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Reviews For: VAN GORDEN 'ALL BANDER'

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : VAN GORDEN 'ALL BANDER'
Reviews: 19MSRP: 29.95
Description:
160-10 meter long wire antenna
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00194.6
K6CKD Rating: 2014-12-13
The way to go Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought a Van Gordon and loved it. At the new QTH I bought a G5RV. When I took it out of the package and saw that big can impedance matching device, I immediately put it on line and sold it. I bought another Van Gordon. I have a MFJ-986 Differential T tuner. I was talking to my buddy, W6IML who is about 25 air line miles away. He said, lets go on six meters. I said lets see if I can tune this Van Gordon on 6 meters. Zero SWR, Great QSO on 6 meters. It does everything. 160 thru 6 meters. Never tried 2 meters. LOL
W5DMT Rating: 2010-06-16
Great Deal for an Easy Entry to HF Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is my second one of these antennas. The first one got destroyed by a lightning strike, and I went with a more resonant solution which worked, but I think this works better.

I strung this between two trees at about 40 feet, and it seems to work well on 75M Phone. Even in the abysmal band conditions we're currently experiencing, I'm getting 20 over signal reports within 3 or 4 states and respectable reports further out. I'm running 100 Watts for my tests.
K1LLL Rating: 2009-07-16
A real bargain Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Put up this wire about three months ago. Short for an all band antenna so it is great for my QTH. Works really well so far. I have all but abandoned my small beam and my hustler vertical.
If you are cramped for space and cramped for budget, or even if not, I highly recommend this antenna.
NM2K Rating: 2009-02-04
An excellent, durable antenna at an affordable price Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My Van Gordon All Bander has been up for three years now and has survived some very strong wind/thunder storms without damage. Its apex is about 30 feet high with the ends down around seven feet high. I had to shorten the 450 ohm twinlead a bit, but it still works on every band, albeit sometimes ticklish to tune on the lowest bands with my MFJ-989C tuner. I am very impressed with its ability to work stations in close and very distant. Now if someone would make and sell an autotuner that would handle this antenna's excursions in impedance at a kilotwatt or so. I would be in absolute heaven.
KE7TRP Rating: 2008-11-01
Great antenna! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had this antenna up at 35ft horizontal across from my tower to a tree. I was shocked at how well this thing worked. I use a Johnson KW matchbox and get every band perfect. I then raised it to 65 feet horizontal. THe ends are pulled down as my lot size is to small. Tunes flat and works better than I imagined. Everytime I called during the World Wide DX contest, I got a call back instantly. Every single time.. On 80, 40, 20 and even 15 meters!

I have a resonant inverted L for 160 meters. Take the time to install one for 160 as the ALL BANDER is way way down on 160 due to its length.

Clark
KE4BFK Rating: 2007-05-26
SAVE BIG $$$$$ Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used 2 Van Gorden All Banders for the past 12 years with no problems at all.
They are up about 45 feet useing trees for supports.
I have used a mfj 941e tuner and 100 watts and have "Worked the world" from 10 meters thru 160 with good results.
I am now useing an mfj 989c tuner and an ameritron 811-H amp and still this antenna is working perfectly.I can work the same stations that the "Big Guns" can.
Lots of people don't like to use low loss ladder line but I put 10 amp aligator clips on mine for easier connecting.
I use 2 Van Gordens because as with all dipoles they are directional.I run one north /south and one east/west.It is fast and easy to change the direction of my signal.
Plus you also get db gain the higher in frequency you go for the size of the antenna in wavelengths of the band you are operateing(10 12 15 17 20 30 40 meters).
This antenna is not a beam but with db gain comes directivity.
This antenna works great on 160 meters but don't forget that you will need a tuner as the manufacturer warrants.
You can't beat this antenna for the price !!!!
K4HX Rating: 2007-04-13
A Good Compromise Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
All-Band antennas offer the convenience of versatility and economy, but usually at a compromise in performance. I expected that going in. To expect otherwise is foolish, or perhaps at best nieve, I thought. What I got was adequate performance most of the time, with occassional surprises. The surprises were both positive and negative. First, the positives:

I needed an antenna for a temporary installation while construction on a new ham shack & tower was underway, and figured an all-band dipole would suffice for a little hamming now and then in the meantime.

Once installed, (inverted-vee style from a PVC mast on a 2-story roof @ 48') I was delighted to get some "big" signal reports! A few DX-peditions came on the air, and I thought "why not"? To my amazement, I was able to work them despite the huge pileups! It took patience (and a little help from a Drake L-7) but I finally got through (VU7 & N8S). Encouraged, I have gone on to work over 100 countries on my "temporary" setup.

Another positive I have discovered is that the antenna quite easily tunes with my Palstar 1500CV antenna tuner on all bands 3.5 Mhz through 21 Mhz. The 24 Mhz and 28 Mhz bands require a little "tweaking" to achieve minimum SWR. The antenna seems pretty much equal to a monoband dipole on nearly all bands, especially 80 and 40 Meters.

On the negative side, my experience with the 450 ohm ladder-line is two things: First, ladder-line is a little more difficult to install than coax due, in part, to the need of avoiding proximity with metal, hence my choice of PVC pipe for the supporting mast (guyed with Dacron rope) instead of a steel mast. Finding a pathway into the shack required boring a 1.5" hole through the wall, and inserting a one-foot long PVC pipe therin. The ladder-line fit through the pipe easily, and I stuffed pink fiberglass insulation in there to seal out the weather. Caulking around the pipe completed a neat through-the-wall installation, pleasing my XYL.

Second, and perhaps the only reason I have not rated the antenna a "5," is that although carefully installed and properly grounded, my rig suffers from a little bit of RF in the audio on some (but not all) bands when using this antenna. Occasionally, when running a killowatt on CW, my Icom-765's built-in keyer sometimes hangs up. Doesen't happen often, and never on the lower bands, but on 15 Meters and above, it happens enough to warrant reducing power in order to clear up the problem. I have also set off the house smoke alarms a few times when transmitting with high power. Most of the time I just choose to operate barefoot to avoid RF problems. I am able to work 95% of the stations I call with only 100 watts, so it's no big deal.

In conclusion, I have to say that I am pleased with the All-Bander. Once my tower is finished, I will be using the All-Bander far less, but I have had a ton of fun with it so far. It's a good compromise antenna for the investment, about 40 dollars.

73,
Dave - K4HX
K6SDW Rating: 2006-08-16
After 18 years... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Moving forced me to take it down after 18+ years in the air -- still working FB. Solder connections were weathered but solid as the day I put it up.

Always tuned every band pumping a 1kw into the antenna - and performed as I would expect an all-band dipole would!

Can't ask for much more from an antenna....

73 All!
WB7QXU Rating: 2004-12-12
Proven Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned 2 of these same antenna's, both installed at about 80-90ft in tall trees. one is N-S and other E-W orintation. and I can't complain, I often break pile ups, and often am asked what are you using. I worked VU4 with ease on 20 & 15m and many others 3B9 80-17m. I give great credit to ladder line use it has a .97 velocity factor. much better than coax. But I have a nice antenna tuner set up, and no metal near the balanced line, This is NOT coax, you must treat it different, watchout it reacts to any metal near by. also since ladder line weight is so low it allows it to be hung so hight in the trees with no sagging in the middle. A coax ant will not work in this installation and would sag and be a v ant. But I love ladderline, and I am just totally amazed on the dx I have worked. I have had yagi's quads' carolina windoms, dipoles, verticals. all in all This antenna is really a great performer. if you have the space and trees you need this antenna
W4IKR Rating: 2004-10-31
Maybe it was just me. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Tried trimming ladder line to an odd 1/8 wavelength and other remedies. Could not get it to load on 40 at all. Did pretty good on all other bands. Took it down and replaced with homebrew Windom type antenna.
(long side = 85 ft, short side = 45 ft, with 4:1 balun.) This Windom is the BEST wire antenna I have EVER had and it loads 80 thru 10 great. Worked many DX stations during CQWW contest using 80 watts from Atlas 210X. I'm a happy camper now.