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Reviews For: Diamond BB-7V 80-10 vertical

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Diamond BB-7V 80-10 vertical
Reviews: 24MSRP: 499.00 (Au$)
Description:
Multi band hf vertical antenna
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00243.7
KD6IQS Rating: 2007-06-13
I'm satisfied Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I gave kind of a prelim review on this antenna when I first received it. Now that I've had it a while, I think I can offer
more info.

I did make two contacts to Europe (one in Lithuania and one
in Moscow) wth 100 watts. I was told that my signal was at least 5/7 in each case and the received QSO was also 5/7.

As these were my first two overseas DX QSO's, I was quite
proud of these contacts and that pretty much settled any
doubts I might have had about the antenna.

In terms of construction, I wasn't totally impressed. The antenna
does expand and retract fairly easy, but the screw holes are
a disaster. Of the five or six screw holes, I think I got only one
screw to fit in all the way. The others seemed to jam before
getting the screws completely in place.

But I think in spite of the sligth mechanical issue, I am quite
pleased with the performance. Also, the antenna tunes up
very quickly. The antenna is mounted on a mast about 20 feet
above ground. I'd probably recommend it in spite of the
assembly problems I experienced.
KI4LMZ Rating: 2007-05-19
Great Antenna / Bad Machining Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just received BB7V. Great antenna on the antenna side. At ten feet off the ground on pole mounted on trailer hitch on back of my truck, I made contact with Belgium with 100w (20m) from Western Tennessee. Gave a 2 rating instead of 5 for the following reason:

Problem was with the aluminum telescoping section (#6)after extending. I tried to collapse the antenna for storage and a metal shaving (residue from mfg drilling the set-screw hole) wedged the section in the extended position. VERY annoying. Finally got the antenna retracted. Now will not extend again. Now waiting to call Ham Radio Outlet on Monday for replacement or return. I want the antenna, but I bought it for a portable, emergency, quick setup / take down (as advertised). Metal shavings or burrs in the telescoping section are not good. I am confident that HRO will make good. Will let you know if they do not.
JOHN123 Rating: 2007-03-22
easy setup,well made Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hi everybody,i searched quit a while,for a multiband vertical from 80 to 10,and this one is absolute good to be qrv on all bands,for people who have also no space(limited space).Set up really easy,swr whitout tuner surprising good,all bands (80,40,20,17,15)< 1,5 except from 12-10mtr you need an external tuner,low pass filter is a must, very good is the bencher ya-1,but the kenwood lf-30a,is also good,i must say the rx is good,i listen stations from usa/russia/africa/etc... 5/9(+)if propagation is good,and the tx with qrp power 25 w only ,far away in russia,kazachstan,etc...asiatic russia,5/9 on 20 mtr,drops a 2/3 s units on 80 mtr,but he, what do you expect from a multiband(you cannot compare with a monoband),I think overall this antenna performes good,if you want the best on each band,and you have a lot off space:-),place a monoband for for each band,but for people with limited space is this a very good solution,all in all i'm very pleased,i hope this is a helpfull comment for those,who have also limited space,best 73's good dx
W1PR Rating: 2006-08-03
very satisfied Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
For my occasional operation as JE1LRT in Tokyo from the top floor of a 6-story condo I don't have the room to string wire dipoles, so I'm limited to using a vertical. For simplicity I wanted an antenna that could be erected and taken down with a minimum of hassle. A decent radial system is also impossible because of space restrictions. All band HF operation would be a real plus. I discovered the BB-7V in a ham store in Tokyo's famous Akihibara "electric town." It had just been marketed there, and was not yet available in the US. It seemed to fit my requirements so I shelled out the yen and took it home. Once you get past the terrible English instructions, putting it up is a snap. Having no access to cold water pipes, I used a bolt that secures the deck railing to the outside wall of the building for a ground. From the ground, the antenna was almost invisible. It withstood some pretty brisk winds, too. My rig is an FT-897D with the LDG antenna tuner. A tuner, by the way, is required.
My low level expectations were exceeded. I was able to work the CW WPX contest successfully (at least the big guns) and even was able to break some DXpeditions' pileups. I had QSOs on all bands 80 through 12, but not 10. I tried loading it on 6 meters just for the hell of it, but it wouldn't play (nor was it supposed to, so no complaints). In about 10 days of operation in May 2006, with condx not particularly good, I worked 39 countries and all continents but Africa.
All in all, I was favorably impressed. This is a good antenna for space-limited locations and temporary portable operation. It's not a SteppIR, but you'll get your share of contacts.