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Reviews For: Ed Fong TBJ-1 triband vertical

Category: Antennas: VHF/UHF+ Omnidirectional: verticals, mobile, etc

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Review Summary For : Ed Fong TBJ-1 triband vertical
Reviews: 14MSRP: 60
Description:
7' tall PVC antenna with UHF female or N female connector on the bottom.
Antenna has low SWR on 2m, 220 and 440 bands.
Product is in production
More Info: http://edsantennas.weebly.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00144.7
WA4SUP Rating: 2022-03-03
I’m calling it a quad-bander Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My SWR on all three advertised bands is less than 1.5. And usually more like 1.2. Additionally, my SWR on 6 m is between 1.9 and 2.1. Not optimal, but usable. My 6 m mobile capable of 50 W allows 37 W out of that antenna. If I can hear them I can work them. Well done Ed. Again.
KC7MAW Rating: 2021-11-08
Achieves it's stated goals Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
It works as advertised, pretty much.

1. I put a Rigexpert on it and the VSWR bandwidths that are advertised are optimistic; that being said, the antenna adequately functions on the intended segments of the bands as stated on the Web site.

2. The 220 capability is provided by a Helical Dipole. If you want to retune that bad boy, set aside some time and patience to dial it in. Lots of trial and error with the compression and expansion of the helical structure of the dipole. I wanted to move the resonant frequency on 220 and it took me 18 iterations before I got there.

3. Be aware, the SO-239 connector is not weather proof and the mast comes with the end caps unsealed and not glued/cemented in place. That's probably best for maintenance and tuning if need be, but if left in the rain, you will get water inside the mast down by the feedpoint. I would recommend a bead of calk or something without gluing the end cap, that way it can be worked on or adjusted without too much trouble n the future.

It gets the job done on 3 bands. It's a great value overall. You can't beat the price!!!!

UPDATE 11/7/2021 - In regards to the 220 capability. I've experienced, on two occasions thus far, that over time the resonant frequency likes to creep down. I think it might be inherent in the design being a hand wound helical dipole. Springs have memory and I can only speculate at this moment that over time the dipole begins to stretch back out a bit.
W5NM Rating: 2021-11-03
No Problems Now Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased one of Mr. Fong's triband verticals because
every time I spend my hard earned money on a Comet
or MFJ or Diamond antenna, I get an antenna that
has VSWR problems and is frequently unusable.
It appears to me that these foreign and MFJ antenna
manufacturers do not tune their antennas.... period.
The SWR is always ok on one end of the band and very
high on the other or one band is OK and the other band
is not usable. I am simply tired of spending hundreds
of dollars on new antennas that I have to re-engineer.
the TBJ-1 may not have much gain, but at least my
transceiver won't be in danger of being destroyed...
Thank You Ed Fong...

Carmine W5NM
SWL377 Rating: 2019-10-02
Simple, inexpensive and works well. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Ed knows his stuff. He has a PhD in EE and has taught at UC Berkeley. Ed makes no wild claims about the performance of his antennas. They are not high gain, have no ground radials and no traps. They are cheap, durable and really easy to use. They have a loyal following and are an ideal choice for many applications. You aren't gonna do moonbounce with these, but for everyday VHF UHF comms, they cant be beaten value-wise. Ed is a really nice guy and cares about his customers. If you have a problem he will make it right. Problems are unklely, however, due to the simplicty of the product and good QC. They can take a beating without breaking. Join the thousands who are happy Ed Fong antenna users. I am one of them.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by SWL377 on 2019-10-01

Ed knows his stuff. He has a PhD in EE and has taught at UC Berkeley. Ed makes no wild claims about the performance of his antennas. They are not high gain, have no ground radials and no traps. They are cheap, durable and really easy to use. They have a loyal following and are an ideal choice for many applications. You aren't gonna do moonbounce with these, but for everyday VHF UHF comms, they cant be beaten value-wise. Ed is a really nice guy and cares about his customers. If you have a problem he will make it right. Problems are unklely, however, due to the simplicty of the product and good QC. They can take a beating without breaking. Join the thousands who are happy Ed Fong antenna users. I am one of them.
KI4VLW Rating: 2019-10-01
Excellent tri-band antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I am using this antenna with a 25W tri-band QYT radio. I have the antenna on a 20ft mast and even running 25W I am getting very good signal reports from repeaters over 50 miles away and I live in a valley in the mountains of Western NC. I highly recommend this antenna and using hose clamps fastened it securely to my 20 ft mast quickly and easily.
N1OEY Rating: 2019-04-12
Great antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought this on the advice of one of our club members and for the cost it is a great antenna. I have it mounted on the peak of our roof with Belden 9913.

iCom 2730 in the shack for my VHF/UHF radio and I get amazing reports from others. I also use it in conjunction with a iCom desktop mic and an iCom external speaker but the signal quality I get and send are great.

As a side note when you patronize Ed Fong's antennas it goes to help his students. That's a plus to me.
KB6TYN Rating: 2018-06-06
Awsome Value Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I use this antenna on my traveling repeater. It works as well, if not better than some commercial antennas I have tried. Very easy to assemble.
KK6DUO Rating: 2018-06-06
Best Antenna I Have Ever Used Hands Down Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been using this antenna for well over a year now and I just can't say enough great things about it. I have been using this antenna with FT-60. I use it in my cabin in the Sierra's.

I plan to buy another one soon. 5 Stars all the way!
N6MQF Rating: 2018-06-06
Awesome Antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have own the TBJ-1 now for 6 months and love it. It has good SWR on all three bands.

It is simple to put up and serves my purpose of hitting all the local repeaters on all three bands.

This antenna was a perfect companion for my BTECH UV25x4. Not too expensive, yet very functional.

You also can’t beat the price at $60.
KX4IZ Rating: 2018-05-02
Great Antenna! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased an Ed Fong Triband antenna, and wow, what a difference it made
over my ground plane quarter wave. I went from scratchy audio to full
quieting. I have it mounted on a 20 foot mast, I'm 23 miles from the
repeater, and everyone says my audio is perfect.

I also purchased one of his commercial (155Mhz) antennas for my scanner, and my
scanner has never sounded so good.

Ed was great with his customer service, I am very happy with this antenna,
and would recommend it to anyone.