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Reviews For: Butternut HF2V

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Butternut HF2V
Reviews: 53MSRP: 374.95 USD
Description:
Two Band Vertical Antenna for 80 and 40 meters
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.dxengineering.com/parts/but-hf2v
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
15534.4
AA4AJ Rating: 2013-09-01
Works great Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Add me to the list of Butternut fans. I replaced an old trap vertical with the HF2V. I couldn’t be happier. You need to read the manual but assembly is simple and straight forward. Some of the holes didn’t line up exactly but, that was easily corrected with a round file - minor miss. There were many extra screws and bolts so, I could loose a few. The instructions are very complete but, you have to have the antenna in your hand to understand exactly what is being said and you really need to follow the instructions. I painted the base and sealed the bottom for water. Other than that, it went together quickly and easily. There are many little things that have been done to make the task of assembly easier. These guys are obviously in tune to the challenges.

The antenna is a 40 meter vertical with a small window on 80 meters. Mine has a 40 meter SWR of 1.5 to 1 across the band if centered. Mine is skewed to 7100 so it is 1.7 to 1 at 7290 and 1.3 to 1 at 7010. One to one in most of the center of 40 meters. I get a 2 to 1 SWR bandwidth of 40 kHz on 80 meters centered on 3562. My internal tuner spreads this some but, the sides of the curve are very steep. The antenna will work on most bands with a broad range tuner but, it was not designed to do that. Lowering the output power will do the same thing.

The antenna seems to work very well. I have a lot of buried radials and get great reports with 100 watts. I don’t flinch at adding more power if needed and the antenna can take it. I asked a lot of questions and the Bencher folk are very helpful. You just can’t find a better vertical.
7K1MAG Rating: 2013-03-14
Good vertical ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It's easy to build up by myself due to its light weight. So it does not collapse in the strong wind like typhoon.
It performs very good on all season long. I add both 160 & 30m option that works well. I can get 24 entity on 160m and 59 entity on 80m with 50watts. I can get latest Clipperton only on 80m!
I use 4 radials each on 30 & 40m and 2 radials each on 80 & 160m. Bandwidth on 160m is about 20kHz and bottom of SWR varies around 10kHz from winter to summer, its the only shortcoming of this antenna.
OH5YU Rating: 2012-06-10
Durable, reliable, easy to handle, needs no guying Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been using the HF2V for about 10 years without problems, and it was bought used. It is mounted 5 m (15 ft) high with 4 elevated radials for 40 and 2 for 80 m. As we don't have hurricane strength winds, it needs no guying. It works just as well as you can expect from a vertical this tall and handles 1 kW well. The mechanically simple construction is robust. The antenna does not weigh a lot and it is easy to handle alone without a helping hand. The 30 m option works as specified (note reduced power level there).
WV4I Rating: 2012-03-26
great 40M dx antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
While this antenna covers 75/80M as well, it really performs well on 40M at low above ground heights. My feedpoint is at 20' with only 2 tuned radials for 40M, and 2 for 75M. In this weekend's SSB WPX test, I worked everything I could hear on 40M SSB from VK/ZL/YB to South America, to EU, AF, Middle East/9K/HZ/etc., using legal limit power.

I supose if physical constraints allowed me to raise feedpoint to at least 40-50', suspect could do about the same on 75/80M.

Been thru several different types of verticals, but this one really performs, and is well constructed, designed. If you want dx on these bands, without putting up a tower, this is the antenna. If not, a wire dipole is of course quieter, cheaper, simpler.
NK8A Rating: 2011-09-26
Work Horse on 40 80 160 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is my second review and it includes 160 meters.Well, I now have good coverage of 40,80,and 160 meters.I added the TBR 160 and with my auto tuner on my radio I can work just about anywhere on 160 CW.I have the HF2v ground mounted with 52 radials underground about 2 inches. The radials average about 30 feet long.I would buy the HF2V again,if this one ever wears out.The HF2V "hears" the best of my antennas and I have had many good DX contacts on 40 meters.
N0JYC Rating: 2011-05-22
Great News! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This review replaces an earlier one. After having this antenna destroyed in the December 2007 Tulsa ice storm I have re-ordered the parts to rebuild it and put it up again. This time we guyed it. I use it for 40m and to my surprise it loads up very well on 15m and blows my Cushcraft R-6000 away on this band. I have no radials layed out. It performs very well on 40m, also, with many DX contacts. I am very happy with it.
RK3TD Rating: 2011-04-19
Great vertical for 40/80m Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have this antenna about 2 weeks. Already worked in two contest. It is very good and simple.
What is good? - Very nice SWR on 40m band. Whole band (7000-7200 for Russia) it has SWR better than 1:1.8.
Very simple installation! You can install it without anybody help! It is very light!
Adjustment is simple: by compressing/decompressing coils.
What is not good: Good SWR on 80m is only 70kHz. But it is not bad for me - I am using only CW.
Good Luck!
ZS6RJ Rating: 2010-06-08
Replaced one Butternut with another after 25 years. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
So here's the thing. I started off at the tender age of 15 with a 6 band Butternut my dad bought me as a present for passing the test. It was big stuff getting one of those imported into Africa in those days! Old timers considered me a spoilt brat! I've been using that antenna at 3 different locations for 25 odd years, until last week when it finally snapped off at the base embedded in concrete. And that was only with the help of someone who backed into it while moving a heavy concrete bird-bath....

That antenna was perfect, except for one small thing - the clamp used for the very top section stripped long before it was tight enough to hold the top piece in place. That stuck in my mind as a kid, 'cause my dad made me wait to operate until he'd gone down to the local hardware store to purchase another clamp. Seemed like he took 5 hours to drive a mile!

Having come to love that antenna as a supplementary to my beams (I worked Peter Island on 30, 40 and 80 CW with it!), I decided to replace it with a brand new HF2V today (mainly for some fun with 40/80 CW DX). It was like taking a trip down memory lane - the packaging was almost identical. I whipped it together tonight and as I was finishing off the top section - you guessed it - the supplied clamp stripped again!!

Far from annoying me, it brought the memories flooding back (and I had spares!) I consider this antenna to be one of America's finest - simple, does the job and who can complain about replacing it after 25 years? Which wasn't strictly necessary - I could have repaired the old one. Great antenna - but c'mon Bencher, for Pete's sake, blow 50 cents on a better quality hose clamp!

VE3XQQ Rating: 2010-05-10
Great antenna for limited spaces Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I acquired this antenna from a fellow ham, he got it from another, who …. Well you get the idea; it has been through a few hands. It is now planted in rear of my wee little garden plot. After some reforming of the coils, replacing the nuts and bolts and a general cleaning it went together quite easily.

The antenna went up in fall of 2009 without the top hat or guys and survived a couple of ice storms here in Ottawa, one of which included 80km/hr winds. It did bend without breaking and after a few taps with a tree pruner the ice fell off and it straightened right up again. Then in the spring of 2010 I put on the top hat.

Here is the Final installation:
The 160m kit installed and a homebrew top hat made of three 12.5 foot #16 wires. The ground field is two #16 160 quarter wave radials that follow the perimeter of my property (35X120ft) and house, 4 #16 33ft radials spaced 2 feet apart in an L shape, and finally I threw in 4 quarter inch diameter brass tubes in a fan arrangement with the ends spaced @ 2ft.

The 2:1 band widths:
40m > full band
80 m = 70 kHz
160 m = 17 kHz

Bottom line:
Yes it does work, yes verticals are nosier, yes 80 and 160 are compromises, and yes I am pleased to have TOP BAND capabilities. My rating of 5 is for my situation in a small residential lot, understanding that the laws of physics cannot be broken by mere humans.

Frank
If it ain't broke ... open it up and find out why!!!
K5ND Rating: 2010-03-12
Very good vertical Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Been running this antenna for two years. Installed a few radials and after about 18 months installed the 30 meter kit. Love the performance on 40 meters. 30 meters is good. 80 ok, no doubt due to limited radials. I run 5 watts and have no trouble working South America and Europe. I recommend this antenna to anyone looking for an excellent vertical for the lower bands.