| KENWOODUSER |
Rating:  |
2014-03-07 | |
| Great choice for an aesthetic, unguyed, multiband vertical |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
OVERALL
This is a good antenna and I am very well pleased with it. Tom's support is good, as is the antenna quality. Price is ok.
STRENGTH
My criteria going in was to have a very strong, unguyed, aesthetic, multiband vertical antenna. This antenna has proven to have all of those qualities. It is indeed unguyed and I have watched it in flex in sustained winds with gusts up to 70mph. I thought it would come down but after having seen that, I realized it is as strong as advertised and I forget about it in the strongest storms.
Because it is so strong, no guys are required. It makes for a very clean install, which I don't mind looking at, nor do the neighbors.
TUNING
I have tuned it in the shack with the built-in autotuner on bands 80-10, although I mainly use the antenna for 40 meters. An remote base tuner should be used for best performance.
INSTALLATION
I installed about 1200sq ft of wire mesh under the antenna and overlayed the mesh with copper radial wires, which were bolted to the mesh. The mesh and radial wires are bolted to ground rods at the base of the antenna. The antenna is fed with over 100ft of LMR-400 direct bury cable, which passes through conduit back to the wall of the shack to a DXE panel, which houses a number of PolyPhaser surge arrestors.
PERFORMANCE
The antenna performs well-enough for my liking. I recently busted a pileup and made a 10,000 mile contact with the antenna. I've also made local contacts with it. As a vertical, it is noisier than the hex beam next to it on the same site and A/B tests are very easy to perform. Overall, I am happy with the way it performs. I probably wouldn't be if I had not installed the radial field/screen. A remote base tuner will only add to its performance.
SUMMARY
I would buy another one. In fact, I just may for another location. |
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| G1PHK |
Rating: |
2013-12-06 | |
| great antenna |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| we had 60 to 70 mph winds yesterday in the uk the wind did not change direction for hours, my 43ft vertical was bent double for hours, it finally came down, but this was no fault of the antenna it was the pipe supporting it which fractured, the antenna is lying in my garden absolutely flat, i`ve just knocked in a scaffold pole into the ground and will postcrete it in tomorrow and get this great antenna back on the bands |
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| N8WGM |
Rating: |
2013-12-05 | |
| Best vertical I've owned |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I've had the 43 foot multiband vertical now for a few months and I can say that it is by far the best vertical antenna I've used.I've owned over 20 so far.
I needed a new vertical as the woods I live in does not physically allow for rotatable yagi's and I really do not want to deal with towers, wind, ice loading and all that. No traps was another requirement. I just wanted an antenna that can get me out on 80 through 10 meters while running 1kw power or a little more.
I contacted Tom (The owner of Zero Five) and we talked for a while. I was sold when I read all the reviews here on e-ham and my discussion with him.
The package arrived and it was small! I could not believe that a 43 foot antenna was packed in the box. Opening the box it was clear that this antenna is made very well. There are two stacks of antenna parts. To assemble, you take one from the fist stack and then one from the second. The stainless clamps are quality and the antenna goes together well. If you decide to get this antenna, make sure that you use a bit of Noalox anti oxidant. It will keep the joints free of oxidation and help with keeping the connections electrically viable.
I decided to buy the antenna from Tom and get the UnUn from DX engineering. They are not too far from me in Talmadge Ohio and so I bought the UN UN and the radial plate from them. Plus I was able to browse the Summit Racing store where DX engineering has their store which is always fun!
After putting everything together, I found that the receive on my Kenwood 930 came alive. Signals from all over the place on 10-160 meters. It is an excellent receive antenna. Best I have used so far. I put down 80 various length radials which are 14 gauge solid insulated wire. The coax is RG8U military spec Belden cable. It is partially buried and is over 25 years old. Still works great!
Transmitting on the Zero Five 43 footer was also a pleasant surprise. Much better than even my inverted V for 80 meters. I was able to contact several DX stations on 80 and it was like they were next door. I switched between the V and the vertical and I noticed a signal strength gain to stations in Europe with the vertical over the V on both receive and transmit. Japan was easy with this antenna also.
If you are looking for a great vertical antenna with no traps, give Tom a call at Zero Five. He knows antennas and will answer any questions you might have.
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| N5TEH |
Rating: |
2013-10-24 | |
| Still Great! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I've now been using the Zero-Five 43 ft. vertical for about 6 months and couldn't be happier. I consistently work both domestic and DX contacts and receive good signal reports. I'm only using 100 watts with a Kenwood TS-590S. I have the optional MK II mod which has provided good performance on the higher bands, especially 17 meters.
There's no guy wires on my antenna and a few times we've experience fairly high winds here in Central Minnesota, but once the winds die down the antenna sits straight. The antenna is well made and once properly installed it is virtually maintenance free--no traps or coils to mess with. Tom not only makes a great product, he's a man who provides great customer service. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this antenna to anyone, especially to those who have limit space and are unable to put a bunch of aluminum and copper wire in the air.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by KE0Q on 2013-05-15
After considering a number of different vertical antennas, I decided to purchase and install a 43 ft. Zero-Five. In needed an antenna that covered multiple bands, was durable and did not require a lot of maintenance, an antenna that could be installed on a fairly small lot, and would keep the neighbors happy. The Zero-Five met the criteria.
I installed the antenna on a five foot 2" O.D. pipe cemented into the ground with 44 radials (40 - 25ft; 4 - 42ft.) using a radial ring made from copper tubing and a 8 foot ground round at the base of the Antenna. I'm using 100 feet of DX Engineering 400 MAX Low Loss Coaxial Cable which is buried and the Array Solutions AS-303U Lightning Arrestor located at the entrance of my shack and connected to the main ground round for my house. I also installed the optional MKII Mod which improves performance on the higher bands.
I have been impressed with Tom's input concerning this antenna. Zer0-Five customer service is superb, the quality of the antenna is impressive and it is very rugged. The design of this antenna is very simple and was very easy to assemble and raise.
Although I've only had the antenna up for a few days, I've noticed that it performs much better than my inverted L. Getting into Europe has been easy even considering the poor propagation. On 40 meters it works incredibly well. I'm running a Kenwood TS-590S barefoot and using a LDG KT-100 Tuner.
I'd recommend this antenna to anyone who needs a reliable, well built, good performing antenna.
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| K3GO |
Rating: |
2013-10-23 | |
| 43foot muftiband vertical Amazing |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Ordered from Tom the 43 foot without the Unun for $200 ( priced increased to 209) but excellent material and construction. Assembled in couple hours, great machining, mounted on pole in back yard, threw out 4 43 feet radials,installed transformer, hooked up 125 feet of coax and turned on KX3
Antenna is quiet and so tuned 20M and ran across CN2FA , worked on 2nd call with 5 watts ! Then dropped to 40 meters and second contact with RA6AN with one call answering his CQ . Rec. 579
I am totally impressed with this 43 foot antenna
Don't waste your time or money on any other brands and stay tuned as I am building the 80-160 loading AD5X matching network. Also plan to hook more radials up, bury the coax and see you all on the bands.
Oh I forgot to mention , I painted the vertical camouflaged flat and you cannot see it in the back yard!
This antenna fits in with my trees and pleases everyone !
I will be posting pictures and future additions to my new QTH
Tom is excellent to work with and I will be getting a second one to phase the with Array solutions phasing box.
Simple no traps and best bang for the buck...
73 de
K3GO
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| W9OD |
Rating: |
2013-08-24 | |
| Takes a licking and keeps on ticking |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Last week, we had six tornadoes go through our neighborhood. Wind speeds were clocked at 80 to 110 MPH! My Zero Five 43 foot vertical with stood the beating with just a bit of a swag to it. These antennas are very well built! Mine is ground mounted with 40 fifty foot radials, I work all kinds of DX using power levels from 5 watts too about 800 watts, mostly low power. I highly recommend the Zero Five antennas. Tom also offers excellent costumer service. |
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| W9JB |
Rating: |
2013-06-07 | |
| Excellent Build Quality |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Performance equally good, too. I have the 10-40 Meter GP, with "built in" radials/counterpoise. Mounted "sub-optimally" at about 2 feet off the ground in a cluster of pine trees. Fed with about 130 feet of buried high quality coax. Use a Ten Tec AutoTuner (not needed on all bands, however). With about 400 watts (via a Ten Tec Hercules II), I can usually work anything I hear on CW, and most everything on SSB. Durability outstanding. Will operate (via tuner) on 80 meters, but not as effective as my O-C-F on that band or 160 meters. Bottomline: excellent value and durability for the money. |
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| N1EJH |
Rating: |
2013-06-07 | |
| Big Dog 10-160 43 ft. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
This an update to my first review. Owned mine for 10 years! It's been in constant use thru every storm New England could get hit with, she's still standing. Never any issues!!! Tom built mine with a non tilt over base that bolts to concrete base. I'll never part with it. If it should ever come down my first call will be to Tom. You can't buy a better monopole. It's funny as soon as Tom introduced his antenna line and they started to sell well two other companies intoduced theirs. Trust me they not even close to the build quality of a Zero-Five. Spend the extra ging and get the best their is.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by N1EJH on 2005-01-14
My opinion of this product is: SUPERIOR in every way.I have had HyGain,Cushcraft,Hustler and Mosley. None are as well built as this Zero-Five.I have set mine up with DXEngineering balun 4to1 mounted at ground level with the custom base bolted to concrete pad.Guy wires are not needed,thats how rugged this antenna is:43 feet tall.I followed Tom's instructions on radials and am pounding out a KILLER signal,This thing plays a tune you won't beleive. Buy One Today |
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| K8WDX |
Rating: |
2013-03-04 | |
| Outstanding still!! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Update review, after using this 57 foot vertical and the 27 foot vertical for the last several years, I can only say that it's performance is outstanding!! Customer service is top rated... I have gained the respect of the worldwide DX stations. I get into QSO's with these stations all the time, when others are lucky to get a report at all. I am right up there with the guys with the beams. just this morning I was on 40M working some VK stations with my friend in Florida. He has a tower with a Steppir at 60 feet. Me and my 57 foot vertical was consistently getting a 1 s unit better report, and we were both giving the same report back, my friend in Florida was running 1.2 KW, I was running 800 watts. not bad. "my friend was not real happy about that" I use to think the receive was a bit low, then I started asking what the antenna was the DX station was using. dipole @ 25 feet 80-100 watts, on 40M, from say South Africa. It was a miracle I could hear them at all. couple of weekends ago, worked 12 South African stations on 40M, all reports were 59+10. not bad. I am having so much fun with this thing, and If I go into the DX window on 80M and call CQ, instant pile up. I just need to get a beverage up for receive to cut down on the noise, not that the antenna is noisy, just the band. this is a very quiet antenna. No rotor or tower to worry about and it is built to last a lifetime. look for me on the air, my favorite place to call CQ is on 40M around 7160.00. BTW, DXCC mixed, WAC 5 band, 80M,40M,20M,15M,10M, and the 17M WAC endorsement. WAS Mixed, WAS Digital, DXCC Phone, and 3 short of DXCC Digital, a few short of DXCC 40M and 20M, all with casual operating and not trying, I only work'em if it is convenient. I don't switch bands to chase anything. I wont try more than three times to get a new one if it is close by, "I usually get them within the first two calls" If not I move on. I will not sit for hours trying to get that rare DX Expedition, No contesting, I turn the rig off during a contest, or go to 17M hi hi. this gives you some sort of an idea of how I operate. these awards are all through LOTW, except the WAC, I had those checked. I have only been somewhat chasing or even interested in these awards since 2010. Thanks Tom at Zero-Five antenna, all QSO's were made with the 57 footer for 40M-80M and the 27 footer 30M-10M, check out the pics at my qrz page. You just cant go wrong with this antenna. Unless you are a serious contester, then a tower and a multi element beam is in order... Tom K8WDX 73 my friends!!! |
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| KB0LCO |
Rating: |
2012-12-06 | |
| Excellent |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| 51 countries last 23 days Nov 2012 on 100 watts, half of these were with no tuner. Including Russia, Japan, South Africa and Australia plus several DX expeditions. Great reports. Antenna is built like a tank, excellent workmanship - fine materials. Tom is a great guy to work with and order from. Assembly less than 20 minutes with screwdriver. Mine is mounted at 14 feet with no guides. Mounted in very open area, no water around all flat ground. Stands up to high winds good. Use to have a beam and this antenna does not disappoint me from that point. Very quiet and in Missouri I've heard Iran, Persia, and India. Very excellent value and highly recommended. Been operator for 25 years. Model "10 - 40 meters" but i've also worked some 80 on it. I would buy it over and over again and in my case don't regret losing my beam. Much more cost effective and no climbing or ice worries. |
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