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Reviews For: Cushcraft R-8

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Cushcraft R-8
Reviews: 105MSRP: 450 to $480
Description:
40-6m omnidirectional vertical antenna
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cushcraftamateur.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001054
VA3AAD Rating: 2004-12-15
Excellent performer Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had my R8 for over two years now and am quite satisfied, although I wish that I had space for a Yagi. I have it on a flat roof, in a mid-city location, with its lower end about 8 feet off the roof, about 35 feet from the ground.

Assembly instructions were excellent, but it does need guy ropes (Kevlar covered in Dacron is best), because otherwise it would sway too much in a high wind.

Like all verticals, it picks up a lot of local noise, so you need good noise reduction on your transceiver (the Pro III would be ideal). I also often use an MFJ-1026 on 20m with some success, but you have to be careful not to damage the MFJ when transmitting.

The 2.0 SWR range on 40m is only 7.085 to 7.193 MHz, the 3.0 SWR range is 7.034 to 7.227. The 6m 2.0 SWR range is 500 KHz, with mid point adjustable.

Have no trouble hearing Europe, the Caribbean and sometimes Australia, although under current propagation conditions, Australia is rare.

The R8 can handle 1 KW within the 3.0 SWR range but Cushcraft warns you not to try to use a tuner to exceed the 3.0 SWR bandwidth on high power (max 1.5Kw). With 1KW I can get through easily to anyone that I can hear.

I am, however, worried about lightning exposure, although it's well-grounded with a two-inch copper ribbon leading from the roof to four well-spaced ground rods. The antenna is automatically grounded to DC, but of course not to RF. The RG-213 coax passes through a grounded gas discharge tube before it enters the house and I try to remember to disconnect the radio from the antenna when it's not in use. So far, no problems, but I may have been lucky.

John
VA3AAD
WV2NY Rating: 2004-05-15
It Works for Me Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had this antenna on my roof now for close to 3 1/2 years. I have it guyed and it sits atop a 5 foot stand that's about 15 feet off the ground. I live in Buffalo NY, stick a pin in a map, take some string and stretch it out out to the Eastern boarder of Turkey, now attach an ink pen at this point and draw a circle around your map, this has been the limit of my 5/9 reports. It reaches further than this, that's just as far as I've ever received a 5/9 from in any direction. I'm running an Icom 761 using 100 watts. Have never had a problem with it to date.

73 WV2NY JOE
M1WML Rating: 2003-11-13
a very good antenna but:- Time Owned: more than 12 months.
this is a top quality antenna but it does have a down side..it is a big antenna (28.5 feet to be precise} so it dont like wind...mine is a little bent after a 60mph wind. but well and truly it,s a great antenna for h.f work...4/5 cushcraft...
VK2DPD Rating: 2003-09-08
Pretty Good Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Have had my R-8 for a little over a year now and generally very happy. As mentioned many times before you really need to guy this antenna as it is somewhat top-heavy.

I've previously had a R7000 and a Butternut HF6V, and would have to say the R-8 is the better antenna.

The big plus for me with this Cushcraft range is the fact they don't need extensive counterpoise/groundplanes. Construction is straight forward and documemtation is very good, but the ability to tune to a certain section of the band on 20M would be nice (resonant at about 14.200 on mine, and I mainly use CW).

Only other downside is the high price, but thats what you get living in Australia, and I believe price in US is a lot more favourable.

David, VK2DPD
W6FV Rating: 2003-04-15
Excellent all band 40 through 10 meters & WARC performer Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had a hunch that the Cushcraft R8 would be an excellent all band vertical antenna. My hunch
proved to be true. Here is an excellent performing all band vertical antenna, 40M through 10M
bands, including WARC, radials not required.

During the recent 2003 CQ international DX contest, I consistently received astounding signal reports
on all bands. 10, 12,15,17,20 meters, no problem at all. All stations responded on first call. If I
could hear them, I could work them on 200 watts PEP SSB. All corners of the world were
worked during the contest with this antenna,
not bad, first time out!

Recently, the R8 endured extended driving rain, and there was not the slightest de-tuning on any
band, at any time.

It takes some patience to assemble, but what top notch performing antenna. It is well worth the
effort. I prefer this versatile all band directional antenna in many ways to my rotatable beam, and
it certainly works well in concert.

SWR proved FLAT across all of the phone band once all radiating elements were resonated at the
center of each band of interest. 40M is not quite so broad band, nor is it advertised as such.
Expect to fiddle a bit with element lengths to center your preferred operating frequency
segments.

On 10 and 6 Meters, I was a bit mystified by a 2;1 and 3:1 SWR, subsequently, best case. The
problem was easily cured by trimming some feed coax, but what was going on here?

Bear in mind some basic theory, and practice, thereof. 50 ohm coax matches a 50 ohm load.
Have a mismatch at the load (antenna), and 50 ohm coax can become as much as a 4:1
impedance transformer, depending on length. A relatively small mismatch at 6 meters can really
transform to a severe problem with relatively small differences of coax length. Don't blame the
antenna, this fault is operator induced.

The cure in my case was to experimentally cut off feed coax length a foot at a time. SWR
continued to drop with each cut, and 1.2:1 SWR was realized at center of both 6M and 10M
intended operating segments.

This antenna is an absolute solid performer on both bands. I have fed the antenna with both 50 ft.
and 100 ft. lengths of coax. Both lengths which work well on all bands, except 10 and 6 meters. I
made the that slight coax length adjustment on both, and, Bingo, flat on 6 & 10, and the rest of
the bands.

40 meters is not so broad band, and one must be especially careful to adjust to the center of the
intended operating segment. Center frequency SWR is 1.2:1. Performance is great on 40M.

Bear in mind that a base, or near base fed antenna, radiates predominantly at the base of the
antenna. My antenna base is only ten feet from the ground, and somewhat blocked by obstacles,
houses, fences, and such. Interesting might the day be when its base is elevated to 30 feet, well in
the clear.

When comparing a dipole, or inverted "V" at a particular height against a vertical, bear in mind
that these wire antennas radiate predominantly at their center fed section, usually the highest
portion of the antenna & exact opposite of base fed verticals.

I have read many comments regarding the top heaviness of the antenna, and the comments are
justified, but the antenna is mechanically sound, and I like it that way.

None the less, I have had no problem hoisting and lowering the antenna solo, and did this ten
times, or so, to get the radiating elements tuned where desired. I also marked, with "Magic
Marker", each adjustable joint of the antenna for future reference. The R8 is nylon rope guyed at
my installation 2/3 of the way up, certainly a nice option. The R8 does just fine, free standing,
however.

As a final precaution, carefully read the drawings and instruction. One slight mis-adjustment, or
mis-measurement of any of the published telescoping sections, and you will definitely not be
happy with performance. Be thorough, and proof your assembly. Put this thing together right, and
it works right.

Structured quantitative evaluations of popular contemporary commercial verticals are available
via publication through Champion Radio Products at reasonable cost. The publication of interest
is "HF Vertical Performance Test Methods and Results" The R8 is one of many verticals tested,
& the R8 compares right up there with the best of them. Best of all, no radials are required.

About the only recommendations I would make to Cushcraft, would be to make reference
markings along the telescoping sections It might also be helpful to have each part of the antenna
marked with its section identifier. This antenna would have gone together in half the time if
markings and identifiers were there.

Take care, and enjoy. I'm having a ball!

Robert
W6FV
KA5G Rating: 2003-03-13
A little pricey, but an OK vertical antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had my R-8 now for over 2 years now and I'm a little dissappointed in the performance compared to the R-7 I had before. With the R-7 if I heard them I could work them. Not the case with this R-8. Must be a +8 or better. I agree with other posters it will lean after any strong winds. I should guy it but it only lists about 10 degrees so I've left it alone.

Took me a full 4 hours to assemble it but all values were nominal using my MFJ-259. SWR was well within 1.2 or better. Instructions were very clear and didn't have any missing parts.

The antenna is in the same location as the original R-7 and using the same coax. Straight out of the box it didn't perform like the old R-7. I lost the R-7 in an 80 MPH wind storm. If it hadn't been for the base breaking loose that I had clamped it to the antenna would have been fine. When it hit the ground it busted up the 40 and 20 traps pretty bad.

Since I had such good luck witht the R-7 I decided to upgrade. The R-8 is OK it just isn't like my old R-7. Can you tell I miss it?? Hi!
LA5MDA Rating: 2003-01-25
Good dx perfomer - easy to assemble Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
With my present QTH a vertical on the roof is my only outdoor antenna option. I wanted a multiband antenna which covered as many bands as possible. After some investigations I put my money in the Curshcraft R8. I have now used the antenna since august 2002. I have in earlier years in other QTHs used dipoles, random wires and a 3 element beam.

The R8 consist of one main radiator with two traps (covering 7, 10, 14 and 18 MHz) with four parallell radiators (covering 21, 24, 28 and 50 MHz respectively). Additional impedance matching is done with two capacitice crosses in the top section and a match box at the feed point. The counterpoise consists of 7 rods.

An important argument for this choise was the grounding system (counterpoise), the antenna don't need a extensive radial system buried in the garden or spreaded out on the roof.

My experiences are very good, actually better than I hoped. I spent some evenings (totally 4-5 hours) assembling the antenna. The manual was flawless, a lot of illustrations and no ambiguities. The hardware is solid and overall well designed mechanically. I was a little bit worried that the construction was too top heavy (the two traps in the top section), but the antenna easily survived the winds we had late fall and winter.

I mounted the antenna on a wooden roof on a 5 cm diameter steel tube, about 15 meters over the ground (1,5 meter over the roof) with no guys. I definitively needed help from a friend in this step! I was very accurate when I assembled the thing and that payed off. I had a good match - well within the spesifications - on all bands (except for the 18 MHz band where the antenna gives me 1,6:1 flat over the band) and I did not have to take it down for adjustments.

I have worked a lot of DX with it on all bands except 6 meters (which I don't work) and the conclusion is: This antenna radiates much better DX'er than a dipole.

A negative side I have to mention is that a vertical often pics up more manmade noise than a horisontal antenna. That might be an important aspect if you live in noisy environment. This fenomenon is most dominant on 7 MHz.

Pros:
Easy to assemble
Easy to locate (no ground radials)
Low profile appearance (neighbour friendly)
Good DX performance compered to a dipole
Mechanically very solid and professional construction
Plug and play I: No adjustment iterations needed (in my case at least)
Plug and play II: Resonant on 8 bands - no tuning needed (but you have to
choose CW or SSB on 7 and 50 MHz)

Cons:
Expensive
Pics up more noise compared to a horisontal antenna
To raise the antenna is no solo project - help is needed
I miss the 80 meter...

Good luck and 73 de LA5MDA, Henrik
Oslo
WA3KTZ Rating: 2002-12-07
Impressive DX Performer Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased this antenna two years ago, and it took a full 2 evenings to assemble in my garage. Instructions were fairly easy to follow, but you really need 2 people to raise this antenna given its top-end mass. The two U-Bolts provided to mount the antenna to the mast are junk - go to a good hardware store and replace them (and don't use the self-locking nuts provided-use traditional lock waskers and nuts, with a dab of glue). Hint - temporarily lean the antenna while on the ground and verify your SWR measurements on each band before you mount it - if you need to adjust, it is a pain to do it after you're up - esp.on a tower. Also, make sure your clamps are TIGHT - double check each one.

The antenna has experienced numerous 30 MPH+ wind storms here in suburban Phila PA (including 60 MPH wind gusts) WITHOUT ANY DEFORMATION or other problems. I've bent the brackets that hold the antenna to my storage shed, but not the antenna itself. After 2 years, I am quite impressed with its mechanical performance.

The antenna is mounted withour auxilliary ground radials (I installed it as it comes out of the box) at about 10 ft. above land surface (land surface is 190 ft. above MSL). Using only 100 watts, I have worked 1100 ssb QSLs over the last 21 months. I've worked every corner of the world (all over Africa, europe/former USSR, australia/new zealand/so pole, numerous Pacific Islands, several contacts in India/all the 'Stans, throughout Asia - China, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, etc., all of Central/So America/Carribean) with good reports. I almost always log a stronger send signal than I receive. If eQSL reports a rare DX, nearly 90% of the time I can copy the DX and work it (assuming the band is open im my part of the world). Performance on pile ups is great considering my 100 watts - I usually prevail!

For $370, I could not ask more of a DX antenna, and the ease of switching among 8 bands is tremendous (I don't usually need the tuner from 20-10 meters). 40 meters requires tuning, and I've been able to tune the antenna on 80 meters for a few QSOs there (even though the antenna is not spec'ed for 80), but I don't use 40 or 80 that much. Haven't used 6 meters, so I can't comment.

If you need a small footprint antenna with multiband capability, ease of operation, and great DX performance, this is your antenna.

NK5A Rating: 2002-11-04
Good Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I am using an R8 and it performs well on all the bands it is designed for except I have not used it on 6 meters. I didn't buy it for that band so I don't really care. hi hi
Others say that the performance on 6 meters is poor but again, I can't say.

I have it mounted on a 2 inch O.D. pipe about 6 feet off the ground. I do suggest that raising the R8 is a two person job, so get some help.

It took me about a day to put it together. There
are alot of parts. The instruction manual was clear and concise. I found no missing or defective
parts.

The R8 is top heavy compared to other verticals.
I added three parachute cord guys to mine and they keep it nice and straight. I attached the guys to the mast portion, just under the bottom resonator
(as the instruction sheet says) using a guy ring from an old telescoping mast held in place with a stainless steel hose clamp. Or Cushcraft will sell
you a ready made guy clamp made for the R8 for about 4 times what it is really worth. hi hi

I like the R8 for what it is. It is not a tri-band
beam at 80 feet so I don't expect that kind of performance.
KC6VAO Rating: 2002-11-04
worked 81countries in 48 hours Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I worked 81 countries and 234 contacts to include many islands during the WWCQ contest weekend. I was using an Icom 706 MKIIG radio with 100 watts and the R8 antenna. It was great even with the big guns I got 59 across the board. This was on 10, 15, and 20 meters. What an antenna.



Thank you

Victor McDonald

KC6VAO