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| Reviews Summary for Hi-Q-5/160 RT |
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Reviews: 9
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Average rating: 5.0/5
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MSRP: $550
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Description: This is the LATEST innovation in HF mobile antennas! It is the PATENTED version of the standard Hi-Q Series of HF mobile and base antennas. The loading coil has 9.5" usable travel with approximately 350 uH inductance.
The Hi-Q-5/160 will cover the 10-160 M bands (i.e.: 1.8 MHz to 30 MHz.) and is offered in either a MT (Manually Tunable) or RT (Remotely Tunable - motorized) version.
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More info: http://www.hiqantennas.com
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write your own review of the Hi-Q-5/160 RT.
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K5OAI
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 1, 2009 12:31
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Hi-Q 5/160 ARRL 2008 160m QRP contest winner
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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It took 5 years of negotiations with my landlord to get permission for any antenna on the 2nd floor roof of my apartment building. We installed the Hi-Q 5/160 on July 12, 2008 and it has worked flawlessly ever since.
Details of the installation are as follows, one foot above the 5/160 coil I have a EB-8 tophat and a 102" whip, so it's all of about 13.5 feet tall. For the ground plane there are sixteen radials each 13 feet long, with a wire connecting the outer ends of the radials. There is also one radial each for 160m, 80m, 60m, 40m, and 30m thrown in there for grins, all laying on the tar and gravel roof at 20 feet.
The Hi-Q 5/160 is an excellent antenna and the proof just came in my mail October 27, 2009. I received 1st place in the 2008 ARRL 160m contest, running Class A, QRP, for the WTX section. The devil is in the details they say, so here are a few:
Out of 1280 entries I placed 1121st.
Out of 77 class A (QRP) entries I placed 65th.
My score was 1,428, 45 QSO's, 17 sections.
Longest contact was with W4MYA, 1345.56 miles away which turns out to be 20700.97 miles per watt.
Here's the unbelievable part, that makes me say the Hi-Q 5/160 is an Excellent antenna! If you take my Elecraft K2's 5 watts output, times the Hi-Q's 1.3% efficiency on 160m, we end up with an approximate effective radiated power of about 65 milliwatts. Try to beat that performance on 160m with any other 13.5 foot tall antenna at 20 feet with a minimal radial system.
Would I buy another Hi-Q antenna from Charlie? Lets put it this way, I'm saving my bucks up now, so I can upgrade to his new Hi-Q-6/160 RT/MC-3-H Looks like the efficiency is up to 6%, that would give me 300mw ERP from my K2's 5w, that's an over 6db increase from my 65mw ERP.
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W3RXO
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Rating: 5/5
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May 3, 2009 21:42
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Wow!!!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I cannot say enough good about this antenna. I bought mine a couple of weeks ago, and have been taking my time getting it set up, on my diesel truck. I custom made a mounting post, to mount it between the cab and trailer (I pull a tanker, so I have adequate clearances) and after I resolved the typical grounding issues, the antenna started performing flawlessly.
My first day on the air, I made contacts in Chile, Italy and all over the 48 contiguous states. Everyone told me I had a great signal, and a few even wanted to be sure I WAS actually mobile. I am running it with an IC-7000, and as of yet, no external amplification, though I am getting an SGC SmartCube, for those pile ups. I cannot give Charlie enough accolades, on his antenna. If you are considering m obile HF, THIS IS THE ANTENNA YOU WANT.
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KD4POJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 24, 2009 15:25
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OUTSTANDING ANTENNA
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I have used cheap mobile HF antennas for several years and of course got what I paid for. I now have the Hi-Q-5/160 RT All SS with the large eggbeater cap hat and all I can say is WOW! I hear more stations, can work more stations from 10m-160m and have more enjoyable QSOs than I ever did with any other mobile HF antenna.
While on the pricy side, you will not be disappointed in the performance. You want a great signal mobile on the Top Band you need this antenna. My first QSO was with another mobile in New London, ON and got 57 with my little 100 watt signal. I had others tell me they thought I was a fixed station when they first heard me. Later that night, I worked nearly 25 states in a matter of an hour and had some great reports on how well I was getting out with 100 watt mobile signal.
I was first introduced to this antenna by a long time friend and avid user of Hi-Q antennas, Gene KG4NBL. After working Gene in nearly 40 states, I had no doubt that this was the antenna I needed to be mobile with. Gene was right; HI-Q will out perform any screwdriver there on that Top Band.
I have now 35 states confirmed on 160m and nearly all 50 on 40 and 75m. I have to say it again, this is one great antenna.
As for Hi-Q customer service, Charlie is great. I got fast service and answerers to all my questions by phone and by email. Thanks Charlie for the great support and a great antenna!
I will be looking forward to many years on the air with this antenna and hope to also get another antenna for Portable operations.
Thanks
Dwayne
KD4POJ
Mobile North Dakota
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W8JN
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 20, 2009 21:20
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Follow Up
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I decided to get a little aggressive and I am running my Acom 2000a at 1.5 kw into the 5-160 mobile being used as a base. Zero reflected power and no "hot spots" in the shack. Charlie is a genius!!!
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N3VL
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 28, 2008 20:13
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EXCELLENT ANTENNA
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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This may get long and I apologize for that but I feel a little back ground is needed to fully understand the review. First off I service commercial satellite communications systems and as such drive a utility van. Most of my service calls are between 100 and 200 miles away from the shop thus I drive 200-400 miles in a typical day and 500 miles is not out of the question. That gives me a lot of mobile radio time!
A few years ago I bought a used High Sierra 1500 antenna and rebuilt it as it hadn't been serviced in around 8 years or so. Now comes the difficult task of getting a hf antenna to work on basically a cubed steel box about 9' high. Any decent antenna on the top will hit bridges etc. The same antennas will not tune with a low swr anyplace but the top of the van. Tried various mounts on the trailer hitch, flat topped rear bumper, side of the van, etc. No one else would confirm this but I found in my situation that the swr would not come down to an acceptable level unless the antenna tuning coil is at least 18 inches away from the metal body of the van. Tried mounting the antenna at various angles off vertical which would get the coil far enough away from the top of the van so the swr would tune but still keep the tip below bridge heights. Seemed to work pretty well this way but would still hit a lot of tree limbs and low hanging branches. About half of my commercial satellite customers are big farmers thusly living in very rural areas. Did you know that about half of our farmers don't plan on a 9 plus ft tall van coming down their driveway?! Especially with another 4-5 ft of antenna sticking up off the top of it! Encountered many low hanging limbs! This clearly isn't going to work.
Plan B. Build a rotate-able antenna that will fold horizontal when needed and can be used at any angle up to vertical when its suitable to do so. Being a satellite tech I had many old satellite actuators around and fashioned such a mount. Use an actuator controller inside to control the satellite motor and thusly the antenna. Usually travel with it at just under 14' on the highway, flat against the top of the van in towns and rural areas where trees are a problem, and vertical (around 19ft) when parked.
Now to get to the review. The High Sierra seemed to work ok but I didn't have anything to compare it to. I like 75-80 and 160. High Sierra would only go down to 80. It didn't like traveling horizontally. First off had to redo the tapered brass cone that it sets on as it would loosen up when traveling horizontally causing intermittent loss of signal. Got that fixed then the brushes on the motor would quit making contact every few weeks. Take it apart and wouldn't see anything wrong and it would start working again. Started to get frustrated just being able to talk on the frequency that it happened to be set on because the motor would not tune the antenna!
Time to get a NEW antenna. After research etc it seemed everybody liked Charlie's antennas. For good reason! I installed a 5/Q160 in the same manner that the High Sierra was installed. Put on the big egg beater top hat on a two foot extension with about a five foot whip. IMMEDIATELY notice a huge improvement in receive signals and it does indeed tune 160 thru 10 (with a MFJ910) tuner as recommended by Charlie. Use it for a few months before I passed final judgment. Performs great on 75-80 where I am usually at. Also works better than expected on 160. Of course it works even better on the upper bands. My only complaint is not with the antenna but my particular setup. I need a stiffer whip as the one I have is very flexible and will blow around in the wind at highway speeds and effect the swr as it gets closer to the top of the van. I do have an additional mounting ring fashioned around the stainless base of the antenna to help support it. The horizontal configuration it travels at would put too much strain on the 3/8 mounting bolt as the things is a very robust antenna. I always get asked about it. It really stands out with the 5" coil and egg beater cap hat.
Yes I must admit to being a little embarrassed by its shear bulk but the performance far out weighs its appearance! I would never go back to anything else.
As an added bonus it really helped with the shortwave listening too.
73
N3VL
BTW I am running a 706MKIIG, and an Ameritron 500 watt solid state mobile amp.
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KB3MMX
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 12, 2008 16:33
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BIG SIGNAL AND RX !!!!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I'll second all the previous reviews, this is BAR NONE that best remote tunable mobile antenna money can buy !!
If you want to be a Mobile BIG GUN on multiple bands, you NEED one of these !!
I am constantly floored by all the "You're Mobile ?!?! " comments I get with this thing !!
I commonly have to BEEP BEEP the horn so guys really believe I'm mobile...LOL !! ....And this is with a Barefoot Kenwood TS-480 !!
This antenna has also been demonstrated for many people in my vehicle as to how great the RX is and once again, every person has commented "wow, this thing really recieves well !"
Also, I love rapidly busting through DX pileups with this antenna and not stroking as a mobile(not getting priority), that really get's me grinning when I beat out base stations !!
What more can I say, these are incredible mobile antennas, worth every penny !!
Enjoy !!
--Chuck
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LA3ZPA
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Rating: 5/5
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May 5, 2008 13:51
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MOBIL BIG GUN ANTENNA
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I you wont the best of the best, I tinck HI-Q 5/160 have very good backed to offer.
Top mechanical, and that is not a obvious on mobile antenna to day, but HI-Q it is the reference for mobile antenna in my opinion.
Have work VK on 40 SSB 16500km from my car last week, had 10 minut QSO with Norman study 5/8 on only 100w from my IC-7000.
I am so impress with this mobile antenna, it have beet my expectation big time.
I but out a big signal local and DX on lower band , what more can I ask fore HIHI
If you are locking for top mobile this is it.
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KG7UY
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Rating: 5/5
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May 4, 2008 11:17
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Big Mobile signal
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Installed this antenna on the back of the Park Avenue using the much maligned hitch mount. I did make some mods to the hitch to insure a solid mount. I used a Uham 100 mount to brace it as I don't weld aluminium. I took K0BG's advice and used RF beads on the feedline and the motor control line at both ends. As a result I an use the IC-7000 with the Better RF autotune set up with no problems. The results using the large cap hat and 7 foot whip are very good. I run a GS-4/160 on my Metro with a cap hat and 7 foot whip and parked in the driveway these antennas perform identically. That is a good thing as I am very satisfied with the GS-4. The Hi-Q is well made and performs as advertised. 160 meter mobile may be QRP but is worth the trouble!!
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N1VU
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 24, 2007 07:41
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Outstanding! Far exceeds anything I've ever used!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I've been a ham going on twenty years. Perhaps not a long time compared to some of my ham friends and certainly not the old-timers, but long enough to understand and enjoy the hobby--and understand why we're die-hards.
A good deal of my hamming has been multiband mobile--HF, 2m and 440, usually. The XYL and I have a condo with restrictions, although I wonder if i could sneak about 100 ft. of magnet wire up some night and see what I get. So; over the past decade; I've become quite familar with getting the most out of HF mobile--especially barefoot. We have tiny cars so doing an amp is out of the question.
For the past seven years; I've relied on an N7LYY screwdriver with a 102" whip. Mel Woody made a great homebuilt antenna; better than most; certainly much better workmanship. But, after Mel retired and components started to wither; I went searching for a new stick. I studied the High Sierra, a couple other "locally-made" DK3 designs, then, the HiQ.
At the Berryville, VA, hamfest this summer; several mobile hams had HiQs. They couldn't say enough good things about them. Mostly; what they said was Charlie Gyenes, HiQ's founder and owner--was top-notch when it came to customer service. I operated one and was very, very impressed. It "wasn't like all the rest." It acted like a real vertical, not a mobile whip.
So; like about ten thousand other mobile Hams; I bit the bullet and bought a HiQ. I bought the 2007 top-of-the-line 5/160 RT with the "Package B," including cap hat, base quick disconnect, quick whip disconnects, ferrites and other goodies. It was expensive. I've had some rigs that didn't cost this much. But, as I would soon find out; it would absolutely be worth it.
I used the existing aluminum 3" x 1/2" bumper fingerstock from the old antenna. I used new coax. new ground braid; also bought an MFJ-910 "Mobile Antenna Matcher," which Charlie assured me would do much better than a shunt coil. I mounted the MFJ in-line with the antenna on the hump in the middle rear, just behind the center console. After getting everything "soft-wired" enough to test out (translation--nothing tucked under the carpet yet); I took it to a nearby parking lot, away from homes and other buildings.
It took a while to get used to tuning it, since the opaque Lexan covering the coil doesn't allow one to see the follower. After you get used to it; no big deal. What you MUST get used to is chasing new RFI. When Charlie says "common mode current," he's not kidding. This thing radiates more like a mobile version of a wire DIPOLE, not a mobile stick. I thought my car was well-grounded and well-ferrited. Well; it is NOW...
Once that was fixed, which didn't take long, I cranked it up on 20 meters and promptly worked Belgium, France, Los Angeles, MAUI (a 4500 mile hop from VA) and Arizona...all with 80 watts SSB and an SWR of about 1.2:1.
Then, I went to 40. Once tuned (you usually bypass the MFJ for everything but 75-80 and 160), I worked Florida, Missouri, suburban Chicago and Nebraska...all on 40 with the same 80 watts SSB. All sigs, both bands...at least 59 and usually +10 to +20. Remember; this is with the bands DOWN, not up. And, barefoot.
At 6pm; I went to 75 and checked into the VA SSB traffic net. This is a real good test of a low band mobile signal, since hardly anyone checks into this net unless they're at home with a dipole about 50 feet in the air. I blasted everyone. Never had so many "what are you running" questions in my life! Usually; I'm the runt of the group.
Now I'm getting impressed.
About 8:30; I went to 160 meters. Four contacts. One in Erie, PA; two in FLORIDA; the other in Louisville. This is 160 at dusk. All 59+. Oh come on! Did someone pay these guys to give me this kind of sig report?
Nope. The HiQ 5/160 is that good. Honestly; it's more like a dipole at 50 feet than a mobile antenna.
Some things you'll need to deal with. First is remembering to watch bridges and overhanging trees. I cut my whip just enough to get it about 13' above the ground with the cap hat and 1' extension. Next is dealing with the stares. The HiQ is stainless and Lexan, not painted-over PVC pipe. With the 5" coil, cap hat, hat extension and whip--it's ominous. People's heads pan as the car goes by. If you're going to drive 60 and higher all the time; fashion a non-conductive secondary brace for it. Alan Applegate's Delrin brace is a good example (www.k0bg.com). But, a wide fabric dog leash or strap from a trunk bike rack will help a lot to reduce sway and, thus, reduce having to tighten the anchor bolt every morning.
The Hi-Q 5/160 was worth the money, pure and simple. As someone else said on this forum; Charlie makes "gold standard" antennas. I've never used a mobile antenna that comes close to this one...on anyone's vehicle.
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