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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
K1WJ Rating: 2011-03-13
Good Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Have had a 4BTV in MI up for 4+ years now added 12m & 17m mod myself - 1/4w wires attached to cap hat mod....easy. Messsed up 10m swr - no biggie this antenna not too great for 10M anyway.
Antenna to me works best on 40m & 17M & 20m.
Have 30 ground radials various lengths. For mutli band capability not too bad - easy to install.Did add DX eng. mod for direct coax connection at base of antenna.
One thing of note is - on 20m I have a ham stick dipole from MFJ at 25ft high - will generally ouperform the 4BTV by about 2-s inits on XMIT & RCV.
Since I just moved to AZ from MI the hamstick dipole will be the way to go for single band performance. Take care K1WJ Dave
WB0KZB Rating: 2010-11-26
Tried and true. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been using a x-BTV since my Novice days in 1972. If you are willing to put in 16 to 32 radials (4 to 8 per band) you will have a great antenna. No radials, no performance. It also helps to put in a coax balun too. (http://www.hamuniverse.com/balun.html)

My system has 32 tuned radials and the adapters for 80, 17 and 12 meters (from DX Engineering) It has survived wind storms, ice storms, and heavy wet snow.

For full disclosure: Verticals are a little nosier than other antennas, just the nature of the beast.
W7KNA Rating: 2010-10-08
Good dollar value and when tuned works well. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My old 4BTV had been lying in my aluminum scrap pile for many years in the weather and I decided to refurbish it. Gathering all of the parts, I blue printed the various parts including the traps and lubricated the slip fit areas on the tubing with moly disulphide. I mounted the antenna on a five foot pipe and with only 180 degrees of radials and two per band fired it up. the 10 meter trap was off one "tweak" and after adjusting it the antenna does a fine job. 73 w7kna
KK9H Rating: 2010-10-08
Works very well Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought a 4-BTV to use as a portable antenna for Field Day and when on summer vacation. It was first used at my radio club's Field Day. We had it set up ground mounted in an open field with 40 radials (25 ft. each) attached to a radial plate. Using an MFJ 259B, tuning all four bands took only 15 minutes. Each section had to be adjusted as short as it would go and resonance was in the lowest portion of each band just as a previous reviewer had noted. We did not touch any of the traps, but since it was going to be used for CW, it was fine as is. We compared it to various single band dipoles that were up about 40 feet and didn't notice all that much difference, quite frankly. The 4-BTV performed beautifully, we experienced several pileups on us and during FD, what more could you ask? It can be broken down to four fairly convenient sections for transport and storage. Next it was taken up to the north woods on summer vacation. I just set it up exactly as it was used for FD and had many fun QSO's, both DX and domestic. 10M even opened a few times and I had good signal reports. I would recommend the 4-BTV to anyone looking for a 4-band antenna that is willing to put it over a good radial system.
WB4TJH Rating: 2010-09-11
Works well with good radial system Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I just got this antenna out of the garage where it has been stored since I moved to SW Missouri from south Florida almost a year ago. This afternoon, I drove a 30 inch piece of water pipe in the ground, laid a dozen 25 foot radials, one of which connects to an underground water pipe, and two to chain link fences, and put the antenna up. SWR is not bad, but will take just a bit of tweaking. Tonight I managed to work several DX stations in Europe with 95 watts SSB on 40 and 20 meters. I had one of these antennas about 35 years ago, and was well pleased with it then. The real secret is to get a GOOD radial/ground system under it, and it will perform. I plan to add probably another 8 or 10 radials as I go along, but as usual, the 4BTV, properly mounted and tuned, is doing it's job very well. I found some cheap lawn staples at Lowe's, plus 500 feet of 17 guage aluminum electric fence wire for $9. The small diameter aluminum wire makes fine radials and gives good performance; best of all, it's a cheap ground system. My 140 foot Cobra Ultralite Senior at 40 feet outperforms the 4BTV for moste stateside contacts, but the Hustler really comes into its own on the long haul DX, where most of the time it equals or even betters the wire antena. Low angle radiaton really pays off for the long haul DX. It's a good, multiband antenna, but performance strictly depends on the quality of the radial system under the antenna.The only thing I have added to the antenna is the DX Engineering coaxial feet plate, so I can directly screw in a PL-259. That feed plate is well worth the 20 bucks I paid for it.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by WB4TJH on 2008-12-18

I used one of these 30 years ago, mounted on the house roof with radials, and was very happy with it. Recently, I acquired a newer, slightly used one, and ground mounted it with 8 radials to start. I have to say I am very, very, impressed. It does about the same job on long haul as my dipoles,even better in some directions, and fills in the spots where the dipoles are weakest. I measured it right from the book, installed it on a short metal fence post driven into the ground, connected radials just laid on the ground, and it works perfectly. I will probably add to my radial field, and bury them, as I go along, but overall, I have to say this is a fine antenna. At the prices it is available for from DX Engineering, is the best buy in a multi band vertical antenna, bar none. But DO install a good radial system under it. My radials, being on the ground, are not tuned lengths;most are random 25 to 30 feet or so long. I will probably add 30 meters and 17 meters to it in the future.
KK8ZZ Rating: 2010-06-12
Great Performer! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
NOTE UP FRONT THAT VERTICAL ANTENNAS OF THIS KIND WILL NOT WORK WELL WITHOUT SOME KIND OF RADIAL FIELD. Got the 4BTV used and added a few minor replacement parts from DX Engineering. I used the presets suggested in the instructions downloaded from DX Engineering (use those rather than the ones from Hustler). Though I probably have a little little touching up in length to do, the antenna loaded right up on 40 and I had a quick QSO with a W9 near Chicago. Note that I though I have a typically small suburban backyard, I laid down a radial field of 36 radial wires, each 32 feet long. DX Engineering suggests that it's better to lay down many radials of equal length that to try to cut radials to match bands. The 4BTV is quite unobtrusive in the back yard. I highly recommend the DXE radial plate and the tilt-over mount... makes raising and lowering the antenna MUCH easier and attaching the radials a simple and secure job. I'm VERY impressed with this simple, low cost vertical. DX Engineering seems to have the most experience setting these up, and I really recommend using their instructions and tuning tips.
KE7JFA Rating: 2010-05-09
Waste of time Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Looks impressive but tuning is a PITA.
I have limited space and cannot run a bunch of wires all over my yard.
You have to constantly screw around with this antenna,
If you have 300 acres than this antenna is for you.
Complete garbage.
You get a better SWR with a wire antenna.
Tried mounting on a mast and same results.
I am probably going to sell it for a decent antenna.

Cmon Hustler, get it together.
K1ESM Rating: 2010-01-03
Great antenna - simple, cheap, effective Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I am now at my second QTH with my Hustler 4BTV.

I decided to write this review after having my single most enjoyable day of being a ham operator. I just put my new Ameritron AL-811 amplifier in line with my trusty TS-2000. I tuned everything up for 14.280 MHz and called CQ after confirming the freq was no in use.

I did not get a pile-up, but instead had a steady stream of stations respond for around an hour. The great part was that the stations were located at many, many different angles and ranges and the vertical configuration of this antenna with ground radial handled this condition with ease.

I have the antenna mounted to a 4' water pipe pounded a couple feet into the ground. I purchased the antenna, fold-over bracket, ground radial plate, and radial kits from DX Engineering. It's great that they included the instructions for adjusting the traps, because that's what I needed to get the tuning correct with 24 32' ground radials. Once I adjusted the traps I had a great antenna that was resonant right where I wanted it with max SWR around 2.3:1.

I have since added the DX Engineering 17 Meter kit and the Hustler 75 Meter radial.

I was able to take the entire assembly down then re-install it in a new location without any breakage of any components. The antenna is rugged and well-built. I highly recommend the DX Engineering fold-over bracket if you are thinking about buying one of these (or any vertical) antennas. Also tuning is much easier with an antenna analyzer and getting true resonance as opposed to using the rig and running back and forth to check the SWR only.

Overall I love the price, durability, and simplicity of this antenna.
AB5NX Rating: 2009-11-19
Great Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
In 1990 I was given this Hustler 4-btv antenna.I was not a ham at the time and really had no use for it.The antenna laid out side against the house for for 10 years.We moved to the country and the antenna laid out in a field for another 10 years.My oldest son and I were cleaning up the yard when he found it.Covered in dirt and grime.Found out what it was on google. Rebuilt it including the traps,replacing the rivets with screws.Modified it to do 12 and 17 meters.Have just 8 radials mounted on ground and have the use of 6 bands at good swr.Works Great,have worked a lot of DX.It's a keeper. Dennis
KB3MUB Rating: 2009-11-17
4-btv Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
well i just put up this antenna on my roof with only 2 radial per band and so far im getting report of s9 plus live in philadelphia and done talking to florida s9 plus puerto rico same and work cople of states here so far so good im happy with it 73ssss