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Reviews For: HUSTLER 4BTV

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : HUSTLER 4BTV
Reviews: 114MSRP: 119.99
Description:
4 BAND TRAP VERTICAL ANTENNA
Product is in production
More Info: http://WWW.NEW-TRONICS.COM
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
151144.8
W2NSF Rating: 2004-01-01
Great value! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Mine's ground-mounted with a "whole bunch" of radials. I started with the recommended "2 per band" and quickly found out "the more the merrier" -- I'm up to 24, heading for 40. Use insulated wire and make them all as long as you can. Insulate the ends, too -- I used "plastidip," the stuff used to cushion/insulate tool handles. The radials must also be FLAT ON THE GROUND, starting right at the support pole. I sent all the radials directly down to the ground from where they connect to the antenna and then wire-tied them to the support pole at ground level. Saw an immediate improvement, just from that.
After doing all that, the antenna performed great! If I could hear them, I could work them -- and that's with only 100w. It's well made and easy to put together. I use guy ropes because I'm on the seacoast and have lots of wind. I wasn't sure at first I'd like the performance, but now I'm considering upgrading to the 5BTV to add 75/80m.
VK3BVM Rating: 2003-10-10
Great Performer Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have this antenna installed above ground with elevated radials and compared to my old R7 and GAP antennas it kills them by a long margin. The DX performance on 40 and 20 on SSB is excellent. The half wave elevated dipole and verticals are myth for most who live in cities, read ON4UNs handbook on this. If you not near sea you may as well use 1/4 wave antenna.

The manual was spot on in regards to the various settings for ground or above ground operation. So much for the losses of traps!! I also had a Butternut dual band 40 80 mounted on the ground and the elevated Hustler beat the Butternut by a S unit on 40. The Butternut had 40 ground radials on it, so it was a first class install. I have removed all my other bits of wires and just use the 4BTV now its so good. It makes a great SWL antenna as well.

Now for experimenters only! You can remove the top 40 meter section and it resonates on 30 meters!! Flat as a tack across 30 meters. Likewise for DX pedition use you can leave off the Capacity hat and extend the top section with half inch tube and it will have a broader bandwidth on 40, it covers the whole band and is not so sensitive to radial slope on 40. My personal view is that it improves performance.
I am considering getting the 30 meter kit, but i am so afraid that this will ruin the great performance i am getting so far, i may be wrong here. But i will report when i get it and test it

Great deal go get one and you wont be disapointed.

Byron
VK3BVM
AH7I Rating: 2003-10-10
An essential antenna... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It's best features are that it's strong/stiff, easy to install and take down, unobtrusive, rugged, simple, and best of all, inexpensive.

I've got one installed at the apartment in Honolulu. Temp install, ground mounted, 2 x 40m and 2 x 20m radials run along the side of the building. It's only a foot from the structure and even with trade winds blasting away I've no worries of it banging into the building. It was easy to install too. Jammed a piece of scrap waterpipe in the ground. Tied some rope around the stair and antenna base, and away we go. Running with adjustments from manual, it's plenty good for a quick/temp setup. I've been working folks on all 4 bands and snagged BQ9P this AM on 40. I hauled a 4BTV around the Pacific and Asia for 4 years back in the late 70's and it came apart and went together at least 20 times with no hassle of frustration and in under an hour (including scrounging for a place to mount it and running radials) every time. All this and todays (10/10/03) mail-order price only $USA130

This is such a deal that it's worth phasing a pair on 40/20 and you've still spent less money than one of those spider web and speghetti verticals would take.

Perfect antenna, no. Best for all circumstance, no. Sometimes a dipole on the ground is better than a vertical. But if you've got little space and want to get on the air, it's cheap, easy, and a bargain. No antenna = no contacts!

I'm constantly amazed that the manufacturer and the retailer can both make money on this antenna. It's just too good a deal!
YV5IAL Rating: 2003-07-19
Esta antena solo funciona con radiales... Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Primero, Instale la antena a 4" del piso sin radiales. Resultado: Un desastre.... Alta SWR en todas las banda excepto 10 metros.

Despues, Instale 2 juegos de radiales por banda opuestos unos de los otros (Nota: solo instales Radiales paras la bandas de 10, 15 y 20 mts.). Resultado: Mejoro algo (muy poco) aun debi usar un "antenna matching" para todas las bandas excepto 10 mts.

No contento con el resultado, agrege un juego adicionales de radiales y los distribui al rededor de la antena. Resultado: Mejoro increiblemente el rendimiento de la antena, usaba solo en partes de cada banda el "antenna matching".

(Nota: Solo coloque radiales para 10, 15 y 20 metros. 3 radiales por banda distribuidos)

Por ultimo, complete con un juego de 3 radiales para 40 metros (con mucha reserva, ya que el espacio que disponia era pequeno). Resultado: Ya no utilizo "antenna matching". La relacion de SRW esta en 1.5:1 o mejor en la cuatro bandas.

CONCLUSION: Para que la antena 4-BTV funcione apropiadamente, se deben utilizar todos los radiales para cada banda, distribuyendo los mismos al rededor de la antena.

73 y DX de YV5IAL

CT1DDW Rating: 2003-02-19
Eficient & Rough aerial Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have a roof mounted 4 BTV, very nice performer with only one radial for each band, SWR ratting of 1.1:1 to 1.4:1 all bands. I am impressed by the quality of the material, large diameter and sturded quality of aluminium, nice quality traps, a top vertical and inexpensive to. Not the fancy ones claiming half waving at high prices, but sober and reliable performer.In Portugal we catch some high winds sometimes and that antenna its a must for all wether. Thanks to the company for such a good product.
N5QAF Rating: 2003-01-18
Very Good Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The Hustler 4btv Is a good very inexpensive antenna.For what it is. I have been using a home brew wire antenna tuned for 20 meters. I have found that the 4btv works very well on all bands.
The antenna goes together very easy the instructions are clear and to the point. It took me only 30 minutes to build. It came with all the parts no problems. I have it ground mounted with radials 2 per band. With a little tuning I was on the air that day. I get a 1.5:1 on all the bands exept 20 meters it is a little high 1.8:1 no big problem with a antenna tuner. I can work zl and dk land fairly easy. Be carefull with the spider assembly it's easy to lose the nuts and bolts very little. I give it an A+++ if you have little space this is the antenna for you. You can't beat the price.



73's

Tony N5QAF




'
N0RUT Rating: 2003-01-15
Simple effective antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought a Hustler 4BTV about 4 months ago. Assembly was easy with the instructions provided and I had it up in about an hour. Tuning was simple. It's ground-mounted without radials in my back yard, takes up very little space and is almost un-noticeable to the neighbors. Reports are great. In three months I've talked to 36 states and 24 countries, all with rock solid signal reports on phone, RTTY and PSK.

I can even give their tech support top reviews. Their tech Gary patiently worked with me on a few phone calls trying to figure out a bad SWR problem. Turned out to be my bad PL259 connection, not the antenna. My problem, but Gary was willing to help figure it out.

It's been exactly what I needed.
WA4DOU Rating: 2003-01-07
A Best Buy ! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Recently I purchased a new 4BTV. (I've always been a vertical fan and have had very good results with them). I wanted to do some experimenting with ideas for adding the WARC bands and with top loading also. I found the 4BTV to be very robust and well made and the manual was very well written encompassing a lot of different possible operation scenarios and containing good advice. It performs well over my present 19 radials, each varying from 25-50 ft. long. This is clearly a "best buy" antenna.
YN1MAC Rating: 2002-12-26
Aceptable Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Creo que seria conveniente hacer enfasis que al momento de instalar la antena o de calibrarla es muy importante dejar un espacio de 4 pulgadas entre la antena y el ground, ya que de lo contrario las ondas estacionarias se vuelven incontrolables y no hay forma de trabajar bien.
repito DEJE EL ESPACIO DE 4" ENTRE LA ANTENA y el ground, y la antena trabajara como se desea.

73!!!
AF8X Rating: 2002-10-01
The best Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned two 4BTVs, I replaced the first one with a Gap Titan DX. Big mistake, sold that and bought a Cushcraft. Another mistake. Cut that one up for scrap and sold traps. Bought another 4BTV, happy again. All my experience with Hustler products has been good, including the excellent line of mobile antennas.