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| Reviews Summary for CCD Antennas |
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Reviews: 8
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Average rating: 4.4/5
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MSRP: $189.95
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Description: CCD means Controlled Current Distribution. This is a full
wave dipole (or can be a long wire
style) that has a series of capacitors mounted along the
wire
on specially designed boards.
The capacitors allow us to have a impedance that is able to
be matched to ladder line or baluns
while having an antenna about twice as long as a standard
half wave dipole. Having a 230'
antenna resonant on 40 meters and 80 meters, or a 114' antenna
on 20 and 40 that
are fairly flat SWR wise provides
some enhanced results. The website has a lot of
documentation about the CCD with how and
why it works so well.
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Product is in production.
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More info: http://www.ccdantennas.com/CCD/
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write your own review of the CCD Antennas.
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WA6JGM
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 11, 2012 12:49
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Very good antenna
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have used the 80/40 version for 3 years now. The receive is quiet compared to a dipole. I have worked many DX stations (barefoot) on 80/40 meters that I could never hear on a dipole, maybe due to the quiet receive. I have used this antenna for field day running QRP and have had remarkable results with it. I have used it up at only 5 feet and it worked very well in a 1000 mile range plus the swr did not climb up too high at that height.
The down side; very long (235 feet), blow a capacitor and its done. Does not work well on harmonic operation, only the band they were designed for.
You can make bends in them if your lot is small plus no high voltage on the ends as typical with a dipole. If you are stuck having to use wire at your QTH give this antenna a second look. You can home brew one yourself Dave will sell you the boards and has a calculator on the site for design.
Bottom line for me, I'm glad I have one!
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W2PJR
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 9, 2012 09:23
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Wow - Outstanding Antenna
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I'l keep this review short because the CCD/20 is the simple the best wire antenna I've ever used. There really isn't much more to say. This antenna just works better than anything else on the market.
Three plus months and I'm continually impressed.
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K6ATZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 9, 2011 14:42
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Eureka, it works!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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If I had the room to do a shootout with a standard dipole at a good height, I never would have tried a CCDAntenna in the first place. Glad I did. I'm amazed at the performance of this design in limited space close to the ground. It works better than my previous shortened dipole, which I'll describe in this review, and that one was higher. I have the 230 foot 40/80 CCDAntenna installed along the top edge of a wooden fence here, on three sides of the backyard. I mounted it with Fi-Shock SC-70B electric fence standoffs ordered via Amazon.com, only six to eight feet off the ground, running past a few nearby (vertical, random, widely spaced) metal objects.
SWR: On 40 meters my RigExpert analyzer reported a 4:1 SWR at the feedpoint with the wire just lying on the ground! After mounting the antenna along the fence, at 6' on two sides of the yard and 8' on the last leg, and connecting 50' of coax plus other equipment and jumper cables, my radio sees under 2:1 throughout the 40 meter phone band. In the CW/data portion it's under 3:1, so the entire band is easily handled by my Icom's internal trimmer (a.k.a. tuner). On 75 it is also under 3:1, and although SWR rises as I go down in frequency from there, I can get the rig to tune almost the entire 80 meter CW/data range too, and there's always my external Palstar tuner. The Palstar can also tune this wire up on 30 and 60 meters - but not on 160, just thought I'd try that too.
Performance: My previous dipole was a 40 meter shorty with two resonators, mounted north-south at 35 feet. That one had a QSO range of about 400 miles (640 kilometers) in two directions. The CCDAntenna, at only 6 to 8 feet high around three sides of the house, is giving me a range of 900 miles (1450 kilometers) in all directions. This is not a NVIS situation - there are many myths about that, apparently - and I don't use this antenna for many local contacts. Any vertical should go farther, if I can figure out where to put one here, but it likely won't be as good as the CCD for regional ragchews across the western US. Whether this is a "quiet" or "noisy" antenna on receive really has more to do with your surrounding environment. Here in the heart of Silicon Valley high noise levels are the norm, and I've also got RFI problems on a few specific frequencies from nearby equipment that I may not be able to solve, so I am considering a small receive loop from Pixel or Wellbrook.
Quality: I ordered via the CCDAntennas.com website and shipping was prompt. Construction is clean and strong, and includes a balun with an SO-239 connector. A spare capacitor board is included, just in case stuff happens. The antenna is officially rated for 800 watts but in the manufacturer's computer models it survives to 1.5 kW, and I can verify that it ignored my accidentally squirting a brief burst of 1 kW power into it. With the antenna at head height and close to houses I keep the power much lower of course.
I can only imagine what kind of DX I could work with the CCD at a decent height! Meanwhile this genius invention gets me on some low bands in ways no other antenna can. From here in Northern California, so far I've enjoyed armchair nighttime SSB and PSK31 QSOs to Colorado and handed out contacts in the Arizona QSO party when I'd otherwise have had to sit out the evening. Works for me. Not much to photograph in this case, but I'll try to post something via www.k6atz.us soon.
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KI6KQJ
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Rating: 0/5
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Dec 2, 2011 10:15
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last place in tx shootout
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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we did a side by side shootout on 75m
tx is almost 1-2 s under a dipole
rx is nice quite, because you cant hear any one under the fringe zone
sure is alot of work & cost of a less of an antnna
probly because it has to cupple & uncupple soooo many times
on good thing is it matched up nice
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N3OJD
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 1, 2011 10:25
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SPECTACULAR PERFORMER
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I've had the 20/40 CCD antenna up at 33' inverted vee for a couple of months and it's all good. The only down side is that I'd just rebuilt a Heathkit SB-200 and now I've got no use for it. I'm always barefoot and I get through first time in all but the very worst pileups -- Europe, Asia, or Australia.
Not only do I not need the amp but I've got three antenna tuners gathering dust. Been a ham 42 years and this is the real deal.
Love it. Don't need anything else.
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KD7HVL
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 17, 2009 09:50
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Great antenna
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have the 40/20 up at my QTH here in Tucson,AZ. the antenna works as advertized and the reports I get are as claimed. the operating band width of this antenna is under 1.5:1 for the whole band. I have compaired this antenna against a 40 meter inverted Vee about 15 feet from the CCD (Same direction)on the 40 meter band with a A to B switch, and I saw a good 3 to 4 S unit increase in signal strength and a lower noise floor. I have mine configured as a inverted Vee with the apex at 40 foot and the neds at 12 feet. I have no complaints the product is very good the suport is also very good and Dave seems to care about what he puts out. by the way I tried to make my own years ago with little success as it keep comming apart in a high wind. You really have to try this antenna, no bull.
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N6AQ
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 21, 2009 00:14
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Great Antenna!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Ok guys this is no B.S on this antenna. I have had it up for about 1 month now and have mostly been rag-chewing. Just recently I started to DX on 40 meters. Let me tell you I am so impressed by this CCD antenna. Here are some reports, Venezuela 59+20, Buenos Aires Argentina 59+10 and 7Z1CQ Saudi Arabia 58 all these contacts were made at 1kw and the 80/40. The CCD is at 85’ and this is a performer, I have never had an antenna that worked like this. I have no affiliation with this company, just passing the word.
Frank Sellers N6AQ
http://www.n6aq.com
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W5JFW
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 29, 2009 13:23
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Quiet and Durable
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Alot of information has been exchanged about how well a CCD Antenna transmitts and how they don't really seem to care how they are strung up, and that's all true in my experience. Much of the time I don't even turn the AMP on and get reports that my station very readable. I've had them high and low and crooked and up against stuff with good to great great results. About three years ago I purchased a 80 meter 240 foot long CCD from CCD Antennas.com and have it up 50 feet and the ends at 20 feet. When it is real noisy and I can't hear anything but the strongest signals on my GRV5 which goes the other way I switch over to the CCD and it is much more quiet with weaker signals able to be heard. What I didn't like about this antenna is it only held an inch of ice in two tree breaking ice storms in 2006 and 2008. In both storms each leg came down and it was 10 days or so before the ice thawed out enough to get it up off the ground. In both cases neither did the wire or the boards break. The wire simply just pulled out of a solder joint with not a strand broken. I re-soldered both legs and put her back up and none the worse for wear. Worked like it did when it was new. I'm told the new dual band CCD's have larger solder pads on the boards so maybe it will hold 2 inches of ice this winter and I'm going to get me one and see. If you are looking for a tough, quiet wire antenna and don,t care if you get pile ups (keep your amp off) then get you a CCD from CCD antennas. It's a good place to shop.
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