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Reviews For: Cushcraft A4S

Category: Antennas: HF: Yagi, Quad, Rotary dipole, LPDA

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Review Summary For : Cushcraft A4S
Reviews: 28MSRP: 628.42
Description:
A4S Specifications Frequency: 10, 15 and 20 meters Elements: 4 Forward Gain: 8.9 dB Front To Back Ratio: 25 VSWR 2:1 Bandwidth: 500+ kHz. Power: 2000 watts CW Longest Element: 32 Ft. (9.75 m) Turning Radius: 15.5 Ft. (4.72 m) Boom Length: 18.5 Ft. (5.48 m) Boom Diameter: 2 inches (5.1 cm) Wind Load: 5.5 sq. feet Connector: UHF Weight: 37 Lbs 16.8 kg)
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cushcraftamateur.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00284.3
KC5DBH Rating: 2009-04-06
Scrap metal!! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
1. Resonant frequency changes on a daily basis; usually outside of the ham bands if the antenna resonates at all.

2. Poor quality, pot aluminum construction. Brand new u-clamps broke rather than tighten properly. Threads stripped as soon as pressure was applied to tighten the clamps.

3. Bulky

4. Heavy

In short, this antenna is a waste of resources. This thing is coming off my tower and going to the junkyard!
PY2ONU Rating: 2009-02-28
GREAT! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The Cushcraft A4S is a great antenna! I bought my antenna in 2006 and today i'm very happy, my DXCC up considerably! Great materials, construction, and good results in all 3 bands! The cushcraft A744 40 meters kit is another great option, also works very well!

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Earlier 5-star review posted by PY2ONU on 2008-07-26

I had a Cushcraft A4S + a744 kit (40 meters)since 2002. Its a great antenna, very good for DX in all bands incluse 40 meters with a optional kit.
K9FON Rating: 2008-08-30
Great!!! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Mine is used and is about 30 years old but it worsk great! I have it up about 40' on top of an American tower turned buy a Ham 4 rotator. Very low SWRS, good bandwidth, low windload, and easy to assemble. I had to buy all new hardware but thats no biggie. Overall i like this trapped tribander. I hope it lasts me as long as it did the ham who had it before me.
KG8DP Rating: 2008-08-18
Good antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
works as it should. almost 4 years old and in service. only thing that has been a problem is the 40m add on kit. I may have got to windy on 40m. have had trap issues in that regard and last summer 2007 the cross hairs for 40m. just up and cracked. deteriorated. I live in Ohio and dont have salt water up here. LOL. I gave it a 4 because of the trap 40m. design but it works flawless now. I have a friend that knows these antennas inside and out. I do now myself. Just put up an A3WS over the weekend. I have used Cushcraft for years a3s now a4s and have the a3ws ins ervice along side the a4. 327 confirmed and will use cushcraft another 20 years or as long as I am here. Mark KG8DP
N3PG Rating: 2007-10-25
great! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
got the a4s triband antenna used in 1995 and got it up at 50ft in 1996 and it has worked perfect for me since, hv worked and confirmed 320 countries with this antenna, hope it stays up for another 10yrs.
K4DSB Rating: 2007-08-23
One of the BEST Tribands I've ever owned Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Solid built, heavy, great performance (almost like a 3 element monobander). Would put this antenna against any brand tribander (with 3 elements). Expensive but worth it to me. Top notch antenna from Cushcraft... DONOT recommend the added bands add on kit... heard stories about its effect on the 20m, 15, and 10m origional bands..
KC9GUZ Rating: 2007-07-20
Get one! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought mine for $50.00 that included the 30/40 meter add on kit!!!! I put another $50.00 into it replacing the hose clamps, hardware, and the trap caps and i still came out smelling like a rose. If you find one in decent used cond for a great price take it and run! One of the better Hf tri band beams around that will compete with the much more expensive models.
W4VD Rating: 2006-04-09
Correction Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Correction on my up time, make that almost 4 and half years here,

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Earlier 5-star review posted by W4VD on 2006-04-09

I wanted to make a couple of remarks on longevity and strengths of this antenna, having had 2 of them for over 10 years total time on the air I do have a little experience with this antenna, the 1st was up for over 5 years, put up in the mid-80's it survived Hugo, ice storms and I never had to touched it. SWR was the same the day it was took down as it was when put up. Sold it and it was up another 10 trouble free years till the fellow went SK, it was sold again and is still in service today. The 2nd one I put up was on Dec 8 2001 and is my current tri-bander so it's been up over 5 years (identical SWR curve and performance to the 1st one), it's seen some very heavy ice loads over the years, so much so I was sure the elements were going to break but once the ice melted it's always bounced right back up like new. Now these were 3-4 day ordeals, to the gentleman with 3 month ice loads, all I can say is good luck, that's asking a lot from any antenna IMHO and I would not expect the A4S (or many other antannas as well) to survive 3 months with a heavy ice load on it. I am surprised you only lost one element, your situation calls for something extra heavy duty.

The SWR does not change when it's wet, rain has no ill effects at all, it sounds to me like some of these people may have installed the traps upside down, that's about all that could explain why the SWR would change in the rain. Water is getting into the antenna somewhere. Either the traps are upside down or you have a hairline crack in a trap or the coax isn't properly weatherproofed, the only thing for certain is water is getting in, you keep it out and your antenna will work fine. I would like to know what kind of fixes are being made to the traps on all these trips up the tower to work on the antenna. Knock on wood but I haven't touched my A4S since Dec 8 2001, the day it went up, it surprises me to hear people talking about this antenna like it's poorly made when that is not the case at all as long as it's properly installed, and barring 3 month ice loads of course. It is one fine antenna. I have talked to many other A4 owners on-the-air over the years and have yet to meet one who has a complaint.

The FB&FS are outstanding for a compromise three band antenna, I am not surprised at all that the gentleman who went to the Force 12 mentioned the A4 has better FB, it has decent forward gain too as I get thru the big DX pileups just like the big mono bander /w alpha boys do with my SB-220 and the A4 at a little over 20 meters high. I used to horse race with a fellow using a TH7DXX at 100' when my A4S was at 90', both using the same power within 15 miles of each other and we were about dead even on wins and losses, neither antenna whipped up on the other. (BTW same fellow later put up an A4S with the dual band WARC model above it to replace the TH7 and was quite happy with it) So my experiences show that the A4 can hold it's own with the other tri-banders out there as well as do it for LONG TIME for a lot less money. Don't let the negative post scare you away from this antenna. You can have a dependable tri-bander that really works well and put those extra hundreds you save towards a better rig or amp.
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Earlier 4-star review posted by W4VD on 2002-01-12

I have my A4S up 72' above the ground and I have found it to be a good beam for the money. I run a pair of 3-500Z's into it and while I am not a "big gun" I find that I don't stand in line too awfully long in the pileups. Looking at the prices of tri banders today, you really can't go wrong with the A4. This is my second one, my first one was up 90' and survived Hugo with 90MPH winds, so I can attest to it's durabilty. As far as customer service, I have been lucky and not needed any!
KJ4XX Rating: 2005-05-31
For the Money! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I just put up this antenna so can't attest to the longevity...however, if I lived next to the ocean I think I would not be so stupid as to put up a trap antenna then write a bad review....however....I'm getting signal reports double and triple some of my buddies...and have gone from not hearing stations they hear to working stations they cannot!!! If the traps go bad...I'll fix them...still cheaper than a $1,000 antenna!!
KG5I Rating: 2005-02-02
Excellent Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had this antenna up at my previous address for almost 10 years. It went through severe wind and ice without a single problem. Mine had the 40 mtr add on kit as well. Only used 100 watts but always recieved good reports. I never had a trap problem. Now that I am looking for another tribander, guess which one I'm going to buy? That's right another A4S.