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Reviews For: Miracle Whip

Category: Antennas: HF Portable (not mobile)

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Review Summary For : Miracle Whip
Reviews: 68MSRP: 129.95
Description:
The all-band rig-mounted whip for the FT-817 (and lots of other radios too...)
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.miracleantenna.com/miracleWhip.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00683.9
KU4QW Rating: 2003-04-16
MIRACLE, YOU BET Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It's great when someone post numbers, of a product they don't own. Yes we all can post numbers and loss and gain. Who gives a hill of beans, it's not the numbers, numbers have nothing to do with Ham Radio, it's about what can you do with it, did it work, did they hear you, did you hear them.
I think this is the Greatest Antenna Design in the World!!! I don't have any numbers to back it up, but I can send little dots and dashs around the world with it, that is the Miracle.
Miracle Whip, you bet

73 -- Jim --- KU4QW --- QRP --- IN --- TENNESSEE
G0MEM Rating: 2002-10-29
This antenna is a miracle Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Absolutely brill antenna. Very useful if you spend a lot of time in hotels or apartments where you cant fit anything else in, very easy to carry and put in your pocket. Worked into Ontario and Boston, on 5 watts on 10M from Bristol England, using FT817, reports 59 both ways. Also contacts into Germany and France on 20M. The antenna does get out a lot better with a counterpoise, 8M of wire in my case. Only local contacts on 40M, well what do you expect for a 1.2M whip.
N2EXU Rating: 2002-04-05
It must be a Miracle Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Okay, I know that other antennas work better and there are statistics to prove it. But if I'm sitting INSIDE a hotel room in Albany, speaking to stations on the Gulf Coast, and it took me only ONE MINUTE to set up my FT-817 and the antenna... it must be a miracle.

I have travelled with a small radio around most of the country and very often I have not even bothered to set up the rig, antenna, counterpoise and tuner because I simply did not have the time. It takes less than a minute to set this station up now and I find I'm on the air more.

Convenience is the major selling point here. But remember, it's qrp. No guarantees: just you, a few electrons and the ionosphere. If the conditions are right; the antenna does work.

Have fun.

73,
Lonnie N2EXU
KK7WM Rating: 2001-12-15
OK Within Definite Limits Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
The debate over this antenna has become too polarized! The Miracle Whip is what it is. Depending on their expectations, people can legitimately be delighted or disappointed.

I offer the following observations:

1. The performance is very frequency dependent. The L-L tuner provides one adjustment (the inductance ratio) that affects two variables, i.e.the transformed R and X of the antenna. The simple tuning procedure gets you to a point of closest approach to 50 +j0. The degree of closeness (quality of the match)is frequency dependent.

2. At wavelengths below 20 M the match is quite good. For wavelengths higher than 20 M the match is quite poor and the antenna is of limited use. (The poorer match at the longer wavelengths is compounded by the reduced efficiency associated with the lower intrinsic impedance of the electrically shorter whip.) At 20 M the performance is usable but a bit marginal.The "delighted" reviews tend to describe their experiences at 17/15/10 M.

3. The hfpack portable antenna shootout data is interesting but it has significant limitations. It was not conducted over frequency, and it did not determine the optimum angle of radiation for each antenna. The -29dB relative performance figure has shock horror value but is not a useful indicator of overall performance.

4. The Miracle Whip is well made, very portable and does not put much stress on the FT817 rear antenna connector. I find it very convenient for casual operation on 15M and 10M.

I hope these observations will help to reconcile the different viewpoints that have been expressed.
N3GWZ Rating: 2001-12-14
Works for me Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've used the Miracle Antenna mostly on 17m - 6m. It's a great alternative to having to mess around with a bulky or awkward antenna if you just want to get on the air quickly to listen for band openings, enjoy working DX from the back yard, or wherever. My farthest contact: I've taken it hiking and worked Canary Island on 10m from the Appalachian trail and also heard South Africa 59 but he was going QRT before I could try to work him. I've used it with the FT-817: with the strap around my neck, the rig resting on my belly and the Miracle Antenna adjusted 45 degrees up from the ground.
G4ILO Rating: 2001-12-14
The best for portability and convenience Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Agreed! The Miracle Whip isn't the best performing small whip for the 817 but it is the smallest, lightest, easiest and most convenient to use, and among the cheapest. Yesterday I made a few QSOs on a cold, windy hilltop in the Lake District. No way could I be bothered to set up a different antenna with counterpoises just to make a few QSOs in cold like that. The MW winds hands down for convenience. I have written more on the Miracle Whip on my web page at www.qsl.net/g4ilo.
M0NAO Rating: 2001-12-13
Think the best whip for FT-817 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been using ATX whip with my FT-817 for a while, but never satisfied. As you might agree, ATX requires a long tail (counterpoise) and that's the worst part. I mainly listen to 40, 20 and 15m, and in order to be on the air, I always need to swap three different length leads around.
I was wondering if i'd better give up using ATX and go to a dipole thing, but didn't have to. I happened to visit a local shop in London and met this lovely antenna - smaller than ATX and no counterpoise required!! Of course I bought it straight away and tried it. As said, in 20 and 15m, SWR went to fairly low (perhaps around 1.5) even in the sitting room. In 40m, it was around 2.0, but perhaps it's because it was again inhouse. I assume it will be much better if I bring staffs outside. Anyway, I think it is a sort of 'must-have' thing!
WA1GJF Rating: 2001-08-17
Unique approach to a compact antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I built my Miracle Whip, rather than sending the $85.00 for it. Construction was simple, I used a rheostat wiper from an old speaker fader control, which kept the cost down. Performance: When you consider what this is, a very compact whip with a variable transformer at the base, it is a true compromise. Best results were with the Yaesu FT-817 on the roof of the car. The best performance was on 17 meters, with one contact 1500 miles away reporting a 5-3 up to a 5-7.(RI to CO) Checking into the Marine Net was frustrating, even with an ideal location. Is it worth it? Only if you are prepared for marginal performance. BTW, all contacts on SSB.