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write your own review of the Force 12 C31XR.
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KD9MF
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 30, 2002 14:36
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smokin' antenna!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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this replaced a hy-gain th7dx. this antenna is a real performer. 1st or 2nd call pile up cracking with 100 watts (ok, 200 watts on my 1000d)
use it with an amp, its an ultra antenna. factory support is top notch and you get to talk to the
head honcho! got my questions answered right now! instructions are EASY, fast FAST assembly. the antenna performs like the specs in the manual.
the best hf antenna i have ever owned.
it withstands the winds just fine a few well over 75 mph in this neck of the woods and i have had no trouble with the elements shorting out.
YES i would buy it again, and have bought more antennas from them.
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C56YT
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 8, 2002 07:02
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Excellent performer
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I cannot add any comment regarding the performance of this antenna that has not already been said in the earlier reviews. Absolutely terrific performer... a real revelation in fact! Only downside to the antenna was the fact that in high winds the 20 & 15m driven elements touch momentarily as they are only a few inches spaced, with predictably bad results for the transmitter. I had to add extra element spacers, outboard of the factory supplied ones. I cannot believe that nobody else commented about this.. it seems that the wind increases in direct proportion to the the desirabilty of the DX!
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K6RB
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 18, 2001 20:52
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I'm impressed
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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This C31-XR replaced my KT-34XA, which I had up, problem-free, for 17 years! It was both faster and easier to build than the 34XA, and it looks like it will last at least as long.
I work all its bands, end-to-end, without a tuner, and the SWR never exceeds 1.3 to 1. In this most recent ARRL 10 Meter contest I broke one million points in 20 hours of operation and got several unsolicited "great signal" comments.
So far I've used it in the California QSO Party, both Sweepstakes contests, and the ARRL 10, and it compares favorably to its predecessor. It also seems to be less stressed by wind compared with the 34XA.
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W6IZT
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 14, 2001 10:49
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One fine antenna
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I recently purchased and erected a Force 12 C31xr and I would like to share my experiences.
The antenna arrived in two UPS shippable boxes. Force 12 uses several unique contruction methods. First the entire antenna is pre-assembled at the facory, dis-assembled and packaged.
Each of the element consists of several lengths of telescoping tubing and these sections are individually packed for easy identification and assembly. The elements are assembled using pop rivets. Each joint has three rivets. (be sure to insert all 3 rivets before "popping") It is very difficult to make an error.
The element to boom brackets are pre-attached to the boom enabling quick asssembly and perfect alignment. Assembly went without a hitch using a pop-rivet gun. Total time was about 4 hours.
The boom to mast bracket employs two plates, one attached to the boom, the other to the mast. The mast braket has a 3/8 bolt protruding from it for easy attacthment of the antenna to the mast. There are no u-bolts to mess with while on the tower. Total time to attach the antenna to the tower was 15 mins!
I have assembled several KT34XA's and this was much simpler, and a far superior mechanical design.
Performance is excellent. All SWR curves meet or exceed specs. The pattern is extremely clean with no noticable side lobes and great F/B.
73 and see you in the pile-ups'
Gregg
W6IZT
Blairsville GA.
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N5WNG
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 30, 2001 09:43
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I would by another one
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I purchased the C31XR Heavy after an ice storm brought down my quad. Assembly was easy, everything pre-drilled. Unit has now been up about 4 months and I have worked everything I can hear. I have been asked several times if I was running an amplifier - I am not. Front to back is fantastic. I have had the typical SWR experiences noted, SWR on 10 is < 1.3:1 28.000-28.600, 15 - 21.000 1.1:1 rises to 2.6:1 @21.500. Single coaxs feed. I have moved the wires together for the 15mtr drive and that helped, producing the SWR noted above. 20 Mtr 1.6@14.000 drops to 1.2:1@14.500. I need to do some more experimenting with the SWR, but FT1000 MP auto tuner does fine as is. Tower is a Tyrlon 72 foot selfsupport. Ant has already been subjected to ~70 mph winds and no problems. The wife is also a ham, but very impatient - she has worked 24 new countries (total now 276)since putting it up - her total on air time probably less than 15 minutes. In short I have been most impressed with this antenna and would by another one. Previous antennas included a TH5 and a 2 ele quad.
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K2WE
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 1, 2000 14:05
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C-31XR Deserves a 10 Star Rating!!
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Time owned: unknown months
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I've now had my C-31XR in the air for 2 months. It has out preformed any other antenna ever installed at this QTH. (I've had a Classic 33,Classic 36,KT-34 later a 34A, various monobanders from HY-Gain,Telrex,and Mosley). This is a serious antenna. The assembly took 5 hours. I installed it myself on a 70' tower. The front to back and front to side are just amazing. The SWR goes no higher than 1.3 on any of the 3 bands. Although it only has 3 active elements on 20 meters, it out preforms the 4 element long boom monobander I had! The 7 elements on 10 just slice thru the qrm like a razor. I've never had to call more than twice to work anything. The instructions are excellent, there assistance can't be beat. Only the finest quality materials are used. If you had to have 1 antenna, this is it. Hands down.
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K2UOP
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 14, 1999 12:45
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Super construction, performance, and service
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Time owned: unknown months
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First time I put a beam together with rivots, but
it was a breeze. Everything is bundled by element
and parts, so its impossible to make an error. The element to boom mounts are already in place
and rivoted, so the elements can not rotate on the
boom. I put the elements together in my basement,
attached the boom to the mast on a Hazer about 7
ft above the gnd. The boom to mast mount is unique and a breeze to install. Then I started attaching elements. Upon completion, I attached coax, raised the antenna, and it worked right off. SWR was within specs on 20 and 10M, but the resonant point was low in the band on 15, so the SWR was high at the high end of the band. A call to Force advised to shove the end piece for the 15M driven element in two inches. Now it is within spec on all bands. Did a comparison between my other tribander (at same ht.) and the C31XR with my first DX contact and he said it was a "keeper". Further testing shows a 10 -18 db improvment over my other tribander, depending on the band. By the way the C31XR has 3 el widespaced(WS)on 20, 4 el WS on 15, and 7 el on 10meters. It is a joy to use, especially with all
the glowing reports I receive.
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