| KE4D |
Rating:      |
2007-04-15 | |
| two years later |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Not only have I had my KJ7U screwdriver on the truck for almost two years, I also have the KW version on my motorhome. These antennas perform flawlessly on all bands. They are by far the best screwdrivers/mobile antennas I have ever had. (and I have had a lot)
I now am considering putting a KW version on my RV port in Brackettville, TX. Mounted in the center of a 40 x 60 steel building, I expect it to perform as well as a ground mounted vertical of much larger size.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by KE4D on 2005-08-02
I've had this antenna for about a month now. It arrived on time and in good shape and works as advertised. I have owned four or five screwdrivers over the years and so far, this one is the best performer. In fact, I'm selling my High Sierra and buying another KJ7U screwdriver for my motorhome.
John KE4D
www.therollinghome.com |
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| K4CFS |
Rating:      |
2007-02-28 | |
| GREAT 1ST MOBILE HF SETUP |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| My MOdel is the KW 6-160, biggest he sells! I have always compared high dollar items before I buy the and Screwdriver antennas was the same! I have no dought that there are other antennas as good as the model I bought from Larry (KJ7U) but this was my first time to mount and use one myself and it has worked perfect! I have a 1988 Chevy S10 Blazer so I mounted the antenna on a custom aluminum mount I made! The direction say to mount the antenna at least 36" above ground, I mounted mine at 45"! I connected the gound of the coax to the alluminum mount and the coax to the antenna, ran the coil up till I seen a Good SWR on my meter, 1.2, Using my JRC JST-245 Base radio, fired 150 watts pep on 1.8530, and two people said "Go ahead contact" The rest is history, I made over 40 contacts sitting on a chair in my back yard with the radio facing me hooked to a ac extention cord! I did not know mobile HF was this easy, I will give another review in a couple months! I ordered it on Friday night, got it Tuesday great service! The antenna looks great (big) and it is fantastic to hear stations start asking what antenna are you using , how much power do you use when they hear I am mobile, thinking of putting in a TS-480HX or a IC-7000 for the mobile radio, can email me and I can send pictures if you want to see my installation |
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| W3UTD |
Rating:      |
2006-04-29 | |
| Excellent solution for me! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I'm living in a deed restricted (and XYL restricted!!) home. I can get away with my HF-6V during weekend contests, but it can't remain up all the time. I thought a screwdriver antenna would be a good solution, and boy was I right!
I researched all the options and Larry's came out on top both in price, bands (covers 160) and power handling. I took the plunge and ordered it several months ago. Now that the weather is better, I've had time to install it and evaluate it.
I have it installed over the same DX engineering radial plate as the HF-6V with 60 random length radials about 1" below ground. The control wire to the motor is about 100 ft away, and I did put a few RFI toroids on that just to be sure.
Perfomance : less than 1:1.5 SWR on all bands with a 72" whip (I switch to 102" whip for 160). This past week I worked Aves Island on 7 bands, Sudan, Western Sahara, Iceland, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Crete, Sardinia, Turkey ..... and that's all without(!) the Ameritron amplifier.
Larry was helpful with a few inital problems (all related to me not reading the instructions!) and I can't be more pleased with the antenna and it's performance.
By the way, the XYL hasn't noticed it yet, neither have any neighbors. It's very low profile. |
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| WA8DBW |
Rating:      |
2005-07-27 | |
| OUTSTANDING! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I purchase the KJ7U 6-160 screwdriver antenna over a year ago. It has withstood the North east Ohio weather without a problem.
I just returned from a 5800 mile trip out West and Back to Ohio. The antenna continues to work without a problem. While in Vegas the temperature hit 126 degrees. The antenna didn't miss a beat.
While in Las Vegas I compeated in a "mobile shoot out" sponsored bt the OMIK ARC. http://www.omikradio.org
I was using a 706 at 100 watts and did so well I received the award for the strongest signal of the mobiles running up to 500 watts! This was on both 20 and 40 meters.
Long story short - I am pleased with the antenna and have used it on 160 through 6 meters and often have had people thinking that I was running an amplifier.
Larry is great to deal with and makes a fine product.
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| W6SFO |
Rating:  |
2005-07-11 | |
| Not the best by any means... |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I paid 225$ for this thing new. And, although Larry's a decent enough guy, the antenna really isn't up to par.
Problems encountered? Plenty! Mounting stud hole drilled off-center, and stripped. I made my own.
In minimal use, the tolerances between the aluminum outer section and the fiberglas core were atrocious. This made for some really nice radial slop. This resulted in signal dropouts at 5 mph. The screwdriver motor also uses NO braking, so getting used to the 'inertia tune' system takes some getting used to.
Nitpick items: Strain relief constantly detached, top boot became detached. Use of dissimilar metals invites corrosion.
I think I used it for a week or two. I can't remember where I put the thing...it's either buried in my storage shed or I sold it for a cheap price.
All in all: nice guy, lousy product. I hope it evolves into a contender against Tarheel and/or High Sierra. Save your pennies and get a High Sierra or Tarheel. Even the DK-3 is better.
73 - Phil
NW7N |
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| WA1KPD |
Rating:      |
2005-05-01 | |
| Excellent |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I bought this antenna used (hardly) from a friend 2 years ago. Larry was very helpful when I called before the initial installation, even though I had not bought it directly form him. I have used it mobile on all bands from 160 to 6 and have had very good luck with it. I like the fact that it is easily dismantled and put away in the trunk. I find it easy to tune with a cross hair swr meter. You gotta love working someone on 160 with an Icom 706 and telling them you are mobile!
It looks a bit noticeable on my 2001 Passat and I get many strange stares! Only downside I have noticed is that in the winter snow and ice cake on the bottom and eventually I cannot tune it. But that is an installation problem and not an antenna problem. (It is mounted on the side behind the right rear tire and close to the ground). The mounting screw for the antenna lead froze up and broke after several years of use. However it was easy enough to tap a new hole and replace it.
Excellent product. At least one other ham friend has been impressed enough to buy it and like it very much compared to the brand X screwdriver he owned for years, |
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| WA4EQW |
Rating:      |
2005-02-02 | |
| kj7u screwdriver mounted at roof level |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I purchased the kj7u screwdriver from Larry specifically for use in a semi-restricted area. I live permanently in an RV park here in Fort Myers Fla. I have used this antenna since September 2004 and have worked the world and used all bands 160 through 6 with complete success. I'm using an Icom ic706mk2g barefoot and the two bands that really prove this antenna for me are 160 and the new 60 meter band (50w. on this band). 160 on the WAS net so far has delivered solid contacts to Larry's state of Washington and most other states in between. My kj7u is mounted at roof level at 12 feet using the steel flashing around our park model house. With the one screw disconnect for the co-ax, I can have it inside our Florida room in less than two minutes. This is a definate plus after experiencing hurricane Charlie. This antenna will not be destroyed!
I contacted Larry twice by phone and got the information I needed. He is a super guy to talk to and certainly stands behind his product. As far as tuning with the 706, put it in AM, and as long as you remember the last band you worked on, tune it up or down for minimum swr. I don't even reduce power for this procedure. -Good luck if you decide to buy one and thanks Larry for a super product.
-Pat- wa4eqw |
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| KB4QLZ |
Rating:      |
2004-11-18 | |
| Exceeded my expectations |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I had been shopping for a screwdriver type antenna for quite a while, that would fit my situation. My requirements were, must be a short model, due to my 4X4 off-road driving. Must cover 80-10 Meters (the short model actually covers 80-6). Must be capable of handling at least 500W PEP (ALS-500 will be added soon). After searching most of the manufactures, without finding a model that fit my needs, I then found KJ7U’s design. The other reviews on EHam spoke highly of this antenna. The price of this model was in line with the others, so I took a chance, and ordered it. The installation manual for this antenna is straight forward, and well written. Installation was a snap, and I really like the mounting design. No extra supporting brackets are needed, like some of the other designs I looked at. Total removal of this antenna from your vehicle, should take less than 1 minute, if you so desire. I am very pleased with the signal reports I have received with this antenna with just 100 watts from my TS-50. Re-tuning after changing bands is simple and quick. I prefer to receive tune, then fine tune for the lowest SWR. I highly recommend KJ7U’s product.
Mark – KB4QLZ |
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| K2MMT |
Rating:    |
2004-10-02 | |
| New - no opinion yet |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I just mounted my long KJ7U screwdriver antenna on my deck of the condo. Radials are gelow the wooden deck and worked extremely well with the 9' vertical it is replacing. The problem is that I find that the antenna tunes from 3.5 - 29 mhz with only about 2" of the coil expansion. So it tunes extremely quickly making it difficult to find the SWR dip. Has anyone had similar experience? Any suggestions?? Thanks Peter K2MMT peter@brandenberg.tv |
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| K6RQR |
Rating:      |
2004-06-11 | |
| Works as advertised |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I purchased the larger version of the KJ7U screwdriver antenna several weeks ago and I have been very satisfied with its performance. I was a bit skeptical if it could actually tune up on 160 meters due to the fact that I drive a very small car which provides little in the way of a counterpoise. However, it can tune down to near 1:1 and I have spoken to stations in Washington state and S. California with Q5 reports. Similarly, on the other bands it works very well. I removed the resistor that Larry uses in the switch box and the antenna moves more quickly from band to band. It is easy to use the SWR readout on my FT-857 to tune the antenna. I use a triple magnet mount and do not drive while operating so I appreciate the mounting system which uses a large pin that the base of the antenna fits onto. It means that I can set up the antenna quickly when I find a good spot.
This is a fine antenna which uses no matching coil or network to achieve minimum SWR. The inner conductor of the coax attaches directly to the casing using a thumbscrew. If you are looking for a reasonably priced screwdriver antenna that can cover 160-6 meters I would recommend checking out Larry's website. |
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