Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Maxcon OCF Dipole

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Maxcon OCF Dipole
Reviews: 45MSRP: 79.95
Description:
Hand-built off-center fed dipole complete
and ready to hang with 3KW 4:1 current
balun. Operates 10-12-17-20-40-80 meters
without tuner exhibiting low SWR. Total
length 123 feet (88x45).
Product is in production
More Info: HTTP://WWW.MAXCONUS.COM
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00454.9
K3JOE Rating: 2018-12-12
Great Antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Great antenna it replaced my old Radio Works Carolina Windom I had you years. Great receive and get great reports on transmission. Well build antenna I have about 30 feet off the ground in a upside down L shape.
KE0SYB Rating: 2018-11-30
Solid construction Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This OCF antenna is built like a tank! simple to use and install. My SWR's were spot on. Great customer service from this company, would highly recommend to all for cost , construction, customer service. I plan on purchasing more of their products.
AD4C2006 Rating: 2018-10-02
Great antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
As many other reviewers said, after many years building all my own dipole antennas, gave it a try to an already made one with excellent reviews, why not specially if the price is very afordable.
This last sunday friend of mine and also a ham, came over to my new QTH in Pt St Lucie, FL and we installed this antenna over a 30 feet up aluminum retractable flag pole purchased at amazon.com
My first impression when opened the package was good, the balun and also the RF isolator look professionally built to last many years with no problem.
Then we put it up as Inverted V with the ends aj just 4 to 5 feet over the ground attached to my fence.
When checked SWR with my RigExpert AA-600 anntena analyzer, it was 1:1 in 3400 and 6900 meaning its kinda longer but in the desire to test it we left it like that because on the phone section of the band its not over 3 to 1 and we will next weekend put it down to replace the 20 year old coaxial for a new one.So with the help of My PalStar AT2KD tuner I made it work 1:1 in all bands although on 20M swr is flat 1:1 in the whole band without the tuner, 10 is just 1.5 in the whole band and on 12,15 and 17 is less than 2.5 to 1.
When connected to my IC-7610 the first thing I noticed was how quite this antenna is specially on 80 and 40M bands that normally were noisy in my previous QTH even with bazooka antennas, I said WOW and looked the S meter, on 40M only S1 of noise, on 80M just S3 and all stations I heard were booming with S9+20 to 30 DB over, this antenna besides been very quite it also has some extra gain.
The final results were when I started talking on 80M overnight with my old friends who inmediately asked me If I had the 1.3KW amp running and certainly not,with only 100W from the radio signal reports were like If I was running an amp, 59+20 or more all over the state and 59+15 in CUba.
Definitively this antenna works better than described and I am planning to make it higher If I can find a taller mast.
Thanks to Buxcom for a great product.

AD4C
KD6SX Rating: 2018-04-16
Just as advertised Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently purchased the MAXCON OCF-3K80 antenna and am quite pleased with it. I installed it in accordance with the instructions with the top at about 38 feet, the long end sloping to about 8 feet, and the short end sloping to about 15 feet. I installed the MAXCON 1:1 choke balun at the feedpoint and use 100 feet of good quality RG-8 coaxial cable. I have it attached near the top of my tower using a 4 foot stand-off arm and the cable leaves the feedpoint at a right angle. The antenna tunes up just as advertised. Here are my SWR measurements:

3.5 mhz: 1.6:1
7.1 mhz: 1.4:1
14.2 mhz: 1.1:1
18.1 mhz: 1.8:1
24.9 mhz: 1.2:1
28.5 mhz: 1.1:1
50.1 mhz: 1.2:1

The antenna does about what I expected on both transmit and receive. My expectations have been met and I think it is a very good antenna for multi-band operation.

73,
KD6SX
K4FX Rating: 2018-02-24
Excellent antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After 40 years in this hobby, I really didn’t care to cut wire and piece together an OCF dipole as I had done in the past. The antenna is exactly as advertised. It works on the bands it’s supposed to and is well built. You will be pleased with this antenna.
WA4NJY Rating: 2018-02-20
Pleasantly surprised. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This antenna replaced homemade antennas taken down in preparation for hurricane Irma. I thought the OCF would be a compromise antenna and I would have to live with that and hope the fair match on several bands would be acceptable. I now think this antenna performs as well as my previous fan dipoles. Just now broke a pile up on a Israeli station. He gave me an honest 59 signal. I'm happy with the Maxcon.
It is at 35'. Hope to add about 10' in the future.
Well made with good materials.
K4VW Rating: 2017-11-10
Great Antenna and Dealer Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Antenna works as advertised. Below 2:1 on all bands but 75 meters. I have to use the ATU above 3.700. Had problems on 40 at first by mounting the common mode choke directly to the 4:1 balun. Added 10' RG-213 between the two and resolved the problems. Maxcon is great to deal with and for the price you can't beat this OCF Dipole.
K4KZ Rating: 2017-10-21
Works as Advertised Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought the 80m OCF on October 3, 2017. It arrived 2 or 3 days later in the regular mail. On October 21, I finally got around to installing the OCF. I’ve been a ham for 40 years and as others have said, I usually build my wire antennas-but not in this case because of my need for a multiband antenna. I had to install the antenna 200’ from house (to avoid HOA issues) in a wooded area. Took about 20 minutes to raise (45’) and tie down this antenna. Walked back to shack and checked the antenna on all bands. To my pleasant surprise, the antenna works on all bands and has a low SWR.
W4WTH Rating: 2017-09-04
Really good Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been a ham for 20 years and have always built my own hf antennas and this time around i decided to purchase a ready made one. I chose this Maxcon OCF antenna due to a friends recommendation as he is not easily impressed :-) ,,,sorry Mike but it is true. I received it in the mail, unboxed it and gave it a good look over. The builder of this antenna is obviously a experienced operator and builder. It is built for longevity, minimal hardware equals minimum problems later. It is real easy to handle and install. The antenna is resonant on every band he claims and is a strong preformer on 20 and 40 meters. It is also very usuable on 80, 17 and 10. I have made long distance contacts on all these bands with rig power of 100w. If i needed another wire antenna i would definitely order another one. One thing to note,,,take the builders advice and fashion yourself a current choke at the feedpoint so you do not have the feedline radiating with the radials. I slid on a few ferrites over the rg8u at the feedpoint and thats all it took to get the RF out of my radio room and nobody wants that or a dipole that radiates like a tripole. If you need a wire for permanent or portable use, do yourself a favor and get one of these. I have mine installed 40 foot up at the feedpoint and the ends of the radials are bout 15 feet up from the ground at the ends in a inverted V.
VE3GLA Rating: 2017-08-13
Works exactly as advertised Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
At my vacation cabin, I needed an off center fed dipole because of where my trees were located in relation to the cabin. I also needed multi band capability. Based on the good reviews at eHam, I purchased the Maxcon 80 meter OCF dipole. It worked exactly as advertised. I'm very happy.
I've put up many, many dipoles and other wire antennas in my 40+ years as a ham --all of them homebrewed. This was the first one I've purchased commercially. I was not disappointed. Recommended.