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Reviews For: Buxcomm Windom 80-6 meters

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Buxcomm Windom 80-6 meters
Reviews: 26MSRP: 60-70
Description:
This WINDOM is completely assembled, ready to connect your coax, and erect. BUX Model 806136 is SSB power rated at 1000 watts and includes three (3) insulators, PVC covered, Power-Flex, tinned, copper wire, connectors, and BALUN.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.packetradio.com/baseantennas.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00264.2
N4PSE Rating: 2006-08-24
Bargain & it works! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bot the 6:1 balun version and it works great on all of 80,40,20,17,12,10 & 6 with no tuner. Autotuner handles 30 annd 15, but marginal performance- as expected. It is every bit as good as CF Zepp- and no tuner or RFI problems. Would it handle 1.5 KW? I don't know, but handles 500W just fine. Very well made and inexpensive. Doubt you could make it for much less, especially if your time is worth more than ten bux an hour! Hard to justify the $300 model from other vendors.
K2IPH Rating: 2006-07-26
Great antenna 160-6 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Donated my tower and beam. Got his 160-6 windom. I live on half an acre, friend shot into tree with bow and arrow. Not all horizontal, ends are almost vertical. Most of it is about 35 feet above ground.No tuner. Worked 9K2CQ on 40 w/ FT857D, 5X9 sig. Yeah, he's a big gun, but it's pretty cool to work someone 6000 miles away with a wire antenna. This is a very well built antenna and is excellent in every way.
FORMER_WF4W_TW Rating: 2006-05-15
Works very well Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I finally got around to testing this antenna (model 806137 with 6:1 balun). I got it for Field Day this year. Bottom Line is the antenna performed very well. Antenna was temporarily hung at about 30 feet with the ends sloping down to about 6-8 feet. SWR on 80, 40, 20, 17, 12 and 10 meters was below 2:1. 15 meters was 2.6:1 and 30 meters was 3.7:1. I made 20 contacts over the weekend without really trying. Europe, Carribean and eastern US on a not-so-great weekend propogation wise.

I've ordered another one of these antennas for a more permanent installation.
Below are the results from my weekend testing:

3.500 1.1:1 7.000 1.3:1 28.000 1.4:1
3.550 1.4:1 7.050 1.3:1 28.050 1.4:1
3.600 1.6:1 7.100 1.2:1 28.100 1.3:1
3.700 1.8:1 7.200 1.1:1 28.200 1.3:1
3.800 1.9:1 7.300 1.3:1 28.300 1.3:1
3.900 1.9:1 28.400 1.3:1
28.500 1.3:1
14.000 1.5:1 21.000 2.6:1 28.600 1.3:1
14.050 1.5:1 21.050 2.6:1
14.100 1.4:1 21.100 2.6:1
14.200 1.4:1 21.200 2.6:1
14.300 1.3:1 21.300 2.6:1
21.400 2.6:1

WARC BANDS
12 M 1.5:1 entire band
17M 1.6:1 entire band
30M 3.7:1 entire band


CONTACTS MADE
9A3B 20 CW 599 Croatia
N4AF 40 CW 599 NC
VA2WDQ 40 CW 599 Quebec
VA1MM 40 CW 599 Nova Scotia
OL3Z 40 CW 599 Czech
K8PO 40 CW 599 IL
DL5WW 40 CW 599 Germany
EA8MQ 40 CW 599 Canary Isl
EO61JK 40 CW 599 Ukraine
KG4TUY 80 CW 599 TN said I was 20 over
WQ9H 80 CW 559 IN QRN bad here
HI3TEJ 17 SSB 59 Dominican Republic
VE1FO/1 20 SSB 59 Nova Scotia
OP2A 20 SSB 59 Belgium
KP2/AC8G 20 SSB 59 US Virgin Islands
W4YE 40 CW 599 VA
K4EU 40 CW 599 VA
K8JQ 40 CW 599 WV
N3LL 40 SSB 59 PA said I was 30 over
LZ130B 20 CW 599 Bulgaria

Needless to say I was very impressed. I can't wait to give it a go at Field day! Buck and his staff are great to deal with and sell really great products!
N9PYS Rating: 2006-05-10
very broad banded Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently bought the buxcomm windom with the 6:1 balun from Mike's in Lauderdale. I have put several different wire configurations over the years. I was there just to buy a balun for future projects, and mike ask me if i ever had a windom. so i bought the thing and put it up at 28ft to the apex, and the long end is at 18ft, the short end at 15ft. I got to tell you this thing really plays. I could tell right away that the signal were at least 2 s-units higher than anything i ever had up. Swr's were 1.2 anywhere i went. that is anywhere from 80m - 10m. hard to believe that a single wire would do that. My reports on the bands with guys i usually yak with said at least 2 units higher than my hygain av 640, or my mono band dipoles. beats me, but this one is a keeper for sure.
KC2CT Rating: 2006-04-12
Works just about as advertised Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I built my own "Bux Windom" (actually an offset center-fed dipole) centered around their 4:1 balun, 135 feet of 14 AWG wire, nylon insulators and dacron rope. I live in a somewhat restricted area for antennas so the antenna is up only about 25 feet. All bands with the exception of 30m and 15m show an SWR of under 2:1. Even 6m is usable at 1.9:1. This is all without the use of the internal or an external antenna tuner.

I am quite pleased with the performance of the antenna. It appears to outperform several other antennas that I have tried here, especially on 40m.

As for 30m and 15m, I am going to try cutting a wire using the ratio shown on the Buxcomm site and run it under the main wire and see whether I can bring those two bands in.

A friend of mine who has even less space to work with built a 1/2-size Bux Windom and raves about the performance on 40m-6m.

Bux seems to have got it right with their baluns, and the "Windom" design proves itself.

73
K4IA Rating: 2006-04-12
Most Bands - No Tuner! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I needed an antenna for 80 and 40 and was intrigued by the coax fed Windom's theoretical "no-tuner" performance on even harmonic bands.

This company is known for its Rascal interfaces but also has a lot of products of general interest. They carry several Windom antennas. I chose the 135 foot model with the 4:1 balun for a very reasonable $60.

I had 136 feet to string it at 40-50 feet but they advise it is possible to hang the ends down if you lack space. I fed it with 100 feet of coax to a Radioworks line isolator at the transmitter and was amazed. SWR across 80/40/20/17/12/10 is well below 1.5:1 at the best points and broad. Some places the SWR needle does not even move. 30 and 15 are above 3:1 but useable with my antenna tuner. I don't live or die by SWR but these results are what theory would predict so I am happy and confident there is no "hocus pocus" hidden anywhere. The antenna gets out very well. I often get much better reports than I am able to give indicating to me that my antenna is radiating better than theirs. In a real surprise, it even rivals my 3 element beam on 20!

The assembly is well done with heavy insulated wire. There is shrink wrap on the connections but you should add some coax seal to keep water out of the balun. I did have an issue with the balun as it would overheat on 80 and the SWR would climb when I applied 100 watts for more than about ten seconds. Higher power made it overheat very quickly. I sent an email to Buxcomm and they immediately sent me a new balun to try. That's good customer service.

The second balun is much better. Buxcomm says they test 1 in 10 baluns with 700 watts RMS to a 2.5:1 swr sustained for 15 minutes. I guess I got a bad one the first time. The second one does not overheat in normal use but 800 watts key down on 80 meters will send the SWR soaring after about 45 seconds. That's a rough stress test because unless you operate RTTY or AM, you would probably never be so cruel.

This is a good antenna. It is economical, performs well, tunes without traps, and covers most bands without a tuner.