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Reviews For: Arrow Antenna GP52 6 meter 1/4 wave GP

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

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Review Summary For : Arrow Antenna GP52 6 meter 1/4 wave GP
Reviews: 28MSRP: 35
Description:
6 meter 1/4 ground plane antenna. Antenna pictured is from the 2m version, but it appears the same.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.arrowantennas.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
25284.7
KQ6EA Rating: 2010-09-14
Amazing deal Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought one of these a while back because I wanted something to use on 6 with my Flex 5000. Finally got around to putting it up for the September VHF QSO party. It took all of 25 minutes, and that includes putting a dab of anti-seize on the parts, lowering the mast my Comet GP-3 was on, and swapping the two antennas.
SWR is pancake flat over the entire low end of the band, the radio loads up perfectly in to it, and I made about a dozen contacts on 6 that I wouldn't have been able to make without it.
Construction and materials are very nice and quite clever, and I agree with the other poster about how well it was packed for shipment. UPS couldn't hurt this thing even if they tried!
Very happy with the antenna, and for the price it can't be beat. I doubt if you could build something this nice for the money. Took it down after the contest as I need the GP-3 up for a cross-band repeater some of my friends use for a net we run, and it "folds up" easily by loosening the four 7/16" bolts to swing the radials parallel to each other for storage.
I can hardly wait until 6 opens back up as the solar cycle progresses. The last time I was on 6 it was a lot of fun.
K6JWB Rating: 2010-01-16
Great little antenna! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got this from a friend who recently got out of the HAM hobby. He bought this new some months ago and I let it sit during the rainy season then the summer. I took it apart and cleaned all the radials and the connections with a brillow pad and a wet cloth, then I simply put it together, no manual, no antenna expertise, and plugged it in. Using my 756 pro2, my SWR was flat on 50.110 and the radio did a slight retune on 53.080 (repeater freq input). It's only elevated about 20 ft with a floating ground. It works great into the repeaters 5-30miles away and will await to see if I can catch any magical DX.

If you have an HF radio that does 6m, this is the perfect "Antenna2" plug-in. So far no TVI (even with 100watts on FM).

I really do recommend this along with a G5RV for the HF (general class) beginner.
W4AMP Rating: 2009-07-16
A Keeper Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Fast shipping, good communication, and a strong well built product make this a great antenna to order and use. Five minute assembly, no trimming of vertical element needed. A sturdy lightweight antenna that is priced right!
K0UC Rating: 2009-07-11
great, as usual Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Simple and rugged and it works great. It's not even worth putting together the parts to build your own when you can get this thing for about the same price and have all the machining done. Not to mention customer service is top-notch. You can generally get a response in hours. I've been very happy with all my Arrow antennas and have recommended them to a number of people who have bought them as well.
KG4RUL Rating: 2009-07-08
GREAT! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I replaced the hex head screws with wing nuts so I can easily assemble/disassemble the radials from this antenna. It is now part of my Go-Kit.
KB4FJ Rating: 2009-07-08
5 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Great antenna,eazy assembly,built like a tank.No SWR problems with the GP52.
N8TCZ Rating: 2009-06-16
A quality antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I wanted something inexpensive and I made the right choice. The antenna was shipped in a rigid cardboard tube inside another cardboard box that even UPS would have a hard time destroying. All the parts were there and it assembled in about 10 minutes. The SWR checked out 1:1 at 50.125. The components are top notch.
Contacts are surprised at the signal even at over 1500 miles on 6M with my FT-450 and 100W.
40 over 9 is not unusual.
AF4MW
N2GYI Rating: 2007-12-24
Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was in the process of sourcing parts to build my own quarter wave ground-plane for six, when I stumbled upon this antenna company. I was impressed with the relatively low price, and realized I'd be hard pressed to build a quality antenna for much less money. I found the build quality and integrity to exceed my expectations for such an inexpensive antenna, made right here in the USA. We experienced wind gusts to 64 mph on the first night it was in the air; no problems. I will strongly consider Arrow's antenna products in the future.
W5RM Rating: 2007-09-14
Exceptional Antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Used this very well made antenna GP52 and adapted the ground plane to an NMO (used an NMO to N adapter) tri-band antenna for 6/2/440. It works wonderful. With some minor modifications and a 5/8 hole this ground plane accommodated the NMO mount to use CR627BNMO Diamond mobile antenna for fixed use, it works well. Highly recommend the GP52 tnx Jim W5RM
W6LBV Rating: 2007-08-30
Straight Arrow Stuff Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
If you need some basic omnidirectional VHF/low UHF antennas, you have three different choices depending upon your needs and the funds available. If low cost is paramount, find an SO-239 jack and some solid wire, and construct a little ground plane antenna (design and dimensions are in the handbooks). It will work well enough, but won't last very long in the weather. If the utmost in performance and survivability is critical and you want something that is qualified to go to sea aboard the USS Stennis, gather up your ground plane antenna design and dimensions and head for an aerospace machine shop. They can fix you up with a custom machined antenna out of stainless steel or perhaps titanium.

But if you want a low cost, "no fuss" performer that you can install once and use for years, then simplify your plans and just order an Arrow Antenna ground plane. There's no point in trying to build one yourself: if you have to buy new aluminum stock and other parts it will probably cost more than the complete Arrow antenna, and you certainly can't do the machining as well as Arrow can!

I now have both the GP-52 (6 meters), and the GP-146/440 (2 meter/70 cm combo) assembled, installed, and operating. Both were packed for shipping so well that they were impervious to the rampages of the Unified Parsnips System gorillas. The aluminum stock (3/8" solid radiators and 1/4" solid radials!), the stainless steel mounting hardware, and the machining are all first rate. It's obvious that these antennas will stand up to winter storms and high winds without fatiguing and snapping. But installing them on the USS Stennis? That would be an interesting experiment!

Assembly for each takes five minutes with simple hand tools, although the six meter antenna does require trimming of the driven element to length. Everything assembles easily on the first try. Cutting that 3/8" solid aluminum radiator is a great demonstration of how tough this antenna stock really is!

The major complaint, and it has been mentioned here before, is the desire for the antennas to accommodate up to 2" masts, rather than the current 1.5" maximum-sized mast. Some of the more rugged installation locations, including mountaintops, benefit from using 2" masts. A minor “nice to have” would be the optional availability of a Type N coax jack.

Given their incredible Quality/Price ratio, these ground planes should be "standard issue" for every VHF/UHF fixed station.