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write your own review of the Cushcraft R-8.
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KB6HRT
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 22, 2008 22:21
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It's GREAT
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Have had an R-8 for 12+ months, Ground mounted with great results low SWR 1.2 all bands for SSB, had an R6000 before the R8 and it did a good job as well, did guy the R8 just to be on the safe side, have a total of three antennas that will do 20m and 40m, this antenna has a great signal to noise ratio. Over 2000 miles it almost always beats out my dipoles. I would buy another if It had to be replaced, well made, no problems, just a plesure to use. KB6HRT
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KI4PJY
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Rating: 3/5
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Jun 20, 2008 18:21
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Trouble Tuning
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I purchased an R8 from another ham that had used the antenna for some time. The aluminum rods have become oxidized at connections of aluminum and other metals. I have been unable to clean these connections and dismantle radials. I did assemble but the SWR is way out of wack pegging the meter. Does the antenna need to be upright to tune.
Thanks
New to HF
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WB2HWA
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Rating: 3/5
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Dec 28, 2007 11:24
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good antenna electrically but poor mechanically
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned two! cushcraft r8 and neither survived the wind here in Buffalo NY. Although the antenna is noisy, it did perform well and gave you eight bands with one antenna plus there did not seem to be any need for radials. I mounted the antenna five feet above my second story roof. Initially the antenna was advertised as self supporting so no guy ropes were used. It lasted one winter and landed in the driveway. After shopping I didn't see anything similar that seemed like it would meet my needs so I put up a second r8. I used the guy kit but unless you are mounting it on a pole near the ground you might want to save your money. The kit is primarily made up of ground stakes and some rope. After several months the guy rope broke at the antenna requiring that it be lowered for tlc. Given the size of the antenna and the pitch of the roof this wasn't easy. The pitch and tension of the ropes are critical. When I complained to cushcraft when the second r8 came down I was told that my ropes must have been to tight.
For any future customers I would suggest mounting this on a pipe and wouldn't go more than six or seven feet above ground. The question may come down to are you more annoyed with guy ropes or ground radials.
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K3EY
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 21, 2005 07:39
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It Works
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Like the reviewer stated below and I agree, this antenna bends way too easy but unlike him I don't give one whit, let it bend because it still works fine. I live on a hill and it's windy up here. The R8 bent like a banana the first year I put it up, it's on a 21 foot pipe. That bend has been there for so many years I lost count, it was right after the R8 replaced the R7. The R7 on the other hand bent and kept on bending and broke in two which is why I bought the R8. I do agree that to advertise with a perfectly straight R8 showing on mountain top is deceptive because after the first wind that thing will look like a banana. The banana effect doesn’t affect it’s performance because it still works and works great. I worked a ton of DX on CW, most of the time if I can hear them I can work them and that includes plenty of QRP at one watt, down to milliwatts. I had the AP8 vertical years ago that they no longer make. I did have a ground radial system under it as it was ground mounted. It never bent because the house protected it from the wind. Hind sight being 20/20 I should have kept it because performance wise I see absolutely no difference except in maintenance which now is a nightmare on a 21 foot tall pipe versus ground level. My next vertical is going back on the ground.
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SV2CGN
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 20, 2005 23:14
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OK for vertical.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I think I ought a review to this antenna. You see she was my first new big project as a new radio amateur in 2002 and I‘ve spent a lot of hours thinking about how to buy her, to install her, to raise her, to guy her etc. Well now after almost 2 years of operating barefoot with my Kenwood and this antenna I would like to post here my review. The R-8 was installed on the roof of my 4 story house (20m high clear sky) and guyed with kevlar rope to withstand the strong north wind that we often have here. Just like everything in real life she has some pros and some cons. Here there are:
Pros
VERY good material and construction. (don’t worry about anything)
VERY good SWR on all bands (just follow the very good instructions)
VERY good support from the headquarters (response to emails)
She really works like a vertical. She has a very low take off angle. If you hear a station you ‘ll work him.
You have 8 bands in one antenna.
She is very beautiful standing out there.
Cons
The raising of the antenna is certainly a two person hard work (especially if you are on the roof 20m high!)
The traps after two years of operation are prone to the water (SWR are changing for a week or so until the water drains out of the traps)
She really works like a vertical. She picks up almost everything.
So, you see the main problem with this antenna (and with me) is that she is working perfect for vertical. So if you hear a station you will certainly work him with 100W. But you see here is, also, the problem: IF YOU hear the other station. Almost all the time there is a noise floor of 6-7 S units on the receiver so it’s very difficult to hear that rare DX. She offers you just 3 dbi (free space and real ground also) in every direction picking everything there is. If the dx station is under the noise floor you just don’t hear it or it is very difficult to copy.
So my advice for the future buyer of this antenna: First check your place. Just put up a simple 14MHz vertical and check what is going on to your place. If there is too much manmade noise you surely will have a problem with R-8. If your place is quite then you are lucky – go get her.
Last words….. Maybe this review would be for anykind of vertical antenna. Yes maybe… but the R-8 just happened to be bought. Now she gave her position to the her cousin the MA5B (mini beam) due to traps problems...
I am here for every question…..
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M0BJL
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 11, 2005 04:03
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Excellent!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Although I have a tower supporting a monoband antenna for 15m and 6m, those being my favorite bands, I haven't much room for any other antennas in my small plot garden. After reading the reviews on the R8 I decided to take the plunge and purchase one. This is an expensive antenna for the UK Market retailing at £469. I did try importing one from the States, RRP $459 but the import tax and carriage costs made it just as expensive. Anyway, I bought it and I have to say I am very pleased. It took me a little over 3 hours to construct and the manual was spot on. All the hardware is superbly made and went together very easily.
I only mounted my R8 about 3 feet above the ground on a 2" mast as I suffer problems with the local planning authorities and any higher would cause me problems. This was my only concern as most of the reviews I read stated that they had mounted it 10 feet and upwards. I needn't have worried, on tuning up the antenna resonated perfectly on all bands except 30m where the SWR was a little low, I shortened the distance between the 17/20 and 30m traps and this brought the swr spot on. First call on 30m resulted in a 3B8 (Mauritius) on a relatively flat band and only using 100 watts. Since then I've worked plenty of choice DX using barefoot power. I have done some comparisons between the 15m beam and the vertical and in most cases the R8 is down about 3 S-points which is expected.
Yes the R8 is a compromise and you do suffer some static which is common in most verticals but if you want 8 bands from one antenna and have a small yard or garden I can't recommend this enough!
Have fun!
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VA3AAD
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 15, 2004 20:39
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Excellent performer
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had my R8 for over two years now and am quite satisfied, although I wish that I had space for a Yagi. I have it on a flat roof, in a mid-city location, with its lower end about 8 feet off the roof, about 35 feet from the ground.
Assembly instructions were excellent, but it does need guy ropes (Kevlar covered in Dacron is best), because otherwise it would sway too much in a high wind.
Like all verticals, it picks up a lot of local noise, so you need good noise reduction on your transceiver (the Pro III would be ideal). I also often use an MFJ-1026 on 20m with some success, but you have to be careful not to damage the MFJ when transmitting.
The 2.0 SWR range on 40m is only 7.085 to 7.193 MHz, the 3.0 SWR range is 7.034 to 7.227. The 6m 2.0 SWR range is 500 KHz, with mid point adjustable.
Have no trouble hearing Europe, the Caribbean and sometimes Australia, although under current propagation conditions, Australia is rare.
The R8 can handle 1 KW within the 3.0 SWR range but Cushcraft warns you not to try to use a tuner to exceed the 3.0 SWR bandwidth on high power (max 1.5Kw). With 1KW I can get through easily to anyone that I can hear.
I am, however, worried about lightning exposure, although it's well-grounded with a two-inch copper ribbon leading from the roof to four well-spaced ground rods. The antenna is automatically grounded to DC, but of course not to RF. The RG-213 coax passes through a grounded gas discharge tube before it enters the house and I try to remember to disconnect the radio from the antenna when it's not in use. So far, no problems, but I may have been lucky.
John
VA3AAD
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W6FV
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 15, 2003 21:52
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Excellent all band 40 through 10 meters & WARC performer
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I had a hunch that the Cushcraft R8 would be an excellent all band vertical antenna. My hunch
proved to be true. Here is an excellent performing all band vertical antenna, 40M through 10M
bands, including WARC, radials not required.
During the recent 2003 CQ international DX contest, I consistently received astounding signal reports
on all bands. 10, 12,15,17,20 meters, no problem at all. All stations responded on first call. If I
could hear them, I could work them on 200 watts PEP SSB. All corners of the world were
worked during the contest with this antenna,
not bad, first time out!
Recently, the R8 endured extended driving rain, and there was not the slightest de-tuning on any
band, at any time.
It takes some patience to assemble, but what top notch performing antenna. It is well worth the
effort. I prefer this versatile all band directional antenna in many ways to my rotatable beam, and
it certainly works well in concert.
SWR proved FLAT across all of the phone band once all radiating elements were resonated at the
center of each band of interest. 40M is not quite so broad band, nor is it advertised as such.
Expect to fiddle a bit with element lengths to center your preferred operating frequency
segments.
On 10 and 6 Meters, I was a bit mystified by a 2;1 and 3:1 SWR, subsequently, best case. The
problem was easily cured by trimming some feed coax, but what was going on here?
Bear in mind some basic theory, and practice, thereof. 50 ohm coax matches a 50 ohm load.
Have a mismatch at the load (antenna), and 50 ohm coax can become as much as a 4:1
impedance transformer, depending on length. A relatively small mismatch at 6 meters can really
transform to a severe problem with relatively small differences of coax length. Don't blame the
antenna, this fault is operator induced.
The cure in my case was to experimentally cut off feed coax length a foot at a time. SWR
continued to drop with each cut, and 1.2:1 SWR was realized at center of both 6M and 10M
intended operating segments.
This antenna is an absolute solid performer on both bands. I have fed the antenna with both 50 ft.
and 100 ft. lengths of coax. Both lengths which work well on all bands, except 10 and 6 meters. I
made the that slight coax length adjustment on both, and, Bingo, flat on 6 & 10, and the rest of
the bands.
40 meters is not so broad band, and one must be especially careful to adjust to the center of the
intended operating segment. Center frequency SWR is 1.2:1. Performance is great on 40M.
Bear in mind that a base, or near base fed antenna, radiates predominantly at the base of the
antenna. My antenna base is only ten feet from the ground, and somewhat blocked by obstacles,
houses, fences, and such. Interesting might the day be when its base is elevated to 30 feet, well in
the clear.
When comparing a dipole, or inverted "V" at a particular height against a vertical, bear in mind
that these wire antennas radiate predominantly at their center fed section, usually the highest
portion of the antenna & exact opposite of base fed verticals.
I have read many comments regarding the top heaviness of the antenna, and the comments are
justified, but the antenna is mechanically sound, and I like it that way.
None the less, I have had no problem hoisting and lowering the antenna solo, and did this ten
times, or so, to get the radiating elements tuned where desired. I also marked, with "Magic
Marker", each adjustable joint of the antenna for future reference. The R8 is nylon rope guyed at
my installation 2/3 of the way up, certainly a nice option. The R8 does just fine, free standing,
however.
As a final precaution, carefully read the drawings and instruction. One slight mis-adjustment, or
mis-measurement of any of the published telescoping sections, and you will definitely not be
happy with performance. Be thorough, and proof your assembly. Put this thing together right, and
it works right.
Structured quantitative evaluations of popular contemporary commercial verticals are available
via publication through Champion Radio Products at reasonable cost. The publication of interest
is "HF Vertical Performance Test Methods and Results" The R8 is one of many verticals tested,
& the R8 compares right up there with the best of them. Best of all, no radials are required.
About the only recommendations I would make to Cushcraft, would be to make reference
markings along the telescoping sections It might also be helpful to have each part of the antenna
marked with its section identifier. This antenna would have gone together in half the time if
markings and identifiers were there.
Take care, and enjoy. I'm having a ball!
Robert
W6FV
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W8BYA
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Rating: 2/5
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Jul 28, 2002 13:44
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BUY WITH CAUTION
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Previous to the R-8 I owned the R-7. The R-7 was a good all-around performer but did not survive a wind storm several years ago. The R-8 was purchased as a replacement. After talking to several friends who have installed the R-8 it was obvious that the antenna had some serious mechanical limitations. Everyone who I spoke with told me that the antenna will bend significantly at the base after moderate (20-30mph) winds. My aim was to stiffen the base section of the tubing before ever putting up in the air. I used a 3' section of hardwood dowel that was exopy coated and force-fit up into the lower tubing section. Once the epoxy cured the antenna was assembled per instructions and placed on top of a 60' self supporting tower. Within 3 or 4 weeks we got our first spring time winds and the R-8 looked like a limp.....well lets just say that it was not a pretty sight. The antenna will bend and take a set once the winds die down. Currenly the antenna is bent over at about a 15 degree angle. The antenna should not be sold without a guying collar and suitable out-riggers in at least 3 places. As soon as I get the time the antenna will be coming down and guyed to prevent damage. This antenna is poorly designed from a mechanical standpoint. On the air performance is about what I expected for an electrically shortended half-wave vertical with a minimal ground system. Performance on 40-m is 10-12 dB down from a 45' long reference Aluminum dipole element at 80' with stations greater than 500 miles distant at night. This dipole element is actually one-half of the Cushcraft 2-element 40-m beam which also got destroyed in a wind storm.....Are you starting to see a trend yet? The antenna SWR on all bands is acceptable with the exception of 6-m.
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CU2IJ
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Rating: 3/5
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Apr 30, 2002 05:45
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A good antenna for quiet places
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I live in the Azores Islands, a windy place. I was glad with the performance of the antenna. It performed well even in QRP, were I made QSO's with Europe, USA and Asia with 2W RF.
Owever it is a big vertical. The manual indicates that no guyng should be made. It survived 3 or 4 storms with winds bellow 100Km/h. After that, in a relatively quiet day, the antenna main assembly tube got broken. It have sent emails to Cushcraft, but got no answer.
My advice: If you live in windy areas do not use this antenna. Mine last less than one year. The garanty does not work outside USA. It is an very expensive antenna.
Owever, in quiet places, it is a good performer.
Luis Pacheco
CU2IJ
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