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Reviews For: PAR HF Omni Angle

Category: Antennas: HF Portable (not mobile)

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Review Summary For : PAR HF Omni Angle
Reviews: 23MSRP: 100
Description:
A very light and small horizontally polarized antenna with a near circular radiation pattern. It can be configured for 20-17-15-12-10m operation by changing a matching adapter. Ideal for traveling, field day, and HOA-defying installations.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.parelectronics.com/hf-omnis.php
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00235
N4AHO Rating: 2021-04-14
HF-18 - Compact and effective Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm Dale's webmaster but that doesn't affect my review. This is a great antenna. It only took 2 adjustments to get it tuned in and about 15 minutes to assemble it once I understood the instructions. I have it up on a cheap flagpole at 28 feet. After the last adjustment (around 5:00PM ET), I fired up the 100w rig and had a phone QSO to Hawaii, 57 signal report or so. I'm in South Carolina; I never reach Hawaii. This is far better than my EFHW-7510 on this band. I reach the west coast often, Spain, Italy, Caribbean, etc.

Dale is only making the 10m matchboxes for this antenna from now on. I have a 10m matchbox that I haven't tried yet but may get a second antenna for it.
KG6RYV Rating: 2020-05-29
Loving the HF-28 for 10m Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I was having great success with the OA-50 for 6m, and appreciated the build quality and clean design. So I figured I'd give the 10m equivalent a try: the HF-28. My understanding is this antenna is not exactly omnidirectional, thus it doesn't have the OA prefix.

I assembled it with about 2 inches of the rods extending beyond the square tube. Carried it upstairs (got an odd look from my wife, it's a little bigger than the OA-50), put it on a temporary mast, and checked the SWR with my RigExpert. It had a low of 1.35 around 28.29 MHz or so. I didn’t coil the coax up yet to make a current choke.

The next day, the band opened up and boom! Made a contact from California to Fiji 5,455 miles away on FT8 :) First contact across an ocean! Needless to say, I’m a happy customer, and will be buying more products from PAR Electronics. Dale's response and support over email has been top notch as well.
AE7YD Rating: 2018-03-01
by far better than expected. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
As I have a backyard that is long but not veyy deep and the long area
is in the wrong direction I have been struggling with antennas of
all kind since we moved in this house. I tried verticals with no or
just one radial, Comet, to name only a few. Nothing worked better
than my end fed 42' wire. Works but not good enough. Then I read
about the HF14 from Par. Of course I was skeptical but I remember
that I was skeptical too when I bought the EF40-20-10 from Dale and
it worked. Again, doesn't work here because of the wrong orientation.
I did order the HF14 and it in the following week. It was very easy
to assemble and tune. At first (being impatient) I tried at about 5ft
on an MFJ tripod. I was heard on the reverse beacon network with
just a few watts. I raised it at 33ft and had to bring it down once to
retune as the frequency went up. I can tell you for sure that I never
in my over 50 years as a ham had an antenna that was so easy to
tune. Ok, a loop is even easier but doesn't work that good either.

I have the 2:1 point at 14.0 and 14.145MHz with the 1.1:1 point at
14.070MHz. With 3w and my MTR-5B I hit Canada.
I have tuner at the base, just for a kick I tried on 40m
and got a hit in Reno Nevada with 5w.
I have only to ask myself, why did I wait so long to buy this
antenna. It doesn't make miracle you need the height and the
propagation but it works.
N1CKQ Rating: 2017-07-25
Meets my 20 meter needs and then some Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This updates my earlier review of the Par Electronics HF-14……

Recently I purchased and assembled the 20M horizontal rectangle/OMNI HF-14 for 20 meters. Did considerable research for an antenna to suit both permanent and temporary QTHs which would effectively transmit and receive. Liking the reviews on eHAM.net which I read and You Tube videos I saw, I contacted Dale Parfitt, owner of Par Electronics for further info. Dale works primarily through emails which is better for me because all my questions and his responses are savable and printable for future reference.

I was totally impressed by his answers and more than that , with his "customer friendly approach". Following multiple emails at all hours of the day and days of the week(he seemingly never sleeps), I opted to purchase the HF-14 .

I have not been disappointed. Though only in use for about a week now, the antenna temporarily at 8 feet outperforms an off center fed dipole at 25 feet.

I can hear stations loud and clear with little or no noise that are in noise and not strong on the dipole. I can only imagine what the HF-14 will achieve at 30 feet or higher. As for signal reports I receive, they range from S4-9 depending upon time of day, states and countries. The other day I worked France from my Massachusetts QTH getting an S6-7 report. He was S7-8.

Power ranges from 25 to 100 watts.

I do not use a tuner. Though I am still making SWR adjustments. Presently, they are 1.9-2.4 depending upon frequency. Adjusting tuning rods is easy to lower SWR. My aim is to reduce SWR as low as possible but no greater than 2.0

Assembling the antenna following included details instructions was a snap. I took my time to be certain I did not mess up.

Admittedly, I was hesitant about purchasing the antenna based purely upon reviews. However, "diving in" as I did, brought smiles and satisfaction to me.

Trust me. You would not be disappointed buying this antenna or any off Dale's antenna products. I once owned his end fed SWL antenna which was stupendous.

As far as I'm concerned, Dale is totally into making sure his potential customers and customers are exceptionally pleased.

former_W4CWO Rating: 2017-05-30
Very Happy with my OA-50 Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought the OA-50 to upgrade my 6 meter antenna from a dipole. I do not have the space in my non-HOA neighborhood to use a Yagi. The first day I had the antenna installed, the band was opened and I worked a bunch of stations I would not have even heard with the dipole. Plus, my ears think there is less QSB with this antenna.

For a space limited antenna, this one cannot be beat. 73!
WB0GKM Rating: 2017-01-12
Great Antenna for 20m! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
If you need a small omni antenna that pleases the neighbors and your wife, this is the antenna to get. The performance has been outstanding!

The antenna went together super smooth and the quality of manufacture is excellent.
 
It only took 4 trips up the ladder to get it tuned to the part of 20m I use (14.067MHz) and I managed to get 1.2:1 for SWR.  This is the easiest to tune antenna I’ve every used.  Could have tuned it with less steps up the ladder but was taking only tiny changes.  Now that I have a feeling for how the antenna tunes, I could do it again in half the number of trips.
 
As for performance, my other antenna is a 1/4 wave 20m vertical wire with an SGC couple at the base with 20 radials.  In on air A/B testing, I can tell you this so far.  The HF-14 has 3 to 4 S units less noise than the vertical, even when the plasma TV is on in the house.  I was amazed at how much less background “fuzz” I had on the waterfall display on JT-65.  Night and day difference.  I might go back to SSB with this antenna!  LOL!  As for receive strength, it’s 1 to 2 S units better than the vertical but seems like more due to the reduction in background noise.

This is definitely a hidden gem in the antenna world for those of us that don’t have the space or supports for a dipole and want something more than a simple vertical.
N6JET Rating: 2016-05-14
Perfect Attic Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The HF Rectangle antennas are just great. My attic installation includes a Hf-14, HF-21 and HF28. Performance is so much better than anticipated and these horizontal omnis were the perfect choice for an attic installation.
WD9IDC Rating: 2016-04-02
I like it! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Got the HF-18 up last weekend as I could finally get up on the roof after a long winter. I mounted it at a height of 30 ft and it tuned up easily. Well built and it went up in about 20 minutes. In the first hour of operation with the HF-18 I had contacts (all 5-9 to 5-7) with Venezuela, Costa Rica, Germany, Italy, and England. This antenna replaced my 17 meter dipole and it really performs great compared to the dipole. I am running an Alinco DX-SR8 at 75 watts so no big power on this end. For its size and weight it is a great antenna and if you buy one you will not be dissapointed with its performance.
WB9KMW Rating: 2015-12-11
Incredible Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I installed the HF-28 so I could have an omni-directional radiation pattern for my 10m SSTV beacon on 28.680 MHz. This light-weight Rectangle was a snap to assemble and install. Solid mechanical design! It took no time to obtain a 1:1 SWR. I then connected to my Kenwood TS-2000 transceiver, and I sure didn't expect the much greater signal volume relative to the modified CB whip dipole I replaced. In short order I received four SSTV pix from a ham in California, which was unusual for late in the afternoon. I am very satisfied.
K2WO Rating: 2015-12-01
Great Antenna! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
What can I say? This antenna is built like a tank, easy to assemble and works great. I own the 20 Meter version and find that it is perfect for portable operation. It assembles easily and works like a champ. The personal service by Dale (owner of Par) is the very best. I highly recommend this antenna and frankly, all Par products.