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Reviews For: SIGMA X-80 VERTICAL HF AERIAL

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : SIGMA X-80 VERTICAL HF AERIAL
Reviews: 8MSRP: 88 POUNDS
Description:
10 METERS TO 80 METERS
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0083.1
5B4ANU Rating: 2022-12-27
Great for the price Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've been using this antenna for 2 years now and have had zero issues with it. Made plenty of long range contacts using 5-20w from Cyprus to Brazil , Japan ,USA. I've changed the hose clamps with ones with thumb screws, so it's easier to take down when needed. The antenna is mounted on my roof using an umbrella stand, and some wire to hold the pole in place when it gets windy.
NY0K Rating: 2022-02-06
Little antenna, big signal - until it melts Time Owned: more than 12 months.
UPDATED FEB 2022: Like some folks on here, running 80 watts ends up melting the UNUN. I would avoid this antenna.

My original coax was cut in half by a lawnmower last autumn, so today I went out to replace the cable. I brought out my trusty SWR analyzer and the antenna is not resonant anywhere. I looked underneath at the SO259 and noticed the entire unit is all melted. The components are not made properly or with quality materials. Save your money and get something with a better reputation and better craftsmanship. I'm just glad it didn't catch fire or feed back and take out my radio.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I wanted to get back on the air for the 2019 CQWW-WPX on SSB so I picked up this inexpensive vertical. I wasn't expecting much, to be honest. I mounted it on a farm fence T-post in my back yard. Assembled fast and was pre-marked. It was a bit windy when I put it up (25mph gusts) but the antenna just wiggled a little, nice and sturdy. I worked 196 stations during the contest including Slovakia and Ireland. What was the most surprising was the way I was able to bust pileups with less than 100 watts. Everyone I could hear clearly came back within a couple of calls. I was planning on giving this away after my Hex-beam arrived but I think I'm going to hang on to this little gem. One funny thing was I also had a new LDG tuner. I tuned the antenna for 20 meters and it said it was in bypass mode. I thought my tuner was a lemon, but it turned out the antenna was 1:1 on 20m. Didn't take much to tune the antenna on all frequencies, although it had to work a bit to load up 15m. Still, I worked a lot of new DX on 15 with no problems after the tuner found the magic spot. I recommend this antenna.
G6PWS Rating: 2022-01-24
Not very GOOD Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Purchased in October 2020
UNUN burnt out in April 2021, in touch with Paul at Sigma who informed me that this has never happened before, saying that it should not be used on digital modes? and nothing above 150 watts, He agreed to send me a new UNUN for a cheaper price of £30.00 plus £5 postage. OK i agreed and paid my money. new part arrived and i fitted. I also had purchased the PLUS-Kit for the antenna at £65.00 - so i didnt really want to discard it.
I then contacted other hams in my group that had one and lo and belhold 4 had the same problem, one even replied that he had a new uprated (1Kw) UNUN for free?
I run a FT991a with a maximum output of 100 watts and via power meter only show a max of 80 watts. and as this is advertised as a 200 watt antenna thought no problems. After talking on the phone with Paul and him telling me that it was "No Good for Digital, and keep my QSO's to a minimum" i caom to wish i had not bothered.
Well, 22nd January 2022 it burnt out again!!?? contacted Paul all he suggests is i "BUY" the uprated UNUN for £55.95 plus £3.90 postage.
I have contacted hime again asking is this his final offer and if i get the wrong reply the antenna is heading to the scrap yard. We will wait and see.
I would not recommend this antenna kit to anyone.
K7IN Rating: 2021-05-23
A good value for the money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Added 5-23-21 After using this antenna for almost three weeks, I have to say it is working very well. It is mounted just 8-ft from the back of my house and 12-ft from my neighbors north wall. It does very well on 30m and higher bands. 40m performance is good but, it shows a little less output. 80m performance only shows 65% efficiency but, it does tune the entire band with my LDG AT-100Pro ATU. I would recommend this antenna to anyone without good spare for other types of antennas. I don't think you will be disappointed.
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I purchased this antenna in December of 2020 and had great hopes it would perform as expected since I don't have an ideal place to install it. Finally, I was able to install it in the best location I could come up with, ground-mounted, behind my house, only about 8' off the back wall and about 12' from my neighbor. So, I will be limiting my power to around 75w output.

I have an LDG AT-100Pro ATU that I use with it and so far, I am pretty satisfied with how it tunes and seems to function as advertised. I can easily tune the full bandwidth to 1:1 or less on all bands except 10m but, even there it is still less than 1.2 to one. I have only made one contact on 30m (my only attempt so far) and received a decent report from a station 1400 miles away.

This antenna does what it claims and is adequate for what it is intended to do. I installed a 1:1 UNUN about 4' down the coax from my transmitter to eliminate any chance of common mode RF coming back and that has also proven to be of good benefit with this antenna.

In summary, it is a decent value for the price when compared to other vertical antennas on the market that require a ground plane to even be functional. My only negative comment would be that the hardware is poorly packaged in a light plastic bag which was loose inside the carton and all the pieces were scattered and loose inside, with a few missing. I opted to replace their "U" bolts with U.S. made stainless steel that only required drilling the holes in the mount a little larger. I may add some light-weight nylon ropes at about the mid-point to support the vertical during our windy season as a bit of insurance against it being folded over by a large gust of wind.
K1TGO Rating: 2020-08-28
Big signal for small money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Ordered from the UK and was delivered in Texas 3 days later. Bolted it to a 6 foot chain-link fence (probably not ideal) and worked all over the US on 20, 40 and 80M and as far as Slovenia (59 at both ends) on 20M, using 100 watts from an Icom 706. Tunes every band at 1.3 or lower, including 160M thru an LDG AT-100ProII. The tuner often goes into bypass due to low SWR.
Only issue to having to take down a 20 foot length of aluminum for windy weather. It's not telescopic, so removing that pole is fun!
N4XMZ Rating: 2020-06-09
So far, not so good Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Believe me. I'd love to be as surprised and happy as everybody but it hasn't worked for me (yet). I am not through. I am giving it the full measure to be heard - mainly because things have been very noisy on all bands.

Before I purchased, I watched all the vids on youtube where a Scot in the UK turns on the rig to a perfectly quiet frequency where the ham that sounds like he is next door but is in Romania, shoots him a 10 over signal report. Then, I read the amazing news about "just put it together - no poise, no ground radials. no grounding... just key up and let the world behold you!"

IT HASN'T WORKED FOR ME. I first put it on a 20-foot mast and immediately got trial by fire. An unexpected storm with 60 mph winds put this very light aluminum antenna into a hula spin. It hung in but if the storm had been stronger and longer, the antenna would have been somewhere else in my neighborhood. This has me wondering if I should have paid more to get the much sturdier fiberglass version and might the performance have been at least a few db higher than lackluster?

After the storm, It is sitting on a ten-foot mast attached to my anchored 4x4 wooded fence post at the side of my house. It is fed on 213 coax into my 7300 Icom. The SWR seems to fluctuate even on pre-tuned frequencies but floats from 1:1 to 1:5 AND ONE TIME AUTO TUNED ON 80, IT flipped up to over 2 = and higher. Conclusion? None yet. but so far, does not live up to the cheering parades for me. I miss my old OCF Buckmaster when talking over the globe was like eating a candy bar.
NU8U Rating: 2017-04-06
Sigma X-80 Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Recently moved into a senior housing complex. I have my X-80 mounted on the steel railing of my 4th floor balcony. The building has a metal roof and while the vertical is 24 inches away from the roof edge, it still works quite well. As situated, the tip of the X-80 is 65-70 feet above ground. Fed with RG-8X, and running 100 watts, I have worked stations all over Europe, Central and S. America even with the HF band condx in the pits. For an easy to assemble and economical priced antenna, I would recommend the X-80 in a minute. I'm located in central Michigan. Don W8WOJ
G4REK Rating: 2016-05-23
VERY GOOD Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
10 to 80 meters vertical hf aerial.....can be used on 160 meters by adding a 65 foot wire to the top section...running horizontally ..how


































Can be used on 160 meters by adding a 65 foot wire to the top section...how????? easy a wire attached to a magnet locking onto the top jubilee clip.....to remove just give it a tug..works great