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Reviews For: Bilal Isotron

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Bilal Isotron
Reviews: 82MSRP: 59.95 to 179.95
Description:
HF Antennas for SMALL Spaces
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.k1cra.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
15824
K1DUN Rating: 2015-02-10
20m Performer! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I did a comparison of my G5RV Jr., my 18-foot multi-band vertical, and the Isotron 20 meter antenna. The G5RV and Isotron surpassed the vertical in signal capture. Then, to my surprise, the Isotron exceeded the performance of the G5RV in both noise level and audio quality. The Isotron at 15 feet high was roughly 20% quieter than the G5RV at 20 feet high. And the audio of the signal through the Isotron was more pronounced in the vocal range of the sound spectrum - making speech much more discernible. I didn't expect these result. I'm impressed! Mine deserves a 5.
KC7UBS Rating: 2014-03-10
Isotron 160C works Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
For a 9 foot antenna on a 30 foot mast on 160m, it is great. It works as well as my ugly homebrew reduced super sloper did. On other bands I use whatever I can in the space I have, i.e. length. The laws of physics ALSO apply to the environment you have to work with including height, earth type and buildings/objects, not just the antenna physics. Read the instructions you will make mistakes if your an impatient jack of all trades like me. Read all the reviews you can. I use it on 1838kHz JT65 with 15-20w and I have worked Canada, Mexico, and about 25 states so far. So I can see the results live on psk reporter and hamspots. Software signal reports are not biased...

Mast: 3 sections of 10 foot conduit different sizes so the telescope together, slipped together and I use steel hose clamps for a stop so they slide n'fit inside each other about a foot and a half - not perfect but who cares, guyed, and muffler clamped onto a 12' 2x4, bungie corded to my deck so feedpoint is 30' up. I have used this type of mast setup for dozens of projects over years and the bungie cord flexibility survives 80 mph winds and 30 below temps here in WY. Anyway the antennas ground strap connects to mast, and on the bottom of mast I have a 14ga wire that runs just a couple feet to an 8' ground rod in hard sandstone. Incidentally, my Butternut HF2V is mounted 10' away on the other corner of the deck and it has no effect on the 160C whether it was up or down.

Feedline: I used 100' of RG58. I did install with coax choke 15 turns of coax taped up tight below feedpoint. There is more coax behind my desk coiled up on a chair, so I have doubts about all this coax is radiating stuff. Most of it drops right down into the basement. I find it incredible that the "coax is radiating" a qrp JT65 signal all the way to Maine...BS. What IS critical is metal mast, ground strap, whether or not the mast is connected to ground rod, and the tuning rod position. I finally settled on ground strap connected, mast grounded to ground rod, and tuning rod almost all the way up. SWR is 2.8:1 at 1850kHz, tiny bandwidth. My LDG YT100 and MFJ949E tunes to 1838. **When I disconnect the ground wire at bottom of mast I get 1:1 at 1910kHz with about 35kHz bandwidth, BUT the tuner won't get me to 1838.** Again, that's with the rod all the way up...so that's currently where I'm at. I need to get it in the lower end of band, but cannot find anything on the web about adding L to coil or replacing tuning rod with a longer piece such as a steel whip. I was fascinated with this antenna. I am going to homebrew some for other bands just for kicks. Have fun its ham radio!
KA6DIV Rating: 2014-01-13
Highly Recomended Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
It is small and very well built. Very easy to assemble. The VSWR adjustment is very touchy. If you get within 12 inches of the antenna it goes crazy. An antenna analyzer is a must to make adjustments quickly. After getting the SWR down to 2:1 I stopped there and installed it on a 15 foot flag pole. I found leaving off the supplied ground strap worked best for the lowest SWR reading. I instantly made contacts within 500 miles using 90 watts CW in the late afternoon with signal reports ranging from 579 to 599 Plus 10 over! 5 good long QSO's within 1 hours time! I am very pleased with its performance and small size. I do not have restricted space as I live on 4 Acres. I enjoy using antennas that get the job done well in a small package. I am very glad I took the chance and bought one of these. What a terrific little small wonder it is! I highly recommend this antenna!
KA5SNG Rating: 2013-08-08
Isotron 40/20 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used the Isotron 40/20 for about three years. The unit is mounted on 20 ft steel 2in pole and a 8 foot copper ground rod under the pole. The antenna has not required any futher maintance after assembly. I do not work DX. This antenna works great running about 100 watts while working stations in the USA, Mexico, South America and Canada. The foot print is small and easy to assemble. MFJ tunner is used with a flat SWR on the 40/20 bands. One coax connects both 40/20 to the tuner. After 30+ years with many different antennas and problems, the Isotron 40/20 combo is a pleasure.
ND3Q Rating: 2013-04-29
Isotron 20&40 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The worst antenna I have ever used. Works about 3 stars indoors on a plastic mast attached to my stair railing. Very narrow bandwidth. Moved outdoors to metal mast followed all instructions with 8ft. ground rod and coax wrapped to mast. The SWR was all over the place and I was using a Rigexpert AA-54. The slightest change of anything on the antenna would shift the SWR. Could never get it tuned for 40 or 20. Fed up I bought a Ultramaxx-100. Strung it up and it work right away. The Ultramaxx 100 is good for row homes that have concrete for a back yard. Forget the Isotron about $350 and go Ultramaxx for 80-6 mtrs. for only $70. I ran it as a sloper from the roof works great all bands 80 to 6 meters. Isotron you can take a Isohike! Isotron equals overpriced Isocrap!
KK4HPY Rating: 2012-05-22
10 meters works great Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Last night I worked Portugal from Florida on 10 meters, over 4200 miles, SSB phone, with 25 watts. These things work.
W8LAS Rating: 2011-12-28
Wonderful stealth antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This review is for the 40/80 Isotron Combo. I live in a restricted community, but was able to mount the Isotron on a 25' mast, because of it's small signature (No folded dipoles and wires hanging all over). Ralph at BILAL was more than helpful in getting me straightened out on my installation and tuning of the antenna. I must note that I needed help, because of my newness to Ham Radio, and not due to any fault of the product.

My first contact was on 40 meters with George, 130 miles west of Dublin. Also made contact with London, Ontario. A little more advice from Ralph and both antennas were fine tuned.

My temporary QTH is in Florida and I routinely talk with friends in Michigan on both 40 and 80 meter. I also have made contacts all over the Southeast US with good reports on the signal. I run a TS440S and FT-990, both at 100 watts and consistently receive 57 to 59 reports.

I am extremely happy with this product and especially the customer support. I will also be looking at adding a 20 meter to the existing setup and will still only need one coax for all 3.

If you live in a Deed Restricted Community, this antenna is for you. It would have even fit in my attic.
WD8LIC Rating: 2011-06-18
Good Performer! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The Isotron Antennas are for hams that have limited space for installing antennas. If you have the space, install something else. I did my first review in 2009 and am still amazed with these very small antennas. I was so impressed with these antennas I formed an Isotron Antenna User Group on Yahoo Groups to help other hams who were not having good performance with their isotron antenna installations.

Initially, I installed the 40/80 combo at an assisted living facility for my 90 year old Dad to operate from. The facility was very cooperative in allowing me to install the antenna as long as I "kept it out of sight". After installing it, they said: That's it? That's all there is to it? We've got residents with birdfeeders bigger and uglier than that".

Dad recently died and the antenna has come down. Had it not been for Isotron, my Dad would not have been on HF anymore. It made a wonderful difference to him. His biggest concern about going to "the home" was no antennas allowed. Well, Dad worked an awful lot of QSO's from his birdfeeder antenna.

These antennas do work, but they are not plug and play. You must follow the rules of assembly and installation, to include good grounding of the antenna. Personally, I recommend an aluminum mast, up about 20-25 ft., with stainless steel hardware with "battery terminal protectant spray on all connections". Antenna analyzer makes tuning simple.

If you are experiencing difficulty, visit IsotronUserGroup on Yahoo Groups or email me at bobdaney@arrl.net. I am in no way afilliated with Isotron. I just appreciate good ham gear that works.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by WD8LIC on 2009-09-20

This review is directed at the 20m version. I already have an 80 and a 40 and have written vary favorable reviews before on them. This 20 m version is amazing though. Touchier than the 80 and 40 to tune, it works fully as advertized. I have it mounted together with the 80 and the 40 on the same mast with the same feedline.

I feed the 40 with coax and jump to the 80 and the 20 with 300ohm twinlead.
K9FON Rating: 2011-03-03
ok Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got a used 80 meter Isotron just for kicks for next to nothing. Ive been playing around with it the past few days, and it seems to work ok. Tuning it is a bear and the antenna relies heavily on the coax as a sort of counterpoise. Even touching the coax can adversely detune the antenna. It works ok as a stealth antenna and is only a few DB down from my full lenth dipole up 45'. Granted its not the best thing on earth but for a restricted ham it will work A OK.
AA5L Rating: 2011-02-04
All things considered, great! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have the 15- and 20-meter Isotrons inside my house. It took a while, but I've got WAS abd DXCC with them (149 entities confirmed). They would no doubt work better if outside and elevated, but I don't think any other setup would work any better inside my house. Now all I need is more sunspot activity!