| N8YQX |
Rating:  |
2014-04-19 | |
| Great plug and play antenna |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
This review is for the X510HDM.
Initially, when I installed the antenna, I was disappointed to see high SWR towards the high end of both bands. I was also unable to hit some distant repeaters.
However, after reading the instruction in its entirety, I found the following information on the second page: Be sure to set the top of the mast below the radial elements.
I trimmed the antenna mast below the radial, and the SWR became 1:1 at the band center, and below 2:1 at the band edges. I was also able to hit many more repeaters.
I also observed the antenna in relatively strong wind. The antenna was swaying (as it should be), but appeared to hold up just fine.
Lesson learned: follow the instructions in its entirety, and this antenna will work as advertised. |
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| W2UIS |
Rating: |
2011-12-29 | |
| Too Tall |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Well designed antenna just too tall (17 feet) for my application. I was hoping the gain would improve my reception of a DStar repeater 35 miles away. I received the repeater just as well (S5 -7) with the x30. Antenna was returned to the dealer and the x30 put back in place. Lesson learned. |
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| EB7CTX |
Rating: |
2010-10-02 | |
| BUENA |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Buena antena, relacion calidad precio, hay que asegurar bien las juntas y No usar adaptador de tipo N a PL y siempre poner un cable de buena calidad minimo RG-213, nada de RG-58 y recordar que los 200w son PP no continuos, para usar en continuo hay que subir la tension de los condensadores a 1000 v o mas |
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| KE4AH |
Rating: |
2010-07-29 | |
| High SWR above 147 mhz |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| This is great antenna as far as reception goes. The swr above 147 mhz is so high that the power output of both my Icom 746 and 706 cuts back to nearly zero. Below 147 mhz, the swr is flat. I even purchase new RG8/U thinking maybe the coax was bad. No such luck. |
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| JA7UDE |
Rating: |
2010-05-01 | |
| Very good |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have been using this antenna for over four years and had zero problems. It stands strong against the north wind constantly blowing in winter in my QTH. Good gain and reasonable SWR. Highly recommended.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by JA7UDE on 2007-01-22
I have been using V-2000, a 50/144/430 triple band antenna, for over ten years. It really is a solid performer. As my experience on V-2000 is so great, I bought VX-1000, a non-radial 50/144/430 antenna. Itfs a bummer. I could not get my VX-1000 tuned right on 144. It showed high SWR throughout the 2m band. The SWR on 50 and 430 seems good, but V-2000 provides far better gain.
I suspect a non-radial antenna has something compromised, so I gave another gwith radialh antenna a try. I put up X-510M a few weeks ago, and have been impressed with its performance. The assembly was easy. It looks mechanically solid. Since X-510M is about twice as long as V-2000, it is natural to have greater gain. However, it is far better than I expected. I am able to hit a repeater 50km away from my QTH. I could not hit it with V-2000. It is only a few weeks since I put it up, so it is too early to comment on the mechanical endurance. Will see...... |
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| PA0FRI |
Rating: |
2010-04-17 | |
| "DX" antenna |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I compared with 2 other antennas. The X510N is a “dx” antenna due to the "pancake" radiation pattern.
Repeaters more than 40 km away are stronger and at a shorter distance is even an indoor antenna better.
I replaced two capacitors with cutted Teflon coaxcable see: http://www.xs4all.nl/~pa0fri/Ant/X510N/Diamond%20X510N%20modification.htm
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| OZ1LLY |
Rating: |
2009-04-08 | |
| X-510N Mods |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Good antenna.
Input 200 w pep/peak max. /no 200 w fm.
replace C 5,6pf/500v to 5,6pf/2kv
no problem 100w/fm ++
I use the antenna as repeater/aprs antenna sit on at 50 m tower, feed is 60 m 7/8 coax.
use self reteading tape.
oz1lly |
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| XU7ADQ |
Rating: |
2009-03-17 | |
| Awesome Brute Power Antenna! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I found a used X-510 M while searching the 'Radio Market' here in Phnom Penh.
The vendor obviously knew very little about dual band antennas, and sold it to me as a VHF only antenna!
I was well aware of what I was buying, and the label at the base even stated 144/440MHz, but who looks a gift horse in the mouth?
As is usual for South East Asia, the haggling started (remember Life of Brian?) at the ridiculously high price of $75 USD!
10 minutes and one cigarette later, I walked out with a nice used Diamond X-510 for a princely $45.
Being used, when I got it home, another 30 minutes was spent removing the elements from the fibreglass tubing (top 2 sections only!!) to check for any water damage (clean as a whistle).
The fibre sections, joints and chrome fittings were then cleaned with washing-up liquid and a plastic scourer, and finally polished with some car polish (as recommended in an article on here).
All the rubber sealing gaskets were checked and found to be intact(important for here during the monsoons).
A 4m x 45mm mounting pole was then attached to the mount, and the reassembled antenna (17+ feet!) was hoisted into position on my house roof.
The rooftop is at about 30 feet AGL and the antenna base is 12 feet above that.
The location is only 42 feet ASL
After securing the pole, I went downstairs to check the results on my IC-706MKII G.
Definitely more there than I normally got on my mobile antenna (mounted on the roof patio).
That's when the problem started.
There are NO amateur repeaters at all in XU land to check reference signals with.
Not too many folk speak English out here, and even less of them know what a 'signal report' is!
147.000MHz is the 'Icom' calling channel (Asian CB), and as such is normally crowded with people singing and trying to talk over each other.
I eventually found a security guard on 147.210 who spoke English and had an idea what I wanted.
He told me I was very clear and no noise,gave his location as Central Market and radio GP300.
That's when I knew that the antenna's performance was good.
Central market is located as far into the metropolis as it's possible to get and is surrounded by tall buildings, and at 11 miles as the crow flies from my house, it's not to be sneezed at.
In the abscence of anyone locally able to give me a reliable signal report, I came up with a scheme to 'self test' the X-510.
My Icom IC-706MKII G was set on 146.3125 MHZ (empty) and the VOX activated.
My spare cellphone was then put near the microphone, and - "Voila", one remotely operated transmitter.
Out onto the road with my VX-7r, and at points around the city, I called my other phone and listened for the annoying Nokia tune.
Everywhere in the city,even out to the suburbs at around 20 miles from my house, the signal was full scale or near full scale!
20 miles may not be a long distance, but you should try the same experiment in downtown NY City to get an idea of the conditions.
The following Saturday saw the same setup, but this time (XYL in tow), we went out towards the coast and mountains.
Stops were made along the route at about every 10 miles and the VX-7 signal meter read.
At 35 miles (near the mountains in Kampong Speau, the signal dropped from end stopping for the first time!
The road goes round the mountain at this point, and then continues to climb gently for another 20 miles or so.
When we got to the mountaintop pagoda (54 miles direct, 68 miles by road) I checked the VX-7 and was still getting between full scale and s7 on the meter!
From that point, the road drops down to the other side of the mountain, and predictably, the signal quickly dropped off.
The 'bell' ringer function of the VX-7 'rang' just once more at about 75 miles (confirming it was rx'ing the CTCSS from the Icom 706), but this was probably a fluke reflection or maybe aircraft scatter.
What makes this achievement 'awesome' is the fact that all my tests were conducted using the stock antenna on the VX-7, so the work was definitely being done by the Diamond, 'cos the stock 'duckie' is lousy at best.
I have checked only the SWR on VHF, and it's flat from 143-148 MHz, but have no way to check the SWR on UHF.
My Yaesu FT-8800 arrives in the next day or two, and the reason for buying the antenna will be tested.
The crossband repeater feature will be used for keeping in contact with friends and colleagues around the area (with DCS squelch), who normally struggle to communicate with their Weierwie Chinese radios at more than a mile.
To summarise; if there's a better VHF/UHF dual band vertical out there which even gets close to the X-510 in raw brute power, I've yet to see one.
Gains of 8.3dbi at 145 Mhz and 11.7dbi at 440 MHz are normally reserved for yagis, but they are packaged here into a slim (but bloody long) vertical.
From the results I got with my tests, these gain figures are not 'pie in the sky' either.
At around $150-$220 new, they aren't cheap, but you get Diamond Japanese quality with a performance to match.
If you can afford one, and have room to get one up in the air - DO IT!
You will not be disappointed.
Please - no flames about frequency use or no CW ID with crossbanding.
The FCC doesn't rule over here, and my licence is valid!
Good DX to all;
Paul
XU7ADQ
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|
| N4DBM |
Rating: |
2008-12-08 | |
| OK but no high power |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
The antenna is fine for what it is.. Don't mount it out the top of the tower where lightning will hit, or a splinter of fiberglass you'll have. Also, their power rating is 200 watts - what that means, is 200 watts PEAK - like side band - which no one ever uses on vertical - but anyway, that translates into just less that half of combined power on FM - about 70 watts. So, that's 35 on VHF and 35 on UHF at the antenna until the disc capacitors start smoking. If you're running this antenna for repeater service, and you don't have much feed line loss, don't put more that 25 watts per band in it or you'll blow it up, or cause duplex noise.
The antenna is designed for the "home ham" to mount on their TV antenna post and check into the local nets. Use it for what it's designed for, and you won't be disappointed.
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|
| NE2I |
Rating: |
2008-01-12 | |
| Pulls in the weak ones |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Replaced an old no name antenna that was not working
correctly. It completely transformed my idea of
2m simplex What an awesome antenna.
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