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Reviews For: Workman UVS-300

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

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Review Summary For : Workman UVS-300
Reviews: 28MSRP: 88.00
Description:
2mtr/70cm 8.3/11.7 db Vertical
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00283.9
N8MRC Rating: 2021-04-24
UPDATE!!! Great Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had my antenna up for over 10 years now with no problems at all, SWR is still 1.2 on 2m and 440. Take your time and tape and seal up the joints...


I've had mine up for over a year now. The SWR on 2m and 440 is under a 1.2. I took KC9CUK's advice and sealed AND taped the joints. No problems what so ever, even in snow and sleet, no change in SWR..bottom line...SEAL THEM UP!!!
W5DTW Rating: 2018-01-28
Broke on first high winds Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Never even got to use it, the vertical element broke just above the base, split just like a ripe banana
N9NAQ Rating: 2016-05-16
good but seal joints Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
great performing antenna but you have to seal the joints i used finally a butyl layer with scotch 88 on top. I had to take it down and dry it once before learning to seal it.

Does anyone know the nut size on the u bolts I need to tighten them and I forgot??
KI5SO Rating: 2015-03-11
Important assembly information Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I wanted to add some information to my previous review. The instructions are not that clear. The most important thing is to pull the wire, or tap the sides to get it to fall into reach, and pull it to attach to the allen nut connection. Push the wire joint all the way into the slot and be very careful with the allen nut. My allen nut was already inside the hole. Use the small allen wrench included and be very careful not to strip it out. It is very small. Do each section like this. Test the antenna. Be sure to seal the joints with rubber seal, coax seal or something like that. Use high grade coax. This antenna is very good on 2 meters, but swr may rise on certain parts of the band as you increase power up around 75 or 100 watts or so. My experience with 440 has not been good. It will only cover part of the repeater portion with the radials raised as instructed. I would call this a 2 meter antenna because it does not give full coverage of 440 on the repeater side. This is just my experience, so, compare my notes with others. Take your time putting it together and seal it up good and you have a great 2 meter low power antenna. I hit repeaters 100 miles away and many I couldn't even hear in the past. I'd say it is a well invested $100 for a good 2 meter antenna including shipping.
W8FUH Rating: 2014-06-02
GREAT Antenna!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Don't be deceived by some of the poor reviews here, this antenna is everything you could hope for in a dual band vertical.
The assembly is a snap, they provide all the needed parts, including stainless steel hardware. I took my time and from beginning to end, it probably took me an hour and a half all by myself. In fact, soldering on a new PL-259 was one of the most time consuming tasks.
I read the reviews here on the Workman, the Opek and the others that are all essentially re-packages of the same antenna (they are, trust me). Based on the impressive performance that people were getting, I decided to give it a shot. I could have bought a Comet or Diamond, but honestly, why spend more money for a product that isn't any better quality, and actually has worse performance numbers?
For me the test would be hitting the only regional D-Star repeater in my area. I had a home brew copper dipole that worked great for local contacts and local repeaters, but couldn't touch the D-Star repeater that is about 45 miles away. NO PROBLEM for the Workman!! This antenna is amazing, and I can't recommend it highly enough.
Do your research, take your time putting it up and enjoy taking your wife (or hubby) out to dinner with the extra money that's still in your pocket because you didn't waste it on a more expensive antenna that has worse performance.

I negotiated mine at my clubs swap and shop for $80, so if you can find one around and get it for somewhere around that price, you'll be happy you did!
KC0SWG Rating: 2013-07-30
Not Happy Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Was a good antenna until water got into it. Before I put it up, I sealed the connections where the fiberglass goes together. It appears that water gets in somehow at the bottom of the antenna. Found out it was full of water when my SWR's went through the roof. If you buy one seal it up, everywhere. Other than that it performed very well on the 2m band, not so hot on 70cm.
K6FUZ Rating: 2012-12-23
Still a 5/5 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been using this antenna since 2004 with great results. It was down at sea level before and I took it down, packed it, moved it, and now it's in a new location.

It is a solid performer on both bands and has now survived two harsh winters at 5000 ft elevation on the top of a 33' building where winds are often high and gusty and there seems to be no shortage of snow.

I would buy and use these antennas anytime. Fortunately I've only needed one!
N7LT Rating: 2011-12-27
Tough, low-cost antenna that works! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had two at two different locations over the last 10 years. The first one was hit by lightning. Melted to the second 64 turn coil, the rest survived! The second antenna at my new QTH. Has been up for almost 8 years now and has been down only once for inspection. I reinforce mine by soldering all the joints within the antenna and then adding extra foam (3X the amount of original) to keep the #10 wire inside from banging around inside. The antenna has survived 80+ MPH winds, 50+ MPH every month!!! I'm loosing shingles on my roof but the Workman UVS-300 stays put! Points a touch to the South East from the wind but still working GREAT!

I did get one that would not tune within the Amateur VHF band, after a number of phone calls, they replaced it. Make sure you test yours right away with an analizer, then harden it to withstand the weather. Liquid tape is cheap wand works well! Wrap joints with black tape, then liquid tape and cover again with black tape. Makes it easier to get off for service!
K7FFN Rating: 2011-03-21
Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had a used UVS-300 several years ago, and it was excellent. I finally went to a beam, however, because I was in a grove of Eucalyptus trees and couoldn't mount the antenna higher than roof level.

Now I live in an area without trees, but also without adequate real estate to guy an antenna. My 10-element 13.2-dB beam and rotator are wind catchers, and the Arizona storms bend the pushup mast over to 30-degrees off the vertical. I started looking for a high-gain vertical with which to replace it.

I found the UVS-300 again from K1CRA in NY, and based upon my prior experience decided to try it again. At just over a hundred bucks including shipping, it's a lot more interesting than a Comet or Diamond.

I compared the S-meter readings with several repeaters at 100-miles distance, and with the UVS-300 mounted at the same level as the beam (but sticking up 17-feet higher) there was an increase of at least 2 S-units for each repeater. Now that I have it up nearly 30-ft (plus 17-ft) they are all reading higher than 10 over S9, which is the highest my meter reads.

I have no UHF equipment currently (though the last UVS-300 was less than 1.5:1 from 440 to 450 with the radial ring set in high position) but I checked the VHF SWR with an MFJ 259B analyzer. Resonance was at 146-mHz at 1.1:1, and the 2:1 bandwidth runs from 142.59 to 149.01. Can't complain about that.

All in all, I certainly cannot complain about the performance, and even unguyed, it isn't nearly the windcatcher my beam and rotator were. I am very pleased.
REMOVED_4YJ Rating: 2010-11-24
Great Ant for the $$ Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned several of these antennas over the past 5 years or so. Every one of them was great-in performance and durability. It is VERY important that you seal up each joint with rubber sealing tape and a coat of Liquid Tape or similar product. I have never had any problems with water retention and they perform EXACTLY the same as the high priced Diamond and Comet versions. You will be very happy with this antenna. I use one on my repeater and works fantastic!