Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Cushcraft ARX2B Ringo Ranger II

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

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 ARX2B Ringo Ranger II
Reviews: 28MSRP: 59.95
Description:
14 foot, 1000 watt, 135-160 MHz vertical antenna featuring three 5/8 wave radiating elements and an adjustable 1/8 wave phasing stub
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cushcraft.com/amateur/details.asp?catid=76
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00284
AB0RE Rating: 2005-03-25
Not bad for the price Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've owned a ton of VHF/UHF base antennas and thought it'd be fun to give the ARX2B a whirl for a change. There's a lot of horror stories circulating around regarding the Ringo series, so I stayed away from it in the past. But my curiousity got the best of me.

The directions were okay, but not spectacular. I was a bit suprised to see how many parts this antenna is. It's definitely not a rover antenna. :-)

Assembly was not overly difficult with my father in laws assistance. We used the dimensions listed in the manual for 147MHz resonance and after installation found the "sweet spot" to be 146.88MHz. Not bad! SWR rises to about 1.4:1 at 146 and 148MHz, so it is not extremely broadbanded.

The quality of the antenna is also satisfactory - I would think it is more mechanically sound than the competitor Diamond's CP22E 5/8 wave x 2 aluminum antenna. The coax jumper needs help - it has crimped connectors and develops a bend from being stuffed in the box. To date, I have not been able to remove this bend. I did solder the center conductors of the jumper assembly, but ran into problems with the plastic insulators in the crimp-on PL259s starting to melt. When the antenna is on the mast it does not sit perfectly straight - it appears to have be kinked a bit at the base and at the phasing stub point. The bend is not enough to make the antenna look too obnoxious though.

I've been happy with the performance of the antenna. Some have compared it to a wet noodle or a dummy load, but that has not been my experience. I could not say if it's a true 7.0dBi gain antenna like Cushcraft suggests, but it does not do bad. I am regularly able to hit a repeater 50 miles North and one 75 miles South with my ARX2B mounted on a 5' tripod w/ 10' mast on my roof. Both repeaters typically come back 1/3 - 1/2 scale.

My biggest complaint with the antenna is that the feedpoint is not enclosed. So have your CoaxSeal handy when doing the install. Looks could be a bit better, too, in my opinion. But for $59 from HRO it's still a good deal with a good amount of dB per dollar.

73,
Dan / ab0re
KD7EZE Rating: 2005-01-22
Great VHF omni Time Owned: more than 12 months.
If you had trouble assembling this antenna, it was not the fault of the instructions, as they are well detailed. Even without the assembly info, for you that purchased one used, it will go together in a few minutes. If you don't have the instructions, go to http://www.cushcraft.com
and get them there for free. They also have instructions for most all of the antennas they've ever manufactured, even the discontinued models. After putting together my first one, (I have 8 of them in use) I guesstimated where the shorting bar should be set, then used the antenna analyzer, only to find out it was a perfect match. We use this antenna in our police and fire departments, for both base and repeater applications, as well. It is a good, solid performer, and holds up well in all types of weather conditions, (wind, ice, lightning, etc.). IMHO, for the money, no better omni antenna can be had. I have used Cushcraft products for many years, and have never been dissatisfied, with either their product or their customer service.
KB1IJC Rating: 2005-01-22
I like it but..... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I put the antenna up last year. I did not get around to using it unitl early this year (JAN).
Anyway, the "phasing cable" is crimped on and during a very high wind storm, one end pulled free. After taking the cable down and repairing it, I needed to readjust the radials. Sadly they were completely stuck to the ring. I gently turned one but it did not matter, it snapped right off. After e-mailing the company and asking the cost of the ring, 3 radials, and nuts, they replied that the cost would be within a few dollars of a NEW complete antenna.
What a waste.
When you put 2 different types of metal together out in the weather there is never a good end result.
If you plan to put this one up, just plan on leaving it there forever.
Or you can do what the company recommended to me. "Remove the radials and phasing cable. You will then have a normal ringo ranger antenna".
I am using with only 2 radials attached and the SWR is only a 2 so I'll leave it alone until it gets warmer out there.
WA7MC Rating: 2005-01-17
Just Love It Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Like another commented, the assembly instructions were a little vague, but after getting started it wasn't too hard to assemble. Seemed like there were a couple of screws missing from the kit (or I lost them upon opening the package), but I managed to replace them from my own stock, and it was together. I don't have an SWR meter, so took to a friend who has an MFJ antenna analyzer, and it had pretty good SWR over most of the band. Once I got it erected, wow. My receiving and sending range got extended dramatically. I live in Olympia, and the first night I had a clear-as-a-bell conversation with one guy who was about 55 miles away, further than I have ever been able to get before on 2m. I was using 45 watts of power. Later that night I dialed up a few distant repeaters, the most distant was about 60 miles in Ocean Shores. Calling me a satisfied owner is an understatement.
WO8USA Rating: 2004-12-28
Good 2m antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I owned the Ringo Ranger II for 3 years and used it on 2m for simplex and repeater work. I always liked the gain and range. It went together easy, tuned easy, had braod bandwidth, and I never had trouble with it.

I sold it (on eHam) since I was moving out of FM. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a base station omni (vert) antenna for FM repeaters and working HTs locally.

Chris WO8USA
N5BSD Rating: 2004-12-27
Inexspensive, and Works Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought this one because I didn't have much cash to work with. Mounted it on a 19 foot mast on the side of the house, and was easily able to hit any active 2-meter repeater in the DFW metro area I wanted to.
Even had good luck with 440 repeaters too amazingly.
Solid, not much cost. Great antenna for the financially challenged.
KB5PQL Rating: 2004-10-07
I didn't like it Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had this antenna for over 7 years and here's what I know: SWR is Low from one end of 2m to the other, it doesn't hear very well, and it's a cheap ($$) antenna. My problem with it? Before I had the Ringo I had a home made 2m ground plane made of cloth hangers and an S0-239 connector. This home made antenna was way better than my ringo. I was able to talk to people 30-40 miles away everyday on 5 watts simplex. The ringo,however, was only effective within a 5mile radius simplex (same height, power, and radio). It's a great looking and cheap antenna but I think you can do better than this one. I'd say keep looking. :) 73's y'all!
KG4KDH Rating: 2004-08-08
Great Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I read all the reviews on the ARX2 and though many seemed to have trouble with it, I went ahead and got one anyway. Took all of about 15 minutes to assemble. Instructions were a little vague but the antenna's construction is so simple, it didn't take much brain power to figure out. Took it outside, put it up about 4 feet off the ground and with my trusty MFJ 259B, tuned it to the center of the 2 meter band. After that, I hoisted it up to around 20 feet for testing and it worked great. With a 200 watt amp, I got 1.1 to 1 SWR at center frequency and 1.2 to 1 at 144 and 148MHz. I tested it on FM simplex that evening and got nearly the same range as I did with my Diamond X500 at the same height! I purchased it because of it's power handling capabilities, but I am also impressed with it's receive performance as well. A simple antenna, cheap and easy to put together and use. I would recommend it to anyone on a budget but at the same time, I would recommend using a MFJ antenna analyzer to make tuning of this antenna a bit easier.