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Reviews For: Cushcraft MA5V 5 band vertical

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Cushcraft MA5V 5 band vertical
Reviews: 69MSRP: 211.00
Description:
5 band vertical for amateur hf
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cushcraftamateur.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00694.1
N9SZC Rating: 2003-12-23
very very good Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Great antenna
Find one for under $100 used or else buy a new one
Traps neeed atention if you buy used,
as do the aluminum connections
100 would be my max price for a used one
You can buy a ne one for 189
Very good antenna
Very quiet which is strange
I love it



KC5DFP Rating: 2003-09-09
Still Going Strong! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Hello All.

I though I’d put out a 1.5 year update on my MA5V. About 6 months ago I elevated the antenna from 8-10 feet to about 18-20 feet to the bottom of the antenna. Now the antenna is about 34 feet to the tip (ground mounted). Since I made this change I have been very pleased with the increase in performance. Compared to my two G5RV Jrs, prior to elevating the antenna, the dipoles out performed it about 95+% of the time on all bands. At its new height the vertical out performs the dipoles on 12M & 17M 100% of the time and is about 50/50 on the other bands.

In addition to this I installed a home made 6M-resonator kit. I can cover the entire band without going over 1.7:1 at any given section of the band!

The real reason for the review is this. About one month ago we had a severe storm blow through Austin with massive hail and winds up to 70 mph! The antenna did flex quite a bit, to the point where I was sure it bent… but no damage was sustained. I took the antenna down for inspection, but didn’t find anything damaged, loose or needing any attention. Once back up I checked the SWR with my analyzer and happily noted that the SWR on each band didn’t change one bit!

All in all, I am still very satisfied with my MA5V after (a great) 1.5 years!

73’s!
KA0YSO Rating: 2003-08-26
Coating on the coils Time Owned: more than 12 months.
After about a year and a half I am finding that the black coating on the coils is coming off.

Anyone else having this problem??
ka0yso@cs.com
KD5TXL Rating: 2003-08-01
Great Antenna! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
The antenna came with all parts and seemed well made to me. The assembly took about 2 hours. I worked alone except for some assistance from my wife. Following the instructions for settings worked fine. SWR less than 1.5 to 1 on all bands without tuner. I do use a tuner for 20 voice, but 20 CW and all higher bands work just fine.

So far, has withstood several Oklahoma wind and thunderstorms. Originally had it at about 30 feet next to house, but raising to 40 feet on chimney and in the clear. This made a big difference.

I've owned the antenna since May of 2003. I really sympathize with folks (especially overseas) who received inferior kits. This one is top notch. No complaints.

W2JLB Rating: 2003-07-29
Never Again Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased the antenna in May of 2003. It went together just fine and the directions were good. The first problem was the 20 meter resonator. I contacted Cushcraft and they replaced it promptly.

Then I started getting RF feedback. Even putting in chokes didn't help. So, I changed to another of my mikes.

It was giving interference to my computer so I put chokes on the computer. Seems as though the chokes took care of the stray RF apparently going around.

Then I started getting a falloff of receive signals. It wouldn't exactly "break up" just the signal would go from say a S9 down to a S2. I found keying my mike on SSB just a quick one second key brought the signal back up only to go down again. Checked ground and everything. So, I switched coax. The problem didn't go away. I must have had this antenna down about six times each time checking everything against the specs and installation instructions.

I previously had a R7 which was a good antenna. I "upgraded" to an R7000 and what a terrible antenna that turned out to be. The technical support was non-existing. I trashed that vowing never to purchase another Cushcraft and got a GAP Eagle which was very good.

Unfortunately my current situation forces me to be more conservative. Hence against my better judgement I bought the MA5V.

Remembering my experience with the R7000 I did not bother going back to Cushcraft for additional support with my MA5V problems. I then took the antenna down and put up a new one.

All of the above mentioned problems that I never had before the MA5V disappeared. My replacement antenna is the Diamond CP6A. When I took it out of the box I could not believe the quality and fit and finish of the parts. Although much more expensive (I guess you get what you pay for) it's performs very well.
V73GOD Rating: 2003-06-03
Disposable Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had it in Hawaii and it was okay there although tuning was a problem. I came home to Kwaj and it died a quick death. Even though the coax feeds were sealed, they quickly corroded off. The traps/coils turned to crap in no time. They were never sealed. SWR varied as the wind blew and the it got wet. Poor resistance to ocean climates and trade winds. Info on that six meter add on kit was impossible to find and techs were not helpful. Buy a BALUN and cut wire.
JA2WWE Rating: 2003-05-12
Superior over Largeer Verticals Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Work better on receive and transmit compared to R7 and AP8A.......for money, way to go Joe- but no power make it no big gun bommer
W4MDL Rating: 2003-02-27
BIG BANG FOR BUCK! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I live in a CC&R area and I needed an antenna that would not stand out to bad. I have this up in the backyard in a cement bucket about 15 feet up. It has been wonderful. When I first set it up the bands were dead. I thought it was the antenna. Boy was I wrong. A Couple days later I worked Costa Rica, P.R., West Semo, Thailand, Vanautu Islands, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Trinadad, Marshall Islands, Antartica, South Africa, and a big chunk of the lower 48 all from my hawaii mini-backyard. For 200 bucks you can't beat it. Heck, I even get asked to be a relay on service nets "with my BIG VERTICAL" HIHIHI. Although I would suggest a auto tuner rig (found it hard to tune up right without, esp on 20 and 17), and I would not say it was as easy as a vhf base antenna to set up (as others have stated) but it was not hard. I would suggest two man team to get it up. It can not support its own wait on its side to long. The pvc and alum joints lack secure structure.


73 and Aloha
W4MDL
AC7ST Rating: 2003-02-04
good value Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
after owning this antenna for a month I feel that I can write a review on it. No, its not a di pole at 100 feet but for the money it is a good value.
It took 3 people about 2 1/2 hours to get it up and adjusted. I can work anyone I hear. All in all, it suits me ( a very casual user ) just fine
WB8THR Rating: 2003-02-04
Not bad Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I've had the MA5V up on a 10-foot mast above the chimney for about 7 months. I've had a fair bit of success with it, working 100+ DXCC entities during this time without a lot of effort. Seems to tune up OK, and running with the IC-706MkIIG it gives a credible performance. very sturdy; only took me an hour or so from opening the box to tuning and testing. The parts went together pretty easily, had a few extra screws after assembly.

It's very light and maneuvering it while attached to a Radio Shack 10-foot steel mast isn't a big problem. We've had some pretty harsh wind storms here and the MA5V had ridden through them quite nicely. So, from a construction and durability standpoint it's fine.

I give it a "4" in spite of the operating success I've had with it for two basic reasons:

1) I can't get the 12M stub to tune up, so I have to use a tuner (which isn't that big a deal to me) and

2) Whenever it rains the SWR goes waaaay up. Cushcraft mentions this in its manual and they advise a tuner, but I'd wonder about the watertightness of the loading coils.

I've not had to deal with Cushcraft's customer service/tech support, so I can't comment on that. But I almost never contact a support line unless I have a problem that I've become absolutely "stumped" on. I may try using an antenna analyzer to see what I can do about that pesky 12M stub.

I'm likely going to replace the antenna as my primary radiator this coming antenna season, but keep it around for use in portable applications - it's easily taken apart at the center of the mast and thus fits in a mini-van quite well.

So my bottom line, it's a good, occasional use antenna, as Cushcraft says in their promo material but I don't consider it to have "big gun" performance. I wish it would tolerate more than 250W of power. I'd not use it as a primary antenna, but others may find that it's perfectly suitable for that purpose.