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You can
write your own review of the High Sierra HS-1500 Screwdriver.
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KG4COQ
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 28, 2011 19:32
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Crappy factory service but Great antenna !
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Bought this antenna very used about 3 years ago.
Used this antenna as a base antenna for a year and it worked very well then put it in storage for a year and a half. 6 months ago I mounted it on the drivers side rear corner of my Ford Ranger metal topper. It works Great! Better than the hamsticks I used before this install. Besides working all over the states and europe I made a contact to New Zealand to ZL2OK on 12 meters a few weeks ago with a 5/5 signal using a original IC-706 at 100 watts.
As for factory service... It stinks. When I bought this antenna I had questions. Tried to call H.S. on the phone and they never answered. Tried to email and got no answers.After a week had to look further on the internet to find the answers. Now I understand that High Sierra is NOT making any of their motorized antennas anymore. This is a shame. I love this antenna and would buy another. Their webpage is still up but they are selling crap now.
If you find one in good shape... Buy it. Paid $250.00 for mine.
73,
KG4COQ
TAMPA BAY
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N2HUC
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 23, 2011 05:57
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Why is every signal S9+?
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I feel compelled to write a review of my High Sierra HS-1500 after experiencing something that is quite unbelievable, but confirmed time and time again. Something must be wrong. IT SHOULDN’T WORK THIS GOOD!
I have used this antenna since early 2000 and had it mounted on four different vehicles in four mounting locations. My first mount was on my work truck with a tow hitch mount. The truck had no cap, just a fiberglass cover. That first experience was grand and I worked the world with ease using my 100w FT-100. (S9 to Japan on 10m at night.) I was issued a new truck with a metal “Topper” cap, so to get above all that metal I put the mount to the top of the cap in the rear corner and grounded the cap on all four corners. Big signal drop on all bands below 12m…not good. I installed another mount on my mini-van with a right-angle bracket located behind the rear taillight. Good-looking installation and performance was OK, but not as good as the tow hitch on my first truck. Some years later lightning zapped my FT-100, and the bands were on the way down, so I took a break until recently.
Now that the bands are back I revisited my HF ops and purchased an IC-7000 to play with (fantastic radio with the AB5N mic mod). Built a fan dipole on 40-6 and started working DX from home again. Lots of fun and plenty of DX worked. I purchased a new Ford Escape that I basically live in (for work) five days a week, so of course I wanted to put all my radios in to help pass the long drive times I do all over the State of Florida. I pondered my HF mounting options and decided to resurrect the HS-1500. I couldn’t find the High Sierra 1.25” tilt tow hitch mount anywhere, so I got a tilting bike mount to do the job with the added benefit of being able to take some bikes with me if I decide to. The bike mount angles back a little, so the antenna does too, but something looked WRONG with all those S9 and +10 signals all the time (no ignition noise either). That can’t be! Lets see what signal reports I get with this thing when I QSO. I didn’t expect to be taken seriously with only 100 watts, especially on 40m and 75m.
Three months of operating in the house and in the SUV has given me a good idea of how this antenna is working on all bands. Instead of stations avoiding me (like they used to), now I get back to back calls and long QSO times every day on all bands. I keep getting stations commenting how my mobile sounds good and strong, like a home station. They can’t believe I’m only using 100 watts and that I’m mobile. In the car I ragchew for long periods and only lose stations when the band dramatically shifts or closes down. Most reports are steady S9 from all over the Americas to Europe on 10-20, and almost as strong as most barefoot home stations on 40 and 75. S8 to S9+10 on 40m from FL to West PA (dipole and 100w on the PA side) for an hour! My home station fan dipole is well tuned and mounted, but I see the majority of 100w signals on 10-20 around S5 to S8, and in the mobile S7 to S9+. I do fine in the QSO mix at home, but I have a better station in the mobile! That can’t be, but it is.
In conclusion I can’t be happier with this mobile antenna. I believe the angle of radiation must be low to get this overwhelmingly positive result when mounted in the tow hitch (low to the ground) and somewhat away from the metal of the vehicle. This has been personally confirmed twice. Maybe that choke coil also has some benefit to produce low angle radiation in the tow hitch. A friend mounted one on a toolbox in the back of his pickup and it did NOT work well there. Looked nice there, but is it looks or performance we are after? The tow hitch works! Now I’m looking for a multi-band home antenna that will work as well as this mobile antenna. Not so easy, as takeoff angle on most multi-band verticals is whacko, and pretty much hit or miss depending on skip distance and unpublished pattern lobes. The search continues!
I realize these are no longer produced, and that is a shame. Jim was very good to his customers in the early days, so I’m not sure where things went wrong. Some hams just like to complain about the stupid things to the point of testing the patience of any manufacturer. The product was good! Yes, maybe some little improvements could have been made (like an in-line fuse), but I can do those myself. Sorry to see these are gone. At least I can get some extra spare parts…for now. If you see one for sale, BUY IT!
Phil - N2HUC
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N3LJS
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 29, 2004 21:54
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$13.00 for a sring
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Everything is good except for the spring. Replace one a year, $13.00. They need a better way to support the top so it does not smash the spring. Overall the screwdriver design for mobile use can not be beat.
Rob, N3LJS
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NE5EE
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 29, 2004 21:03
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Outstanding
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Only antenna I have ever used. Have over 200 countries worked, all on SSB. Working now on Challenge award, too old to make honor roll.
This antenna is great, and the customer service is outstanding. Nothing more to add, worth every penny.
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WA2TTP
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 28, 2003 22:18
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4 years and still going strong
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've had this antenna in use for 4 years on the back of my pickup truck used in upstate New York. It's been covered in snow, ice and salt and it has held up very good. The only problems I've had were the failure of the decoupling contact spring after about 2 years and crack in the clear plastic loading coil cover where it connects to the lower collar. The later was really my fault because I tried to tune the antenna when it had a coating of ice on it. Both parts were replaced with no problem by me and the parts price was fair. The antenna performance is fantastic. I've worked allot of DX on 75 the best being a VK early in the morning on the way home from work! I'll give some credit to my Alinco DX70TH that has great transmit audio.
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KG9Z
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Rating: 5/5
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May 13, 2003 16:01
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Not a beam but GREAT!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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With the excellant technical help from the High Sierra people, I was able to do maintance on my HS-1500 and have it back on the air.
The antenna tunes 80 thru 6 meters. I have not tried it on 80 or 6 but the other bands it works like gang busters!
My first experience with the HS-1500 was having it mounted at gound level and a 12 foot ground rod. This was on the side of my home and I wasn't pleased with the results at all. I added a few radials but little improvements
Looking at some RV installations and some research I decided to mount my antenna at roof level. I added three 24 foor radials in a typical ground plane type of installation. What a difference! I know its not a beam and I only run 100 watts but I hear great! It is amazing on 40 meters!
The latest Dx to work was the TX4PG at FO/M. I know it wasn't a rare P5 but it had its sure of pile-ups and propogation problems. I was able to work them on 40M, 30M, 20M, 17M and 15M all with the same antenna!
Initial price may seem steep but the perfromance is excellant and if you can't use a beam....this is a great choice.
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W3IZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 27, 2003 23:28
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Superior mobile antenna
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have been HF mobile for over 15 years and have used all kinds of antennas from mono-band hamsticks and Hustler coil systems to trunk mounted auto tuners with 102” whips. Out of all the antennas that I have used the High Sierra beats them all. Hands down. Besides being a great radiator, this antenna is built tough. No PVC plastic or weak cordless tool motors here. This thing is constructed to be used in any environment and will last a long, long time. You truly get what you pay for. Installation does require some planning and a good solid ground will ensure super performance. The large Hi-Q coil makes it easy to tune anywhere on the band that you want to including MARS frequencies. I have had this antenna for over five years on three vehicles. I have also helped others install this antenna on their vehicles and they too have similar results. Again, the secret is to get a good solid ground to the vehicle. Besides a great product, Jim is a super fellow to deal with and will answer any question that you e-mail him within a few hours.
See my installs on these sites:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/w3iz/mobile.html
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/w3iz/Truck.html
Norm Fusaro, W3IZ
Bucks County, PA
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KL7FH
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 18, 2003 13:08
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Great!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I bought mine used and it works great! Does anyone have a pdf or jpg of the manual they can e-mail me? Or a copy? I didn't get the manual... I added a capacity hat and made a big improvement on bandwith and feed point impedance. 73 Frank KL7FH
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K0JW
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 30, 2002 17:28
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Fantastic performer!!!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I moved into a CCR protected subdivision 2 years ago and after much thought, gave the High Sierra antenna a try. I have a raised 16' X 20' deck, so I mounted it to a railing and under the deck mounted wire meshing. I thought it would require lots of trial and error, but it worked beautifully on the first try!! I am a DX'er and haven't been dissapointed. I have worked Macquarie Island,S. Shetlands, India, China, Spratly Is, Greece, Ducie,Pakistan, to name a FEW , and have mainted Honer Roll on DXCC. After two years of operation, the motor went out on it, highly unusual, and Jim Heath had me send it back and replaced it and made some other minor adjustments. The cost? FREE!! Jim stands behind this product! BUY ONE. You won't regret it.
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N1OLO
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 23, 2002 16:51
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One of the Finest Mobile Antennas a Ham Could Want
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I purchased my HS-1500 at Dayton in 2001 and have had nothing but good expiriences with it. Since I commute over 40 miles one way to work I spend a lot of time on the radio. The HS-1500 has performed flawlessly with swr's of 1.5:1 or less on all bands.
Tuning is a snap. I generally don't even need to look at the swr! I just listen for max noise on receive and am generally close.
I have my antenna mounted on a quick release mount made for me by N1YCI.
My wife actually said "I like the way that looks"!
I routinely get comments discounting the possibility that I am actually a mobile station. My best contact to date has been with VK land on 80 meters.
I researched the construction of the various "screw-driver" type antennas on the market and I have found the High Sierra line the best over all. The only addjustment that needed to be made, the matching coil for 40/80 meters, could be made without tools.
While the price you pay may be higher you are paying for a quality item.
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