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Reviews For: TRAM 1180

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

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Review Summary For : TRAM 1180
Reviews: 35MSRP: 22
Description:
A Dual Band Center Loaded NMO Mobile Antenna for 144/440 Mhz
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mapleleafcom.com/tram.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00354.2
RAINS Rating: 2012-10-18
Great antenna for the price! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought this antenna back in 09 as my first mobile antenna. I've only used it on a tram mag mount. Sense then I've used lots of different antennas. I keep coming back to this one though. I live in a mountains area of Oregon and this antenna works better than much more expensive units. Antenna has survived lots of brush, trees and long key ups with 55w. It's a better antenna than it should be! Try one!
AD5KO Rating: 2012-05-16
Very good Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased the antenna from Palmetto Antennas. I have recently moved to this state and I don't know the owner, so I'm not biased either way.

I have the antenna installed on the roof of my vehicle. It's the newer model with the larger coil. The SWR is low across both VHF and UHF, it's wide banded. The previous antenna was a Larson 5/8th wave 2 meter whip. On receive and transmit the 1180 compares well with the Larson on 2 meters. It's getting strong signals on 70cm. It picks up the NOAA weather channel slightly stronger than the Larson. I consider the Larson to be a very good 2 meter mobile antenna and have used it for many years, so the Tram 1180 is doing well.

Build quality isn't bad and for $23 it's a very good deal.

73,

AD5KO
VA7TF Rating: 2012-04-08
Cheeply manufatured Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I owned a TRAM 1180 and it is said it handles 200 watts...well, I had been using one on my Goldwing with a decent less than 1.5:1 match on both bands, usually 10 watts on 146. I rairly used 446 (10 watts), and after about 5 months, I noticed problems. I removed the antenna to find the center connecting pin had lost it's spring strength. The only conclusion I could come up with was RF softened (cooked) the pin spring. The antenna became useless. I also have 2 Larsen dual banders for 10 years and both have had no problems. You get what you pay for.
KD5VHF Rating: 2011-01-20
Update from 2003 review Time Owned: more than 12 months.
********UPDATE****************
I wrote a review back in 2003 and thought I would update and let you know this antenna is still going strong!
KD4FUN Rating: 2009-06-27
Good Dual Band Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Based on the reviews listed here I purchased the Tram 1180. paid about $20.00 for it, Placed it on the roof of my truck (NMO) mount and checked the swr...it was almost flat on 144 & 440. works FB on the repeaters here in Eastern North Carolina. I keep the power down to approximately 20 watts or less.
KJ4JAJ Rating: 2009-02-22
Good Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently bought this antenna along with a NMO magnet mount from Palmetto Antennas on Ebay. I'm hitting repeaters nearly 50 miles away in my mobile with a Kenwood 261A on the Medium (10 Watts) power setting. SWR is 1.5:1 at 146.6 and that's right out of the box. I'm well satisfied.

JW - KJ4JAJ
N0ANE Rating: 2008-02-27
Good performance Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This antenna uses an NMO style coil design with a good dualband configuration that really works. It shares the same antenna concept along with some of the well known commercial antennas, such as includes Larsen & Maxrad.

In the past I have purchased the commercial name antennas only to find they had their own problems. Either the NMO coil would begin to spin apart and leak or the center tab would weaken and not keep a good connection. Prices have become too high for an antenna to last less than two years.

The price of the TRAM 1180 is right for the quality and performance. The center pin on the NMO coil is spring loaded and makes for greater reliability. They are not a high power antenna as others have stated. If you are careful about that fact I believe they can serve you well. After my experience replacing expensive antennas, these are a good buy and worth replacing when they fail.

Here is a good source if you are looking:
http://www.k1cra.com/catalog/product.aspx?productID=1699
KE4AHR Rating: 2007-07-29
Good Antenna for Low Power Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I owned this antenna for about a year I guess, having bought it from a seller off of eBay. I remember specifically asking the seller if it would handle 200W and the seller told me that it would. I was unable to find any more information about it at the time of purchase, but if my memory serves, it didn't cost me much ($30 or less).

Through the time I owned the antenna, I primarily used it on a sick Yaesu FT-8100, which means I was limited to 5W-25W on 2M for the most part and 5W on 440MHz. Using these power levels, I never had a problem with the antenna.

Then I switched the radio in the car out for a 100W commercial rig, and had no problems initially. I suspect this was due to mostly highway use and short transmissions, which likely allowed the loading coil in the middle of the antenna to cool by moving air. Then I had a long-winded QSO with the car in traffic, and the loading coil warmed up, made the plastic around it flexible, and the antenna leaned completely over, as well as split the plastic, revealing a solid #18 coil in the middle. The result of this appears to be that the antenna was only radiating using 1/4 wavelength, yet it miraculously didn't scorch the paint on the car where the antenna made contact during the QSO.

So it's good for low power, but don't use it on >25W.
KG6QKJ Rating: 2006-11-27
Best Gain Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used this Tram antenna for a couple of years. Yes the first one melted at the load and bent over, but, it was my fault. I have the antenna mounted on a stake mount on my 1/2 ton pick up. I was talking for about 5 minutes @ 50 watts while sitting in my driveway. I then immediatley pulled the vehicle into the garage and the tip of the antenna hit the open garage door and the antenna bent over. The trap was too hot and when I hit the tip on the open garage door it bent and stayed bent.

I now have another and I stop talking a couple of minutes before I drive into the garage. No problems since then and it gets hot here in the central valley of California.

The reason I keep using this Tram antenna is because it really does have gain over most other mobile dual band antennas. Best antenna for the price.
KB1FFX Rating: 2006-11-17
great antenna for the money Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This is a great antenna for the cheap money, I paid for it. I think if it breaks will just buy another one. I like it.