
If you want to use it for 29MHz and 51MHz FM, there is no chance without an antenna matcher.
Very poor and not up to expectations.
Steve, VR2XMQ
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