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Reviews For: Sandpiper MV10

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Sandpiper MV10
Reviews: 27MSRP: (£135 sterling)
Description:
British-made compact multi-band vertical antenna covering all HF bands plus 6m.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.sandpiperaerials.co.uk
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00274.5
2E0TAW Rating: 2006-10-02
V3+ 2 (10-20 Mtr.) Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased this vertical about two months ago and have just ordered the coil for 80 meteres. It is mounted about 3 meters high so that it overlooks my garage roof. I have ran random wires over the roof as my earth is poor. This a/e works very well and has opended up a whole new range of contacts for me. I also have a half size G5RV as my other a/e at 20 feet. The service from Sandpiper has been excellent the product is very well made and should stand the test of time. My queries have been dealt with efficiency and understanding. If you need a vertical go Sandpiper.
Terry
2E0TAW
G4ABX Rating: 2005-07-19
What a great little antenna! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I didn't believe it would work -- its just too short! --- but it does (work that is) and the guy at the manufacturers is so helpful.
My antenna arrived wrapped in more packaging than seemed absolutely necessary, but even with that, the delivery company managed to damage the heat shrink sleeving on the 80m coil. No problem, a quick call to Sandpiper and a replacement was in the post -- free of charge! I was impressed.
To try the antenna out I strapped it to my garden fence -- at 4 ft off the ground, (with no ground conductor and no radials) adjusted the lengths for each trapped radiator, plugged it into my FT-847 and --- It worked. SWR <2:1 and with a bit of adjustment, <1.2:1 on the bits of the bands I was interested in (I have the 80m plus all the WARC bands version)
Next job is to cut some radials (I'm told 40M 1/4 waves are best) and fix it to the side of the house at about 8M high.
-- and I still can't believe it works being so small.
I'll update the review in a few months.
G6WYH Rating: 2005-04-23
Excellent Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I will tuck this review in here but mine is the V Mk111 version.
The V4+3 is 14 feet six inches tall and covers all bands, 10, 12, 15,17, 20, 30, 40,
The antenna is well constructed and easy to tune up, the VSWR is less then 1.7:1 across the whole of all bands,except 10m where I could not get it below 2:1
When tuning up the 18 MHz element I heard a JA calling and I went back to him with 10w, quite impressed when he gave me 5,4
I find the antenna quiet compared to other verticals
Since then I have worked most of the world on it, it has stood up well with no signs of deteroration
Have even managed VK and JA on 40m.
Would I buy another one, yes, but I don't think I will need to yet.
G7MVJ Rating: 2004-11-20
Had problems but looking good for future! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hi,

I recently picked up an MV10 at the llandudno rally & just come around to assembling it. I've had a few issues, one which is major & thought others would be interested.

1/ Instructions for assembly are very poor. They really need to identify each section clearly and how to put them all together - I followed the diagram and had parts left over! Worked it out in the end but had problems sussing it out.

2/ I cannot tune the 17 mtr section as the screw to align the element decided to come with no head!! Awaiting feedback from sandpiper on this one.

3/ The SO239 socket was loose - not a big deal but was unusable as it was. Could really do with a locknut to secure. Also the plate that holds the socket does not make a good connection with only one screw - i'm going to have to fit another screw on there to make it secure.

Apart from that it receives really well, can't get anyone to respond to me yet (god knows why though!) but time will tell.

This is my 2nd HF vertical, the 1st being a Diamond CP5 but I never got around to using it due to it's size. The MV10 is so compact and actually looks very good in my garden. Just got it installed about 3ft above ground fixed into a parasol base of all things with a 5ft copper rod driven into the ground as an earth.
G7HRQ Rating: 2003-09-27
Sandpiper Website Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Sandpiper website address is :-

http://www.sandpiperaerials.co.uk
M3NLY Rating: 2002-04-21
Nice and easy to use Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have to agree with the other comment the performance per £ exceeded my expectations. Even loads up on the whole 160 meters with an auto atu (time to use from opening the packet - 0.5 hrs, I haven't fine tuned it yet, the auto atu copes with it all)
M0CQG Rating: 2001-04-04
Brilliant performer for its size Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been searching for the Holy Grail for some time now - a super-compact antenna that performs well. At last, I think I've found it.

The MV10 is made by Sandpiper Communications, a small company in Wales, and is sold as a compact vertical antenna for both permanent and portable installations.

At just under 14' in height it is very small indeed, and collapses down to just a few feet should you wish to take it on your travels. It's light and extremely strong, using thick-walled aluminium tubing for most of the construction. It covers all bands from 160m through 6m inclusive.

The bottom vertical section, which forms just under half the overall height of the antenna, is resonant on six meters. At the top of this section there are eight horizontal loaded radials with adjustable whips which tune the antenna to resonance on each of the bands from 80m to 10m. The longest radial is for 80m, and is around 3' in length. The top half (well, a little more than half) of the antenna comprises a loaded vertical section which tunes the antenna to resonance on 160m, with an adjustable rod at the top for fine tuning. There are no ground radials, although the literature suggests a quarter-wave counterpoise wire for each band. The overall design is extremely compact and very easy on the eye - I seriously doubt that any neighbour could possibly object to this.

Setting up the MV10 is very straightforward. After hammering a suitable mounting post into the ground, erecting the antenna took just a few minutes. Fine tuning the resonance on each band took me about an hour and a half, but would have taken much less if I hadn't loaned my MFJ-259B analyser to my father (doh!). To set the resonant frequencies, you have to adjust the length of the whips for each band. These slide in and out of the loaded radials and are tightened into place once correctly adjusted. As with other similar antenna designs, there is a certain amount of interaction between bands when making these adjustments. It's best to start by adjusting the 160m rod, then 80m, 40m etc. I found that I had to physically trim a couple of the whips in order to bring the point of resonance in-band, but this is probably due to nearby metallic objects interacting with the antenna.

In the short time I've been using the MV10 I have been pleasantly surprised by its performance. I've worked plenty of DX on 10, 12, 15, 17, 20 and 30m. I've also worked some 'semi-DX' on 40m, as well as plenty of UK and European contacts at distances up to 1500 miles or so. When you consider that I haven't installed any counterpoise wires yet (I'm currently using just three 4' ground stakes at a radius of 3' from the antenna), these results are impressive. I've only managed UK contacts on 80m and 160m thus far, but haven't spent a great deal of time on these bands. The reports I've had, though, would suggest that DX should be possible when conditions are good. I haven't tried the antenna on 6m yet, but I'm told that performance on this band is just as good.

My only gripe (and a minor one at that) is the narrow bandwidth on 160m, 80m and 40m, where a tuner is essential if full band coverage is required. This is unavoidable in such a compact, loaded design, and doesn't bother me as I have auto-tuners both internal and external to my various radios.

I am extremely impressed with the quality and performance of this antenna, particularly considering the price (£135 sterling, or just under US$200, at the time of writing). I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone looking for a compact, high performance vertical.

For the record, I have absolutely no connection with, or interest in, Sandpiper Communications - I'm just a happy customer!

They do not have a web site at present, but for anyone who is interested they can be contacted by phone on +44 (0)1685 870425.