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Reviews For: Cushcraft MA6V

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Cushcraft MA6V
Reviews: 12MSRP: 300
Description:
6 band vertical
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cushcraftamateur.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00124.1
M0NYW Rating: 2023-03-12
Not going to mentioned performance, just build quality Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been considering this antenna for awhile but the price in the UK was very steep with some distributors. Then one came up with a "special offer" so jumped at it.

I'm not going to talk about performance as it hasn't gone up yet but wanted to mention the build quality.

Typical MFJ, dissapointed that the coils on each band where just covered in liquid tape as some parts of a few coils weren't even covered. Why they didn't use some heat shrink tubing in the first place. In the end I bought some heat shrink to cover the coils also the fibreglass tubing that will be exposed to UV and degrade very quickly.

The old Cushcraft used a coax RF choke wound on tube where MFJ has decided to wrap coax around FT240-61 might be a better idea but to just cable tie and leave the FT240-61 exposed to the elements I don't think is a good idea why they couldn't they place this in a box is beyond me! Like the matching box on R series antenna etc

If these things where done in the first place it wouldn't have cost much more and I would of been happy to pay. But after having the antenna for a week Im now ordering extra parts to make it last.

Also wish they bring back the R5 it was more neighbour friendly than this.
K0DXV Rating: 2014-12-06
Great Performance for Size Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought the MA6V as a back up antenna system. My dipoles are prone to breaking in the wind, ice and snow storms. I first mounted the MA6V at about 5 feet above the ground. 20 and 6 worked and nothing else. On 20 performance was marginal. I contacted MFJ/Cuscraft and they sent out a new set of coils for the other bands. After installing them all 6 bands worked fine. I moved it to the top of a 10' mast and performance improved quite a bit. Where reports were S2-S3 they were now S5-S6. I then moved it to a short tower on top of my garage where the bottom of the antenna was at about 25'. Signal reports were now S7-S9 on average. In many cases, signals were equal to the dipoles.

The MA-6V is a fine performing, compact vertical that requires no radials and is simple to install and get working. It's smaller size makes it less conspicuous.

My final impression after more than a year of use is that I'm surprised at how well it works considering all it can do and its small size and light weight.

A big thumbs up for anyone wanting 6 bands in a compact package that requires minimum space and a less intrusive visibility. Strongly recommend that it be mounted as high as possible and at least 10' above the ground. Mounting at ground level will result in disappointing performance.
WZ3O Rating: 2013-12-09
Update.. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Didn't hold up very well in the wind, even though I guyed it........ went to antenna heaven a while back....

Good news was it was insured, for replacement cost...

Since have "planted" a Cushcraft R-4 (pre MFJ) in my front yard and am quite impressed comparatively with the structural integrity, had one heckava wind storm the other week and it just laughed at it....Only 4 band but compares favorably with my wire up 30+ feet...

So I felt it only fair to give an update....so 3 it is!!!

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Earlier 5-star review posted by WZ3O on 2009-11-23

Bought @ AESHAM in Cleveland, assembled relativity easily (good instructions), stuck a pipe in the ground, "planted" antenna (Cushcraft recommends 15' or so, that came this past weekend) SWR on all bands respectable with recommended settings per MFJ259b analyzer (will fine tune later, probbaly Mid Winter in a blizzard, HiHi, like a true Ham) and played radio, contact with Saudi Arabia & India showed it works very well.........
"Stuck" antenna up 10 - 12' and WOW, size (height) does matter...played this weekend and got Hawaii on 15 & 20 like I was there, all bands doing well and it will tune 40 with very little loss in performance over my "wire" ... so all in all, a VERY good "little" antenna...at just under 15' and very light weight handled easily by one person ... It's a keeper!!!! ...................... No doubt other verticals cover more bands with equal or maybe better performance...BUT they are much large, heavier and cumbersome... SOOOOOO.....
VE5DP Rating: 2010-06-29
Has some problems Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought the MA6VA in August of 2008. It is mounted at the top of a 40 foot tower.
Each spring, and following every heavy storm, the SWR goes sky-high.
The first few times I would climb the tower, loosen the bolts that connect the coax to the antenna and re-tighten it.
That seemed to resolve the problem until the next storm
This week I had to take the antenna down, remove the connections and polish the aluminum and the lug on the coax with emery cloth.
After cleaning these connections the SWR was back to normal - at least until the next storm.

I have tried to contact Cushcraft at MFJ but they have chosen to ignore my request for assistance.
It is no simple task for a 70+ ham to climb a 40 foot tower several times trying to keep the coax connected to the antenna.

When it works, it is a pretty good antenna but having to re-connect it a couple of times a year is not an indicator of a solid design.
K5ND Rating: 2010-03-12
Great low profile antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I use a Butternut HF2V for 80, 40, and 30. Looking for higher band coverage, I spotted the Cushcraft MA6V. It went together well. I replaced the coax balun cable with LMR-400 coax for lower loss. Mounted on top of two 10 foot sections of television mast from Radio Shack, I attached the mast to an 8 foot stockade fence in my backyard. It has held up well in the Texas winds. After the cable run to the house, I connected a 1:1 un-un for isolation. No adjustment was required to the antenna, low SWR on all bands. I like the offset fed dipole concept and no radials. Running just 5 watts from my Elecraft K3, it works very, very well. In just the last couple of months since installation, I've worked quite a few new countries. Sunspots helped, but I really like this antenna. I recommend it to someone who needs a low profile antenna.
G7WBB Rating: 2009-10-10
Excellent Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Just thought I would update my previous report on this vertical..I can only give it top marks yet again as the performance just seems to get better!! I am getting really good reports on my signal strengths and quality plus suprise from other operators that this ant is a vertical, mounted at 30 feet AGL I have had no problems to date the only thing I have changed is the crimped 259 on the coax connection to a soldered version plus insulated ALL joints with self amalgamating tape,I get no RFI problems at all, I dont operate 6 meters so I have not bothered fitting this particular element to the aerial.The ant is powered via my trusty Kenwood TS 940s thru the Kenwood AT230 tuner on 100 watts. It works for me..well done Cushcraft!!

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Earlier 5-star review posted by G7WBB on 2009-05-19

Well on purchasing this antenna I wasn't sure just how good (or bad) it would be!! Ok on arrival the instructions are very good but I would doubt the strength of the enclosed fibreglass section although saying that mine has stood well to some recent strong winds.After installing the antenna at around 15 mtrs high I started giving it a few tests..mmm needs to come down again and set with my ant analyser (should have done that to start with) anyhow up it goes again tuned to my specs and gave it a shot. WOW!!!! yes I live in a good location but I am well impressed so far with contacts spread far and wide with Japan coming in (when conditions allow) at 5/7+ and my returns around the same and I only use the trancievers 100 watts!!
Overall If you have limited space this antenna is well worth a try...
VE4AMN Rating: 2008-04-19
Decent not overwhelming Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have owned this unit for six months, as a replacement for a broken R-5 that I have since repaired. The specifications indiciate that it is down about 1-2 Db from the R-8, and assuming the R-5 is similar in expected performance I would agree. In A/B comparisions with the R-5 (mounted about 8 ft lower and 20 ft away), signals are a little lower on the MA6V. This is not scientific and may reflect subtleties in location, but this would be expected from its shorter length. I also have had to adjust it for tuning, whereas the R-5 is rock steady.

The advantage over the R-5 (and the R-8 especially) is that the MA6V is lighter and shorter. It could be a portable unit, where the "R's) are a little cumbersome. The other plus is 6 meters.

If you need a lightweight antenna that is easy to build and mount this will work. It is a vertical with all those limits, but a decent unit.
VE3OIJ Rating: 2007-10-15
Works OK, but fragile? Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought this antenna last year as a cost-effective first HF antenna for my limited-space lot. Assembly was simple enough. Worked on all advertised bands, and was particularly good on 17m, 15m and 6m. Never got it tuned especially well on 20m although it was 2:1 +/- across the band. 10m was so-so as well.

Nevertheless, it did work and I have made about 1000 contacts on it over the last 14 months, mostly PSK. I've hand contacts on every band the antenna is good for. It survived a windy, snowy winter here in Canada.

However, for reasons unknown, it lost 20m and 10m recently. Nothing is obviously broken on inspection. Given that I don't own an amplifier, I'd be very surprised if anything is fried due to abuse from me. My radio is 100W and I work mostly digital modes at much lower power than that. This was very disappointing.

Overall, I guess the antenna's performance has been good, but it's longevity leaves a bit to be desired. I give it a 3 overall.
KC5BYE Rating: 2007-09-01
Cushcraft MA6V Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned the MA6V for 2 years now and have been satisfied with it's performance. The antenna design covers 20-6 meters. I mostly do digital modes and have the antenna tuned for those areas of the bands. It works well on 6 meters so it is worth the extra charge to get the attachment that is not on the MA5V for the added band.
My main reason for getting this antenna was size. It is only 15 feet long so it keeps a low profile. Raising and lowering it is a breeze. Set up was smooth and took no time at all. The manual spelled out everything. The parts were correct and fit where they were supposed to.
I have tried it out on all bands(20-6) and performance is good. I have been able to tune it up on 80meters with some 500-1000 mile contacts but the tuner is working hard at that. After 2 years of south Louisiana weather with lots of rain and high wind thunderstorms the antenna is still in excellent shape. You get your value for the price paid.
For quick set up, strike and limited space this is a very good antenna.
G1MQQ Rating: 2007-05-25
design fault ? Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Mine came down in a gale. Fibreglass tube snapped just below choke coil. I think because tube is drilled eaxactly at the point where it flexes most just above the mast clamp.
Still impressed enough to buy another but have seriously reinforced the galssfibre tube by inserting another one inside it with 4mm thick walls!