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Reviews For: MFJ-1750 5/8 wave ground plane 2m base antenna

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

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Review Summary For : MFJ-1750 5/8 wave ground plane 2m base antenna
Reviews: 35MSRP: 24.95
Description:
* 5/8 wave radiator gives maximum gain for any single element antenna
* Shunt feed gives lowest SWR and bleeds off static
* Rapid-Tune Radiator makes tuning quick and easy
* Ceramic insulator gives lowest RF loss
* MFJ's Permanent Molecular Bonding Technology gives super durable finish
* Handles 300 watts -- more than you'll ever need
* Easy to install on any 1 to 1 1/2 inch mast
* One year unconditional NO MATTER What guarantee (tm)
* Made in U.S.A.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mfjenterprises.com/products.php?prodid=MFJ-1750
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00354
W0BKR Rating: 2007-06-12
Worst Quality Control Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Well, after phone calls, e-mails, nothing. No replacement parts for my antenna. The antenna I received via AES, has parts from two antennas in the mix. The chassis cover doesn't fit and I cannot erect this "antenna" (looks like coat hanger wire) due to the incorrect hardware. Come to expect lousy customer service from MFJ.
KE4RWS Rating: 2007-05-25
One of MFJ's Successess Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased my antenna nearly five years ago with the intention of running packet or APRS with it. It was quickly employed running my home APRS station with a Yaesu FT-2600M and a Kantronics KPC-3 attached to it. After assembling the antenna I noticed the antenna connector was mounted sideways, which I found a little odd not to mention the somewhat box-like base assembly where everything finally fits together. Given these seemingly strange design oddities I placed the antenna around 40 feet on a pole and let it do its thing.

After five years of nearly continuous use as a data antenna with regular 60-watt VHF bursts of APRS data I can say this appears to be, despite the one or two oddities about it, an excellent product during the time I’ve owned it. I might add the materials have held up equally as well over the past five years. Someone wrote in an earlier review they expected the radials to rust or corrode in no time, which I have to admit I too thought this might happen over the years but it hasn’t. The radials today are as unblemished as the day I assembled it and put the antenna in service.

Purchase price five years ago was $20 but I see the price at the time of this writing is now $30. I can say the money I spent for this antenna was well worth it, and provided today’s antenna is the same as the one I bought five years ago, I personally feel it would be a good buy at its current market price due to my experience with this model.

MFJ has definitely had some questionable products over the years with numerous quality issues to boot but I can say this model appears to perform as they say it’s supposed to with excellent longevity characteristics. The only caveat I could mention would be if MFJ has changed its manufacturing materials in such a way that would change this product in one way or another. Can’t tell you how many times I fell in love with a particular product only to find my next purchase of the same item turned out to be a real POS.

Hopefully MFJ still makes the same product today as five years ago :)


Randy Evans
KE4RWS
KE5DWU Rating: 2007-03-15
Works great! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a great little antenna and I highly reccommend it. I've had mine for two years now and not one single issue at all. I'm sure there may be some better performing antennas out there, but for $25 you can't beat it. Very simple and rugged.
KG6POG Rating: 2006-06-09
Great for the money Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
For a $24.00 5/8ths wave base antenna pretuned to be at or under 1.5.1. I was very surprised to see it does what it claims.
I've replaced a Diamond CP-22E after three years and two antennas. The Diamond antennas might! have hit a couple of distant repeaters a little better than the MFJ, but having to replace them every spring was just too much.
Plus the SWR on the CP-22E was always a little too high at the top of the band and there was no way to tune the antenna. My local repeater is at 147.330, and the SWR with the CP-22E was just a little below 3.0.1 right out of the box on both of them I've owned.
KC9HNY Rating: 2005-06-19
What's Not to Like? Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
It's inexpensive. All the parts were there. SWR is about 1.3 to 1. It works as expected.

If you need a cheap 2M base antenna, I think this is the way to go. Not much to say, because it works and works well.
N8FXH Rating: 2005-06-12
very good Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Worked a repeater 50 miles Southeast of me in hilly West Virginia when testing SWR and antenna was six feet off the ground. Once up can work repeaters as much as 65 miles away. Construction was easy and even got an extra screw(I checked my construction twice and it was an extra). Will report on use after several months. Great Value dollar for Dollar
KF4HPY Rating: 2005-01-22
Does well. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had two of these for four years, and have had friends who owned them also. I replaced them when I went to dual band. I had the first at the house. the second in the mountains and a third in my disaster relief kit. We used one thrust out an upper story window at Red Cross in Brooklyn during 911. It is a set and forget unit. It seems to reach out just a little farther than the plain jane ground plane antennas. Wind, rain, ice and transporting have no effect. Bend it and srraighten it, use it, no problem.
Ed KF4HPY
N1UMJ Rating: 2005-01-22
Good antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought this antenna for my packet station thinking I could stick it in the attic, it didn't fit but I bent the radials and made it fit and SWR is still perfect, works at least as well if not better then anything else I've used on 2 meters, range is great and I think if/when I get out of packet again I'll find another use for that antenna, well worth the money I'd recomend it for what I use it for, I'm not sure if it would hold up well outside up high in my neighborhood with the wind and snow in the winter. Only complaint is, when I got it the screws that hold the coil in place and the SO-239 were either not tight or not there, I found the missing ones in the box, got it together and it worked just fine.
K4AXX Rating: 2003-08-12
A Lot Of Bang For The Buck Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Have had one of these up for a year. Mounted on the back patio roof connected to the little wooden mast it came with. It works, and it works well. Highly recommended!
K6NXI Rating: 2003-08-12
Great Antenna! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Wonderful value for the money. 25 bucks and you've got a great 2 meter base antenna. I got mine stuck in the trees on accident and bent the center element a bit but it's ok. Didn't snap the porcelain fortunately. I can key the repeaters with 5 watts no problem. Without adjusting the antenna the swr is real low around 144 and 148 and then rises up around 1.5 or 1.6 around 146 So it kind of peaks in the middle. So, I was quite thrilled to discover I didn't need to adjust it! :)) Antenna is very light and works great on a 21 foot pole(1 ft is in the dirt), clamped to the side of the house.