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Reviews For: High Sierra HS-1800/Pro

Category: Antennas: HF Mobile & Accessories

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Review Summary For : High Sierra HS-1800/Pro
Reviews: 77MSRP: 300-$500
Description:
For General Mobile use. Light weight, high performance and covers entire HF spectrum. Uses new custom Black Hawk motor. Available with semi-automatic control box.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cq73.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00774.7
KD5UJX Rating: 2003-11-09
You get what you pay for! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought mine at the South Texas Amateur Radio Club Fith Annual HamFest in Corpus Christi, TX on Saturday. I left the hamfest at 1:30PM, I had the 1800 Pro installed on my 02' Exploder in just over an hour! I bought the installation kit and the receiver hitch adapter. What a slick way to do it. I have a profesional looking installation and an antenna that is second to none. I am replacing an YAESU ATAS 120. I find the High Sierra to have much better receive and transmit. It also picks up much less noise. I am using a YEASU FT-857 and I must admit that I miss the "autotune" of the ATAS 120. I guess I just have to get the "Antenna Boss" next.

Follow the installation directions to the letter and you will have a working antenna from the start.

73 de KD5UJX
VE3KKU Rating: 2003-11-08
Excellent mobile HF antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have owned the HS-1800/Pro for a few months now. Mounted it on my Honda CR-V using the trailer hitch (extended and fold-down) option. Does it ever look cool....

What else can I add that hasn't been said already? I nearly passed out when I opened the box - the quality of everything is simply amazing. Every question thrown at Jim was quickly answered. He even went into his shop on a Saturday to see if he had the extension bar I needed (I bought the wrong smaller size to begin with), which he sold me on its own.

Antenna works perfectly - I am having a blast working HF to and from work (really helps to work DX pile-ups during traffic pile-ups!). Black Hawk motor is really nice.

It took me about 20 hours to install the radio and antenna properly (removing panels, seats, etc.) to hide the wiring. But was worth it. No problems with anything.

I really like all the mounting accesories and the custom ground strap. Buy extra of this to have around - it is really good.

One recommendation I made to Jim was include one spare contact spring in the bundled kit, since the manual says it is so important to change them once in awhile and they are relatively cheap (buy one or two spares right away so you won't be looking for one in a year or two). Also to include a small tube of anti-ox, since I found it hard to find, and again the manual stresses using it.

Tuning is quick (2-20 seconds for all bands) but a bit hard to do while mobile, while looking at SWR. I am thinking of using the MFJ mobile antenna tuner with digital readout. It is nice to have "settings" you can see quickly.

High Sierra has nailed it. If you want high quality, excellent service, and a mobile antenna that works really well out of the box, look no further.

Craig, VE3KKU

W7KPQ Rating: 2003-09-29
Works Great as a Fixed Antenna! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The 1800 Pro works great as a fixed location antenna. I have it mounted on a 10 foot mast and tripod on a concrete pad in the backyard with eight 10 foot radials. It has an SWR of 1.8 or less on ALL bands--10m, 12m, 15m, 17m, 20m, 30m, 40m and 80m. I've worked the world with 500 watts (Kenwood TS570S and Icom 2KL). If you're antenna restricted this is THE antenna to have.
WD5ADF Rating: 2003-09-13
Very good antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I installed mine in the bed of my Ford Ranger pickup. It has performed flawlessly from the start. I get really good signal reports with it.

I accidentally drove the pickup into the garage with the whip on it. The main part of the antenna was severely damaged, so I mailed it back after calling them. They fixed it in a matter of days, modified it by installing the new motor (my 1800 became a 1800/Pro) and sent it back to me. Time elapsed was one week. I never expected that kind of service and was very much impressed. It is now back on the pickup.

I would recommend this screwdriver antenna to anyone. I have a ICOM 706 MKIIG and a Amcom tuner. It all works quite well.
K7AAF Rating: 2003-08-07
Mercedes of Mobile Antennas! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Bought mine at Dayton this year... friendly, helpful folks who know their product. Their web site shows a wide array of antenna installations... all kinds of vehicles, including something that is close to whatever YOU drive!

Craftsmanship and construction materials are absolute first rate - stainless steel, no rust mounts, trailer hitch options, truck bed options, cable kits, all top of the line materials at very reasonable prices. As an educator, I was particularily impressed with the instruction manual, which was VERY clearly written, well illustrated, and offered many practical tips for installation. Foremost on the author's mind is SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY in all facets of installation of this fabulous antenna.

AES, national leader in ham radio supplies, is now carrying Hi-Sierra exclusively, which should also speak for the respect for which this antenna is held.

It is evident that the quality of the antenna and its options will show in its high performance for many years to come. Rarely am I this impressed with any piece of equipment, but Hi-Sierra sets a standard that may be impossible to match by anyone.

Oh yeah, and does it work? Like a kilowatt on wheels!

If you're thinking of mobile operation, this is the only antenna to buy.

de KF1KF, Solon Ohio

N5REL Rating: 2003-07-11
Top of the Line Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've been considering a motorized antenna for some time and had always heard great things about High Sierra. At HamCom in Arlington this year I finally took the plunge and bought a HS1800 system.

I got to meet and talk at length with Jim Heath (High Sierra's founder). He was extremely helpful and took several minutes to speak one-on-one with me. He is a super guy...read on.

My antenna system had to be shipped to me from the factory because they literally sold out at HamCom. No big deal, because the big brown truck brought it to me in just a few days. Also, Jim emailed me with the tracking info when it shipped so I could keep up with it on it's journey to Northeast Texas. The antenna was nicely packed and everything arrived A-OK.

Installation was a snap, but only after digesting the well written manual. Not once, but twice. Yes, I know this may be an insult to the male species to actually read instructions, but I recommend it to make things go "mo betta" and to insure the antenna functions properly once installed.

In my haste after installing the antenna I managed to break one the female pins on the PL-259 connector on the base of the antenna. I was in a hurry to get it hooked up to my Icom 706MkIIG "to see what she could do." I contacted Jim via email to see about purchasing a new connector. Jim apologized to me for the incident (again, it was MY fault) and sent not one, but two replacement connectors at no cost. Also Jim was very helpful in answering some questions I had during the installation process. He would get back with me via email very quickly. You can't ask for better customer service than that.

I am very pleased with the performance of the antenna. So far I have given it a pretty good workout on 17m and 75m. It loads up with a typical SWR of about 1.2/1.3 to 1 on both of those bands. If I can hear them, they can hear me. I have been getting nice signal reports from those stations I have worked - - this in spite of the crappy atmospheric conditions lately.

I purchased the white-finished antenna to match my white Toyota Tundra and it looks super. By the way, I have the antenna mounted to my toolbox in the bed of my truck. I sent Jim some pics of my installation, so they may appear at some point on his website or in the manual.

In closing, if you are looking for the best mobile antenna out there, then look no further than High Sierra. Super well crafted product, excellent customer service / support and impressive on-air performance. Only way to go in my book.

73,
Nathan Bailey N5REL
AA4MF Rating: 2003-07-08
Highly Recommended Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
OK, I've put about 10,000 miles on the 1800 now and all I have to say is GREAT! It works wonderful! The workmanship is first rate. My favorite feature is the powder coat finish since its so durable. Its a large antenna, so you have to have a hefty mount. I mounted mine into my car's hitch which makes it rock solid.

Oh, the non-hams will give you some strange look's but they just can't appreciate a first class mobile antenna, now can they?

Jim at High Sierra always answered my inquiries. Follow the directions he supplies with his kit - they worked for me.

Highly recommended!
K2YT Rating: 2003-06-12
I worked Europe on the way home from Dayton! Time Owned: N.A.
I bought my HS-1800 Pro from High Sierra at Dayton this year.

Subsequently I found out that U-Haul will install trailer hitches on Sunday afternoon in Dayton . . . I then went from U-Haul to Autozone and installed my new Icom 706 and the HS-1800 Pro in the parking lot of the Autozone (I needed a few bits of wire and several tools).

The rig, the antenna and the Amcom controller all installed easily. One of the reasons I wanted to install in Dayton was that I faced an 11 hour drive back to my home in New York and I wanted to work some HF on the way. Well I certainly did.

My first contacts were into Europe, Italy and Slovenia on 20 meters early Sunday evening. As I approached the West Virginia border I switched to 75 meters and stayed with the group on 3860 until I crashed in a roadside motel at 2am.

The antenna tunes beautifully and I've since had a large number of excellent signal reports from such diverse places as Alaska, Florida and Europe with 100 watts. Reaching across the country and across the atlantic with no more power than a household light bulb!

I've decided that I like HF mobile and I've recently installed a 500 watt SGC amplifier. The High Sierra handles the power easily.

I did have one problem with the antenna not tuning which turned out not to be an antenna fault at all. I contacted High Sierra with a question and within an hour I had a response from Jim Heath that pointed me quickly toward the problem, which was a blown fuse on the ground side of the DC power connection in the vehicle.
Since the positive lead was intact, I saw power on the Amcom controller when I tuned, but the antenna didn't move because there was no good path to ground and no significant current flowed.

I was quite impressed with the speed and quality of The High Sierra response to my problem. I had the problem resolved and I was back on the air quickly.

I like this antenna!
K2YT
KB7TSE Rating: 2003-05-29
The best antenna EVER. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have owned the HS1500 for 2 years and it is a great antenna. The signal reports that I received, more than made me convinced that this is the best thing going. I purchased the 1800/pro at Dayton, and it seems impossible but the new 1800/pro is even better than the 1500/pro. The new Black Hawk motor is really nice and quiet but has tons of power to move the antenna fast and steady. Once again, there are many knock-offs, but there is still only 1 High Sierra! You have my word on that.
WB7UBB Rating: 2003-05-27
Heavy Duty, Easy to use, Looks Great! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just purchased a HS-1800 in a Platinum kit. The installation was easy and it looks and works great! First contacts were two stations in Russia on 20 meters. The first gave me a 59 and the second a 54. I'm using a ICOM 706MKIIG @ 100 W.

I'm even getting complemants from non hams, they like the look of it. Thanks for a Great antenna!
I'll be putting the BB3 I got 2 years ago that I never installed on Ebay!