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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
KG4URD Rating: 2002-12-02
KG4URD Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've got one of these about 20ft. off the ground and use it as our clubs EchoLink "Link" antenna that communicates with our repeater 25 miles away and does a good job only running 5 watts of power! Used an analyzer to tune. Could only achieve a 1.3:1 VSWR.
K2XH Rating: 2002-08-03
cheap and works Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
guess what it works like a 5/8 wave vertical and for 20$ at a hamfest, if it lasts a few years all the better.
KC8RAJ Rating: 2002-02-13
great little antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
THE GOOD:This antenna has really great recieve...i have it on the second floor of my house(inside)and i can hear repeaters 60+ miles away and i can hit them too!

THE BAD: It's construction is very light weight,if the radials were to ever be hit with heavy ice, i feel they would either bend or snap off.You also have to watch out when assembling this antenna,inside of the antenna feedline box,there is a coil that does the matching? anyhow, when you attach the radials, you have to make sure the screws dont touch the coil...i had to take a screw driver and pry the coil up a little so it would not touch that screw. otherwise you could risk destroying your radio.
one more complaint,i bought this antenna NEW from hamradio outlet,when i recieved it....i opened up the FACTORY sealed MFJ box and to my suprise it was missing all four ground radials. Luckily the good people (barry) at HRO sent a fax to MFJ and got my missing radials for me.

Out of a 10 i give this antenna a score of 8
this antenna will give all those $100.00+ antenna a run for their money.
KA4RQB Rating: 2001-08-15
Great low-cost antenna for the attic! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought one of these two years ago for $19.95 and installed it in the attic of my 2-story house outside Richmond, Virginia. Using 50 watts I can hit everything in a 50-mile radius and frequently check into nets on two wide-area repeaters about 100 miles away. It may not be the most attractive antenna in the world, and I doubt its survivability in high winds, but it does fine in the attic!
KC0FKC Rating: 2001-07-13
Works great at 8 feet up Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Within the last 24 hours I recieved and installed this antenna temporarily on a fence post. I was concerned that I would need to tune the antenna, so I mounted it near the ground so I could reach it. It turned out, however, that my concern was unfounded.

This antenna came to me from AM-COM Inc. with a 4 foot PVC pipe strapped to the outside of the antenna box. I'm not sure that is a standard part of the antenna, as it was not listed in the product description or instructions, but it was much appreciated.

Assembly was difficult only due to the small space in the box at the base of the antenna and my large fingers. It took me approximately 20 minutes to assemble.

I have a wooden picket fence about 4 feet tall which I connected the PVC pipe to using zip ties (like I said, temporary). I then ran my coax into the shack and hooked it up through an SWR meter to my 2m rig. After calibrating the SWR, I flipped the switch fully expecting a 1.5 or 2 to one reading at 146.000 MHz, but was pleasantly surprised when the needle settled at 1.0 to 1. Since I work several locals on 146.400, I tried that frequency also, and the needle didn't stray from 1. I didn't bother testing any other frequencies, as my primary purpose for the antenna was to work 146.400 simplex.

I plan on elevating this antenna to the apex of my roof soon. I intend on following up several months down the road to let you know how it holds up!

Upside:
* LOW COST, only 20 bucks
* No tuning was required; perfect SWR! (YMMV)
* Came with a PVC pipe to mount on. That may have been an "extra" that AM-COM included, though.

Downside:
* Assembly is tricky if you have big, clumsy fingers like me. 20 minutes tops, for most folks.