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Reviews For: Hustler 6BTV Vertical

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Hustler 6BTV Vertical
Reviews: 160MSRP: 189.99
Description:
6btv
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.new-tronics.com/main/html/base_hf_6_band.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
33.71604.6
G0UJK Rating: 2023-01-08
biggest pile of junk i have ever owned Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Tounge in cheek and smile on my face. I just left long winded 5star review on the alfa delta. Dxcc. I now find myself writing the complete opposite review. I have nothing good to say about this vertical! Bought it 2nd or 3rd hand which speaks for itself , or might tell you something! £125 wasted! Took it to the forest in Northumberland national park with a good asl. Was there 6weeks, 6 hours drive, just off the Ground 12inches mounted with 16 radials across a large field, and it was a "complete flop"!! eg 339 in japan,539 canada 339 vk did get the odd 57. But the fan dipole was better!! look columbia 59, 599 zl/zs9hi /mm going to heard island, 3b8 599 4s7 599,zs6 59+10,cn8 59+ The Fan dipole, loop antenna, long wire, everything we put up smashed the hustler! I brought it home and gave it another chance with 64 radials down in the lawn all pinned took me ages to do. Recieves europe ok, but struggles to work anything! I dont want to work italy and spain all day long! they are locals we hear them all the time! Had problems getting good vswr, spent so much time on it, it enrages me!!! I had four other wire antennas up at home as well, and this antenna is junk! compared to any one of my home brew wire antenna's . Its in the scrap heap waiting to be used for another project. My thoughts, "dont waste your hard earned cash"! Location location location, different antennas work for different hams. Thank god there is so many to choose from, home made or shop bought. Never will I buy one of these again! It still haunts me!
K0VH Rating: 2022-12-12
Oldie but goodie Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've had my DXE supplied 6BTV with tilt over mount up on/off since Aug 2022 and full time since mid Sept, more on that later*. I put the tilt base ground mounted on a 6 foot galvanized pipe and tuned up based on the extensive DXE manual (better info than the original Hustler manual) and internet references. 40-10 meter tuned up great, most in mid band since I generally operate SSB with some psk31 and rare FT8 and CW. Most of 10 and all of 15 & 20 & 30 meter SWR is under 2:1. I can tune all of 40 using the internal IC7300 autotuner. On 75m 3.9 mhz I get 50 khz < 2:1 and slightly over 100 khz on the autotuner. I have spare whip I can use if I want to operate around 3.7 mhz, but of course one needs to tilt the antenna for that swap. Tilting is not a big deal, 2 bolts loose, one hand that's it...the tilt base is absolutley a must!

Again using internet research I used eighteen 25 foot radials which seems to work just fine*. I have a AEA(?) lightning suppressor in the coax line with a 6 foot ground rod next to the antenna. Little loss since it's just a 25 foot run of buried LMR400 to the shack. So far I've worked many countries in EU, Africa and all over No American on SSB. Most stations this past weekend on Sweepstakes SSB first call. This is with my IC7300 100w barefoot. I've done some psk31 US QSOs too, a few FT8. It's no pileup buster but I'm happy with the performance and simplicity of appearance and setup.

* My situation: after 55 years of ham operating including decades of modest tribanders at 40 feet and KW amps, a year ago we downsized to an HOA townhome. I told my wife if they approved a simple vertical in the backyard I'd move. Well it was ok'd possibly since we had a wooded semi-private backyard and I went with the simple "25 ft pipe" 6BTV. I own a Butternut HF6 used as a backup antenna at my last QTH (great performer but pricey these days) however thought the simpler appearance of the 6BTV might look better to the HOA council and it seemed to work. I'm on top of a hill and while my steel sided townhome is to the west I still seem to be able to work at least the US west coast & BC somehow? I also put up a multiband short attic dipole during construction, but the 6BTV does better almost all the time, keeps me on HF in my retirement.

TIP: I read somewhere on the internet an idea for a quick 17m add on. Make an L bracket out of metal and use a 17m hamstick mobile whip (which I had laying in the garage). Whala, free 17m, fairly stealth and it works![update: after the 10m contest Dec 10 22, that whip is increasing my 10 & 20m swr so I have work to do this spring].
N9TF Rating: 2022-10-23
Simple but effective! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Just put the 6BTV up in August 2022. I purchased mine with the DXE tilt base and radial plate. The antenna was shipped in its own box, separate from the tilt base and radial plate/hardware. All was received in perfect condition from DXE. Mounting pipe used is 1 1/4" OD galvanized water pipe anchored 4' in the ground with concrete. The antenna went together in a couple of hours, including tuning, which took no time at all. Each section was set for operating with ground radials. After assembly I checked the SWR on all bands (no radials yet), and the SWR bandwidth was very close to the SWR chart supplied in the DXE assembly instructions, except for 80m. Back to that later. I laid out 8, 32' ground radials (18g zip cord from HD), and buried them about 2" deep in this TN rocky clay. No grass yet to staple them in to as this is a newly constructed home. More radials to come later. SWR curves after 8 radials installed showed minor shifts, lowering the resonant frequencies. 40m was the largest shift. It is 1.5:1 at the very bottom of the band, with 1.1:1 resonance at 7.040. at 7.200 it is at 2:1 and at 7.299 it is 3:1. That's perfectly fine as my interest on all bands is in the lower CW portion anyway. For 80m, I chose to go with the lower power RM80 resonator instead of the larger high power version to reduce wind loading at the top. As with all other bands, my focus is at the bottom of the band. I had to cut 2" of the stinger off to bring the 2:1 bandwidth into the CW portion of choice. The 2:1 bandwidth by removing 2" of stinger is 3.5125 to 3.56080Mhz. At 3.57300 it is 3:1, and the top end of the RTTY sub-band it rises to 3.5:1. Well within the rigs internal tuner range. I know I will have to make some tweaks along the way once I have laid all 32, 32' radials down.
I did add 4 guys ropes just above the 20m trap, as we get some very gusty high winds out here in the Tennessee countryside. I also did purchase and assemble the heavy duty bottom 72" section as a precaution. So far we have had minor wind gusts to 35MPH since the antenna was erected, and she stays straight as an arrow. I added my own "UGLY" balun at the feed point, and have no issues with RFI or common mode interference in the shack. I do only operate 100 watts low power, and the antenna is mounted about 160' behind the house!
Performance so far, 30m and 40m ROCK! I used to have rotatable dipoles for 30 and for 40m at my previous QTH in IL, and I find working DX, even with only 8 radials, is much easier than the dipoles were at 35'-40'.
80m has even surprised me as I have been able to work many EU/AF and SA so far in the past couple of months. Pretty much if I can here it, I can work it. It has also been a solid performer on 10/15/20m, I'm sure in part do to the rising SFI and Sun Spots.
All in all I am very happy with the construction of the antenna, the DXE tilt plate and radial plate. The vertical is a solid performer.
I Highly recommend this antenna if your on the fence.

73 Gene, N9TF
Clarksville, TN
W4EXT Rating: 2022-03-08
Good antenna with DX Engineering's help Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
The 6BTV with the DX Engineering's kit that includes a tilt-over mount and radials, plus their excellent advice on installing and tuning, is an good performing antenna. Installation is simple. Tuning can be a pain, but what multi-band vertical isn't a pain to tune? Don't be afraid of moving the traps, or chance are you'll never get it to tune. Start with 10 meters and work your way up to 40. 80 tunes by adjusting the length of the 80M whip and tuning 80 doesn't seem to impact the other bands.

I have the 12M and 17M add-on kits but haven't installed them yet. I'll amend this review once I have those installed and have a few month's experience.

My work is primarily digital, and I've used this antenna, installed with 35 32' radials, to work every continent except Antarctica. With limited SSB use, I've had no trouble working North America, South America, Europe into Russia and the Caribbean. If a vertical is the only thing you can put up, this is the vertical you want.
KI0BK Rating: 2021-09-14
does what a vertical should do Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had this antenna for several years, has always been my go to antenna for my automated station. It started out as a 4BTV that I won at a hamfest. Added the 30M kit and an 80M whip on top. I only have a few 4-6 radials.
After many years in operation, the 10M trap (Hustler) fatigued and broke, DX Engineering has replacements that are better then the originals. Recently the SWR went high, found water in the 15M trap, the plastic caps on all of the Hustler traps (the old ones) were all cracked, again DX Engineering has replacements, it only took a few minutes to replace all the caps, and back in service again! Heck yea, I'd buy another!
N9SD Rating: 2020-09-29
Great antenna after 10 years Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought the 5BTV about 10 years ago, then converted it to a 6BTV with the 30m add-on kit. I love it without the spiders. I also added 17m and 12m by homebrewing some 1" PVC standoffs, one at the base, one about 17' up. They support vertical elements for 17m and 12m. I originally had 30 radials on the ground, which worked great. Then we moved. Now I have 20 radials on the ground, each 25' long, and the antenna is pounded in the ground right next to a nice, soggy, conductive marsh. It still works great. I have ZERO s-units of noise on most bands, and can really hear weak signals on WSPR and FT8. Good bang for the buck. With radials (just do it), this antenna plays great.
MW0CVW Rating: 2020-07-11
New Installation 2 weeks ago. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hi Everyone :)

Finally installed my 6BTV during a weeks Holiday from work as required under existing conditions here in the U.K.
Two days where need to install the concrete base and pole and prepare the location for the DX Engineering Radial Plate.Next Two days i installed 37 Radials with the Bio Degradable clips (DXE) lengths from 5m to 8m due to my restricted garden location in a cart wheel configuration as advised in the engineering notes (DXE) web site.

I then installed the antenna to the Tile base and with the aide of the MFJ 259B analyzer i was able to do a frequency sweep and set the traps in band resonance curve as required.

Noted the following points during tuning (traps).

All bands 10,15,20,30,40,80M where around 750khz low, Doing a sweep with MFJ 259B Find SWR resonance curve.

80 Meters the whip was too long as detailed in the instructions need cutting bring in band as resonance was too low at first.

On air the performance is very good, over past two weeks South America,USA and Africa stations with good reports.

I have ordered the stronger tube to replace the lower 10m section due to high wings at my location some 150m above sea level and added nylon guys with GRP thick wall earth steaks in the ground for additional stability and support.

Very please with the Antenna, had a similar installation some 10 years BUT ONLY with 8 Radials installed never happy with the performance.worth all extra work putting Copper in the ground..plan to add an additional 20 radial soon.

Good DX Paul Mw0cvw North Wales U.K

W1ZAH Rating: 2020-05-14
6BTV Inside a Home Brew Flagpole Time Owned: more than 12 months.
UPDATE:

The Hustler 6BTV has been up a year and after a couple of modifications on the support pole attachment it has withstood winds over 45 KTS with no issues. It is advisable to remove the flag from the pole when the wind gusts exceed 30 KTS.

After a bad experience with Greyline Performance "Flagpole Antenna" I decided to get the 6BTV and install it inside a PVC "flagpole". I bought the 6BTV along with the Omni Tilt Base and radial plate.

The DX Engineering folks were very helpful pre-sale and provided me with a couple off articles written 10-20 years ago by people who had done the 6BTV-Flagpole mod. A complicating factor was the tilt base, since I do not believe the articles I read included that piece.

After a couple of mis-steps I ended up buying 2 1/2" ID PVC (special order but not expensive) and making some modifications after raising the antenna a few times. The PVC covers about 90% of the antenna, right up to the 40M trap and 80M whip. It is possible to cover the entire length with PVC but I think it is too unstable having 23' of PVC in the air on a tilt base. I researched fiberglass flagpoles, which are more expensive but sturdier, but stayed with the PVC.

A ground radial system is an absolute must. I was only able to cover 180 degrees from the antenna base but I buried 25 - 20' lengths of 14G copper strand and although it was a bit tiresome, the results make it worth the time. Compared to my end-fed 1/4 wave dipole the 6BTV is a bit nosier on the receiving end but the transmissions on the vertical are a lot stronger than what I get from the dipole. I have an antenna switch in the shack so A/B comparisons are easy, and the 6BTV always kicks the dipole's butt on signal strength reports.

Tuning the vertical on installation is also important and with the tilt mount it is pretty easy to rain/lower it by yourself.

All in all it is a fine sub for the Greyline flagpole antenna that never gets delivered, and costs much less.
WB0FDJ Rating: 2020-04-25
Simple and effective Time Owned: more than 12 months.
4/25/20 observations: well the heavy green wire radials, laid out on the ground with biodegradable lawn staples (DXE) disappeared under the thatch in about 6 weeks. No problems with mowing after that. I have the heavy duty base tubing and have only taken the antenna down a couple of times; one was during the first day of a blizzard when it was freezing rain then sleet. Otherwise this base has withstood very heavy winds, unguyed, without issue. I continue to be amazed at how well 80 meters works, considering the low effeciency on that band. I'm making QRP contacts on all of the bands, including 80, so it's doing it job. Just a word for the new guy or gal: as you have read, radials are a must. Yes this antenna was designed a very long time ago for the ham who would drive a pipe in the ground, hook up the coax and get on the air. Yes it does work that way. But if you have poor soil conditions adding even say 32 one eighth wave radials can give you somewhere around 3 dB improvement. I have read a number of blogs, reviews, etc where the ham removed his radials to get a better SWR reading. With this antenna on the lower freqs, where the antenna is shorter than 1/4 wavelength the impedance might be somewhere around 20-23 ohms. Thats what I calculate for mine. Removing the radials only adds ground resistance, which means more signal wasted. On a cold day the worms with thank you but you decrease radiated signal in doing so. If your SWR changes with radials, thats a GOOD thing. Overall a good simple antenna that will last a long time. Earlier review follows:

I have a postage stamp sized yard and no decent trees for wire antennas. I spent many hours reviewing the antenna literature and made the decision to go with a multiband vertical since that fit my operating needs. I went with the Hustler. I'm glad I did.

The antenna assembled very easily. One ham had a 9 year old kid put one together for him. Nothing to it. But that's only half the battle. You are going to need radials if you get one of these. I read everything I could find from Rudy Severns and Dr Jerry Sevick (from the early '70s) to get up to speed. Long story short: many 1/8th wave radials are more effective than a few half wave radials. Which is fortunate because I don't have much room, so put down 32 sixteen foot radials. As they say, "you work with what you got". Tuning with an analyzer was really pretty simple. Mine needed no adjustment on 10 and 15 and only very little on the other bands.

I run WSPR regularly so thats the only semi-objective information that I can offer. My former antenna was a GAP monobander and before that a Challenger. Overall I am getting better reports with the Hustler on 20, about the same on 40 and now have 30 meters. On 80 there's no comparison. The Challenger isn't cited for it's 80 meter prowess. Tonight I'm running 1 watt on that band and the Hustler is consistently hitting all three coasts and getting decodes from EA8 land. That surprised me!

So for my situation and operating needs this has proven to be a very effective antenna. It's well built and the design is ages old and known to just work. Every antenna will have some trade offs but these I can live with. Make the effort to get down some radials.
KT4ZE Rating: 2020-04-05
Good & Reliable! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had this antenna since 2001 and it has weathered many a storm without a single failure. It was mounted to a TV antenna mast driven into the ground. No radials at first but as they were added it definitely started hearing better. Yes, radials affect the tuning but it is easily tuned especially with a DXEngineering tilt over base. Recently moved it because a tree was getting too close. Used a galvanized pipe driven into the ground, added the DXEngineering radial plate and radial wire; clean installation and it works great.