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Reviews For: Buddipole Portable Dipole/Vertical

Category: Antennas: HF Portable (not mobile)

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Review Summary For : Buddipole Portable Dipole/Vertical
Reviews: 213MSRP: 199.
Description:
It's a dipole... It's a vertical... It fits in your travel bag!. The Buddipole™ is more than an antenna, it's a versatile system for launching your signal. Optimized for transmit power and proven for DX work, the Buddipole™ is the secret weapon used by HF portable operators all around the world. Precision engineered for maximum performance using ultra light composite materials and High-Q coils. Zero-loss balun with Quick-Connect feedpoint. This antenna can be used to cover any band from 40M to 2M
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.buddipole.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
24.52134.5
KD4PWJ Rating: 2007-08-14
the coolest thing on the block by a long shot Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
wow, just awesome! Ordered the deluxe kit with mast and tripod, simple and easy as cake to set up, tuning it is straightforward. Theres nothing else like this ive ever seen out there. As for some of the less evolved folks talking about it tipping over in the wind, etc, buy a clue, and $4 worth of nylon rope and guy it down, its topheavy for crying out loud, what did you expect? They SELL a guying system for it for chump change on the buddipole.com website.

PROS:
in a lightningstorm you can set it up in your bedroom, scope it up to the ceiling., great idea.

simple, well made, straightforward, works like a swiss watch.

recommendation:
BUY the guying system from their website
buy the deluxe package instead of just the buddipole.

called them, good to talk with, unlike the "what the *$&% do you want?" sort of support you get from most other people.

make a great product and provide good support,and people will beat a path to your door.
W4FID Rating: 2007-07-23
Great antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had one for a year and a half and rely on it. There is a "learning curve" to discover how all the options can work and how to use the various configurations it offers. With a little time and experience it is great. I'm in a highly CCR environment and also travel some. At home it's up and I'm on the air in a few minutes and I work anyone hear. From the camper or a hotel balcony it is wonderfu. I use it with one leg vertical and one leg sloping down as a ground plane for longer paths and as a dipole for local QSOs. Run an IC 703 when I travel and either my IC 746 or my vintage station (DX-60 and Drake 2B) from home. I work 40 CW and SSB, 30 CW, 20, 17, 15 SSB. At 8 ft high from their basic tripod/mast it easily and consistantly out preforms my attic dipole at twice the height; and there is no comparison for how fast/easy it gets up and repacked Vs throwing wire in a tree when I travel. I have even set the tripod on the roof of my SUV a few times for added height and that's slick too. Bungie the tripod leg braces to the luggage rack for a little extra stability.

Their stuff is extreamly well designed and made and they set the standard for customer service.

N3GTO Rating: 2007-07-22
I'm Impressed Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Got it just in time to take to VA on vacation last week. Setup took minutes. Initial settings shown on instruction sheet gave me about a 1.2:1 on 14.313. High quality components, lightweight, easy to assemble, easy to tune. It's a keeper.
W5HLH Rating: 2007-07-10
Great HF portable antenna! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned the Buddipole for over four years and it beats any other portable antenna system on a price/performance basis-----and that includes the Outbacker antenna/Alpha-Delta tripod combo, which I've owned.

You do have to adjust the whips for proper tuning (a SWR meter, either in your rig or separate, really helps here) and I suspect some of those disappointed in this antenna expected a plug-and-play experience. Also, it is a portable antenna; to use it without guying the tripod or expecting it to survive a thunderstorm isn't too smart.

The Buddipole won't equal the performance of a half wave dipole on 40/30/20. What it will do is deliver a very respectable signal on those bands in a limited space. On 17 and above, the performance differrential between it and a half wave dipole is negligible under most conditions.

Customer service has been great; I've received new taps, whips, etc., within days of ordering them.

Anybody who likes to operate portable or is in an antenna-restricted situation needs to give the Buddipole serious consideration. I consider it one of the best ham radio purchases I've ever made.
KA8I Rating: 2007-07-10
Fantastic antenna, even better service! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased a Buddipole Deluxe Package with the extended whips and 18' mast just before Field Day. I've taken it out and set it up remotely several times and have been extremely pleased with the performance of this antenna. Bottom of the solar cycle and I was working DX easily about 15 minutes after parking the truck with my FT-857 and 20w!

I've spoken to Chris on the phone a few times and he has always been happy to answer questions and provide support, both before and after I purchased the antenna. In addition, the Buddipole Users Group on Yahoo! groups is a fantastic resource for prospective and new users alike.

I have recommended this antenna to several Amateurs and will continue to do so. Budd and Chris have built a great product and provide support on a level that is unfortunately becoming very rare. You can't go wrong with a Buddipole.
N7OQ Rating: 2007-07-03
Top of the line portable Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is a true top of the line portable antenna system. The workmanship on this antenna is the best out there, when you take it out for the first time you will see how well it is made down to the smallest details.

I bought this antenna for camping, I'm tired of throwing wires into trees so this make it so much easier. It is also easy to store in the camper. But at home it out performs my ground mounted vertical.

The tech support is better than good it is outstanding. You will get personal support and answers to any question on the Yahoo User group called BUG. The guys who designed, build and sell this antenna will go out of their way to make sure your Buddipole experance is great and they are always willing to go that extra mile for you. Plus other BUG members will help you too.

I really love quility and this antenna is quility, buy one you wont be disapointed. 73 Bill N7OQ
WB9SFM Rating: 2007-06-30
A great Portable antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
What a way to work HF on vacation or buiness trip, as well as having a Field day antenna that does not take up much packing space. It is an excellent alternative to stringing wire (dipole) and setup is fast. Chris and Budd go out their way for complete Ham Operator's satisfaction. Get the Deluxe package and you have a unique antenna for HF and VHF work. The Buddipole company has a support blog for Buddipole users, Ham Operators helping each other.
KB0VSL Rating: 2007-06-28
The Best Portable Antenna for the HAM Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I set up 2 of these for field day 2007. One configured for 20m and the other for 6m then 15 m. Both were set up on 16ft masts and guyed at four points. A storm front moved through on Satuday night with winds between 20 and 30 knots. Both antennas were standing vertical on Sunday morning. After tweaking the direction the antenna was pointing, I worked 31 states on 20 meters with an ICOM 706 MKII running 80 watts and using an LDG tuner at the radio. I had 17 contacts on 15m and 14 contacts on 6m during a lackluster opening. I received unsoliciated signal strength reports of 5/7 and 5/9. With the antenna configured for 2m SSB, signal reports were equal to a "Big Wheel". I have worked these antennas during the VP2M DXpedition to Montserrat from my home QTH. They do work and have performed beyond my initial expectations. Every antenna is a compromise. For a well thought out quality built portable antenna, I could not recommend any other. My 2007 ARRL Field Day Log proves that!
WB4EZM Rating: 2007-06-09
Superb quality, stunning customer service Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently purchased and received a Buddipole. The quality of construction is better than almost anything I've seen over the years, and I was surprised to see that my invoice was personally signed by Budd. This is a man who obviously cares a great deal about both his product and the people who use them! The Buddipole is an ingenious antenna, the way it's engineered to collapse into a small duffel bag is truly amazing. Five big stars for the Buddipole!!
AI4FS Rating: 2007-05-30
Great product and superb customer service Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought a BP Deluxe this year at Dayton. The booth was packed, but Budd took the time to not only explain the workings of the antenna, but to also check all of the components to make sure they were acceptable. Turns out, he was not happy with the tightness of the tripod legs and went through three others before he found one he liked.

We set it up that night to try it out. I had a short in the coax supplied. Luckily, I was able to take it back the next day and exchange it without waiting for a replacement to be shipped. After testing it and a string of apologies, I was on my way with a new cable.

The antenna is made from very high grade material. I was a little worried about the price, but after seeing it up close, it seemed worth every penny.

The personal service I received (in the middle of the busiest event in Ham radio) was amazing. I have never shopped anywhere, Ham or otherwise, where I was treated so nicely.

And, the antenna works great. We were able to set it up within 10 minutes. Tuning took about the same time. We then were able to talk to a friend back in VA and made several other contacts that night.

Truly an overall wonderful experience!