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Reviews For: Cushcraft AR6 Ringo 6m

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

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Review Summary For : Cushcraft AR6 Ringo 6m
Reviews: 26MSRP: 107.43
Description:
Cushcraft Ringo vertical for 6 metres
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cushcraft.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
12264
VP2ETE Rating: 2012-02-23
All in all the AR 6 is a great Vertical Antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have had my Cush Craft AR 6 vertical up a couple months now and is certainly enjoying 6 meters. I must say that this antenna does not take much time to put together. It is very good especially on the transmitting end where I have been getting very good signal reports from South America. There needs to be a bit of improvement on the receiving aspect of it.
However I would give this a 5 on 5.
KI6OSH Rating: 2011-07-09
No complaints.. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I've had this antenna up since the beginning of the year and when 6 meters cooperates, this antenna works wonderful. It has withstood a couple of fairly severe winter storms here in N. California so it's built very well. Fairly easy to put together and the quality seems a great buy for the price. So far a wonderful omni directional antenna for 6 meters.
KD6SX Rating: 2011-07-09
Very pleased Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I am very pleased with this antenna. The results have been better than I expected even after reading good reviews on this website. I installed it at 30 feet and use it for SSB operation. I have made many contacts with it over the last year or so and the reports have been excellent. The stations I talk to are often quite surprised to learn that I am only running 100 watts into a vertical antenna because the signal is so strong. I highly recommend this antenna for either SSB or FM operation, especially if erecting a beam is not an option.

George
KD6SX
WB1GXM Rating: 2010-12-05
Great vertical 5/5+ Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Simply put, great for local simplex and openings. New Hampshire to Missouri!
Oh yea Rugged, simple to assemble and use 1:1 swr, strong in bad wx.

Great job! Enough said
WB1GXM 5/5
KW6ACK Rating: 2010-05-03
Most impressive!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The AR6 came with only one part missing,the nut that holds the antenna to the mast. Used a self tapping sheet metal screw and it was held in place. Took about 2 1/2 hours from opening the box to on the air including the time using the antenna analizer to check the freq and the match(1.3 to 1)and mounted on the wood fence in backyard. 15 ft. above the ground. 6 opened at around 4pm pst today and had about a dozen contacts. I'm in Anaheim, Ca.,(DM13) with multiple contact in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. My AR6 worked great and had compliments on signal and quality of tone. I'm very pleased that I purchased this antenna!!!
VK4JAZ Rating: 2008-11-19
Great antenna that really works Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I spent quite a time looking at options before deciding on this antenna. I work 6m SSB with a qrp MFJ 9406 rig and need a good antenna that is cost efficient, stealthy (my XYL doesn't want an antenna farm on the roof) and works well.

The instructions were the wrong ones but I found the right ones on the internet. The construction of the antenna was easy and so was the tuning. I tuned it for 50.150 Mhz and got an SWR of less than 1.2:1 when read on my MFJ 860 SWR/PWR Meter. Not bad at all.

I have the antenna up about 30 feet and so far all on air reports are excellent. I would recommend this antenna.
NA0AA Rating: 2008-08-16
Good value Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
OK, I just put mine up, so my comments are to be taken with grain of salt.

Assembly: Easy to put together - two things as mentioned before, one they don't tell you how to install the phasing loop - you have to look at the drawings, and the other is that the shorting bar clamp only fits correctly ONE way and they don't mention that. [Also, with my antenna they packed the wrong instruction sheets - fortunately they have the correct data on the website]

I chose to use the stock clamps, put aluminum conductive paste on the junctions prior to assembly.

I paint antennas for stealth when possible - I rubbed it down with Denatured Alcohol and it takes the camo spray paint very well. This keeps the aluminum from corroding and keeps the visual profile down - something the XYL likes, and I do as well.

The antenna does not take a very large mast - 1.25" tops - I used a single section of fence top rail 10' long that is mounted on my deck railing to get the top of the radiating element about 30' above the ground. At that level, it easily outperformed the Comet X-15 that it replaced. And the radio likes the match better. I was able to connect to a number of repeaters that I could not hit with the X-15 that was in the same location so I'm pleased.


There are more sophisticated antenna out there but I like the easy assembly and low profile - I will get more experience with the winter weather to see if it stands after a good wind storm.
N0FPE Rating: 2008-07-16
Works well Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had mine up for a couple of years now. It is sidearm mounted on a 40ft tower. Tuning was a snap. <1.5 SWR at 52.525. Used mainly for FM repeater use. My old IC-736 will tune it for SSB so I can play when the band is open. Good antenna for the money, not as good as a beam but then I didnt install it thinking it would!
WA3LWR Rating: 2008-07-16
Works Well Time Owned: N.A.
Owned the unit for over a year. Running just ten watts I have made a lot of USA contacts and had a lot of fun. Never will beat a beam, but for those of us with a limited space situation and neighbors who might not appreciate the beauty of a full size beam, it is perfect.
K7UNZ Rating: 2007-08-01
Impressed, for sure! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
First let me say that in 47+ years of hamming, I've never really had an interest in VHF operation. Guess I'm still gun shy from the "old" days of channel 2 TVI....

Anyway, having two HF-6M rigs in the shack, I stuck up a simple dipole just to see what was happening "up there." Well, nothing was happening, at least not in my shack. But reading all the 50 MHz "spots" told me something was going on (hi).

Bought this antenna a few weeks ago, and finally got around to putting it up yesterday. About 15' above ground, over the backyard patio roof, fed with RG213, etc., etc..

WOW! Couldn't believe it....the receiver was FULL of signals....beacons from across the country being heard, and at S7-S9 levels!

SWR is 1.1:1 across the band.

Went togeather easily (about a half hour), but there is a slight problem in the instructions. When you are finishing up assembly, the instructions infer that you will tune the antenna per "normal" tuning proceedures a bit later. Only problem is that there are NO tuning instructions in the assembly instructions, anywhere. NOT a problem for me, but I can easily see where someone with little, to no, experiance wou hit a brick wall.

Bottom line, GREAT antenna, and boy, for just a simple vertical, I'm impressed!

Jim/k7unz