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Reviews For: Workman UVS-200

Category: Antennas: VHF/UHF+ Omnidirectional: verticals, mobile, etc

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Review Summary For : Workman UVS-200
Reviews: 30MSRP: 59.99
Description:
Dualband 144/440
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00304.4
KB5OK Rating: 2010-12-04
A+ ANTENNA Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I just put up a new Rohn 25 tower with the UVS-200 mounted at 40 ft. I am hitting repeaters 50 miles away on 2 and 1/2 watts, on 2 meters & 440, you can't ask any more than that from an antenna. I am working repeaters that I used to not even hear. I will compare it with the other big name brands any day of the week. A big bang for the buck, get one, you won' be sorry, it's the best money I've spent in a while. SWR's are flat on both bands with no mods. Very happy with the antenna & would buy again.
W5FRT Rating: 2010-10-25
GREAT ANTENNA Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Very good antenna has been on top of 55 ft tower 3 years and I have worked Springfield, mo to florida on it. You will have to go far to find a better one for the money.
I can work mobles in Dallas (60 miles away) on 440.
KF0CU Rating: 2010-10-18
High swr problems Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have to admit the antenna is built well but the performance was not that great. High swr on both bands. Ordered a Diamond brand and the swr is practically flat on both bands.
VA2OOK Rating: 2010-01-29
VA2MBA :: Translated Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have two of these antennas. In a cottage and at home. VHF: The RX is incredible, I receive several repeaters that are more than 100 miles away. However, the elevation angle of the UVS200 (2 x 5/8 collinear) seems a little high for the TX. The SWR is almost zero for 144-148 and 430-450 also negligible. I bought my first one 10 years ago and it still works perfectly.

With this type of antenna, do not forget to put electrical tape or something similar on the joints to prevent water infiltration. The wind resistance is excellent and none of my two antennas has ever broke.
VA2MBA Rating: 2010-01-28
grandes oreilles Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Je possède deux de ces antennes. Une au chalet et une a la maison. VHF : Le RX est incroyable,je reçois plusieurs repeteurs qui sont a plus de 100 miles. Cependant, l'angle d'élévation de l'uvs 200 (deux 5/8 colinéaire) semble un peu élevé pour se qui est du TX. Le SWR est presque nul pour 144-148 et également négligeable pour 430-450. J'ai acheté ma première il y a au moins 10 ans, elle fonctionne encore a merveille.

Avec ce type d'antenne, il ne faut pas oublier de mettre du duck-tape ou similaire sur les joints afin d'éviter l'infiltration d'eau. La résistance au vent est excellente et aucune de mes deux antennes n'a jamais brisés.
KE7KUS Rating: 2010-01-20
Good Antenna - Company Support...not so much Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this antenna from a third-party and it was missing the radials that attach to the base of the antenna. I called the Workman company to order up a set of radials. When I inquired about the radials with the rep on the phone, he informed me that they didn't have any radials in stock and he had no idea when they would get any. All-in-all the whole op smelled like a front company for some Chinese manufacturer in the purest sense of the idea. I think I'll just order some bar stock and machine the radials myself...seems like a lot less trouble. Rest of the antenna is of reasonable quality; however, weatherproofing the center joint is a must.
KC9NCS Rating: 2008-11-15
Great Antenna Especially For The Price Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I've owned this antenna since Feb. 2008 and have had nothing but good results with it. I installed it in the middle of winter using 85' of Belden 9913 coax and a good ground connection with an 8' ground rod.

Base of the antenna is about 40' up and I have to say I'm incredibly impressed with the receive capabilities of the antenna. I was expecting to get alot of 'noise' with high humidity levels but am not experiencing any such thing, probably due to the good ground on both the antenna and 2m base (a Kenwood TS-711A, KLM 160w Amp.)

I also live in a high elevation area in Illinois, and am able to talk incredible distances on just 5-10 watts. Typically I'm capable of talking 30-40 miles on 10 watts max.

SWR's across the band are fairly steady. On 144 they're about 1.2, on 147 about 1.3. The bandwidth of this antenna is very good, it seems to resonate best between 145.250 and 145.750 based on my coax length, ground, etc..

I haven't used it on 440mhz yet as I don't yet have a 440mhz rig but am expecting similar results. My brother in law has the same antenna and uses it on 440mhz with good results.

Overall I'm happy with the purchase and would buy again. This antenna was a bargain compared to the similar Diamond, and I consider it an excellent 'entry' antenna for new hams on 2m.

My only recommendation with this antenna is to make sure the connections are sufficiently weatherproofed, including where the top and bottom sections go together. I've heard other hams that I talk to discuss water getting into their antenna's due to lack of weatherproofing. Assuming liberal usage of coax seal this is a great solution.
N3EAY Rating: 2008-09-18
Has weathered many storms and keeps right on performing Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This antenna is abused and keeps right on performing! It serves as both my VHF antenna and my UHF repeater antenna simultaneously without any problem! Tough, you ask? Well here in coastal south east Georgia normal wind is 15+ MPH, plus monthly there are 2-5 days of "lake winds" (20-35 MPH with 50 MPH gusts) and annually 1 - 2 tropical storms; this antenna has been up at 31 feet to the base for three years now without a flaw. I would highly recommend this antenna or its twin (packaged under the Tram brand) to anyone!
KF4LYU Rating: 2008-08-27
EXCELLENT !!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Have had this Antenna for a short while already,,was a little dissapointed when i connected my analyzer (Rig Expert AA 200) and found that the swrs were high on vhf.

144 mhz...2.0
145 mhz...1.8
146 mhz...1.6
147 mhz...1.3
148 mhz...1.1

so, i took the "guts" out of the top section and soldiered about a 1 1/2 inch piece of wire to the end of the existing wire,,,and that done the trick.

and now,,

144 mhz...1.6
145 mhz...1.4
146 mhz...1.1
147 mhz...1.3
148 mhz...1.4

I actually use 146.520 simplex mostly on this antenna and the Rig Expert SS 200 shows the swr on that frequency at 1.09 and flickers to 1.1 now since the mod, before it was showning about a 1.5 swr on 146.520 ,,so i am very satisfied with the results after i had to make that modification to the antenna.

all in all,,I really like the antenna, it isnt too tall, build quality seems very well for a $45.00 antenna, performance is great,, and I have actually ordered another one of these for my other location.

I'm stil gonna give this antenna a 5 ,, I simply didnt mind doing the modification to the antenna as i love to experiment and try to improve on whatever is already working.

I would recommend this antenna to anyone looking for a cheap priced, great performing antenna.

VA3JDL Rating: 2007-03-17
Excellent Performance Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have had this antenna for 8 months. Its mounted on top of the roof and I'm using 50ft of LMR400 cable. The antenna has survived wind, snow and ice storms. The best part is the performance. I have very good VHF and UHF simplex coverage. Better than expected for its size. SWR is flat close to the center of the bands and does not go above 1.5:1 at the edges.
Great antenna for the price and size.