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Reviews For: High Sierra Sidekick

Category: Antennas: HF Mobile & Accessories

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Review Summary For : High Sierra Sidekick
Reviews: 77MSRP: $400
Description:
The smallest HF motorized antenna.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cq73.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00774.9
KG4WOA Rating: 2008-03-05
Excellent antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I just wanted to comment on my Sidekick antenna. Since upgrading to General the antenna has performed flawlessly. The antenna is tuned with a
Turbo Tuner and an Icom 706 MkIIG. Output is usually between 50 and 75 watts with 100 watts on occasion.
It is mounted on my GMC pickup, using a GeoTool stakebed mount. I bought a 72" whip at the Richmond Frostfest to replace the 36" stock whip. One of my first contacts was to a research team at the South Pole!!!!
W6PEA Rating: 2008-02-04
Like a Rolex Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
You purchase a Rolex Watch and get the best.
A High Sierra Antenna is as good as a Rolex.

I purchased this antenna and put it up. Not only is it easy to assemble, but it work just like they say! Right out of the box.

I like the tripod set up. I live in a condo and have to deal with the "HOA-Gestapo" They walked around doing their weekly inspection, and never even saw it. I have it mounted on my balcony.
I purchased this set up so I could use it at home and in my RV.

I have had numerous contacts. I called Jim at High Sierra and asked all kind of questions and he is a wealth of information and a man that knows the meaning of Customer service.

I had another brand of motorized antenna which I reviewed on this forum. I would venture to say that the Side Kick runs circles around any Hi-q antenna made.

Pat Allen
73 W6PEA
K2WO Rating: 2008-01-20
An Exceptional Antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have had my Sidekick for about 8 months now and am very pleased....it is an exceptional antenna. I have used it mobile on my SUV on both a trunk lip mount on the rear and on a 3-Magnet mount on the center of the roof. It works well in both locations, but the roof mount seems to perform best. I have recently put a Better RF 7000 Tune Control/7000 Screwdriver Control in line and now I can tune while driving by simply pressing the Tune button on my IC-7000. The combination of the Sidekick, the Better RF Units and the IC-7000 is an unbeatable mobile installation for 80 through 6 Meters.
KF9L Rating: 2008-01-15
Excellent antenna that does as told Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have justed received my Sierra Sidekick a couple days ago and already it has amazed me. It does exactly what it says it will do. It tunes up excellent on all frequencies from 3.5mhz to 54mhz. I have received excellent reports with 2 of the stations saying the word WOW it is doing one a heck of a good job. Nice to actually have a antenna that performs as expected and not give you any hassle. Keep up the great worksmanship and will be looking forward to new and more impressive things from you.
N9LIA Rating: 2007-11-21
Great HF mobile antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently purchased the Sidekick antenna by High Sierra and am very satisfied with the performance. Had some questions regarding grounding for the antenna mount, so I sent an email to High Sierra and got an answer back in less than 4 hours. Not only am I happy with the antenna, but the customer service was great!
Jack N9LIA
KC0JGJ Rating: 2007-11-19
A great mobile and Remote antenna system. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used this product for several years.
I find that it has been flaw less in its performance.

This antenna has traversed the world and it still keeps working.

Study and understanding makes for a great Ham radio experience.

KE5OQV Rating: 2007-10-24
Exceptional results Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This review describes the use of my Sidekick antenna as a base unit. I installed the antenna on a 2nd floor balcony railing, orientated such that the whip antenna points up at a 30 degree angle from the horizon. The antenna holder was clamped firmly to the top of the railing and grounded to the railing by an additional grounding strap. No conventional radials were used or needed, the balcony railing acting as a ground plane or counterpoise.

The VSWR was found to be virtually flat across 10m, 15m and 17m bands. On 20m, the VSWR varied from 1.1 in the middle of the phone band to 1.2 on either end. On 40m, the VSWR varied from 1.1 in the middle of the phone band to 2.5 at either end.

Noise levels were low compared to a wire antenna. For example, on 20m the signal-to-noise level for a strong signal was 9db/2db using the sidekick antenna versus 8db/4db for the wire antenna. Many times there was no background noise to speak of.

SSB Contacts were made with Belize, Tortola, Venzuela, Illnois, Oregon and Maryland during the initial testing of the antenna, with 5x7 to 5x9 reports common. The transceiver used was a Kenwood TS-570D, running at 100w.





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Earlier 5-star review posted by KE5OQV on 2007-07-04

As a new Ham living in a neighborhood with a high population density, I needed an antenna with easy setup, low visibility, and high efficiency. My available space was limited as I had only a 4 foot easement on three sides of my house. There were no trees, fences, etc to hang one end of a dipole or an end-fed zepp. The only place for an antenna was the private driveway in front of the house.

After reading all the antenna reviews in eHam, I chose High Sierra as a potential supplier. After studying the reviews for the High Sierra sidekick, and speaking with their tech support staff, I decided to purchase a Tahoe package consisting of a sidekick antenna with tripod, radials and motor switch. My plan was for this antenna to located outside on the driveway when I was on the air and be hidden away in the garage while I was at work.

The antenna arrived at last. Setup of the radials was a snap, positioning them in a circular pattern as per the instructions. Wiring up the antenna coil motor switch took a little more time than expected as the instructions were a little vague on details. Plugging in the coax from my Kenwood TS-930S transceiver and raising the antenna to it's full extension was the final step

The overall length of cable was about 100 feet from my desk on the second floor to the driveway. The antenna was very stable, and hardly visible from the street due to its slim configuration and jet black coloration.

Tuning up the antenna went exactly as described in the instruction book. All that was needed was to give the coil a little carrier and watch the SWR meter on the transceiver for the dip. SWR was less than 2:1 on all bands with most readings being below 1.5:1. After practicing for awhile, switching bands was quick, with retuning taking only a few monutes. The coil positions given as approximate in the instruction manual were smack dab on the money.

I fired up the Kenwood around 1900 hrs on July 3rd. Operational efficiency was superb, with immediate contacts in Ohio, Florida and Maryland giving me S5 to S7 reports on 20 meters. My signal was reported as clear with good modulation and only slight fading due to band conditions. DX from Nicaragua and Dominica came in at S9+ but the pileups were too deep for this newby Ham to wade through. HI!

Noise levels were reduced or nonexistent, probably due to the antenna being by itself away from air conditioner motors, high tension electrical lines, etc.

I join the many other Hams who have found this product to be of exceptional quality, to work exactly as described, and to leave the impression that customer got his money's worth.

K4OLS Rating: 2007-09-14
Great mobile HF Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I love this antenna; I use it along with an ic-7000 and have it mounted across the bed of my truck. I use the 9inch mast extension, six shooter capacity hat and a 6 foot whip fed with 15 feet of 9913. It all comes in at 12 feet in height and works & tunes beautifully. I have worked the world with 100watts with great signal and audio reports (also use a Heil handie-mic ) on a regular basis. Also did mention that it tunes 160 – 10 all less than 1.5-1 (1-1 if I work at it)all without a tuner!
Great product – Great mobile HF
VE7OVY Rating: 2007-08-02
A case of getting what you pay for! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Having tried Hustlers, Hamsticks and an old Webster Bandspanner over the past 20yrs of on-and-off HF mobile attempts, i decided to rely on eHam & everyone's opinion and try a High Sierra Sidekick.

From the quick and patient replies to my emailled questions, to the same-day-shipping of my urgent order (to get it in time for going away), everything about dealing with these folks was GREAT and easy!

Mounting/installing the antenna should be done exactly as the (often humorus) manual says or you my not get the performance you should. Note to others, read the WHOLE manual before starting. I iniially thought something was broken in my coil 'cuz i heard it rattle and instead of reading the whole manual, i immediaely emailled them. A few hrs later they replied saying it was likely fine, the spring travells up & down if you turn the coil end to end. This IS in the manual in the FAQ, hi, would have found it if i had of read the whole manual!

So far i've had excellent results using the 3' whip, the trunk-lip mount kit, along with a Y-controller for my FT-857 on 20 & 40m on the passenger side of my Honda Pilot SUV. On 80m my signals are pretty weak. It works, but just. Others have recomended getting a 6-8' whip instead of the 3' whip so i'll have to try that soon, am told that will greatly improve the 80m efficiency.

Last weekend's IOTA contest i worked Alaska, Delaware, and Sweden plus numerous other North American stations while driving in VE7-land on NA036 (the xyl kept the logbook!).

Well built, very solid design & construction, great results on air and supurb customer service. Couldn't ask for better. I'd recommend this to anyone that can afford it. Its not as cheap as Hustler or Hamstick but they work, and seem reliable and that's what counts.
Kevin VE7OVY
KD5LBE Rating: 2007-07-20
Perfect, great support Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have had nothing but problems setting up a mobile antennas in the past and I have tried 4 with no real luck and consistant results. I had so many problems that I had thought about selling my radio. I desided to try the Sidekick. It took almost no time to set up and it worked perfectly. My success may have been because of their "GREAT" email support. They answered my questions before I bought, and after. When I described my antenna ground they didn't like it and suggested that I make some changes, and I did like they suggested. If there was an Elmer award for a retailer/manufacturer they would get my vote. Try it, you'll love them.