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Reviews For: AOR SA7000

Category: Antennas: VHF/UHF+ Omnidirectional: verticals, mobile, etc

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Review Summary For : AOR SA7000
Reviews: 4MSRP: 279.95
Description:
Super Wideband Base Aerial System
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.aorusa.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0044.3
HZ1ES Rating: 2021-09-13
Big Disappointment Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
After watching some you tube videos done by radio amateurs, I decided to buy SA7000. I am aware this is NOT an active antenna. The HF performance is below of anything comparable and it's a big disappointment. I connected the antenna (3m above ground) with 30 m RG-213 to various ICOM transceivers. Although the reception on VHF/UHF is acceptable, the antenna is deaf on HF even after 2 stages of preamplifier switched on. As a broadcast only antenna it can be used on HF, but definitely not on amateur bands. I have long wire, dipole, end fed half wave and vertical antennas to compare. It seems antenna has been designed to be connected to receivers/scanners mainly to be used on VHF/UHF and occasionally to listen to shortwave broadcasting.

73's
Emre
N5RV Rating: 2020-08-15
Twice owned Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I owned one of these in the past but gave it away after my XYL and I parted ways in 2006, and had to sell the house. I wish I hadn't, given away the antenna that is. I recently purchased another to connect to my SDRPlay RSPdx, and I am still very happy with this antenna. The perfect antenna for a wideband receiver.
N6JPG Rating: 2018-02-09
Pricey but effective Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have to say that although I think the SA7000 is overpriced, its performance is impressive. Basically, its just two whips, one for lower frequencies from 300 kHz to 30 Mhz and one for frequencies up to 2 gHz. They are mounted together on a common base with a duplexer built into the unit. Assembly is about as straightforward as you can get taking all of about 5 minutes.
After mounting it to a short mast on the roof, I hooked the unit up to my AOR 8600 Mk II receiver. I do have the receiver connected to an external speaker with a GAP noise reduction module inline which improves audio quality tremendously. I started the test by listening to some MW broadcast stations in San Francisco, a distance of about 90 miles. No problem; each was an S-9+. Tuning around the ham bands, I listened on 80, 40 and 20 meters. The performance was impressive. I compared incoming signals with my FTDX-5000 connected to a GAP Titan vertical. I have to say there were times when the 5000 lost the signal and the little 8600 was still bringing it in. There were also times when I could hear a strong signal on the 5000 while connected to a 3-element yagi but would lose it when switching to the vertical. The 8600 connected to the SA700 was still bringing those signals in although nowhere near as strong as with the yagi as expected. Shortwave broadcasts (such as they are these days) were received in good order as well.
In listening in on the public service bands, local VHF low, high, and UHF transmissions were loud and clear. Attempting to monitor 800 mHz transmissions from a city 35 miles distant was not as good, often breaking up but then again, 800 mHz is not really a long distance RF medium and I am in a bit of a low spot here compared to the surrounding terrain. Attaching the antenna to a Uniden BCD 536 trunking scanner, I was able to hear some of the transmissions from the distant trunking system but not as well as with the dedicated 800 mHz antenna. Long distance VHF/UHF public service transmissions were sharp and clear on both radios.
Are there better HF antennas? Sure, but for simplicity and ease of installation and with a very low profile, this one's hard to beat. As far as the VHF/UHF bands, I would compare this antenna to most discone antennas.
A pricey receive only antenna but it does deliver on performance. I give this antenna a rating of 5 even though there are better antennas for specific purposes but for its size, simplicity, and wide band coverage, the SA7000 does what it says it will do.
N7FAE Rating: 2013-09-06
Excellent! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
NOTE: THIS IS AN RX ONLY ANTENNA.

I live in a Beach area with antenna restrictions, but needed a good WB 'do it all' antenna for use with my Yaesu VR5000 and more recently my AOR AR5001D RECEIVER. This antenna is VERY stealth, and hardly noticeable to my neighbors. I also have a 40m end-fed antenna for the Ham Bands and another 60' End-Fed Shortwave antenna (with a 9:1 Balun), both only a few inches off the roof. This Antenna beats them all on receive - - even on Longwave. I know that's hard to believe but I've been a Ham/SWL for 40 years and an Antenna Engineer so please bear that in mind when I say this. Yes, it's expensive for what appears to be a 'simple vertical' but check out it's specs - it has fabulous flat bandwidth over it's intended frequency range. Yes, of course, the 60' End Fed SWL antenna gives greater signal strengths, but also much greater noise - bottom line is that the SA7000 is much quieter (some of this has to do with it's Vertical vs Horizontal orientation), and ends up providing a much more readable signal with a better signal to noise ratio. I can't even hear a NDB Beacon on 263 khz about 100 miles from here on either my Ham or 'SWL' antenna, but it comes in loud and clear on the SA7000.