| K2CG |
Rating:  |
2008-02-04 | |
| Great Antenna Super Customer Support |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I bought my Buddipole in 2005, I was impressed with it when I bought and continue to appreciate the quality and performance of this antenna. I started out using the Buddipole strictly as an NVIS Dipole and immediately started making some really nice QRP contacts.
This antenna is an experimenters dream. The Versa-Tee provides almost unlimited antenna configurations. The ever expanding Buddipole line of products provides even more great options to an already great standalone antenna.
Recently I have really been using my Buddipole in a Vertical configuration with an elevated counterpoise. The Low Band coil provides great frequency range from 80 meters on up. I love to backpack and have set-up and taken apart the antenna hundreds of times, this is a very solid well constructed antenna. I have flown with my Buddipole several times to Europe, I love the way it fits great in the bottom of my suitcase. I like to experiment with different antenna setups making and working with home-made verticals and all types of wire antennas, but I always come back to the Buddipole.
The Buddipole users group on Yahoo provides a great platform for information exchange and new ideas.
Recently I broke a wire on one coil in the field (and this antenna has been bounced a couple of times before) during high winds. I was ready to buy a new coil when the great folks at Buddipole told me that they could rewind the coil for a very small fee.
There is no such thing as the perfect all band-antenna but Buddipole comes real damn close.
73 Chuck G. K2CG
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| KM2U |
Rating: |
2008-01-27 | |
| Quality-Made Portable Antenna |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have owned my Buddipole for a year now, and have been having a great time working portable op's. This antenna is very well-made, and is truly a unique asset to the hobby of Amateur Radio.
If you read reviews of others saying that the antenna is difficult to tune, than you may assume they just have not read or are following the instructions. The antenna is actually very easy to tune using the supplied reference sheet provided with the antenna, it is even color-coded.
I also highly recommend joining the (BUG), Yahoo Buddipole User Group.
You will receive no spam email, and the assistance provided by other Buddipole owners is invaluable! Lets face it, most of us don't have a college education in RF Theory or Antenna Design; using the BUG to initially get you over a few hurdles is time well spent.
I own the deluxe version, and am planning to add the Triple Ratio Switch Balun, and the 80 Meter Coil as my next two options.
I do recommend for ease of operation, and to keep your radio happy, purchasing an auto-tuner to compliment the set-up. I own the LDG Z-100 tuner which retails for around $140.
I actually use 1/2 of the Buddipole as a mobile antenna on my Toyota truck. I use one extension arm, one coil, and a 4 section military whip, which Buddipole sells on their website.
My very first contact using this vertical, was the Canary Islands as I was crossing the causeway between Tampa and Clearwater, FL. The next day, I worked the Madeira Islands! This was done on 100 watts using an Icom 706MKIIG and the LDG Z-100 auto tuner.
I do want to mention, when I run mobile, I have a heavy nylon cord tied to the point where the military whip screws into the coil. The other end is tied to the cargo lug in the front of the truck bed. This provides back-pressure against the wind load while driving. My coummuting time is about an hour, and I run mobile the whole way home.
I recently set-up the Buddipole on the 17 Mile Drive in Monterrey, California in a vertical configuration. My very first CQ yielded Raratonga, the capitol of the Cook Island chain!
Yes, the Buddipole can get knocked over in the wind. Your radio will also explode in the rain. With anything, a little common sense will tell you to guy the antenna in windy conditions. You can also just hang 1 gallon water jugs on the tripod leg supports, or use a flat brick cap as I do instead of guying.
Buddipole even supplies you with an extra telescoping whip, should you break one!
This antenna has added a whole new facet to my Amateur experience. Working portable has exceeded my expectations, and I am looking forward to much more envolvement in this realm. You will also find that working portable sort of makes you popular.
Many more people want to work you when you call CQ Portable!
One final note. If you a very serious in utilizing all the available configurations, and truly getting maximum performance out of this antenna, you need to buy the TRSB Balun (About ($75), and you should buy an Antenna Analyzer. The analyzer will remove all the guess work and allow you to obtain maximum performance.
My recommendation is to start with the Buddipole Deluxe, then add a few accessories as the wallet or wife will allow, you will not regret it. I would also say that the TRSB would probably be the next accessory you would want. After that it could be in no particular order: extended mast, antenna analyzer, 80 meter coil, military whips...
de KM2U |
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| VE7TA |
Rating: |
2008-01-06 | |
| Buddipole with 80 MtrCoils and long whips |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I was using the standard Buddipole for a while, but as i wanted to be able to use 80 Mtrs, i changed to the larger coils and longer whips.
With this arrangement, after tuning the antenna as close as possible to 80, 40, and 20, and then using a tuner, i have very good results, with the antenna on the balcony of my apartment, after making plastic covers to keep the snow from getting into the coils. After this modification, i am very happy with the results,
VE7TA |
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| PY4YYF |
Rating: |
2008-01-02 | |
| Otima antena ! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| Bem, estou aqui para dizer sobre meus testes com esta antena ! A maioria dos comentarios são em inglês e por isto faco o meu em portugues para que Radioamadores Brasileiros entendam melhor o funcionamento desta antena. É uma otima antena para operar portatil,basta realmente ler e saber interpretar seu manual,funciona muito bem de 40 a 10 metros,onde usei e gostei muito desta antena.Fazendo a sintonia com um analizador de antenas da Zamin fiz os ajustes orientado pelo manual e consegui otimos contatos em HF,5 paises da Europa E FACILMENTE America do Sul. Sempre com reportagens de 599. Para quem quer operar em QRP ou ate 100W com certeza funciona ! Recomendo ... 73....Flavio PY4YYF Brasil |
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| VK3NSA |
Rating: |
2007-12-17 | |
| Not very impressed |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I found the antenna to be difficult to tune and very poorly made. After only using it a few times it began to rust.
As to the performance, that's not too bad. |
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| NE4EB |
Rating: |
2007-11-22 | |
| A Great Tool for Portable Operation |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I've had mine for about 6 months, and I've used it on several portable excursions. I would have rated this antenna a solid 4, but the customer service and individual attention I received from the company pushed it up to a 5.
When you get your Buddipole, you'll be shocked at how small the shipping box is. It is truly a portable antenna system. It is very light weight, but it is also machined very well.
The BNC to PL-259 adapter included with the Buddipole is one of those shiny "hamfest specials". My was defective right out of the box, and I must admit that I spent several frustrating hours trying to tune the antenna before my troubleshooting zeroed in on the faulty adapter. Once that was replaced with a quality one, the antenna tuned to spec, and tuned very well.
My first venture into the field was met with disaster. I used a much heavier duty tripod than supplied from Buddipole, but even in a light breeze, my antenna fell over and snapped off one of the telescoping elements. Buddipole should include a fluorescent pink insert in the kit that cautions people to guy off the system anytime it is put up. If you don't, it will fall over. You can fashion a complete guy system from Wal-Mart for just over $5. Buy three plastic tent stakes and a roll of parachute cord. Keep in in the kit.
Once I finally got my act together, I found the antenna very easy to tune and fun to operate. Don't try setting up the antenna and tripod on pavement such as in a parking lot, it doesn't work well. Once you put it over ground, it tunes to spec.
For what it is, a lightweight, well built multiband system, you can't really beat it. Yes, it's a pain to change bands, but you can't have everything.
Thank you Buddipole for a quality product and giving me lots of fun. P.S. - stop using those shiny adapters!
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Earlier 5-star review posted by NE4EB on 2007-09-11
I have owned my Buddipole system for about six months now. It is compact, and made from quality hardware. I have used it for mobile contesting and for Field Day. I have also used it for portable HF operation in the field just for the fun of it. The antenna works well, and it is a good value. Customer support is top notch and friendly. |
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| KD0AGV |
Rating: |
2007-11-22 | |
| Not too good |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I bought the buddy pole, it was easy to set up. Difficult to tune, if you wanted to change bands you had to take the antenna down and re-configure. A light wind will blow it over if you don't use guys. Using guys makes it harder to change bands. I tried it a couple of times, sold it at a loss. The new owner wanted one badly, now he agrees with me. Not what he had hoped. The Extension pieces are easily bent or broken. |
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| AF6CA |
Rating: |
2007-10-14 | |
| My Favorite |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Almost all my HF operation is done while portable. The Buddipole has been the best performing portable antenna I have.
I have been using it for over 2 years now and have not been dissapointed. I used it to listen to HF when I was Tech. Setting it up as the instructions said resulted in strong RX signals.
Now on HF, I find those settings are right on, or really close. The soil and nearby objects seem to have an influence. But slight adjustments in coils or whip length always adjust the antenna to a good SWR.
I have had the most contacts using the antenna in the vertical configuration with a single radial. Got my 1st DX. Estonia, Poland and Ukrain on 20M one night. Also during one hour of the recent CA qso party I made contacts 4 states, Canda, and 6 CA counties (including the one I was in) while vertical on 20M. All were with an Icom 718.
This antenna will blow over when your not paying attention. Be sure to tie it down. Not a fault of the design. It's portable and fits in a small bag. Kite string and a couple tent stakes work fine.
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| KD6WAG |
Rating: |
2007-10-14 | |
| Excellent Antenna!!! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Anyone that says this antenna is "too difficult" to assemble, tune, and/or use, needs their head examined.
Yes, I wish the instructions were a bit more clear, but after about 2 minutes of reading the provided instructions, it's easy to figure out how to work this antenna.
If you can put a collar and leash on a dog, you can erect, tune and use the Buddipole. It's that easy!
Now, I will fully admit that I use an LDG 200PRO automatic antenna tuner. One push of a button and it gave me a 1-1 SWR ratio on all HF bands, except 15 was 1.1 SWR, and 60m was 1.5 SWR. Heck, with the standard coils provided, the Buddipole doesn't even claim to be able to tune 60 or 80 meters. But, it did with my LDG. My SWR for 60m was 1.5-1 and the 80m was 1.3-1 SWR. Good enough for me!
After setting up and guying the buddipole, I was making contacts on 80, 40 and 20m. It was great! The second day I made some good contacts on 17M during the morning after I positioned the antenna into an "L" shape.
Great product, just guy it down. Now I have exactly what I wanted for when I go portable on camping trips in remote areas of the Western U.S.
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| N5YAT |
Rating: |
2007-10-01 | |
| Works well for me. |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I bought the deluxe package in June along with the TRSB and 80 meter coil. I use the long whips, not the standard whips, as they make tuning easier and the bandwidth better.
This antenna and my Ten Tec Jupiter is the first HF equipment I've ever had, so I cannot compare with full size dipoles, antennas on a tower, etc.
But, I can tell you that, with the Buddipole on the 8ft mast and the 100 watts from the Jupiter, I have worked Japan, the Netherlands, Aruba, and Venezuela as well as every state on the west coast, Minnesota, and Maine (just to pick examples fairly far from Texas). I've worked most stations on 20 meters in a dipole configuration, but I've also had good luck on 40 and 80 meters configured as a vertical antenna with a counterpoise wire.
So far, all operations have been from the front yard of my house, so I've had the house and two trees in the near field of the antenna, and they've not presented any tuning issues so far.
In fact, the coil tap settings and whip lengths are very close to Budd's recommended settings available on the Buddipole Users Group forum.
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