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Reviews For: JK Antennas/Force 12 XR6 Beam

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

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Review Summary For : JK Antennas/Force 12 XR6 Beam
Reviews: 5MSRP: 1599.95
Description:
An 11 element 6 band beam covering 20 through 6 meters
Product is in production
More Info: https://jkantennas.com/antennas.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0055
AB4BJ Rating: 2024-02-29
Super Antenna! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had the JK Antennas XR6-JK ( 6 meters - 20 meters) on my tower since late 2019 (approximately 5 years at the time of this review) with great results. It is on my tower at approximately 60 feet. Although we had some tuning issues on a couple of bands when first assembled, customer service was excellent and we easily worked through these issues. Since then, SWR has been perfect and the antenna has "just worked". I've easily worked many DX stations, including some of the more rare DXpeditions.

This antenna is very well designed and engineered. It is very heavy duty and looks like it will handle the southeast USA weather conditions for many years to come. When I assembled the antenna, I took my time and carefully followed the well written instructions. Working in the evenings and on weekends, it took me approximately 1 week to fully assemble the antenna. The elements were first assembled in my basement, followed by the boom and element attachment on a temporary short ground-mounted mast in my yard. The fully assembled antenna weighs approximately 67 pounds, so three of us carried it to a tram line that was used to hoist it up to the tower. One tower climber was then able to fully install the antenna with no issues.

If you want a heavy duty, well designed multi-band beam, the XR6-JK is an excellent choice.
M0NKR Rating: 2018-02-19
Point and it works DX! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned this antenna for around 2 years plus and what can i say "ITS FAB". where ever you point it too it works if the band is open and their is prop.

I get impressive reports- often saying I'm the loudest on the band!

works very well on 6m as well which is handy when the magic band opens up.

Would I buy another? yes I would if only they done a slightly bigger one with the same coverage with more elements per band for more gain.

only problem we found was setting up was a bit tricky and trying to yune it, but once done, No need too touch it.

5* 5* 5* Antenna!
K2EQ Rating: 2016-06-17
Surpasses expectations Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have been using my Force 12 XR6 for about nine months now. (on Rohn Tower at 50 feet) I give it my very highest rating. No traps, no motors, handles full power, flat SWR and puts out a tremendous signal. Used with 100 W and was amazed at the results. Got a KW amp which took the fun out of being in a pileup all afternoon. HI HI. Seriously great equipment, couldnt be happier unless they included 30 and 40 Meters.
4X1PD Rating: 2015-06-11
Great first impressions Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My previous antenna was a tribander 10/15/20M A4S from Cushcraft.
I was satisfied with the performances but I wanted to achieve ability to work on WARC and 6M bands too but avoid mechanically changes in elements lengths.
After a long search I have found Force12 XR6 yagi - 6 band antenna with ability to cover from 20M to 6M include WARC`s. So I`ve ordered from InnovAntennas UK XR6 (EU version) from Justin G0KSC and after fast delivery with FedEx the
antenna was at My QTH door.
Two small tubes was missed and Justin sent them to Me without any extra payment include shipping.
The assembly was a quite simple because all the pipes/tubes and the plastic bugs were marked with different colored tapes. It took to Me about a
four days in total, for four hours in each day.
At first I assembled the balanced lines "bridge", then the boom, and after that all elements according to manufacturer instructions.
On all overlaping areas was applied Penetrox A and reinforced with a small self drilling screws.
At the end I connected self-made seven years old balun, and seven years old self-made RF choke, removed from A4S. They was in very good condition and serve Me without any issues .
After testing and aligning at a seven meters height with KVE60C antenna analyser on all six bands, I raised antenna mast to 11 meters.
The test readings on the KVE60C at the lower bands, like 20, 17 and 15M, did show some improvements.
My rig - IC756PRO3, software - HRD, interface - UnicomDual.
Now its the time for some QSO`s.
First thing, at the same evening I reached Japan and Germany with 25W PSK31 599 QSO on 17M just to "feel" this new band.
On the next evening - working with Brazil PSK31 same 599 with 25W on 10M and on 6M with Italy SSB with 100W.
Also, with 100W, SSB 59 QSO with Falkland, Morocco and Bahrain on 12M, then 59 with Peru and Angola on 15M, Madeira Is. and Slovenia on 17M.
Next day - 55 SSB with USA on 20M in 8:55 AM UTC (its 11:55 AM local time)!
So My first impression are very positive and this antenna keep up a good traditions from Force12/InnovAntennas with some flawless, near to perfect, performance.
Thanks Justin, 73!
WA1TJB Rating: 2015-02-22
Very Good Antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I ordered my XR6 from Force 12 in 2014. Due to production backlog, it took a number of months for the product to be delivered. I ordered it in early 2014 and received it in August.

I also ordered the Force 12 LPT1242 tower, RAK rotor, and Green Heron rotor controller to go along with it.

The assembly of the antenna was a bit difficult as some of the elements were not properly labelled, or not labeled at all. Also, some of the holes that were drilled for riveting looked like they were done with a pistol drill instead of with a fixture.

Bill and Chip were most helpful in answering questions, and were very responsive via email.

I worked on assembly an hour or two a day. It took about a week to assemble the antenna on a tripod in the back yard. I was taking my time to make sure I did it right the first time. I was also excavating, pouring the base, and erecting the LPT1242 at the same time, as well as mounting and testing the rotor.

Once assembled, I tested the XR6 at ground level with my MFJ analyzer and found the SWR to be low across the entire range of all bands. I was impressed.

I got the antenna mounted, cranked up, and operational in late October. Since then, I have found it to be a solid performer. It easily handles the 1KW output from my PW-1. It has survived a horrible winter here in the Northeast. I have worked stations all over the world and have gotten excellent signal reports. The front to back and side-to-side rejection are good and very noticeable.

Overall, I love this antenna and believe it will serve me well for many years.