| NH7E |
Rating:  |
2007-08-07 | |
| NOT ANOTHER VERTICAL! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I have to admit up front that I am probably the worlds biggest critic when it comes to the vertical antenna. I've owned them all - or judging by the scrap pile I have accumulated over the years, it seems like it any way. Seriously, every major brand of vertical that was produced since 1979, I have purchased. I guess that I am just a glutton for punishment. I am not going to list brands as my intent is to not cast stones but rather to comment on what I feel is the"Nirvana" of verticals. OK - the antenna isnt here yet. I was compelled to toss in this write up based merely on the level of service that Tom provides - just OUTSTANDING!!! A dozen or so emails, and he had an immediate reply. If his antenna performs at just a fraction of his customer service, than ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. I live yet in another anti-antenna housing area. Screaming kids, barking dogs, ricers with the high pitch whine and matching thump - we've got them all. Anyone even contemplating the idea of erecting an antenna will be labeled a liberal(that one slipped out) and burned at the steak. I have even seen some CC&Rs state that the homeowner will not even emit any type of RF signal. In english - you will not play ham radio in our neighborhood. Not really sure if that's legal.... makes me wanna buy that Henry 8K and park it outside the the HOA presidents house and reduce his electrical appliances to a pile of smoldering hydrocarbons. Don't know how I got so far out on a tangent but I'm back. The takeaway from this post: Tom's service is unmatched. He left me with the sence of comfort that once his antenna arrives, I will not be left alone to handle the issues by myself, except for of course, dealing with those ever so anti antenna loving liberal (there it is again!) neighbors. Wish the guys that I bought my other ham equipment from followed his lead. |
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| W4GNS |
Rating: |
2007-08-05 | |
| Great antenna Great service |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| I have had Tom's multiband vertical about 6 months now ,Package arrived with ALL parts,Tom answered my 1 email within a few short hours and was polite,,At the moment I have about 32 ground radials with intentions to add over 100,but 32 seem to work great ,As previous post state ,Its built like a tank,Mine seems to shine on 40 meters (sunspot minimun now) Common place to here DL and other EU stations 599 on 40.Will buy from Tom again |
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| WR3KI |
Rating: |
2007-07-17 | |
| A KEEPER |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| This antenna is unguyed & stands 43 feet tall. Stands up to the winds here on Kent Island in the Chesapeake Bay of MD. Plays on the bands, with no traps. 1st contact on 20 meters, with a UA3, recieved a 15 OVER 5-9 report. That about says it all. Tom is excellent to work with, & keeps you updated with your order. ALWAYS answers the phone, & has the right answers. Customer service is EXCELLENT. If you're looking for a no-compromise vertical, with easy construction, & go up within an hour, this is it. This one is a keeper. I'm tired of the hype from the rest of the makers, had them, & they are out of here. |
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| WB2ERY |
Rating: |
2007-06-07 | |
| Finally, I'm back on the air |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Antenna restrictive covenants enforced by my wife and the inability to find anything unobtrusive that works have kept me off the air for about ten years. A few years ago I purchased a Hustler 6BTV which at least allowed me to get on the air, although not with a great signal. I never could get the thing to work on 75 or 80, even with a tuner, and I just wasn't getting out very well.
I finally decided to search the reviews here, only looking at verticals that had a score of 5 or near 5. Many had all kinds of extra garbage hanging off of them, top hats, coils, artificial grounds, etc. I knew these would be too ugly to satisfy “the boss”. At the bottom of the alphabetical list I came across Zero Five. The reviews for the Multi Band Vertical sounded too good to be true. I called Tom and discussed the fact that I would need to place the antenna in the middle of a half acre of woods. It might touch some branches and would be surrounded by trees. Tom felt it would not affect the signal very much.
In short, this antenna is unbelievable. As others have said the construction is top notch. After hammering the mounting pipe into the ground, putting the antenna together and laying it on the ground ready to be placed into a vertical position, I realized that there were a lot of tree branches hanging over the area where the antenna would be raised. I struggled to get the antenna vertical past the branches, getting it caught in one branch and then the next. Anyone watching would have been laughing. Somehow the antenna survived and made it into position. I’m sure if it wasn’t for the superior construction of this antenna I would be picking up scraps of aluminum from the ground.
With only eight radials, I worked Italy, The Netherlands and broke through a pileup with only 100 watts to reach San Marino. This was only the beginning. I’m in the process now of adding more radials, but even without them I can tune up on all bands. I can only add my praise to all the other great comments about Tom and Zero Five. Thanks so much Tom, for getting me back on the air.
One thing to watch out for is that Tom recommends a two inch outside diameter mast. The DX Engineering radial plate will not work with masts greater than 1.75 inches without using a separate mounting system. Tom recommended the Lance Johnson Engineering radial plate which simply slides over the two inch mast and secures to it with pressure screws. This appears to have been an easy and great solution. I’m using this along with an Array Solutions Tuner Balun.
Great antenna, great support, very fair price. Thanks again, Tom.
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| K7CTR |
Rating: |
2007-06-04 | |
| Great Antenna |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I have the 43' Multi-Band Antenna. It does NOT use traps. It is very strong - does not need guys however I did guy the antenna at 25' which has proven to be the perfect spot as my antenna stays vertical and does not sway even in heavy winds.
The antenna comes with a very heavy duty folding plate that the antenna is bolted to which allows the end user to fold the antenna down for adjustment or when heavy weather comes in. The antenna also comes with a balun plate which I used to mount an Array Systems 200 T (4:1) balun.
There was no need to TUNE or adjust the antenna IN ANY WAY. Hard to believe but TOM took the time prior to shipping the antenna to me to measure and setup the antenna for proper height and to mark the sections. I only had to put it together to the marks and tighten up. It was spot on - my SWR is from 1.0 to 1.4 across all bands.
I have had the antenna in use now for about a week. The antenna performs extremely well. I have been able to work Sweden, Australia, Guyana, Guam and Italy with only 100 watts. Previously I had a Windom OCF antenna up at 40' and was not able to work as well as this antenna.
I am using radials - approximately 16 and I am sure that with more radials (I have more in progress) my experience will be even better!
Thank you Tom for a great product!
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| KC2QOW |
Rating: |
2007-04-30 | |
| Excellent DX antenna |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
17M SSB with Australia and New Zealand from a ground mounted vertical - the proof is in the QSO-ing !
As the other reviewers have said, the whole experience with Tom is excellent. He will take the time to answer your questions and offer advice. The antenna is a breeze to assemble, and the mounting plate makes installation an easy one man job.
Despite the fact that my soil is pretty poor - my house literally being built on rock - with only 300 feet of nine radials I can work the world ! I'm planning to install the full complement of 2000 feet or so and see how 160 meters works... |
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| HB9TQB |
Rating: |
2007-03-31 | |
| Great Product!!! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I would just like to reiterate some of the comments made by others here,
I ordered the balun from Array Solutions and had it delivered to Tom at Zero Five, the antenna arrived ahead of schedule here in Switzerland.
No missing bits – which normally happens to me.
I had the antenna up within 40minutes of delivery.
The antenna is build like a tank.
Performance – for the last 2 weeks I haven’t stopped adding new DX countries with great signal reports busting through pile ups. Compared to my old 6BTV Hustler which I replaced with this Zero Five multiband vertical it’s a different world – Mongolia 5/9 on 40m, India 20m 5/9, Hawaii 5/9 20m and Guinea 5/9 17m.
Already having the DX engineering radial plate – a winning combination!!! I have about 1km of radial wire laid on top of the grass around the house
Even the regular stations on 80m I regally rag chew with can’t believe the difference giving me an extra 3 to 4 S points increase.
Tom’s support, my installation didn’t go without problems, Tom and I bounced emails for 3 days over a weekend – all emails were answered without delay (Tom went the extra mile) sorry about that Tom!
The problem I had was nothing directly to do with the antenna – I had some coils (RF chokes) in my co-ax because I was having problems with RF in the shack with my old Hustler vertical – I used the same co-ax again for this new installation but I was getting some strange unstable SWR results until I removed the coil near the balun, it took a while (a long while) to work out it was the coil near the antenna coursing the problems. I changed the coax, resoldered the PL259’s and spent two days moving the lay of the co-ax around the garden!
With a few extra coils of co-ax at the shack end of the co-ax – I managed to stop the RF feedback in the shack and all was perfect, I can tune all bands with the auto-tuner on my Yaesu Quadra amp, which is very sensitive. On 160m I don’t need a tuner!
I think the highest SWR is on 17m 1:3.0
To see my installation
http://www.birch.ch/shack.htm
Thanks again for a great product – I wish I’d found it earlier… its put the fun and surprise back it to Ham Radio.
Andrew Birch
HB9-TQB
andrew@birch.ch
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| KB0PGI |
Rating: |
2007-03-21 | |
| Great antenna!! Thanks Tom!! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
This is the first commercial antenna that I have bought. I was very impressed with the knowledge and professional manner that Tom conveyed when I spoke with him on the phone. He was quick to answer my emails and all the questions that I had.
The antenna arrived earlier than expected. It was very well packed . Upon inspection I noticed all the parts were there(rarely happens for me)and they were all top quality. Tom even included the bolts to mount to the 4 x 4 post and also included the balun mounting hardware. This is a big plus since I live 15 miles from the nearest hardware store.
The antenna installed easily. I had it up in about 30 minutes. I am using a Array Solutions tuner balun that Tom recommends . I am also using the Dx Engineering radial plate. Right now I have 2000 feet of radials down which equals 32 radials of various length. I still have about another 3000 to 4000 feet of radials to put down.
I did a side by side comparison with some wire antennas that I have. The vertical was much quieter and had stronger signals.The first station that I worked was S53EO on 20 meters(couldn't even hear him on the dipole). I am very impressed by this antenna. I even have 1.3 to 1 swr on 160 meters.
I would like to thank Tom for making a great antenna at a fair price. He is one of the nicest people that you will ever deal with!!! I wish I could say that I would buy another antenna from him , but I think this is the only antenna that I will ever need.
Thanks again Tom
73,Doug |
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| KK7UU |
Rating: |
2007-03-18 | |
| Great Vertical |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I wanted to get a vertical that I could use mostly on 40 and 80. I have a chain link fence around my 1.5 acres and wanted to see if I could us. I spoke with Tom and was really impress with his help and knowledge. I also ordered the Balun for Array Solutions.
The antenna was very easy to put together and install. Everything was there to install the antenna. I even coated the joints with liquid rubber and also all the connecting points. Only took me about two hours to put the entire antenna up and get it on the air. The material was all first class and made of heavy material (designed to last).
I initially tried the antenna only using the Chain link fence as the radial system and was really happy with the results. The internal turner in my IC-756 Pro III loaded it right up and I also tried my LDG AT-1000 with the same results.
I was just a happy with my on air results and the wife likes the antenna as it does not stand out as much as the rest of my antenna farm. |
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| K3GRT |
Rating: |
2007-01-07 | |
| If I could have only one Antenna, this would be it. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I purchased the ZeroFive Multi-Band Vertical, added an Array Solutions AS-200-Tuner Balun and a DX Engineering Radial Plate. What a winning combination.
I put the antenna up mid November and worked more DX by the end of this year than in the past 10 years. This antenna has made radio exciting again. It just works. I hear them, I work them.
The internal tuner in my Icom 756Pro II can find a match anywhere from 10M - 160M. I leave the external tuner set for 75M, set it to direct and use the internal tuner for 20M and 40M PSK. My lot is small and I've got tons of structure to work around, so I have only 40 radials but I am really having fun with this antenna.
ZeroFive is top notch when it comes to service. I had emailed Tom prior to my purchase because I have limited space and had never used a vertical antenna. I knew I wanted multi-band and did not want to guy it. Tom assisted in the antenna selection and took the time to review my specific installation. Going over things like the length of the support pipe, how to secure it in the ground and how to set up the radials. When I had problem, me not the antenna, Tom was there and quick to assist. I'm up and running and couldn't be happier with the Antenna or the service.
Rick K3GRT |
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