Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes
Reviews Home

Reviews For: Cushcraft D40

Category: Antennas: HF: Yagi, Quad, Rotary dipole, LPDA

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Cushcraft D40
Reviews: 13MSRP: 260.95
Description:
Rotatable dipole, bandwidth 200kHz, SWR at resonance 1.5, 2000W
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cushcraftamateur.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00134.7
DL1IAO Rating: 2023-05-14
One half of a 2el Yagi Time Owned: more than 12 months.
If you are unable to get up a 2el 40m Yagi why not begin with half of it?

I have been using a Cushcraft 40m rotary dipole (actually the driven element of a 40-2CD) for years. It is mounted 3m above a KT34A tribander in a 90deg fashion (parallel to the boom) and it easily outperforms anything else I have ever tried at that QTH with wire antennas. As mentioned before it is also quite usable on 17, 15 and 12m.

As, in my case, it is mounted right at the top of a mast there is no guying and the element shows some noticable sag. Strangely enough it never broke while the tribander did loose some elements over time.

The one downside is that you might not hear very well with a dipole depending on your local noise situation. But if you are unable to put up a 2el shorty forty and not living at the sea shore this is your best bet!

73, Stefan DL1IAO
N2RRA Rating: 2020-07-21
Super impressed and 40m isn’t all it can do. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Wasn’t sure about this dipole being I could not get this dipole higher than 28ft. but I was wrong. Turns out it works GREAT.

Mounted on a 8’ft Glen Martin roof tower with a 6el. Tri-bander below it I’ve found that it wil also tune on 17,15,12,10 and even 6m using the radios internal antenna tuner. I made contacts on 17m from NY to MA. I made a contact with a station on 10m to South Carolina and another station on 6m from FN31 to FM29. Will not tune on 30m or 20m. On all those bands there is clear performance being very directional.

Comparing the dipole to a resonant 80m EFHW inverted V with the apex at 60ft using a spider beam pole I’ve found the dipole was on par with the 80m wire and in most cases beating it with close in signals and even DX. YUP! I said that right. Once in a while the wire at 60ft. has an advantage but not by much. My 80m EFHW fed with a 49:1 balun works super well on 80m and other bands, but the D40 wins most of the time and it does show its directional. I could only imagine how much better this D40 is at 40ft and higher.

So don’t let the laws of physics stop you from enjoying this antenna.

73
WB2VVV Rating: 2015-09-21
Very Impressed! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had been using a center fed vertical dipole hung in a tall pine tree on 40m and thought it was a great antenna so I put off improving my 40m situation. Eventually I decided to experiment with a rotatable dipole up on my tower tucked in-between my 3 element Steppir beam and my 12 element 2 meter Tropo beam, but aligned with the booms of those beams to minimize interactions since they're all pretty closely stacked together. I really liked the idea of being able to null 40m noise off the ends of the dipole so I started considering all of the rotatable dipoles available.

I settled on the D40 because is was the most reasonably priced of the lot, and it was at least 2/3 the length of a full length dipole so as to not be too much of a compromise. I adjusted the section lengths exactly per the instructions for the upper CW resonance. I then installed the antenna all by myself and wiggled it into position between the two beams and connected up the coax, back down in the shack I was very happy to see a perfect resonance right where I had planned. In fact I had acceptable VSWR from the very bottom of the band up to just hitting 2:1 VSWR at 7.175 MHz. The VSWR was close to a perfect 1:1 at 7.080 MHz. I am impressed that the bandwidth is a little over 175 KHz!

Next I began comparing signals comparisons with what I though was my great vertical dipole as a reference. Well, the vertical dipole was quickly beaten on every path by the rotatable dipole! I had been "working everything I could hear" with the vertical dipole - but apparently I wasn't hearing everything. Working CW Stateside the rotatable dipole was typically hearing 10dB to 30 dB better than the vertical dipole, and for DX was still hearing around 10 dB better - where the vertical dipole should have been at its very best.

This antenna made me happy, and I hope it stays up!!!
VK3TDX Rating: 2012-10-03
Veteran Performer! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I just re-birthed my D40 for a loan to a fellow ham in need of a multiband antenna for a few months while he constructs a big yagi.

I worked DXCC a few years back with this great antenna and have used it since on several temporary operations. Through the years it has never failed me and tests today show everything tuning up just fine. The hardware is sturdy and durable.

I recommend this antenna highly. It's not a yagi but it does the job day in and day out.
AB3CX Rating: 2010-01-05
Very Fine Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
It does exactly what it should do. Provides 100 KC of bandwidth under 1.8:1 SWR, the rest with a tuner. Mine tuned up very easily about 12 feet off the ground, when tuned for 7030 at that height, it resonated at 7100 on the tower. Takes 1500 watts from my Alpha and does not groan. Compared to a ground mounted vertical HyTower, it is a far better performer. My D-40 is up almost 60 feet. Since putting it up, my 40 meter contest QSO performance has risen significantly. Now I want a beam for 40M...
VK3GK Rating: 2009-03-08
surprising results Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just put this up today at 55' for ARRL dx contest. Boy, what a difference compared to the OCF at 35', about 3 S points better rx with the D40. I didnt expect that much improvement. and i thought the ocf was good on 40m. All i can say is that i should have put it up a couple of years ago when i got it.......
N4KW Rating: 2009-02-25
Very Pleased with its performance, as advertised. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
The Picture at the beginning of this review is not the Cushcraft D40, the D40 does not have any traps.

The antenna is very well made and was received with all the parts required for a very easy and fast assembly. The VSWR bandwidth is as advertised
and I have used it in a few cw contest and pleased with its performance. I would purchase this antenna again.
W1ZK Rating: 2007-02-10
Works well Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used a D40 since 1996 at 70' and it has worked as advertised. It has been through 75 MPH winds and ice and still keeps working. It's not a beam but when the tower won't take a beam's wind load the D40 does a very good job. I recommend it without reservation.
MW0XMG Rating: 2006-10-25
Dissapointed Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Poor antenna, got this one from MLS earlier this year, after reading other write-up's put up @ 13mtrs, no tune whatsoever, played with the element lengths no joy, note however that it would seem that Cushcraft have changed from the bulky Aluminium traps to a wire shrink wrap type on ally tube, could these be the problem? have they had any returned with this fault? still awaiting a reply from Cushcraft, the nearest I can get it is 1.1.2 @ 8,900, obviosly no where near the 40mtr band, changed coax several times thinking it was me, not so, even tried a balun, no good, the only thing to do now is check the centre insulator and hope there's some sort of conductive contamination, did seem to be getting intermitant readings of continuity between the elements??? any ideas. Im dissapointed to say the least oh and the worst thing is I lost the receipt for it, Doh!! I think in future I will stick with wire......Pat MW0XMG
LA5SJA Rating: 2004-05-27
Great Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Put it up yesterday and wow!! compared with a fd4 windom at aprox same hight noise went down 3-4 s and signal 2 - 5 s up using an ameriton Al 82 at full power no problems at all
assambeled it acording to manual and put it up worked fine imediately its aprox 16,5 Meters off the ground so now it,s up to the weather how long it will stay up live i arctic zone 71 dg North hi hi

will come back to tell if it not lasts hi hi
LA5SJA Geir iota EU-141