| EA6LP |
Rating:  |
2003-10-18 | |
| I loved it and I hate it now. |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
It is a good performer, I worked T88TM (8.024 miles from my QtH,) with the help of 800 W, who can ask for more,...
But mecanically it is very weak, it bends very easily more than 90 degrees of movement: yes,when it was brand new that happened first. With just 50 miles per hour wind it folds, it has never seen snow. No matter how much is guyed, I use 2 sets of 4 guys at 90 degrees, that is enough don´t you?
It has bended 4 times now, last one today a week
prior CQWW, with no time to get it ready for the Contest. The reparation is not very easy it demads time and imagination.
It has been reinforced internally at two points(stainles steel tube and fiberglas fishing rod) and externally at one point (catamarans sail´s
fiberglas battens)
I will not continue to fight with it, I give up. |
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| KC7MM |
Rating:      |
2003-08-25 | |
| Simple and effective |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
My first "real" antenna was a HF6V that I bought as a Novice. So when the opportunity came up, I purchased another Butternut antenna, the HF2V, used from a friend for use in Field Day this year. After disassemblying and cleaning the parts, I find that it works better than I expected. It makes a great FD antenna as it can easily be put together, is very light weight, and it plays well. And it doesn't require shooting lines on treetops.
At the FD site, I mounted it in a patio umbrella stand and placed two one-foot square cement patio blocks on the base to hold it upright in the wind. It didn't require guying. I attached four 75 meter and six 40 meter radials which were laid like spokes on a wheel on top of the grass. The antenna served us well. Our group, the Spokane DX Association, did very well for our first try at FD from northern Idaho. With the HF2V, we were able to contact stations from all over North America.
I intend to mount it about 15 feet above the ground at the home QTH using the same radials. I will write an update on how well it performs for DXing from there. |
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| WB7QXU |
Rating:      |
2002-11-30 | |
| flame thrower |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
This ant really put out a great sig. i still love this thing, and for the money it is the best buy. i still love mine, and WOW on 40m killer vert. even 80m it surprises me even now. i also have a hf9v. I like it better for low bands 40 and 80m. not too much out there will beat it. especially for the price, VERY well made. so easy to assemble. tunning is bit tricky but once you learn it is easy. simple to adjust.
awlsome vert. A MUST FOR LOW BANDS read my other comments on the hf9v, it is mounted the same 1000ft of radials ground level |
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| VE4MM |
Rating:      |
2002-09-29 | |
| GREAT FACTORY SUPPORT |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Purchased HF2V with 160 Meter kit.
Went up fast, instructions quite clear.
Only took 15 minutes to tune on 40, 80, 160 and
performed well.
One tube was dull in finish & I faxed the
factory & I had a replacement in 4 days! And
I am in Canada!!!!!!!
I would recommend mounting the base tube in
concrete. I did and the antenna is very
straight. We do have high winds in Winnipeg, MB.
I only used 1 bag of Redi-crete (concrete) and
made a 6"x6"x42" form with wood.
My ground is a 10' copper-clad ground rod. We have
good moisture content in our soil.
I would recommend this antenna if you don't
want wires running around your yard. Yes, a
bit noisy than a horizontal antenna.
73
Mike, VE4MM |
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| K6SDW |
Rating:      |
2001-11-21 | |
| Good, basic design |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I gave my HF2V a five star, not because it's the greatest antenna of all time, but because it's a good, simple basic vertical design using excellent parts. Ground-mounted, mine's been up a year and survived everything Mother Nature has thrown at it. It went together very quickly and easily following the Butternut directions.
The antenna has performed to my expectations given short verticals with the loading coils near the bottom instead of at the top are a huge compromise, especially on 80 meters. And speaking of compromises, that best descibes my ground-radial system....at the moment 12 wires about 30' in length surrounding the antenna. It seems the more radials I install the better the antenna works. The HF2V does give my ladder-line fed 135-foot dipole up about 25' a run for its money and curiously, my noise floor always drops when I switch from the dipole to the vertical. I'd always read/heard that verticals were more noisy, but I guess I have more horzontially-polarized noise than vertical noise in the neighborhood?
As the specs say, bandwidth on 75 meters is very small, I mean really narrow. My LDG autotuner handles the SWR up to about 5:1 then gives up. On 40 meters however, bandwidth is much much better and the autotuner can deal with the VSWR from 7.0 to 7.3mhz.
While the loading coils really should be at least midway up the antenna (center point) and even better at the top for optimum results, I have to say that with both of them so near the ground it takes just minutes to readjust either band center point frequency or base-matching resistance if needed.
Bottom line is: if I can hear a dx station on either 80 or 40, I can work them using the HF2V. This isn't so with my sad dipole which needs to be much higher, but that's another story. So, if ya want to play with a vertical for the lower hf bands, you won't go wrong with the Butternut HF2V. However, I've heard/read that 160-meter add-on kit for this antenna isn't worth the trouble.
73....../ed |
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| KA1KJZ |
Rating:      |
2001-10-13 | |
| Can't Kill It |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Simpler = Better!
Mine has been up for one year now, and no major troubles to report. The antenna covers the entire 40M band, but is narrow on 80 (as it should be!).
I chose for whatever reason not to guy it, and in a few wind storms, I watched it gently flex over, and couldnt watch, but when it was all over, it was still standing.
I'd recommend it be guyed with something like fishing line, just to keep it plumb. Mine now has a noticible curve in the direction of the prevailing winds.
This antenna is part 1 of an eventual 4 square, and I guess I chose right.
Ron - KA1KJZ |
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| IK1YPX |
Rating:      |
2001-05-13 | |
| nice to run it! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Since '95 is still running!only a couple of wires
for radials and the resuslts is great!no winds can breack it!only a little problem with the 160 mtrs kit:i can't find the better resonance but the
tuner of my ic 775 make the rest...
great antenna!!!
73'roby |
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| W3GEO |
Rating:      |
2001-05-03 | |
| Great Antenna if you are willing to put in the effort |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have had the HF2V with the 160 meter kit up since 1984. It has survived high winds and ice loading, bending but never breaking. I had heard that these antennas work ok with just a ground rod and no radials. It will work that way and I was able to make many decent contacts on 40 some on 75 but almost no one could hear me on 160.
I finally installed a radial system considting of 40 radials ranging from 100 feet down to 15 feet and put them where they would fit in the yard. The antenna was mounted in a corner of the yard where my fence and the fences of two other neighbors came together, so I tied them into the ground system. I also put the recommended top loading modification.
The results were fantastic. I started to work DX on all three bands with 100 W output from a 520S, 40 meter DX was almost automatic. 160 took a little work but in the end I could work what I heard. I agree with the posts who mention that another lower noise receiving antenna is helpful because the HF2V is a bit noisy on 160 and 80 on receive.
The only problem I ever had was with the the 160 meter doorknob cap that fell apart one day. It was probably my fault for not protecting it better, but it had survived 14 years. Got anoth one from Surplus Sales Of Nebraska and was back in business.
Unfortunately, due to garden expansion, a new out building, and a request from the XYL to do something about the radials that keep coming up out of the ground, I recently took it down and am using half slopers off my tower.
This is the best antenna I have ever used for 80 and 160. The half slopers approach it but do not match it. |
|
| VA2DV |
Rating:      |
2001-02-28 | |
| Perform well first time |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The HF-2V arrive yesterday at the QTH.It take me
2 hours to put all the pieces together and take
it up.I am living at the last floor of a third
story building and i have put the antenna on the
corner of my balcony.I do not have radials but i
have grounded the antenna to the balcony metal
structure.(6 balconys structure).It take me
around 10 min to tune the 80m coil to my favorite
part of the band 3780-3800 . Swr is 1.3 in that
windows.The very first night with bad conditions,
i have worked 8B9 , ON , VP2 barefoot with
good results.I never made such contacts even with
an Alpha-delta DX-CC.For sure , long term evaluation will give a much better view but for
my situation into an apartment , it's a dream come
true to work DX on the low bands at night.
I can wait to move and install radials !
A great product but very expensive here in Canada ! I guess we have to pay for a well made
piece of aluminium !
Thanks ! |
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| KX5F |
Rating:   |
2001-01-29 | |
| could not keep the instulaors from wearing out |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Father-in-law gave me one when I upgraded to general in l994. It worked ok, but in the Oklahoma winds I have had to replace to insulators several times, they were cheap, until Bencher bought out the company,(they doubled), finally its in the attic, as a spare in case I would loose my R-7 to high winds, In July of 95, had a downburst that sent 110mph winds and the R-7 made it. Pat, KX5F |
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