I have owned two Tarheel 200 antennas. One I bought used and just loved it until the TIRE ROTATION GUY at a WELL KNOWN 5-letter Chain Store (Starting and ending with 'S') tried to remove it from my truck by driving thru a partially opened GARAGE door... I had pulled the 6' whip off of it and WARNED HIM that he should be careful with it.... But, he went ahead and ripped it half off of the truck anyway, THEN tried to HIDE IT by denying he did it.
The long story cut short is, that the store Manager ended up buying me a NEW ONE, after we sent the original back to TARHEEL to get an estimate on. Bob (from Tarheel) was VERY CORDIAL and recommended (in a written estimate) that I needed a new one as this one had literally bent into a horseshoe because I had mounted it so well to my truck's frame.
I reinstalled the brand new 200A, and I have to say it has worked beyond my expectations. When I spend time on the road, I always have the HF rig on. I get UNSOLICITED "GREAT SIGNAL FOR A MOBILE, would never know if you didn't say" comments ALL THE TIME. I have worked nearly a dozen countries (well into Europe on 20m routinely) and I run an Icom706mkIIG at 100watts. Contests are a real blast.
I choose to simply run a 6' whip on the top of mine, although I have found that if you are stationary, you can significantly lower your usable frequency range by putting on a 102" WHIP on top instead. But, I do NOT recommend that for driving down the road, as you exceed the 14' height limit and risk hitting overhead power lines and bridges, etc. I use QD-1 quick disconnects to make it easy to go into the parking ramp I have to use at work (to remove the whip), and the disconnects do NOT impair receive or TX signal in any way. They make good electrical contact and are very handy to use.
Use of a CAP HAT is also a great idea, but any whip you would add OVER THE TOP of the HAT is basically useless, so unless you live in a low-tree environment, it may not help you much. You also need to extend the CAP HAT well above the top of the coil form to get most benefit from it.
The whip is an important part of the antenna; When listening to mid-cars, for instance, removing the 6' whip SIGNIFICANTLY reduces received signal strength and noise level. So the whip is an important part of the entire antenna... I have not experimented much with CAPACITY HATS other than trying out a couple, but if you need to lower your resonant freq ability, they do that VERY WELL. I got my system to resonate down to just above 2MHZ simply by adding a CAP HAT and a 102" whip. Adding an antenna tuner might make that band workable, but I am not that rabid of a 160m user.
I have used TURBO-TUNERS before on my TARHEEL, and although they work well, I found I do just as well if I run an up/down switch from inside the truck. Not something i like to do moving, but I can change bands and adjustment faster myself. But I have to mark the antenna exterior so I know about where to set the antenna for a given band and use the side-view mirror. So I usually do it stopped for GAS, POP, etc. Then I use the SWR-check ability of the '706 to verify a good match/setting adjustment. I also added a 150 watt HF power meter in the truck, so I can always see FORWARD POWER (on the wattmeter) and SWR (on the '706 meter). This system works very well for me.
I operate 80-10m and can get a FLAT SWR anywhere I go. I have extenseively grounded the antenna system (both RF and mechanically, using a home-made REESE-hitch mount to attach the TARHEEL stainless mount to; it is a very nice system, and can be removed in about 5 minutes whenever I want. But GOOD GROUNDING/BONDING is a must for any antenna to work properly, especially in a mobile setup.
I am INTRIGUED at the idea of using another TARHEEL as an HF vertical in a CONDO environment. They would be very good for that, too! The imagination is the only limit I think.
I would buy a TARHEEL HF ANTENNA again in a "New York Heartbeat". I have never compared this brand to the others out there (such as HIGH SIERRA) but when you find a product that is so very reliable (and Bob's Customer Service are top-notch) then why screw with a good thing? (Pun not intended). :)
I give this one a BIG OL' FIVE. GREAT workmanship, a VERY reliable product. Bob is always willing to answer emails about technical issues or on the phone, and their prices are fair. He has updated and improved the motors in the screwdriver drive itself, and it is very robust.
I am a REPEAT CUSTOMER and have nothing else whatever to do with Bob or his business.
You can check out my setup on my keØms BIO entry at QRZ.com. I am EXCEPTIONALLY happy with my Tarheel 200A antenna.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by KE0MS on 2008-01-14
I live in a condo, so my HF activities out of necessity have to be limited to mobile applications. I run an Icom 706mkIIG in my truck. I have had my Tarheel 200 for about 5 years now, previously mounted on the back of my 83 Chevy El Camino. Now its in my 2002 Chevy Silverado pickup.
I bought my first Tarheel 200 antenna used on eBay initially, and although I had not purchased it from Cindy and Robert at Tarheel directly, they were happy to provide me with technical info, instruction materials and guidance. Their Customer Service was excellent from the outset. (Small companies are like that usually.)
After about two years, just after I transitioned from the Elky to the Silverado, I started to have problems with my antenna not wanting to go down after extending it to near full-height. The motor would slip, or so it seemed to me. I contacted Cindy and they at first recommended I try to check a couple of things myself and told me what to look for. When I found the antenna so well put together that I could not take it apart easily, I decided to ship it to them and let the experts handle it. I'm glad that I did. They completely reworked it, and upgraded the screwdriver motor and mount, and inproved the internal bearings for more precise adjustments. I know they had indeed changed it, as my previous settings were now a little different. NO problem! It was worth the improved performance for what I thought was a very reasonable price.
Upon reinstallation, it worked FLAWLESSLY; I worked CAP freqs, 75m, 40m, and 20m from coast to coast, all while driving down the road, band changing and all. I always got excellent reports. The manual repeatability of band settings was amazing to me.
Just last month, in December 2007 (this past month) disaster struck. I was taking my truck to a NATIONALLY KNOWN COMPANY with a 5-letter name, famous for selling TIRES AND BATTERIES. I was getting my tires rotated. Mind you, the whip had been removed. This company has bay doors tall enough to drive a SEMI TRACTOR thru, so I never thought about lowering the mast. It seems although the man behind the counter was told about it when I handed over the keys, (and its sure hard to miss when you approach the back of the pickup from the Driver's side!), somehow the Service Tire Technician drove it into the service bay with the garage door half down! Even as tough as the Tarheel mount is, there was no stopping the damage from being done. Mounted to a REESE hitch mount on the left rear corner of the truck frame, the mount was twisted to almost a 45 degree angle towards the rear of the truck! I could see it was messed up from across the service bay! Then, although they tried to deny it, when I confronted the Service manager (before ever getting in the truck), they admitted they must have done it, and agreed to pay whatever it took to get the antenna going again. They did not want to replace it if that wasn't necessary though. (The paint smeared all up the antenna length, matching the garage door paint color was a smoking-gun...) So, after getting lots of store manager names (pictures of the damage) and service and bystanders to witness what had been done, I told them I'd be sending it to Tarheel to get checked out. The store Manager agreed.
Needless to say, since they nearly had ripped the antenna half off of the truck, I was not holding my breath as to the outcome... It looked 'relatively ok' from the outside, and upon initial test while still at the 5-LETTER NAMED establishment, I ran the antenna down to shortest length. Hmmmm. "So far so good for a short mechanical test", I thought to myself... However, I was NOT going to transmit until it had been looked at by the PROs. It went to Tarheel like that.
Cindy and Robert went over the antenna and when it was discovered it could not be reasonably repaired (the damage was that bad!), they recommended it be replaced. The shaft housing had been bent into an arc, and the internal mounting brackets had been broken inside. The coil was also BENT in the same arc such that straightening it was pretty much out of the question. So, they provided me the proper paperwork INVOICE via FAX to give to this NATIONALLY KNOWN COMPANY WITH 5 LETTERS IN THE NAME (that sells tires and batteries) so they could reimburse me for a new antenna and mount.
(Interestingly as a side note, in fairness to this 5-LETTER COMPANY, everyone in the Service Dept there knew my name when I showed up for reimbursement, as it seems they ALL had recently had a "SAFETY BRIEFING" about ensuring garage doors are FULLY UP before pulling anything into the building...! I had to laugh. And, they reimbursed me full replacement cost (including shipping to and from Tarheel, for which I also presented receipts and photos of the damaged antenna) without a quibble, much to their credit...)
Now, fast forward back to the present. I just received my antenna via UPS, very well packed, and Cindy and Robert again have been very helpful with some questions I had regarding the newer, beefier design of some of the wiring and hardware. It seems they are not happy with status quo, but are constantly working to further enhance weatherproofing and overall durability in the design. I am EXCEPTIONALLY HAPPY with my antenna and am very anxious to get it installed on my truck again.
So, I have a new Tarheel antenna, with a new color that more closely matches my truck (Silver). I am certain it will work as well as the last one did. I am a believer in TARHEEL ANTENNAS. In the rare couple of times when something was missing or not clear to me in the documentation, either a phone call or an email would get a reply, and missing parts are ALWAYS sent to me with no questions asked! Now that is HONESTY in ACTION!
(Oh, and you can bet that next time I'll lower the antenna below the roofline of the truck before I take the truck back to that NATIONALLY KNOWN company that sells tires and batteries...!)
Cindy and Robert are polite and knowledgable both via email and on the phone. Its clear that even though Robert may be the mastermind behind the antenna workings, Cindy seems to know a lot about how they are put together too. Every time I see one of these, the designs look nicer and more robust. My mechanice (also a ham) wants to steal mine from my truck when I get it back on!) But, I have a locking pin in my mounting assembly to keep it in-place for that very reason. :)
I don't think you can go wrong with a TARHEEL Antenna. Seriously, I would buy another in a New York Minute. I have no affiliation with TARHEEL whatsoever, other than being an exceptionally satisfied Customer. I would buy one again anytime.
Thanks, Cindy and Robert. :) |