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Reviews For: Alpha Antenna FMJ Multiband, HF directional/vertical

Category: Antennas: HF Portable (not mobile)

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Review Summary For : Alpha Antenna FMJ Multiband, HF directional/vertical
Reviews: 82MSRP: 399
Description:
The Alpha FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) Multiband antenna is a complete multiband 500W PEP SSB multipurpose HF system that is pre-tuned, requires no moving clips on coils or readjusting of whips for tuning, and easily deploys in 120 seconds. When installed over a poor ground or not placed in a clear area, a perfect SWR match of 1:1 on all frequencies/bands is easily achieved with your tuner. When fully deployed with the included NVIS element, the antenna system can be configured to launch your signal at your target in the opposite direction the NVIS element is run. For an omnidirectional signal pattern, you may remove the NVIS element. System and options include a Padded Field Bag, Alpha Match, 13 foot aluminum military type Mil-Stick whip available in 26 or 13 inch sections, Heavy Duty Tripod that requires no guying or Light Duty Tripod, Stainless Steel Jaw Mount, Active NVIS wire elements, and Counterpoise.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.AlphaAntenna.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
15824.9
N5MZL Rating: 2014-07-25
It is what it is Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased the Alpha Vertical antenna a couple of months ago with high hopes. But as WB4MIO pointed out, the laws of physics still apply, with the result that I was rather disappointed. Indeed, had I seen his review before purchasing the antenna, I would have passed on it. Yes, you can make the occasional contact with the Vertical, especially when the upper HF bands are open. But then, if 10-17 meters are really open, you can work the world with not much more than a six inch piece of wet string, so this is not saying much. Having been a ham for nearly 30 years, I should have known better. I was hoping for performance comparable to a resonant dipole, but that is not what I got. The antenna is built pretty well; that "mil-stick" whip is much preferable to the usual telescoping type. However, if you experience much in the way of a stiff breeze, you will need to guy the tripod in some way, if not using the counterpoise wires. Otherwise a 15-20 mph breeze will blow it over. Also, adding a 33 foot wire to the vertical, as suggested by WB4MIO, does indeed help on 40 meters. As I said at the start, it is what it is. You can make some contacts with it, but do not expect miracles.
WB4MIO Rating: 2014-07-18
Very good antenna for what is was designed for. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I did 40m comparison tests against a "Ham Stick" type, Hustler mobile with the high power coil, and a G5RV. It performed as I expected it would. I found it to be better than the Ham Stick, almost as good as the big Hustler, and about 4 s-units below the G5RV on both transmit and receive. (40m is the only band that I have all three types of antennas for.)

I set it up for just a little bit of field day. I only worked 40m. I used the 4 - 15' counterpoise wires and the single 33' "NVIS wire" and worked six southeastern states (AL, FL, TN, NC, SC, GA) on 40m in the hour I had to play with it. I heard stations in LA, AR, MS, MO, IL, and KY but couldn't get through the field day pileups.

I have not used it much on the higher frequency bands yet. On the receive tests I did it seems to perform better on 20m and up as you would expect. On 17m there was very little difference in received signals on the Alpha and my G5RV.

I like the segmented whips much better than a telescoping whip. While I hope I don't inadvertently test this, it seems to me that this type of whip would be much more rugged than a telescoping whip. This type whip could be repaired with a new segment. A telescoping whip is all or nothing....

I am doing a few of things different than the "out of the bag" setup:
1 - I put a quick disconnect where the whip mounts on top of the matching unit. For me that is a lot easier than trying to line the threads up with the whip extended and a lot quicker too.
2 - I put a 5' piece of nylon cord at the end of the 15' counterpoise wires. That gives me some flexibility on where to drive the stakes or lets me tie it off to other objects such as a small tree, fence, etc. I could tie them off to some type of weight if using the antenna in an area where you can't drive stakes such as in a parking lot. (I made my own counterpoise and NVIS wires.)
3 - I bought four wrist/ankle weights (5 lb. each) and put them on the tripod legs and the center pole just above the braces. That makes the tripod very stable even if you don't have the room to guy the tripod with the counterpoise wires.

Also, remember that a vertical antenna usually has a lower angle of radiation. If you are planning to work close in (under 100 miles) on 80m or 40m you probably need to add the NVIS wire.

The only thing that did not meet my expectations is the tripod. I got the aluminum tripod, but had expected it to be a little more robust than it is. If I had it to do over I might get the steel tripod instead. The tripod is the only reason I am giving a 4.9 rating rather than a 5.0 rating.

If you are expecting this antenna to compete with a full size G5RV or a resonant dipole, you will probably be disappointed. A 13’ foot whip 6.5’ off the ground is never going to work as well as 102’ of wire in the air at 40’ as long as the laws of physics apply. If you are looking for an antenna that can be set up where a dipole is not practical, for quick setup portable operation, or in a covenant restricted area then you will probably will be satisfied. With my FT897 in one hand and the Alpha antenna bag in the other hand I can put a station on the air just about anywhere in a matter of minutes. I am satisfied with the antenna and would purchase it again. Finally, I compliment the owner (Steve) on customer support. I called him with quite a few questions before I purchased the antenna. He was most helpful, and everything he told me turned out to be accurate.
AA4DM Rating: 2014-07-17
If you've got a problem, you've not asked Alpha for a solution! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I operated portable at Herb Parsons Lake near here in Collierville (30 miles east of Memphis) a couple weeks ago. Fourth of July Saturday weekend. I set up my IC706MKIIG and the Alpha Antenna system and used 4-25 foot radials. I was surrounded by some water about 300 feet away and was operating under a pavilion, with the Alpha Antenna about 50 feet away. Everything was pretty much in the clear, but with several trees around me in the park. I was on battery power using a 35 AMp hr sealed battery. I operated approximately 2 1/2 hrs,running about 90-100 watts. I was consistently one of the loudest signals on the band, bursting pile up after pile up for special event stations, worked west coast with ease, up the northeast with consistent 5-9 signals. SWR was low, and my 706 was happy. Probably close to 50-60 contacts in the period. Worked some DX on 17 into Europe, but some QSB on the bands into Europe.

The system was set up with ease. I clipped on the radials per instructions and just had a ball
with the Alpha.

Advantages:
Super for portable operation.
Consistent low SWR readings.
Excellent antenna construction for durability.
All radios happy!
KK4QOE Rating: 2014-07-17
great product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hi Steve,
Sure, would love to share. My Alpha Vertical saved the day at field
day this year, was having issues with tuning a windom antenna that was hung
on a 45 ft temporary tripod. After many issues I finally broke out the
alpha, within 10 minutes I was up and running making contacts all over the
world on 15 meters... the alpha performed flawlessly, it's easy to set up
and take down and does not need any special tuner... prior to field day I
had made my own counterpoise (16 ft) and used that as well... I liked the
performance so much I decided to go ahead and order your Egg Beater Sat
antenna..

Thanks again for a great product, is well worth the wait for it to be built.

Sincerely

KK4QOE
David
KF5VGK Rating: 2014-07-13
Great Portable! Time Owned: N.A.
After using the Alpha Vertical Sr antenna for several weeks, I must say I'm impressed! I set up the antenna for some other Ham buddies and they didn't know what to think. I had mine up an operational while they were still trying to tune their other antennas. I've made contacts on all bands that this antenna is tuned for with great reports! Great portable antenna!
KC1AKV Rating: 2014-03-01
Great antenna Works as advertised Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I set this antenna up on a New York City rooftop during the 03/01/14 all band contest weekend. The conditions are challenging at best since I am in a four story building surrounded by tall buildings. I run barefoot with a FTDX 1200 and I have made contacts on 10, 15, 18 and 20 meters from Russia to Morocco to the Azores etc. One contact broke through a pile-up to Russia. WOW! I am more than impressed.
KA6UTD Rating: 2014-02-06
Great performance and low price Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The closest antenna system that I could find to Vertical Sr is the $399 Buddipole Deluxe package and the TransWorld antenna, which costs even more. Well, for $249 I figured I'd give the Alpha Vertical Sr Antenna a try.

As soon as I set up the Vertical Sr, about a 2 minute procedure, I was talking to a station in Russia on 20 meters followed by many state-side contacts that evening on 40 meters. There was only one issue with the antenna; I couldn't get into the local 40 meter nets. A quick call to Steve, owner of Alpha Antenna, and I was reminded that 40 (as well as 80/160) meters all use NVIS for local comms. As this is a vertical antenna element, Steve recommended that I either build or order a Counterpoise Kit from www.AmateurRadioStore.com. This would provide a reflective ground plain under the antenna system and enhance NVIS. I ordered one for $48, making my investment now $297, still $102 less than the BP and far less than the TransWorld system.

I specifically mention these the BP and TW antenna systems in relation to the Vertical Sr because last weekend a couple ham friends and I went camping to 'test our antenna systems'. It was COLD, snow was DEEP, and it was DARK. The BP system required us to change clips when we changed frequency, which was very difficult due to it being DARK and I don't even want to talk about how COLD we got changing the clip! The TransWorld couldn't deal with the DEEP snow, for it requires a flat/steady surface and the wind would tip it over. Neat thing about the Vertical from Alpha Antenna was that we just shoved the tripod into the snow, strung out the Counterpoise Kit, and the built in Alpha Match automatically tuned the antenna (no going outside!). The Alpha Vertical Sr allowed us to stay inside, where it was SAFE and WARM!

Thank you, Alpha Antenna, for providing such an easy to use antenna system that performed as well as the Buddipole Deluxe and TransWorld antenna that we compared it to.
AI6EE Rating: 2013-12-30
Expensive, but easy to set up and it works Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Got one for xmas and set it up with my KX3 and was able to make qrp qsos with Eastern OR, Tacoma and Ottowa Canada.

Very easy to put up and take down, nice construction, and it just works!

Bob AI6EE
KA3ZWN Rating: 2013-12-11
Have had this antenna for 2 years Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Yes, I know this is a portable antenna that isn't built to be left outside in the weather. Mainly because I was lazy, I put it up about two years ago and never bothered taking it down. So I figured it was time to inspect it and perform any routine maintenance. I found that there was a white type of build-up (corrosion?) around the stud where it goes into the mount. Anyways, I called Alpha Antenna to ask them about it; at which time I found out that they had recently switched every part over to stainless steel or brass. They then offered to send all of the replacement parts to upgrade me system! They proved to me that all the reports about their customer service are true!

Performance has been as good as my TransWorld TW2010 antenna on 10, 12, 15, 17, & 20 Meters, which is what I use for portable. I also have a DXCC from Alpha Delta, and the Alpha Vertical performs about the same on 10, 15, & 20. I wanted 12 & 17 Meters too, which is one of the reasons I bought the Alpha. On 40 meters the DXCC does perform about 15% better than the Vertical and on 80 meters it performs about 30 or 35% better. To be fair, Alpha Antenna does make an HF Enhancement Kit, for even they told me on the phone that they 'realize the limitations of the Alpha Vertical Antenna, which is why an enhancement kit is offered for the lower bands...not to mention that a Counter-Poise kit is also offered.' So, I ordered the HF Enhancement Kit, and now I am much more pleased with the antennas performance. I believe that the lower bands are more NVIS so horizontal elements are needed, which is why dipoles and antenna's like my DXCC work well on the lower bands.
N8KR Rating: 2013-12-10
Not Worth It Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Spending a couple of months in Florida in a "mobile home" type community, I wanted some type of antenna that would be portable and productive. Being a half a block from the Gulf, I figured this vertical would be the answer. It Was easy to assemble and the swr was as advertised. Making contacts with it was difficult. I added 4 radials with some improvement. Half way through CQWW CW, I decided to erect a 20 and 40 meter dipole 12 feet above the ground and remove the Alpha Senior Vertical. It was like someone turned the attenuator off the radio and the bands came to life. Those two very low dipoles easily produced 75 countries and a couple hundred contacts while I could barely work a station with the Alpha vertical. After being up two weeks, there was rust on the hardware nuts and bolts including the point where the vertical portion attaches to the "chrome" base.
I like the tripod base and am using it to support a 12 foot pole to elevate my dipoles to 20 feet! With a tuner in my radio, I can tune every band from 40 to 10 and work stations with no difficulty. While I don't have 80 meters, trying to use 80 meters (as advertised) with the Alpha Vertical was unproductive.
Pros: nice tripod, nice carrying case, easy assembly, shows low swr on some bands, works best on 10 and 15 meters
Cons: doesn't "hear" or transmit very well.