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Reviews For: MFJ 2010

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : MFJ 2010
Reviews: 4MSRP: 59.95
Description:
Ultra Lite version of the MFJ 2012 OCF dipole antenna
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-2010
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0044.3
N7BWB Rating: 2023-01-02
Incredible Value Time Owned: more than 12 months.
UPDATE 2: Four years into owning it, this antenna has survived 70mph winds, bitter cold, sweltering summer heat and is still going strong. Last fall under less than ideal conditions, I worked a VK from here in Idaho with my G90 on 20m. I'm not sure who was more shocked, the VK ham or me. That's 7438 miles with 20 watts. I've worked Spain with a 5x9 signal report on my FTDX10 with this antenna. Admittedly, I've purchased some poorly assembled MFJ gear in my day, but this isn't one of them. I can't think of a better value in a wire antenna.

UPDATE: Two and a half years with this antenna, and I couldn't be more pleased. I recently acquired a Xiegu G90, and this antenna really shines with QRP. I've received many good signal reports from around the country using only 2-10 watts. Bonus? The G90 tunes 80 meters on the 2010. This antenna has survived our Idaho winters and high winds without a whimper. Zero service required. Impressive performance and reliability for a low entry price.

ORIGINAL:
Bought this antenna because I could fit it in my yard. I've had it for less than a week. I wasn't too sure what to expect, but this antenna included the S0-239 for the feed point, and has bare-stranded copper wire elements. Not jacketed as stated. I installed this as a sloper with the wires sloped at 45 degrees from the 28' peak of my home, with the 20 meter element pointed roughly south west and the 40 meter element pointed roughly north west. I'm in Idaho and have received 5x8, 5x9 signal reports all up and down the west coast with my 100 watt Kenwood TS-440SAT on 40. The antenna is giving me roughly 1.9 to 1 SWR on listed bands. Made several East Coast contacts on 20, so the antenna is definitely doing its job. If you want a decent 4 band antenna for a small investment, you can't go wrong with this one.
N5RV Rating: 2019-10-23
Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've tried one other OCFD antenna and of the 2 this is the only one that does what it advertises. And at more than half the cost of the first one I tried. I've paired it with an MFJ-993B IntelliTuner and the combination give me operation on the other bands outside the advertised 40,20, 10, and 6 meter bands. Antenna is installed at roughly 27 feet with the ends at about 20 feet above the ground and works very well at this height. I am happy with it and being lightweight it should survive the extreme weather we sometimes get out here in west Texas. One thing I did was seal the box with some super glue that covers the 4:1 and current balun. Hoping to keep any moisture from entering.
NH6RF Rating: 2016-01-23
Not as described Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After receiving the antenna I gave it a good looking over. The case that holds the coil/balun is not weather proof. Not even close. I sealed it up with silicon. The downloadable instructions describe how to attach coax internally, when the antenna has a SO-239 female connector already installed. The picture on the instructions looks nothing like what they actually sent. SWR across 3 of the 4 bands was higher that advertised, but they may be due to my installation. I'll be experimenting with that. Note: If you order direct from MFJ I've found they seldom have the product and you end up waiting for the back order to be filled. Shop around if you don't want to wait a month. Many authorized distributors have MFJ products and some offer free shipping, which MFJ factory does not.
AE5J Rating: 2013-04-17
Great bargain...BUT Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The antenna delivered is not the antenna advertised, and then maybe it is. The MFJ website implies the 2010 uses a smaller, lighter balun than the 2012 (high power, heavier cousin). The website says, "Virtually invisible 66-foot jacketed wire element."

The antenna as delivered does not use jacketed wire but plain old bare copper. Now at today's metal prices that is not necessarily bad. On closer inspection however, I discovered that what I received was not a 2010, but a 2012. The balun is different. The 2012 is a 1.5KW antenna, the 2010 is a 300 watt antenna. (Look closely at the pictures) The package says 2010, but clearly it isn't.

The photos show bare copper wire on both, not jacketed wire. This was either a mistake on the part of HRO somehow, or a mistake by MFJ. Either way, I got an $80 antenna for $60. I changed out the wire (saving the bare copper for another antenna and because bare copper does not fare well outside at my QTH) and installed jacketed copper wire which was laying around on a huge spool. Now I have a hybrid: 2010-style elements with a 2012 balun at a 2010 price point.

Oh well. The antenna performs exactly as other, more expensive, OCF antennas, which is to say impressively. The MFJ 259B shows several spots on the advertised bands where the antenna displays an acceptable SWR, so a tuner is not needed on those bands (40m, 20m, 10m) 6 meters needed a small amount of tuning. The WARC bands are easily handled with an auto tuner. 15m is the most difficult band to tune.

All in all, I found no issues with the design or operation. A bargain considering others are $30 or so more money. This antenna is very suitable for home or portable use. I recommend it, but be aware of what you may get.