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Reviews For: Diamond F718 70cm base / repeater antenna

Category: Antennas: VHF/UHF+ Omnidirectional: verticals, mobile, etc

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Review Summary For : Diamond F718 70cm base / repeater antenna
Reviews: 7MSRP: 229.95
Description:
Fiberglass base station / repeater antenna for 70cm, 11.5 dBi gain.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.rfparts.com/diamond
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0073
VK3YP Rating: 2018-02-06
Construction not the best Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Purchased two of these for 70cm club UHF repeater.
The first one snapped at the top fiberglass section after about 1 year.
The second one fared better - it lasted about 4 years before the top fiberglass section also snapped off.
Not mechanically sound.
NF9L Rating: 2012-09-21
Blowing in the wind Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
We installed this antenna on the VA hospital in Kansas City for our repeater. Initially we got what we thought was good performance, but we realized that on windy days the repeater was not even usable. The fiberglass antenna swayed in the winds and all received signals were chopped up and impossible to hear.

We were forced to get a commercial grade antenna and got a DB408B. The wind problem went away and the performance was wonderful . . .
N0ODK Rating: 2006-11-30
No Problems. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Had this antenna up on 50 foot tower for 3 years in Minnesota weather. No problems have happened and it has great range for my repeater. Built very well and handles the elements no problem here.

Mike
n0odk
73
N8EKT Rating: 2004-07-26
BETTER LOOK AT DUAL BANDER Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I WAS VERY DISSAPOINTED WITH THE MECHANICAL STRENGTH OF THIS ANTENNA.
LIKE A LIGHT WEIGHT FISHING POLE IN THE WIND.
THE 500HNA IS A FAR SUPERIOR ANTENNA FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE AND THE 510HNA IS EVEN AN IMPROVEMENT FOR LESS MONEY THAN THE 718.
VERY OVERPRICED FOR THE QUALITY
AC5PS Rating: 2004-01-12
Not sure what happen? Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
In use on a UHF repeater for nine months working great, then I noticed a big drop in power supply amp out put. Checked SWR and it was 3.5:1, took antenna down took it apart could not find anything wrong, Ground testing also and showed same 3.5:1 SWR. Replaced it with a diffrent brand and we are up and running again?
KJ4I Rating: 2003-12-09
Great Antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have had the Diamond F-718 for around 6 months serving my UHF repeater.. I was skeptical before buying this antenna as I never found much info and didnt know anybody that had used one.. I was very impressed with this antenna over all. The light weight makes for easy handling on the tower and the factory tuning job was great (no match problems). The construction of the antenna seems pretty good and for a $200 repeater antenna preformance seems really good as well. I have about a 40 mile radius of mobile coverage (even further in certain directions) but realize location and terrain play a big part here too.. The antenna is vary flexible and in windy situations will flex around as opposed to a more rigid antenna such as the Decibel. If I had the money I probably would have bought another Decibel Products antenna but im not disapointed over the decision to buy the Diamond. I bought this to replace the Decibel that was storm damaged when the original tower was destroyed. I cant really compare the coverage to the Decibel since I have moved it to a different location but coverage seems to be just as good from the new location. Over all I think this is a great antenna and would highly recommend this antenna to anyone not wanting to spent the big $$$ for a commercial antenna..
KG4OZL Rating: 2002-08-29
Excellent performer, well worth the money. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The F718 is a well made, serious performing antenna for base or repeater duty. We just installed a F718A model (440-450MHz) for our low profile 440 repeater, and it made a world of improvement on our coverage versus the Decibel DB404 that we had been using. We use the F718A, factory tuned to 440-450 MHz.

The antenna is of coaxial colinear design, using eighteen phased 1/2 wavelength elements - resulting in 11.5dBi gain. The F718 is rated for 250 watts max power.

The F718 is constructed of fiberglass (2 joints, 3 sections approx 5 feet each). The joints seem as strong as the rest of the antenna, and seal nicely with rubber o-rings. This results in a total antenna length a little over 15 feet. The mounting hardware (included) is excellent. The entire assembly weighs less than 5 pounds.

The antenna carries a wind rating of 90 MPH. I have not owned it long enough for any severe storms to test this rating out. It feels rugged enough and catches very little wind, so that rating seems reasonable.

I am very impressed with the RF performance of this antenna. Both TX and RX performance are downright serious. This $200 antenna honestly made $200 worth of improvement to our repeater system. I feel that my money was well spent. I highly recommend the F718 for 440 repeater duty.

If you, like me, cannot afford a DB420, your money is well spent on the F718. Heck, even if you can afford a DB420, try this first.

The F718 is available in several variants. The F718A is for 440 voice (440-450), and the F718L is available for ATV (420-430). According to Diamond, there are some other variants tuned for commercial bands. All versions use N-female connectors.

Simply put, if you want a great antenna for 440, buy this one.