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Reviews For: Butternut HF6V

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Butternut HF6V
Reviews: 90MSRP: 522.95 USD
Description:
10,15,20,30,40,80,Vert.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.dxengineering.com/parts/but-hf6v
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00904.5
N0HR Rating: 2007-07-10
Guy it well and watch for ice Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had the Butternut HF6V for about 7 years. It has served me well in that time. You can't expect it to beat a full size yagi on 20 in a DX pileup or even a high dipole on 40m. However, this antenna works better than some other similar products that I've been able to use. Performance will be about what you would expect and tuning will take some patience.

I've posted a full review on my website:
http://www.n0hr.com/HamRadioReviews/censura.php?cmd=details&itemid=88

and I've got pictures of the damage to the antenna after an ice storm:
http://www.n0hr.com/hamradio_blog/?p=114

My bottom line is that if you are going to use this antenna in an environment with high winds then guy it well. If an ice storm is likely, then take it down (before the ice does). It's an expensive antenna to lose to a storm.

W4NLM Rating: 2007-02-22
an outstanding vertical Time Owned: more than 12 months.
a solid 5;it has been suggested that since i have the gulf of mexico as a ground, i could put up a wet noodle and get a 559 report from tokyo!!
i doube that, i do have a good ground
i have loaded the antenna on all bands, 160 to 6(the 160,6 meter kits must be purchased seperately), and, with the ant tuner, i can work the entire band. on dx, my reports are in the 559 range and most of the time, if i can hear um, i can work um.if one had the patience, he could tune the antenna to his tastes and get good service without a tuner.(i dont)i have a 600 watt amp, but, rarely go higher than 400 w since it isnt needed!)

73's

joe-w4nlm



VK6ARA Rating: 2007-01-24
High Performance Vertical ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased a used HF6V 5 years ago. It has since been used in 4 different QTHs with good performance. I never was able to get 20m to tune properly and it was always resonant above the band.

I recently pulled the antenna down and gave it a full clean/service. I found that one joint had a higher than expected resistance due to oxidization in the joint. This was cleaned up and tested with an ohm meter. All other connections, Coils and Capacitors were fine.

I reinstalled the antenna back on the large metal A framed roof that serves as elevated radial system. The whole antenna had changed resonance and required a complete retune. Now, after tuning, the VSWR at resonance on all bands is down to 1.2 or less so in the centre of each band. I have 40Khz on 75M between the 2:1 points. 20M is now resonant in the centre of the band also with a 1.2 VSWR.

Performance is now excellent!! With 400W pep 5/9 reports are common place into Europe on 40M & 20M. 75M is also providing good signals for DX. 10/15M also provding 5/9 reports from JA and asia with 100 watts.

The HF6V is truly a high performance low angle radiator. Regional Signals on 80/40 from VK6 are well down (20-30db or more) compared to a low trapped 80/40 dipole as expected. However, to Europe on 40M in the morning, the HF6V is 2-3 S points up on the dipole due to the low angle of the signals.

This Antenna is probably 8 years old and with a bit of Maintainance still provides a very competitve DX signal.

You can see pics of my Installation on the Butternut group on yahoogroups.com.

73 & Good DX.
Andrew VK6ARA
Perth, Australia.
W1NR Rating: 2007-01-23
The best Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used a number of verticals and this stands on the top. Have had this one for 15 years and only had to replace the 75 ohm line this past fall. It is mounted on my roof roughly 40' from the ground using the STR-II stub tuned radial kit and seperate radials for 30m. I don't use it for 80 because the bandwidth is so narrow and I have a remote tuned inverted V instead. You MUST read the articles about ground systems on the bencher WEB site to appreciate their importance, especially with this antenna. If you have a proper radial system this antenna really plays wellOnly complaint is with the STR-II. The connections are fragile and will eventually break from whipping around in the wind. I solved this by taping them to fishing line and using the line to tension them rather than the twin lead itself. I will probably add on the 17/12M kit in the spring.
WA2MGB Rating: 2006-07-31
I love my BUTTERNUT Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
have an HF6-V which I purchased used. Included in the sale was the 160m optional coil. Though I found the instructions for assembly a little confusing, some help from a good friend had her up in no time. I HIGHLY recommend you use something like the MFJ-259 antenna analyzer to set your coils...it saves an aweful lot of running around. Performance wise: I couldn't be happier, as per the design of the vertical is it not the best for short range communications. However, when working DX it's a dream. I am fortunate to live directly on a body of saltwater... For DX it outperforms my 20m dipole. For 75m work, sometimes it outperforms my 80m dipole, other time, the dipole wins out....again depending on distance. I also live in a high wide area facing a bay. I added just two lightweight guy wires. (nylon lines) above the coils. She has survived horrible windstorms and a nor'eastern. Yes, the upper portion will swing and sway like a willow tree.....but it will still be there in the morning. A great bargain for someone wanting to cover 160m-10m.
Paid: 150. used.
W1ZE Rating: 2006-04-14
22 years old and still going Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is my 2nd review from QTH #4. My HF6V was purchased in 1984 and still providing excellent service. The best short vertical I have ever used. Every few years I disassemble it, clean up all connections and reassemble. Works the same today as in 84. On 30 through 10 meters the SWR plot looks like a dummy load. Best vertical for the bucks

W1ZE, Phippsburg, ME
KD7UBD Rating: 2006-01-27
Impressed with overall performance, design, and instructions Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this antenna because I've been unhappy with the one I've been using. I do contract work and live in my 35' motorhome year around. I've been using a 66' dipole with twinlead on a DK9SQ mast NVIS style on the rear of the rig, which puts the center of dipole up about 40 feet when deployed in RV parks (not driving down the road!) It has worked OK, but did not seem to be really getting out very far and was quite noisy.

If you have any questions my call is now W7MSX and email is mikesexsmith@hotmail.com

I installed the HF6 in the center of my motorhome metal roof so that it can be taken down/deployed in about 10 minutes. I am using a PVC 4-way fitting drilled 7/8"thru sideways placed just above last coil and tubing joint for the 4 guy lines coming down to the 4 corners of the motorhome. I am grounded for the counterpoise to the metal roof, which also is connected to the metal skin and framework of the motorhome. The Butternut manual says this will work well, and it does! Using my 100 watt K2 and KAT100 tuner it tunes 80 thru 10 meters with 1.3 or les SWR and puts out full power.

The noise level difference between the old dipole and HF6 is 2 or 3 s units lower on the HF6. My first two QSO's were with stations in Minnesota and Arizona on 75/80 meters for 59 reports. I am not able to make contacts with stations close in on 75/80 (100-200 miles) as well as the dipole though. I will continue to use dipole for NVIS work, but am tickled that my DX capability has increased significantly! In those locations where I can not intrude into other RV spaces with the dipole wires it's good to have an excellent alternate I can use now!

If you have any questions contact me at mikesexsmith@hotmail.com. My call is now W7MSX
NA9U Rating: 2005-12-07
Fabulous Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have had this antenna for six months now. I have some dipoles but can't get them very high. Since putting up the Butternut I can nail DX on command. I listen to my local DX packet cluster. When DX is on 40-10 and I can hear them I generally nail it in one or two rounds of calling on 100 watts. I have made about 60 contacts over this time period. If I turn on the amp I nail it first time. I have not had that much DX work on 80, due more to band conditions than anything else but 40-10 is just marvelous. In my opinion verticals are noisy antennas for listening but they sure do talk loud. Mine is ground mounted with about 12 radials varying in length from 15' to 130'.
ON7EQ Rating: 2005-11-15
Great all-rounder! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.

I am pleased to report that the HF6V antenna is working very well indeed !

I have installed it some 2 months ago, and since then worked on HF more DX stations than in the past 25 years I am running my HAM station !

Especially on the low bands it is performing very well ... on 40m I regularly make contacts with VK and ZL, and on 80m 'stateside' contacts are no problem... but this morning I was very surprised when even ZL2UO came back to my CQDX-call on 80 !

My antenna is ground-level mounted in the garden. As a matter of facts, a good ground plane is imperative with this ground-level setup, but this is a well known fact.

I made a short support pole 60cm long from galvanised tubing, put this in concrete, and then added 96 radials of about 10m length. These are connected to 8pces Stainless Steel M6 bolts welded around the circumference of the support pipe. The antenna base fits inside this support tube and is kept in place with 2 M8 bolts.

Also congrats for the Bencher after-sales service : one capacitor was broken during transport and promptly replaced at no cost under warranty !

KW4J Rating: 2005-10-25
Best vertical that I ever owned! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have more than two decades of great service from HF6V's. The first one was mounted on the roof of a QTH, and it was electrically excellent. The occasional inconvenience of a radial replacement after storms did not dampen my enthusiasm for the antenna. My next-door neightbor, also a ham, bought it when I moved away. He still is using it with good results. The new neighborhood had covenants controlling antenna placements, so I ground-mounted a new one after painting it green. No one noticed it unless I pointed it out. It also worked great. I dismantled it when I moved again to a QTH with no antenna restrictions. It will also be mounted it on the ground.

I cannot offer any new advice on its operation or erection other than to iterate that the more ground radials, the better the operation. There will always be an HF6V at this QTH.