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Reviews For: DIAMOND X-200A

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

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Review Summary For : DIAMOND X-200A
Reviews: 36MSRP: 150.00
Description:
ANTENNA
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00364.6
KG9SF Rating: 2006-05-12
Better Than Expected Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently replaced my old (late 70's) Ringo Ranger with the Diamond X200A. The antenna went together easily. I added a bead of silicone sealant around the top edge of the upper half of the connector to enhance weatherability. That'll make it difficult to disassemble, but I'll risk it for the lessened chance of getting water in there.

The antenna performs like a champ! I'm hearing signals that I never heard before, and I'm accessing repeaters with 5 watts that used to require 75 watts. I knew this would be a better antenna than my old one. but I had no idea it would be quite this good. Two thumbs up!
VE6XL Rating: 2006-04-16
140km Coverage Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This antenna works excellent.

It is mounted at 10m and has a range of 140km +/- (50w on 2m).

SWR is flat across both the 2m and 70cm bands.

The peformance is much better than a previous Cushcraft AR-2 used at the same height. I would recommend this antenna to anyone looking for a dual band omni directional base antenna.

VE6XL
www.ve6xl.ca
KA2UUP Rating: 2005-12-28
No problems here in 4 years Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Hit repeaters 50 miles from home with this one on both bands at 50/30 Watts VHF/UHF, respectively. Also the ISS with the same power. Highly recommended!
VK7HAY Rating: 2005-11-27
EXCELLENT Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The Diamond X-200 is a wonderful antenna for the VHF/UHF serious and casual operator. I have 22m or RG-213 running to my Yaesu FT-7800R at a height of 11m. I get out to most repeaters S5+ out @ 50km. Simplex around the place is wonderful with stations I have not heard before. The construction of the Diamond is wonderful. Nice quality. Nice work Diamond!!!
KG6WLV Rating: 2005-09-09
Nice antenna! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just installed this at my QTH two weeks ago and I am pleased. It is installed on my roof, about 27 feet above ground. With my TS-2000, I can hit local repeaters full quieting with minimal power, and also some distant repeaters beyond the East Bay hills with modest power -- 20 watts or so on 2-meters. 440 simplex is great, even in our hilly Bay Area terrain.
This is my first antenna project -- I've just gotten on the air -- and the antenna was easy to assemble and install, and seems to hold up well against windy conditions. One problem I had when putting the antenna together, you should be aware of: The waterproofing gasket between the upper and lower halves of the antenna slides to a marking. Unfortunately, it's not clear on which side of the line the gasket belongs! LOL I had trouble getting the antenna to perform properly on 2-meters until I reassmbled it, making sure the pin from the bottom half contacted the tube in the upper half. Other than that, no sweat. I also think this would be an easy antenna to put together for a Field Day exercise. You can repackage it in the handy plastic sleeve in which the antenna is sold.
KE5BGE Rating: 2005-06-13
Very Good Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Installed the X-200A a couple of months ago on a push up pole about 27 feet high. Ran some LMR 400 to it and connected my Yaesu 7800. This dual band antenna really gets out with SWR so flat that I thought there was something wrong with my SWR meter. I am able to hit repeaters 50 miles away with no problem. Had to pay a little more for this one, but its well worth the extra $40 bucks.
KG6QMZ Rating: 2005-04-24
Excellent Gain Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I live in a bowl surrounded by hills. This antenna gives me the balance of gain and horizontal spread to go over the hills. I'm hitting repeater that have no line of site to my shack. I use minimum power on repeaters that are within my line of sight. Also very successfull on SSB 2 meter.
N1UMJ Rating: 2004-06-17
Great antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I used to only have 2 meters so I had a ringo ranger which worked well for that but since I've got a duel band radio and wanted to move the antenna to a better location and decided to get a duel bander. Mobile, I use a diamond NR-770 and love it so I figured why not try another diamond base antenna and got the X200. I'm sure not sorry I did it, this antenna is great I can talk to and hear things I couldn't before, I expected a great antenna and got even better. Due to location it's not up very high but it still gets out much better then I thought I could on VHF or UHF from here. I'm very glad I bought it it went together in about 5 minutes, no problems and put it up, connected it to my Kenwood TM-G707A and I find I can talk pretty much anywhere up to 50 miles with 5 watts and almost never have to go over 10 for anything. I highly recommend this antenna.
KG4WLP Rating: 2004-04-06
It's what you would expect. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've had this antenna for about 3 months. I first
used it with a 5 watt VX-150 and could hit repeaters 50-60 miles away, simplex about 20-30 miles. Now I use a Yeasu 7800 with it. It is an
efficient antenna and performs well just as you would expect. Quality is top notch and it goes
together easily in about 15 min. I can now work mobiles simplex 20-30 miles and repeaters full quieting out to 50-60 miles. You won't be disapointed with this. To get higher gain, you have to get an antenna that's twice as long. Wind in this area made me decide on the shorter antenna. It's up about 20 ft and performance is everything I wanted and need.
VK2UZ Rating: 2003-10-15
Works extremely well Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had the X200A in the air for about 11 years. During one storm it fell approx. 20 feet to the ground and cracked the fibreglass. A bit of electrical tape fixed that. The SWR went up to 3:1 on VHF and the problem was water entering through a previous crack in the pole. Emptied the water, re-sealed the joint and the SWR was back to a perfect 1:1. Over the years, the fibreglass coating becomes powdery and will rub off but it is not detrimental to performance. The antenna also works well as a general coverage RX on my FT100D. The X200A is a good choice from a performance/price/reliability perspective.