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Reviews For: Hy-Gain AV-18VS

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Hy-Gain AV-18VS
Reviews: 35MSRP: 119.95
Description:
18 foot Base-Loaded 10/15/20/40/80 Meter HF Vertical Antenna
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.hy-gain.com/Product.php?productid=AV-18VS
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00354.1
KC8TRL Rating: 2012-10-05
waste of money Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought this antenna for the price and because it said it would cover 10,12,15,17,20,30,40,80,meter bands and it was small and easy to setup (I'm using RG-213 coax) well don't believe it. it's junk I can't get a decent match at all on 15m,20m,(2.9:1-4.0:1 +) it use to tune on 10m but now it doesn't match at all and I can't find any where on the coil to match it on 12m,17m,30m. 40m is the only band I can get a good match at 1.1:1 but no one can hear me or they say I am way down in the noise. and here is another thing about it? It say's you don't need radials well my back yard (where the ant is located) is 10ft.x8ft. so there is no room for radial but I was only able to squeeze about 8 to 12 radial in place but they very in length I am running full power of 100wtts into it,and another thing is I am stuck with this ant because I am disabled and spent all the money I had saved on this antenna. and tech support was not very helpful at all, so would I recommend this ant to anyone NOT NOW unless tech support is willing to go the extra mile and make it work for all customers and make them happy especially people like myself who don't have a lot of money to spend on there products I will change my opinion of this antenna if someone can make it work for me in my situation and conditions (A Resent antenna will always work better then a fooled one)
N5ZZM Rating: 2012-03-27
good antenna if you have a tuner Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I called Hygain and they were no help. I have this antenna and the SWR readout on my radio without the tuner is..infinity!! no matter where I put the clip, swr never leaves full scale. I can tune all but 80 meters with just a tuner, but a resonant antenna is more efficient than one fooled by a tuner. I even bought a quick adjust coil, makes no difference. is an ok antenna for tuner users, but to resonate at a specific freq... forget it.
VE7REN Rating: 2011-12-11
3 yrs trouble free Time Owned: more than 12 months.
ypdate to my apr 2008 review.
mounted to a 5 ft steel pipe concreted in the ground,and it talks dx,local,etc. i would still buy another,and always recomend to others looking for a cost effective verticle.
this antenna works flawlessly.
AB0KD Rating: 2011-09-03
Good, basic, easy to use antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had the 18V since 1976. It has been installed for a total of 16 of the 35 years and used for field days when apartment bound or otherwise landlord constrained. The sheet metal screws were a problem initially when they loosened in the wind and oxidation between the segments created series metal oxide diodes generating mixer products up the spectrum. After going to hose clamps some years back, there have been no more problems with RFI. The insulators have been replaced twice on general principles and the coil standoff tended to not age gracefully. The coil has been clipped with lawn mower wheels a number of times and is still holding its own. It is nice that spare parts are still available. Tuning is easy, although an annoyance in snow.
KA1YUW Rating: 2010-03-21
Good Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Got mine for Christmas when I was in my teens. The original 18v.I got to replace one of the tubings and put it up. I use to use 67 ' radials and worked great on all bands. I know it says 33' radials in the instructions but to operate on 80 metters you need longer ones. It worked as good as my dad's 18avq.
M0GGH Rating: 2009-09-14
Not exactly waste of money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I tried one just for fun. To my surprise 80m band worked much better as I would ever expect. Also, no DX antenna in no means, but easy +10 dB over the Europe. Not a single radial on 80, just tuned to 1:1 against the ground, enjoying very fine ground in the area. 20m fair (with 2 radials) however I had to shorten the tubes, to be at least within the range on the analyser. Every distance, and all directions about 3 S units below the mono band delta loop cut to the frequency at the same low height. In my opinion, 20m band could do a bit better. However, antenna works, take-off angel on 20m still high for any DX, but one could not expect more, having short vertical with the heel blocked by fence-next-to-fence-apocalyptic garden situation in Robin Hood land. Works better than any expensive short portable.
cris m pinneke Rating: 2009-06-16
AV-18VS Cheap&Work's Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I picked up a AV-18VS and had it together in 15 minutes and really like how it works.For a small antenna the thing preforms pretty well.I have no beef with Hy-Gain antennas and knowing how HF works this is the cheapest bang for the buck.If your not able to build your own antenna,Or don't have the space i would give it a shot.I set my vertical mast at 28.400
16ft 5-3/4 inches 1/2 wave on ten meters,Tap the coil @ 2-1/2 rounds and VSWR was 1.5:1.boom I'm on the air.I mounted it 3 feet above the ground and added 6-40 meter counterpoise wires 12ga copper house wiring in six different directions.It changed the receive for the better.
73 from W5CMP North Texas.
AI4QT Rating: 2008-08-25
Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was hesitate to purchase this vertical since I was not sure how well it would perform in my rocky limestone back yard. WOW, I am impressed! It does just as well for me as my G5RV and on some bands even better. The band that the G5RV does a better job is on 80, but I can indeed work 80 on the Hi Gain AV-18VS. I have about 25 radials coming from the antenna's base.
N8MRC Rating: 2007-06-11
Good Portable Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Good for portable operations, like camping or field day or if you have antenna restictions, but if you can put up a G5RV I would use that for a base antenna b4 the AV-18VS, don't get me wrong the antenna is good. I plan on using mine for when I go camping and for field day. Cheap way to get on HF without the hassle of trying to hang ropes...
W0NBP Rating: 2007-05-02
E-Z to use Vertical Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My old friend WA0MWW emailed me and asked me about my Vertical Antenna. After I had emailed him with all the info, I thought maybe I would do the review here.

I have had the AV-18VS for about two years and for the most part have had very good luck with it. I bought it primarily for back up when a squirrel chewed down one end of my dipole I have up between two trees in my yard.

Assembly was easy and all the parts were in the bag. I first mounted it on a 5' tripod in my back yard with two large 12' spikes driven into each foot. I ran out 6 18' radials on the grass and a ground line to a ground rod and on to 60' feet of 4' high chain link fence for a counterpoise. At that time I was using a Kenwood TS-450SAT and I experimented with tuning the coil with and without the auto tuner on the 450. Came to the conclusion that I could just throw away the jumper for the base mounted coil and connect the coax directly to the base of the coil and the antenna base (ground) thus giving me a little electrical length and added inductance to tune with. I was able to work 80 thru 10 meters including WARC bands and MARS frequencies. My best DX was an LO2 in Argentina.

I wanted to do all my testing on the ground because my intention was to mount the vertical and the tripod on the peak of my roof. I left the whole business in the yard for all of the first summer and it worked just fine. The old 450 would tune all the bands and only groaned when I got on the MARS bands…. But it would eventually bring it down to 1.5:1 VSWR. In the fall, with the help of some of the OARC (Ottumwa Amateur Radio Club) members, we got it mounted on the roof and relocated the radials to lay neatly in my eaves troughs. I connected to my ground rod and also to the 60’ of chain link fence.

By then I had acquired a new radio, a Kenwood TS-480 and it did not like the AV-18 at all. It would tune 40 and up but nothing else. In checking around for a solution to the problem, I ran across an article that mentioned the Vectronics 514 to extend the auto tuners range. I ordered one and in a couple of weeks had it in line and it proved to be the answer I was looking for. Now the 480 will tune the whole band including 160 meters.

Now almost a year later, I have another radio, a Kenwood TS-570 on a dedicated MARS Pactor frequency and using the vertical with that. About all I use it for anymore is PSK-31 on 20 meters during the day and occasionally work 30 or 40 meters CW in the evenings. I work both coasts, no problem, when band conditions are favorable. Am looking forward to an improvement in band conditions this summer.

All in all for the $98.00 plus shipping that I have invested in it, it has been a very good antenna. If you are limited for space and need a decent antenna that will give you good performance, then by all means get the AV-18 and get on the air. Just remember, It is not a Yagi or a dipole up 100’, but simply a reliable, easy to assemble vertical that will get you on the air with a decent signal for just a few bucks.

Bill
W0NBP
SE Iowa