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Reviews For: Hy-Gain TH-3JRS

Category: Antennas: HF: Yagi, Quad, Rotary dipole, LPDA

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Review Summary For : Hy-Gain TH-3JRS
Reviews: 29MSRP: $359.95
Description:
Three element triband beam for 10 -15 - 20 meters
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.hy-gain.com/products.php?prodid=TH-3JRS
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00293.1
KF0WU Rating: 2011-10-22
Good antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought mine in the late 80s and it's on it's third tower (3rd QTH). Can't say that I'm sold on F to B ratio...don't believe it's anywhere near what the manual said it would be (25db), but, has acceptable directivity for me. It's survived several 80+ mph windstorms, although I've had to perform some repairs over the years (nearly 25 now). Haven't had the detuning experiences after a rain. Have never used another tribander, so, don't have anything to compare it to. Works for me.
KJ4AMH Rating: 2011-08-11
Good antenna despite bad reviews Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I installed a pre MFJ TH3JRS about two years ago and am having very good results with it. I made certain the holes in the traps pointed STRAIGHT DOWN, this is very important! I still get an SWR change in the rain, but the antenna is still usable. I think the fact that the trap sleeve has water on it, not in it, changes the capacitance and thus changes the SWR slightly. I custom tuned the antenna to place the SWR null in the middle of the DX phone band. The only problem I had was the screws attaching the trap coils rusted causing a reversal of the pattern on 10m, the original screws are cadmium plated. I have reason to believe this particular antenna is well over 20 years old. I replaced with stainless steel and all is well. This is the only problem I have had. The antenna receives and transmits VERY well. I recently replaced the TH3JRS with a Force 12 C3S, a very highly rated antenna in it's own right. I tell you what: the Hygain is going back up! I'm going to lengthen the boom and element spacing to TH3 specs and put it back up.
ON1VHF Rating: 2011-08-01
Good, but don't expect too much Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought this antenna second hand for 150€ eight years ago. It has since been installed on a tiltable tower 14 meters above ground. I had great contact with it, but I must say that I have reached the end of my repair capacity. Everything falls apart, all nuts and bolts are completely rusted. Traps are hermetic as a chinese submarine. It was completely removed today, as the A4S is on the way. But for the price, I'm still happy I could use it for all these years. Just don't install this thing on a 80 feet tower if you don't want to climb twice a year for repair...
A22EW Rating: 2010-08-10
Great antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I am surprised to the negative reviews. I have used this antenna for around 12 years (2 seperate ones). They have worked flawlessly - both were used with 10 years + old when i received them seperately.
Moisture issue was not a problem as noted even through several rains. The trick is to ensure that the holes are dead bottom.
The newer th3jrs I cannot comment on but expect a similar performance.
N8DRC Rating: 2010-05-29
works great untill heavy rain Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought the antenna new at Dayton 2009, has performed very well..One year later I do get the effects of the heavy rain where the beam will not tune up at all for about 2 days..Plan on taking it down this summer and sealing the traps, other than that the antenna has worked great has survived the harsh winter weather..
K4LY Rating: 2009-12-12
Works FB for me! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought an older Hygain-Telex version of the TH-3JRS for $60 recently. It may or may not be exactly the same as the present MFJ/Hygain version. I don't know for sure, but the online manual I found indicates they are the same or very similar. After some elbow grease, including cleaning spider and hornet nests out of the coils, I reassempled it on my deck and found the SWR curves to be what they should be. I ordered a new 2" boom to mast clamp assembly to replace the 1 1/2" one that was on it, plus a few other minor, small parts from Hygain/MFJ. They arrived in about 2 weeks. I disassembled the 3 elements from the boom and then reassembled it while standing on top of my 65' Rohn 25 tower. That would be harder to do with a bigger and heavier tribander. It works well giving me about 6 db gain over a trap dipole at a similar height on a tower 70' away. It seems to have good F/B and is a quieter antenna than the trap dipole which is a driven element from a TH7. With 100 watts, I work every thing I hear. I used it for QRP in the CQWWs and almost worked QRP DXCC those two weekends with it. The SWR has gone up just a little in the rain without affecting it's performance. I made sure the holes in the traps were pointing down, and I put an additional hole in some of the outer insulator caplugs. It operates the way a tribander should, and I'm very satisfied. I've used KT34XAa, monobanders and other tribanders in the past. No problem with recent 50 MPH winds.
This is a great antenna for the price I paid and probably at least a very good antenna at retail.
MM0LBX Rating: 2009-11-01
Great DX Antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I'm very surprised that I see so much bad right ups about the Hy-Gain TH-3JRS.

I've owned one now for 7 Months and I do agree that heavy rain does affect mine.....but only a little.

It doesn't go to the extreme that I can't use her, SWR max in heavy rain is 2:1, before I put her up I took all of the Trap's apart and rubbed them all down to the nice and shiny brand new look and cleaned all of the connections, as I type now we have heavy winds and real heavy Rain, I'm on the North East Coast of Scotland which tell's you about the Wind I can get and she's waving her Wing's gracefully like a Swan.

Took all the Weather Elements that's been thrown at her and still breaks the pile-ups on 50 Watts and worked all corners of the World.

Doesn't too excellent at the bottom end of 15m SWR wise but the ATU sort's that out.

I've rated her as great.......because that's whet she is for me, great!

2M0MAV
ZL1CDP Rating: 2009-10-23
Good but has issues Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Gotta say that I just installed the TH-3JRS and it rained an hour afterwards... traps went out of tune!!! (and yes the holes were pointing down).

A quick email to MFJ and they tell me that they may look to SEAL THE TRAPS in future... (So you don't now??? why???)... Anyway, took it down (after a 10 day period of inoperability as it wouldn't work) to find the traps were going green ALREADY... repaired that and sealed the traps..

Put it back up and it works quite well now and SWR and traps stay tuned.

WARNING... Seal traps BEFORE erecting antenna and it will be fine.

Cheers
Chris, ZL1CDP
http://www.ft-2000.com
G3LIV Rating: 2009-07-22
Re Rain Problem Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Well I see my problem now that I have had a pair of binoculars inspecting the elements.
In at least 6 places the plastic waterproofing molding covers that are on the end of the traps have split totally.
And have blown down the elements. So the ends of the aluminium tubes covering the trap coils are totally open to the weather.
Now Its all got to come down. I think the likely hood of getting these replaced from MFJ is non existant. I might have stood a chance if it was still HY-Gain,
Holes are pointing down to LOL
Any recomendations on a replacement.
De johnny G3LIV

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Earlier 1-star review posted by G3LIV on 2009-07-21

Yes another wet period in England.
The IOTA contest and VK9IR on this week.
My TH-3JRS is just a piece of metal once again it bears no relationship to an HF beam
All bands are 5+:1 SWR . Wet traps I presume once again.
Not chance the TS-850AT will sort it out.

Old OCF dipole still flat across the bands.
Its time this TH3 came down.

I seem not to be the only one with his problem.
Johnny G3LIV.
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Earlier 2-star review posted by G3LIV on 2009-02-17

I had a TH-3JR up for about 10 years 1979 to 1989 there was little problem from it. But it was made and marketed by HI-Gain then. It got damaged in a storm and I decided to purchase a replacemet. When the box arrived from the UK dealer it had been dameged ar one end. Betweem Wales and myself it had been loosing small bit all the way. Dealers told me deal with HI-Gain direct,to much bother for him i suppose.
However I found now that my new TH-3Jr was made
by MFJ. It took weeks and weeks to get parts. The Hairpin Match was the wrong size " Just cut it down " I was told. In the previous HI-GAIN model it was supplied with all Stainless Steel fittings. The MJF replavement now had Hose Clips to clamp the elements. It was overall a poor copy of what was a decent antenna. I cleaned up all the old SS fittings and fittied those to the "New" TH-3jr. Like others it only has to look like rain for the SWR to go off scale. As mine is in a pole on the gable of the house its not easy to work on really. I have a RAIBEAM for 17 mrs above it. That never gives any trouble. I would replace the TH3 with a 20 mtr Raibeam but iut seems Chuck has problems so no antennas being produced now. PITTY.
So the NEW TH3JR is still up there its sood on for Circa 9 years but its not reliable in winter or rain.
The original was.
de Johnny G3LIV
www.g3liv.co.uk
W0YN Rating: 2009-07-21
A cheaply made antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Yes, the weep holes face down, as the previous reviewer stated. Regardless, on the majority of these antennas the traps are not sealed properly and will detune when it rains. If you own this antenna and don't have problems, consider yourself lucky.(for now) Useful troubleshooting tools are a hair dryer, silicone caulk, and a bottle of aspirin.