| KE5GFJ |
Rating:     |
2007-05-24 | |
| One of the best I have used |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| The Hustler was one of my first mobile antennas and it worked great. I also own and have tried Bug Catchers, Band Spanners, and the ATAS 120A. I don't think any of these others can hold a candle to the Hustler for mobile signal strength. My everyday, over the road antenna is the ATAS 120A. But when it broke recently I pulled out the old Hustler, installed a 20 meter coil on the short mast and mounted it on a four mag mount. I tuned it up on my metal patio table then stuck it on top of the car. Wow! I had a lot better recieve and a bigger transmit signal than the ATAS by far. I will still use the ATAS because of the multi bands and auto tuning. But if I really want a big mobile signal I'll stick the Hustler on the roof. And the great thing about these is you can buy them cheap on the used market. |
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| WX9DX |
Rating:  |
2007-05-03 | |
| Antenna Not so good! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I bought a Hustler with all the coils when I got my Yaesu 100D in 2003.
The 40 meter coil right away turned dark Brown and ran Hot even though the swr was very low, as did the 80 metrer coil. @ 100 watts BTW... It worked poorly on 75 meters, and everyone was calling it a Hustler Dummload antenna. Well I decided to not waist another $300 pluss dollars on junk like this, and did go to an antenna shootout in Indiana. There I did learn about what to buy and what not to buy.
If you are going to buy a $1000 radio why not buy a garanteed antenna for $400 or more to work on your vehicle without any problems? First of all you need to go to a Shootout I can tell guys. Stop settling on a crummy antenna on your vehicle and waisting good money on a Hustler!
You buy great antennas for your Home! Then why not your Truck or Car? You don't use a Hustler on 20 meter DX do ya? HMM? Well most of you don't. LOL:) You use a nice big beam with a rotor and the works. Then why niot a good antenna for your car or truck. I don't understand you people! You settle on a poor preforming antenna on your vehicle and not at home.. HMMM?
Go to KJ9T's web site and find out what a real antenna for a vehicle is like!
http://kj9t.150m.com/index7/index.html
Jimmy:)WX9DX
http://userweb.eosinc.com/prairieland/WX9DX_pg1.htm |
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| WA0KAQ |
Rating:     |
2007-04-09 | |
| I'm a long-time Hustler user. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I’ve used a Hustler mobile antenna since I bought my first used one in 1965 along with a Heathkit HW-12 radio. The long metal mast folded in the middle, and I clipped the stingers to the rain gutter on my 1958 Ford. I broke a couple of 75-meter stingers on pull-throughs, but other than that I had no problems with the antenna. Once I loaned a coil to a fellow ham, and since he never returned it and left the state with it, he must have liked it too.
In about 1994 I bought the long fiberglass mast, as the metal one had a lot of miles on it and the joint where it folded was getting loose and affecting the SWR as it moved.
One of the smartest investments I made was the Hustler QD-2 mount. It is a simple task to unhook the whole antenna when not in use. Put the antenna in the car or pickup, and there’s no rod waving in the wind behind you. I have standard resonators for 40, 20 phone, 20 cw, 15, and 10 meters, and the super resonator for 75 (which I admit is a chunk). I normally operate 40 and 20 meters, so the big 75-meter resonator seldom is on the rod. The unused coils fit under the back seat of my Ford F-250, along with a couple of mag-mount VHF antennas tuned for APRS and 2-meter phone.
I also have a mount on the tongue of a utility trailer I’ve used for ARES activities, and it incorporates the bottom stud of the QD-2 mount. Like one of the other fellows mentioned, it takes only seconds to pop the antenna onto this mount for portable emergency or field day work.
I lost a 20-meter coil off an RV one time due to a rough highway. Now I put a lock washer on the mast where the coil connects.
Are the Hustler mobile antennas the best? No! I’d love to try a High Sierra or some other fancy mobile antenna, but I’m on a fixed income.
Is the price right for me? Yes! Some would argue that the price goes up as more coils are purchased, and this is true. However, that price has been stretched over many years.
Are they durable? Yes! I've never had a coil fall apart, or water get inside one.
Do they work good enough for my purposes? Definitely! I’ve worked most of the US counties running the Hustler mostly on 20 meters, and there has been some DX from time to time as well (England, Italy, islands in the South Pacific, etc.).
Will I continue to use them? Yes! I've already got the major coils. In fact, I’m planning to set up a new mobile station this summer, and eventually, when the sunspots come back, I will be buying coils for 17 and 12 meters.
In a nutshell, the Hustler antenna has given me a lot of good service through the years.
Bill, WA0KAQ
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| W4KPA |
Rating:      |
2007-02-03 | |
| Good value -- good performance |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I reviewed these about two years ago, and I stand by what I said then. These are great mobile antennas for the money. With constant exposure to the elements and overhangs at McDonalds, they won't last forever. But when a resonator goes bad, $20 replaces it. They beat a hamstick hands down, and they're a lot more practical than a bugcatcher.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by W4KPA on 2005-05-01
I've run a Hustler vertical on several different vehicles over the last 15 years, and they've always given me excellent performance. In fact, I've only just replaced the original set of radiators during the last few weeks. Given the abuse I've handed them, they've lasted very well. I use the antenna in a stake pocket mount (from Geotools) on a full-sized Chevy pickup. It gives me a good ground, a solid mount, and a location high and in the clear. I get great signal reports -- in fact lots of unsolicited comments on signal strength.
I've never had a problem with wet weather, such as described in the previous review. That sounds like water intrusion, either into the radiator coil itself or around the base of the mount--or else a defective piece of coax whose fault showed up coincidentally with the rain. This could be easily tested by taking off the 20 meter coil and putting the mast back into the mount without the spring and checking for a reasonably low SWR somewhere on six meters.
With good attention to grounding and mounting location, this antenna will perform about as well as any reasonably sized mobile antenna on the market. They have a proven track record for durability and a fair price. The only reason to pass it up is for the band-changing convenience of a screwdriver. |
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| K3UD |
Rating:     |
2007-02-03 | |
| Good value and performance |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I purchased my Hustler HF mobile antenna at a hamfest in 1965. I was 14 and could not drive. I knew that there would be a day when I would want a HF rig in my car. The Hustler along with 5 resonators was available for $20 and I jumped on it. I started to use it in 1967.
I had an SBE-34 with about 50 watts output in the car and the Hustler worked much better than my expectations. For almost 40 years I have used the same antenna. I had to replace the 40 meter resonator a year ago. Not bad.
I invested a few bucks in the multi resonator adapter and found that it made life a bit easier. the resonators are very easy to tune and although the antenna now looks like a chicken foot, the performance is good and I have three bands I can use without stopping and changing resonators.
The Hustler is really not in the same league as a screwdriver with a 9 foot whip or an 11 foot Bug Catcher, and it was never meant to be. I have tried various versions of the Ham-Stik style of mobile antennas and found that the Hustler was better in every case.
I recently found another Hustler with a complete set of resonators at another hamfest for $35. A tremendous bargain in my book. Easy to mount and dismount, easy to tune, Decent mobile performance, relatively low cost and stamina for the long haul. IMHO it is hard to beat. |
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| VE7ABC |
Rating:     |
2006-12-23 | |
| They work fb. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've had a set of Hustler coils (low powered)for years, and because of my work, they've had plenty of use as I travelled the 4 Western Provinces of Canada through all types of weather, and they never let me down. I used a 300 watt MFJ antenna tuner, and ran a FT101B, IC701, and IC745 with this antenna, and had many happy conversations on 80/40 meters with the locals, and on 20 have spoken with VK'S and SM"S, while traveling down the highway.
Yes, it is inconvenient to change the coil when you want to change the band (hence the 4 rating), but other than that I've got no complaints on them. Unlike the previous reviewer, I never experienced any swr changes as the weather changed. I have each resonator preset to a segment of the band I work, and if I exceed that segment, I put the little MFJ tuner in line. The tuner is really needed on 80 meters as the bandwidth is probably no more than 75KC's from the preset, 20, 15, and 10 it is not used at all, and only used on the higher portion of 40.
All in all, IMHO, not a great, but a good antenna system. You should be able to get 5 resonators and the mast for under $150.00. Tough to beat at that price, and remember, HF mobiling is a compromise in most casess. You can't compare your signal from home with a mobile one.
73..es Merry Christmas to all.
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| WC4R |
Rating:      |
2006-10-17 | |
| Great value, simple |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I've used this on the 22" and 54" masts. Always used the super resonators for better bandwidth. I run single resonators and as many as 4 at one time on the same mast. Using more than one coil creates a big wind load and guying with 100# fishing line is necessary. I mount it on a Lakeview license plate mount (extra ground strap) and operate 4-bands with my Yaesu mobile (100w). Holds up to 80 MPH so far. |
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| XE1VE3OQC |
Rating:      |
2006-07-26 | |
| Great for the money |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
You know, I see a lot of people moaning and complaining about this antenna,mickey mouse outfit etc.Is it a surprise they have been in business since the 50´s? Not really, I use a 22¨mast with an adaptor plate I made to hold four resonators (an electrical box cover)and works great.
If you crunch those numbers you will see that by using this setup it is more or less equal to a short screwdriver antenna,short lower section, coil, whip,get the picture?
Of course you are not going to get the performance from this as you would from a single band dedicated antenna but that is what it is designed for.
I have mine mounted on the back of my Ford Ikon on a homemade L bracket and have a good ground bonded directly to the body and straps from the muffler to the frame,didn't need it but works well.
I tried the screwdriver,(a short motorized unit that I made) and it had the same characteristics as the Hustler.I use four bands primarily,6,10,12,15 with a TS-660 and get good reports,of course band conditions have a lot to do with it.
I have a little more wind drag but for someone who hops around alot on HF it is much better than the screwdriver.
They make a good product and produce antennas for the commercial sector as well, big ones!
Sure they may wear out after a run but what antenna doesn´t?
Nice system for the price.
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|
| N0NOB |
Rating:      |
2006-04-07 | |
| Service |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Purchased NOS 17M resonator and found that the
collet was missing or lost.
Sent NT a email and received the parts needed at
no cost to me.
Tuned and works great.
Irv
N0NOB
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| KD7AWG |
Rating:     |
2006-02-28 | |
| Replacement Antenna OK |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
My previous post expressed my disatisfaction with the New Tronics antenna I received.
I received the replacement today and it is in great shape. In addition, NT has included an extra setscrew for a total of three.
I suggest that whenever you have a tech or service problem that you deal with Jason. He appears to care about your problem and is quick to resolve it.
This restores my faith in NT. |
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