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Reviews For: OPEK HVT-400

Category: Antennas: HF Mobile & Accessories

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Review Summary For : OPEK HVT-400
Reviews: 60MSRP: 60.00
Description:
HF/VHF 8-band mobile antenna. 120 watt maxiumum power handling. Freq: 80/40/20/15/10/6/2 meter & "air band". Use jumper lead to change freq./band. PL-259 mount. Retractable telescopic whip for best TX/RX.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.opektech.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
24.5603.7
WD9HRP Rating: 2023-03-09
A damn good antenna! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought this antenna at a Fort Wayne hamfest maybe ten years ago.

Six months ago or so, after starting a new job requiring crazy travel, I put a rig in my work car.

On 20 meters, this was the BEST HF mobile antenna I'd used since 1977 when I got my novice license (remember those?). Yes, I did run mobile HF as a novice-in a motor home with my father (SK) driving!

I have had many QSOs from all over the US east of the big river.

The only issue I've had was on 40 meters where I had an unsuccessful POTA activation and when I retuned the antenna to 20 meters, I found the coil to have become quite warm-BUT, I'm not being critical as it worked SO well on 20 meters.

In the past, I'd used Hustler resonators on short and tall masts with predictable results.

I did NOT have much luck with the ham sticks I'd bought.
KB0TTL Rating: 2023-01-12
A quick and easy POTA antenna! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
A versatile antenna you can throw on top of your vehicle to make some contacts on the go! Although it is a little less efficient than a HamStick, the convenience more than makes up for it because you don't have to carry a separate antenna with you for each band. To use this antenna effectively, you will first have to set the "wander lead" to the correct connection point and then you will have to adjust the top part of the areal for a resonant match to the band or frequency you are going to use. A good SWR meter is convenient for a proper setup, however, the onboard SWR reading on most of the portable Yaesu HF rigs is actually more than adequate for a quick and dirty setup. Simply set your transmitter to a low power level, properly match up your antenna, and then crank up the power. You can also use a permanent marker to mark off the top portion of the areal for specific bands to save time matching your antenna in the future. I marked mine for a good match on 20m, 40m, etc. I use my HVT-400 mainly for POTA activaitons and have no complaints. I have made reliable contacts from coast to coast as well as several DX contacts with this antenna. With a little know-how, these are convenient and effective mobile antennas.
W6KKO Rating: 2017-12-30
Reasonable Performer Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The mount is on the back rack bar of my SUV. I ran two wires from a ring connector at the SO-239 base to screws in the rack system that hold it to the roof on either side. I checked the continuity with a meter to various points on the vehicle. This provides me with a working ground and keeps the antenna at the top of the vehicle. (I do not drive with the antenna in the vertical position)

It is an easy step to adjust the jumper wire for a band. A listen for the NCDXF/IARU beacons lets me know which bands are friendly.

I have used this setup with a 480SAT and a Yaesu 817 and 897. One phone contact that I remember was using the 817. It was a Colorado station who advised my signal was weak and I told him it was the best I can do. After the QSO I realized the cord was unplugged from the power port. I was only putting out 2.5 watts using the internal battery.

For me, this is a quick solution mobile system. It allows me to easily enjoy the hobby by twisting a thumb screw on the mount and raising the antenna. I typically run 5 to 20 watts. A tuner cleans things up, but it is rather unfriendly at 80 meters. No surprise there.

* I have not tried it on 2m or 70cm. I haven't even thought of sweeping it with a meter on those bands. It may work fine there as well.
VK2TCL Rating: 2016-04-28
2 of these = great little dipole! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I use 2 HVT-400B's as a portable dipole when out in the great outdoors. I have a 4.5M telescopic aluminum mast with a 1m fibreglass extension. A balun and a bracket with 2 x SO-239 sockets makes for a quick setup. Works surprisingly well!
EI6DP Rating: 2016-04-23
Brilliant and very effective antenna. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had my OPEK HVT-400 for quite a while now which I use as a portable antenna in a Back-Pack configuration with my FT817 and MFJ-901B. For an extra punch at times I use my MiNiPA50 45W HF Power Amplifier.

I have to say that is is a great antenna for Back-Pack portable work and very effective. While the tuning of the antenna can be critical at times I find using my MFJ-901B very good and easy to tune up the OPEK HVT-400. On the lover frequencies 3.5 & 7mhz it is good but really comes into its own on 14mhz and up.

At the moment I am listening to 14mhz and the 817 etc are on the kitchen-table with the OPEK HVT-400 antenna at an angle and I have consistent signals in the region of 5-7/8, + at times.

I have never used it as a mobile antenna but from its manufacture I don't think it would stand up to much over time. For mobile work I use either my Terlin Outbacker or my Barrett 2050 outfit. The OPEK HVT-400 doesn't seem to be as robust at the Terlin Outbacker and don't think I will ever try it mobile. Other than that it is a great antenna for portable opps.

Great buy - well worth the money.
73's
Ger EI6DP

R2ABT Rating: 2016-02-01
Pretty good for my car Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I use this antenna for more than 2 years now in my car only in along with 5W TRX. Well, a half-wave dipole, a delta-loop and even a magnetic loop antennas work better on my point of view. But all of them cannot be used mobile, while you drive. Still this antenna is pretty good. I work mostly on 20, 10, 2 m and 70 cm bands. Probably there is a better antenna for my car, but I couldn't find one.

73! Peter R2ABT

PS: this is an example how this antenna works: https://youtu.be/Nan2a4q_GNo The day before this video I managed to work Emirates on 20-meter-band through pile-up SSB. The distance was around 4000 km.
KG8JK Rating: 2015-07-01
Terrible - Save your money Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I was looking for a multiband mobile antenna. I really wanted a screwdriver but couldn't afford it so I spent $60 on this. I should have saved my money and just used a hamstick. I was never able to get it to tune on all the bands and the whole thing was poorly manufactured. Avoid this one.
K5LRS Rating: 2015-03-10
Good antenna if installed and grounded properly Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been running this antenna for about two years now. It's not the greatest mobile antenna in the world, but it works pretty good. If I can hear it, I can work it with this antenna and my FT-857. Making sure you have a good ground is the main thing. If it isn't grounded properly, you will have trouble tuning it as well as getting out with it. Good antenna if you want to spend time getting the installation right.
W6LMJ Rating: 2015-02-16
Easy peasy - install and use! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought this antenna at the Orlando Hamcation for $65. About $11 per band makes this a great buy. I bought it to be a grab and go travel antenna. Tip retraces into the body for a small air-transportable only about 36 inches, with the entire antenna about 72 inches long. It can break down into three pieces. But the retractable tip is 36 inches long. I set the overall length to 165.5 cm and used the antenna on the trip home. The mount was a K-550 for hack-mount. Sadly, it did not like being rack mounted. At home I moved it to the BMW 335d and it played much nicer. Be sure to use the correct tuning chart. The HVT-400B is different from the original HVT-400.
VK2JCC Rating: 2014-08-29
Best HF Antenna for mobile USE! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Purchased the antenna at the Gosford Field day about 3 years ago. After checking the swr and recording the measurements on a piece of paper, I used an automatic center punch to make two marks on the adjustable section of Stainless Steel. When I want to operate I slide out the section to one of the marks and lock up the screw. BTW I replaced the set screw with a hex head screw which avoids having to always having an "Allen key" with you.
Payed $75 for the antenna. Good value. If it were lost would I buy another the answer is yes.