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| Reviews Summary for Eagle One Vertical Antenna |
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Reviews: 5
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Average rating: 4.0/5
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MSRP: $$95; whole tripod mounting kit i
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Description: The Eagle One is a portable/home base antenna manufcatured by two hams in Proctorville, Ohio; W8AFX and W8GMS. The antenna itself consists of a series of fiberglass tubes telescoping to 31' with an interior radiating element of HD wire which is toped with a metal loop for either adding additional length or suspending the antenna from a fixed point. Also available is a large metal tripod which holds a 4' pole against which to strap the antenna. The antenna fits into itself and makes a tube 2" x 44". It also is available with two connectors to install it on an (RV) ladder, but not for mobile use.
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More info: http://w8afx.com
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write your own review of the Eagle One Vertical Antenna.
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WW8O
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 21, 2009 18:06
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Great Performance
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I have had the Eagle One up for about three months.
I have gotten a great report with mine. I have it set up in the backyard, I have 5 radial 33 feet long, and two radial 66 feet long. I have worked 75 through 10 meter. My rig is a FT-897d running 50 watts with a AT-897 tuner, ninety feet of coax running from the shack to the antenna. I have worked the IARU contest, made just 75 contacts. I have worked about six countries and got good reports, they was on 40 & 20 meters.
I have worked VK and JA on 75 meters with just 50 watts and the Eagle One. I like the antenna and some on the contacts that I work cannot believe I am on a vertical, on the ground, and only 50 watts. So I say I would like to buy another one and cophase them, and will try this full.
Good antenna -- Steve W8AFX
There is a user group on Yahoo.com
eagleoneantenna@yahoo.com
WW8O Gary.
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NX6R
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 5, 2009 12:45
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Very good performer - with this modification
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I picked up an Eagle One package at a recent hamfest. We had good success with it this past Field Day in a local park, with a twist. The antenna was set up in an open field. An ICOM AH-2 automatic antenna tuner was strapped to the tripod. A lead weight balanced the tripod. 10-inch nail pegs (tent-stakes) from Wal-Mart secured the tripod legs. We added a "counterpoise"/single radial of quarter-wave insulated wires cut for each band (80/75/40/20/10 - 30/15 are third harmonics of 80/40) bound together and laid on the grass, connected to the ground terminal of the tuner. A few turns of the RG-8X feedline and of the tuner control cable formed current chokes at the tuner. The feed and control lines were routed perpendicular to the antenna and counterpoise. We attached 35.5-feet of 30-gauge magnet wire to the top of the antenna using the lug provided for such, and ran it and monofilament line to a 10-foot PVC conduit strapped to a fence post, keeping the wire well above runners in the park. A plastic button served as an insulator. We mounted a small pulley and three 1-oz lead sinker weights on the conduit. The counterweight kept gentle tension on the magnet wire, while permitting some wind motion. The magnet wire stayed up throughout and only flexed the top of the Eagle One an inch or two. The setup was mechanically stable without guying.
The result of all this was a base-fed half-wave inverted-L (nearly 50% vertical+50% horizontal) cut for 7-MHz. This configuration was recommended by antenna guru L. B. Cebik W4RNL(SK) in his article “Straightening Out the Inverted-L”. It is voltage-fed (high impedance) on 40-meters and its harmonics, with lower impedance elsewhere. According to Cebik, this is a good general-purpose multiband performer, if you match the voltage feed. The antenna loaded fine on all HF bands 160-10 meters even without counterpoise wires cut for 160/60/17/12, although such should be added if better performance on those bands is desired.
The inverted-L voltage feed relaxed the need for an extensive radial system. In addition, the maximum current/effective radiation point (effective height) was elevated for 40 M and up, and even a bit on 80 and 160. The antenna is 1/4-wave on 80 and 1/8-wave on 160, making radials more important there, although we had good luck on 80/75 with just the counterpoise. We had good coverage in all directions, confirming Cebik’s pattern analysis.
The internal wire and magnet wire extension provide better than 80% power efficiency (less than 1 dB copper loss). Counterpoise plus copper loss is about 4 dB (2/3 S-unit) on 80-meters. The voltage feed reduces this to about 1 dB on 40/20/15/10. Site-dependent ground loss will be the biggest factor. Raising the effective height helps with that. Adding radials would also help. The automatic tuner alleviates the issue of narrow bandwidth due to the magnet wire. The AH-2's 5000-ohm matching range had no problem handling the voltage feed. Other tuners may require extending the magnet wire a few feet to reduce the feed point impedance, at the cost of slightly increased power transfer to the counterpoise, assumed to be loss.
Both theory and experience dictate that to get the most out of an antenna, one should increase the radiation resistance/effective aperture, raise the effective height, and keep the antenna clear of other objects. Charles Rauch W8JI gives a good tutorial at http://www.w8ji.com/radiation_resistance.htm. This full-size configuration met these objectives in a portable setup. We had no trouble making contacts coast-to-coast (including AK and HI) under contest conditions, even breaking through a few pile-ups. Many stations came back to us on the first call. Bottom line: we had a respectable signal on the air, all bands, all directions, fast one-button automatic tuning, easy set-up, reasonable cost.
The quality of the Eagle One hardware, while not terrible, could be better. It is adequate for our purpose, however, and the price is right. I would have rated this antenna 5-stars, except for the slight quality issue.
Rick Blasco NX6R
ARRL Emergency Coordinator, Claiborne County TN
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K4DJL
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 16, 2009 17:21
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Better than R7000
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I attached the antenna to my chain link fence post and raised to 33'. I could not tell it apart from my Alpha Delta DXCC at 35' inverted "V". 10-60 meters with no problems and handles my ALS-600 without issue. I will be moving the Eable One to a 10' pole, connecting a ground rod, and use the fence as a counter wire. I just might get 6-160. I must have walk by their RV six times before buying the antenna. Can't wait to get it up higher.
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KJ4ADN
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Rating: 1/5
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May 8, 2009 16:04
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MUST have a tuner
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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OK, the directions recommend a tuner - well, it's more of a case of MUST have a tuner.
I have tried this antenna on the same ground a 32-34' Alumunim antenna performs beautifully - (with a ust 6" stake in the ground & no radials - lot's of IRON in the soil). I can hear and work anything on 40meters without a tuner.
But, the Eagle One was a case of "you could hear 'em - but damned of you could work 'em" - same Elecraft K3/100 radio. Why one works and the other does not, I don't know.
Last week, I took it to Buxton, NC - just 15' from the ocean edge - I could hear, but worked nothing - even though it was tuning up "OK". You'd think all that salty sand would make a near perfect ground, nope. Added 4 radials, 32' long, and PRESTO! Hit Greece on the first the call, he said I was booming in like a neighbor.
One of the radials was actually in the surf - I kid you not, I was on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.
On the same trip, I took a 80/40 dipole, just in case - and again, there was absolutely NO comparison. The dipole was 6' on the ends, with the center peaking less than 20'. Easily 3s units higher with the dipole, over the same salty/sandy soil compared to the vertical.
I'll ask the obvious - what good is a portable vertical antenna if you're got to extend a multitude of radials to cover a 60' diameter circle to get it to perform? And why does an portable aluminum antenna of the same length run circles around this thing? No, I wouldn't buy another one.
Regarding construction, the little gold tabs that are suppose to hold the internal cable are so flimsy, you've got to be careful how tight you wind it up - 'cause they'll bend and break right off!
When it comes time to attach those radials, there is nowhere provided. Start loosening this nut by the SO239 and watch out, that bracket it's holding in place has some rather sharp edges! It's POORLY made, and the metal parts, which should have been finished, were hastily slapped on the unit.
Most antenna metal parts are either STAINLESS STEEL or ALUMINUM. Not so with the Eagle one - cheap brackets and parts that can't stand the morning dew in the lawn.
$95 bucks is too much for this high maintenance telescoping pole with a wire in it.
$52 bucks for the telescoping Aluminum antenna might not look as pretty, but, it easily outperforms this slick looking toy, just like a simple dipole does.
KJ4ADN
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KB2NAT
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 15, 2009 07:45
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It works with minimal effort
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The product rates a "5" based on price, results, and expectations. Purchased at the Orlando Hamfest, I bought the whole package, complete with tripod and four-foot support pole in the tripod. The antenna is strapped to the pole. This is to avoid damaging the antenna with screw-in bolts used in the tripod. The half-inch straps hold the antenna without damaging the antenna. The antenna was derived from the fiberglass poles used for windsocks at airports.
Arriving home, I unpacked everything, installed the four-foot pole in the tripod and then the antenna to the pole. The holding nuts on the antenna straps are in an awkard, hard-to-torque position, so either lay the antenna on its side first, or keep the antenna unextended while doing this.
Using ten radials (12' each) and a pre-existing ground rod (recommended), I extended the interior antenna tubes (make sure the radiating wire is unwound and free at the bottome of the antenna) individually from the exterior tube, twisted them into place until it was fully extended. At this point I thought (oops) about securing the tripod against wind--I used tent stakes through the holes in the feet of the tripod. The antenna is also within three feet of a metal corner soffet next to the house.
Running a 30' cable from the antenna under and exterior door and into the shack, I connected it to my MFJ autotuner to see if it would load. After my ADD tuner got it right on 17 meters, I heard nothing, but the noise level was the same as on my G5RV. So, down to 20 meters. The Eagle One was hearing about the same as the dipole. I CQ'd and received a response from YN2MB in Nicaragua. The G5RV wouldn't have gotten him. Yes, I could have made it myself, but the hardware is reasonable and the Steve, who came up with this, deserves some profit.
The antenna does what I need it to do: small footprint, stealthy (mine is matte black, they come in orange, too), easy to install, not an XYL irritant, nice expansion to the antenna farm, and really inexpensive (Have your priced some of the other verticals?) For permanent use, self-tapping screws and a concrete-secured vertical pole are recommended. Is it a "43' all steel vertical"? No, but it's a 31' vertical, and it sure is much more efficient than a six-foot mobile.
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