| KE4SKY |
Rating:  |
2001-09-04 | |
| One is Good, TWO are Better! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I use portable dipoles made from Hamsticks as my regular RACES field setup, mostly on 75 and 40 meters, and have used them with good results for portable contest ops on 20, 17, 15 and 10 where the hamsticks perform VERY well.
At lower frequencies they are not very efficient, but they have their place if there are no trees and you need to set up in an open area, alone and in the dark. Performance is "acceptable" on 40 and it's better than not getting on the air at all on 75 if you live in a townhouse with a small attic and need to hide the antennas from the neighborhood anrtenna Nazis. Several of our operators who live in antenna restricted areas use them to check into our State RACES nets.
The hamstick dipole does work better on 75 than a single vertical whip on the mobile because it is horizontally polarized, making it more suitable for high-angle, NVIS operation. Virginia RACES has a fact sheet on the hamstick dipole which I am willing to email to anyone upon request.
73 de KE4SKY
Virginia State RACES Training Officer
reply to ed.harris@co.fairfax.va.us |
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| W3BUG |
Rating: |
2001-09-04 | |
| Fantastic Results |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Just moved into a new QTH and put up a temporary antenna consisting of a 20 meter HamStick ground mounted on a pipe driven onto the ground. No radials at all, just the pipe in the ground. Worked New Zealand with 10 watts CW, Guyana SA with 50 watts SSB, Cuba - 30 watts SSB all with 57 - 59 reports and the list goes on. Just fantastic results. Can't wait to throw up the 15 and 10 (if it ever opens) HamSticks. For a quick stealthy system, this can't be beat.
de Scott W3BUG |
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| N4KZ |
Rating: |
2001-07-16 | |
| A great mobile antenna |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Worked all continents on 15m SSB mobile in just three weeks. What else can I say about the Ham Stick antenna? I use it on a tri-magmount on the car roof. It's way up in the air where it seems to work best. I run 100W from the Icom 706MkIIG. I get great reports, have broken DX pile-ups and have many contacts. This may not be the most sophisticated mobile antenna around but for the modest price it works and works and works. |
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| KC4IWO |
Rating: |
2001-05-10 | |
| hamstick 20m |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I use a 20meter hamstick mounted on the roof of my car with a tri mount mag mount base. I have worked the world with it.
One day I went under a bridge and knocked it off the car, I dragged the ant down the street till I found a place to pull over, stuck it back on the roof , checked vswr, and went back on the air, I will say the top of the wip looks like a bent up mess, but hey that thing has been beat to hell and it still holds up. |
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| K4PDM |
Rating: |
2001-05-10 | |
| Cheap but good |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I wish I could give a 4.5 rating, because as the frequency goes down, so does performance. This is true of any HF mobile antenna, but the smaller the antenna, the more pronounced the effect. These antennas work great at 14 mHz and above, OK on 40 meters, and will at least talk on 75/80. For the money, they can't be beat--except, in my opinion, by the Valor versions, which are a bit longer and heavier. Still, I have several and have owned them all, and recommend them highly. |
|
| W7TI |
Rating: |
2001-04-26 | |
| Ham Stick vs Hustler |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| I compared a 40 meter Ham Stick to a hi-power 40 meter Hustler. Tuning both for SWR below 1.1 to 1, and setting the external FS meter to full scale (5) with the Ham Stick, the Hustler then measured 4.7, despite being several inches longer with a much larger diameter coil. I had expected the Ham Stick to be equal at best and was pleasantly surprised to see it beat out the Hustler. Of course, one measurement on one band does not say anything about the entire product line, but this result speaks for itself. |
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| KD5IVP |
Rating: |
2001-02-10 | |
| Great for camping too! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I use a 20 meter Hamstick for QRP work while camping out of my van. I made a 1" x
3" x 1/8" steel plate, taped 1/4-20 hole on one end and mounted the Hamstick via a
Radio Shack bulkhead fitting on the other. The plate then attaches to a photo tripod. I cliplead 3, 1/8 wave ground radials and let them drape to the ground. VSWR is flat. First contact on 1 watt was France. I can live with that! Whole thing takes about 2 minutes to set up. Tripod
head allows you to gimble the antenna around and play with the pattern. Hamsticks are
very well made, well tuned, well documented, and most of all...CHEAP!
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|
| K1BRF |
Rating: |
2001-02-04 | |
| Very High Cost/Benefit |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| This product is exceptionally well made and works just sensationally with the appropriate stinger. I tend to use it on higher frequencies in fixed position with the base mounted near the top of the SUV back hatch - nearly at roof level (thanks to some great eHam contributors for that). The graphs and measurements on my CIA are truly amazing compared to my expectations. Can't speak for all bands under all conditions but from 14 up it has been a Godsend -- and an inexpensive one. |
|
| VE7CRA |
Rating: |
2001-02-04 | |
| best mobile ant for casual use |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have run HamSticks on all bands 80 through 10. The most charitable thing I can say about the
80 metre version is that it is mediocre. No surprise here. 40 metres is minimally acceptable, but for 20 metres & down, there is no better price/performance contender. I run a FWD Dodge diesel club cab pick-up with 17(yes, 17!!!) antennas on it. I have a dedicated homebrew bugcatcher for 80, another for 40, & Carolina Bugcatcher for twenty, with 17, 15, 12 & 10 being serviced by Hamsticks. SUPERB! I have worked literally DOZENS of mobiles(mobile to mobile) on 20 & down who were using Hamsticks, & they ALL raved about the Hamstick, & they all had great signals.These things are so cheap that I carry spares in case I break one. The fact that there are several look alike versions, including one who copies even the Hamstick name(!!!),means that it is imperative that you buy only the genuine Hamstick. Their hardware is first class, & the construction is quality all the way. Well done Hamstick! The lower frequency units do require matching, but hey!, a shortened vertical has a lower impedance than a 1/4 wave...you can't reverse the laws of physics. One can, of course, gain quite a bit by using the stick for 15 metres say, & running a longer "stinger" in it to increase efficiency( less"L", less coil loss, more radiator) once again, no magic here. At the very modest price of these antennas, nearly every ham should have several as emergency/portable/mobile/whatever radiators.
Hamsticks were, are, & continue to be a marvellous antenna & ham radio value. |
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| W5RDF |
Rating: |
2001-01-31 | |
| Unusal Application for a Ham Stick |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
For my HF mobile application, I use the 2 meter
version of the Ham Stick in conjunction with my
Icom 706 MKII and AH4 tuner. I fabricated a
bracket that extends out from the tail light
screws on my SUV, the tuner is mounted inside
with about 18 inches of unshielded cable between
the antenna and tuner. Works well, I can tune
any frequency from 80 to 6, including several MARS
frequencies. In the past I have used the single band antennas with very good results. |
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