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Reviews For: MFJ-1788 Super Hi-Q Loop

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : MFJ-1788 Super Hi-Q Loop
Reviews: 64MSRP: 429.95
Description:
High Efficiency 7-21.5 MHz Continuous Coverage Magnetic Loop
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mfjenterprises.com/products.php?prodid=MFJ-1788
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00643.8
W0SWR Rating: 2005-06-23
Good antenna for limited space or RV/field day, but a bit expen Time Owned: more than 12 months.
: I bought my 1788 for my motorhome three years ago. I find it works well at almost any height. I have used it sitting on a wood chair and have used it at 50 feet. I have grounded the mast and used it ungrounded, it seems to work well either way. It is fairly well made with a massive tuning Cap that has never given my problems. It favors 15, 17 and 20 mtrs. If you want 40 mtrs I would not suggest this antenna even though it tunes 40. I would guess they added 40 to make this an antenna that does it all, but 40 is weak on such a small antenna. It is quiet because of its small size size (36 inches) and it will give you a flat SWR with a little practice tuning with the fast/slow buttons. The upside is 1. this antenna is a good choice for limited space, or for using in an RV or field day. 2. it is light and easy to work with. 3. It can be set up in a few minutes. 4. No wires other than coax to antenna to operate. 5. Control box has everything you need for operation and SWR check.
Downside 1. It is expensive. 2. It will not handle over 150 watts PEP. 3. The cover over the tuning cap and board is poorly made and it can allow bugs and dirt in. 4. It is almost impossible to get this antenna to work Horz. polarization unless you are willing to play with the coil under the cover. 5. 40 mtrs. tunes but almost anything works better on this band.
I gave this antenna a 4 only because of its drawbacks mentioned in my review. However if you want a small antenna that will work well on 15,17 and 20 mtrs. this is a good choice. Don't expect much on 40 and be willing to pay a handsome price for this antenna. Also I caution you to keep this antenna away from any animals or children as it will bite anything it touches!
KI8GW Rating: 2004-02-16
What an Antenna! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had my loop on the air for over 4 years. I have it 20 ft above ground, and in a vertical position. I have worked Japan, Taiwan, Israel, Europe, and all of those countries that DX'er's will tell you that you need a "big gun" antenna to work. I was fortunate to find mine used, and it is probably the best antenna I have ever used. If you want to read about the theory of a loop antenna, I suggest Joe Carr's loop antenna book.

You won't go wrong with this antenna if deed restrictions keep you from a full yagi and rotor!
KA2SHU Rating: 2003-11-26
MFJ-1786 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This review is for the MFJ-1786 version of the HQ loop. This loop covers 30M thru 10M including WARC bands. Due to deed restrictions, I have my loop hung vertically in my attic alligned so that it is parallel to the pre-fab roofing trusses. It's about 12' off the ground. If it is turned so that it is perpendicular to the roofing trusses, the SWR suffers badly. Best results are had in a position near the center of the attic. At first I gave up on it because I did not find the "sweet spot" location. This was a mistake. Once a good position is found, this antenna works exceptionally well. Given its size it's terrific on 20M, exceptional on 10M and satisfactory on 15m and 17M for me. It easily out performs the dipoles I have up there. Now for the down side: It's pricy: $379. The tuning is exceptionally sharp as it should be. This means you're better off calling CQ on a given frequency instead of trying to tune quickly to answer someone else. When the SWR is close to 2 or a bit higher, the auto band select looses it's effectiveness and tuning becomes more difficult. Internal adjustments on the remote tuning head can improve this. Summary: if you want to spent the money to get an effective indoor or limited space antenna, you will be happy with this loop. It IS effective. I found that MFJ's claims about this rig are in fact true.

W4SHU
MM0KSS Rating: 2003-10-04
a small antenna that really works Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
HELLO ALL,ok this is what i discovered testing my new 1788 mfj mag loop 7 to 21mhz.found vertical to be ok for local and europe working,but when i mounted the loop horizontal the tunning of swr wasnt good at all but as in the instructions a slight movement of the feed loop either a little squezze in on the loop or if the swr gets worse then do the oppisite and pull the loop out a bit to make it rounder and garenteed works well as the swr on all bands with my 100watts was then 1.1:1 and then after some days of testing found mid to long distance was great even on qrp power and all the noise i had before had gone and i was well happy with it now,but as in the instructions it needs to be at least 20ft up for horizontal or you wont get the best from it horizontal,so now its 22ft in the air and working data and cw getting more countries than ever before.so my final out-come is after a few months of testing vertical and horizontlal is that if u want local to mid range verticals the way to go but found horizontal the best for mid to long haul stuff- and with the mfj loop all tvi and interfernce problems were gone(my brothers bedroom tv and my pc speakers are now safe).dont waste ur money on these rubish multi band verticals because ull get better performance from the mfj loop and finally please dont listen to people moaning about 'ohh i dont like this having to tune every few khz' the lower you go in freq the narrower things get but thats what make this antenna work so well,so ok give them wide banded and then watch them moan about the performance hi hi.ull not get a better small antenna than this ever on a dipole,i promise you that,ok hope to work u on the bands 73-kev mm0kss