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Reviews For: RADIOWAVZ DX 80 (OCF) WINDOM

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : RADIOWAVZ DX 80 (OCF) WINDOM
Reviews: 19MSRP: $75
Description:
The RadioWavz DX (OCF) Windom is ideal for those of you who do not use a tower and beam. It's also ideal for those who want a high performance antenna with world class DX coverage 80, 40, 30, 17, and 10 meters. Also work the oter bands with a tuner
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.radiowavz.com/html/dx_ocf_windom.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00193.8
WALTERB Rating: 2011-05-06
Great reception / Construction not so much. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Ok, My elmer suggested I get this antenna when I ran into him at our local Hamfest last week.
I hadn’t had anything in the air since my G5RV went down. This Antenna works much better than the G5RV ever did. However the construction of it sort of sucks. The insulators are just square pieces of stock cut with very sharp edges. I’m sure it will cut though the support line, its just a matter of time.
The connections between the antenna wire and end were just crimped on with no weatherproofing. So I soldered the ends hoping for a better connection.
Again, I think the reception is top notch for a cheap wire antenna. I have it up over two pine trees and with the ends at about 50 feet and the balun at about 35 feet.
I’ve reached Russian central Asia, Ecuador, Lithuania, Italy, Nova Scotia on voice with only 100 watts on 20 meters this week.
If the construction was better this antenna would get a 5/5. My suggestion looking for a another 80 meter Windom or making your own, or put different insulators on this one. Which is what I will do when this one breaks.
W8STU Rating: 2011-04-10
WORKS GREAT FOR ME Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Greetings,

I purchased this antenna before I read the eham.net reviews and was a little worried. I only paid $76.00 from www.gigaparts.com, (which has great customer service,) and put it up yesterday with the help of Joe KB8QID and John KB8YJY. The antenna is up 60 feet flat top. I have 175 feet of true Times Microwave LMR-400 coax leading into the shack.

I hooked it up to my Yaesu FT-950 and MFJ-969 tuner. I checked the SWR in the CW and Phone portions on 40 and 80 Meters. I did not even need a tuner. That is how well the antenna is. I did a side by side comparison of DX 80 and a W5GI Mystery Antenna which is only 100 feet long. It too is up 60 feet. I noticed I was getting 3 to 4 S unit better on receive on the DX 80. I was get better RST's with the DX 80 over the other antenna also. If you are looking for a great antenna on a budget, that is well constructed, and have the room for a 135 foot antenna, the Radiowavz DX 80 is for you. You can't go wrong on this one. Thanks in advance. 73 Stu de W8STU
KE7ZAG Rating: 2009-10-31
Great for a while Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The antenna worked like a champ for about 6 months, then the balun corroded the wire right off the tabs under the eye bolts. The copper on the tabs was a thin coating, and the rain of the Willamette Valley of Oregon rusted right through the coating and let the wires release. Very poor materials used in the balun!

Repaired it by tinning the tab, resoldering, and then sealing everything with a good waterproofing.

Then the balun failed again in two months, and was shorting. This time I sawed the coax terminal end off and took a look. The wires to the terminal were barely touching, and corroded enough to ground out the feedline. World's worst workmanship!

Replaced the balun with ladderline, and now it is the best 160 meter antenna I have ever used, but that is not what I purchased!

Far too many quality problems for a commercial product!
N4RSS Rating: 2009-07-13
Worked but fell apart Time Owned: more than 12 months.
giving this a 3 instead of 2 since it's possible I tugged a bit much on it. Worked for a year. Noticed some SWR volatility recently, also wanted something more substantial, so replaced with the Array Solutions OCF yesterday. On bringing the Radiowavz down, saw the PVC encasing the balun had broken completely in two about 1/3 from the top. Balun itself was not substantial.
KG0ZR Rating: 2007-10-15
Great Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Put mine up tune everywhere listed. It is about 3' off the side of tower about 37' up works 80-18
and 12 and 10 meters. Talk to the Island of Man Could here me on the DX 80 and my beam 2 to 3 s unit lower not bad for a dipole.
KI9A Rating: 2007-08-26
Ehh. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
It held a fallen tree?? WOWZER!! Yeah, right. This guy seems to be a local of the radiowaves folks, and more than a likely a friend of the owner. He posted 3 5/5 ratings on 3 of thier antennas in one day. Mine was pure junk, should have known after my G5RV from them was also junk. It worked as expected, but, it was junk. These folks need to get thier act together, and start building stuff a bit better. It's obvious they are in the biz to make a buck, and are not mechanics at all.
KC0WGB Rating: 2007-08-24
Love Mine Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This is my choice of antennas. I only have room for one HF antenna and this is it. Lot size and placement of my VHF antenna limit the number of antennas I can put up. A friend of mine had the 160 set up two winter ago and an ice storm came through causing power poles and trees to snap.
His antenna was so sturdy it held up a fallen tree!!
KB9YNJ Rating: 2007-05-19
Great buy! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This antenna is set up as a inverted V at 25 feet in the center and 10 feet at either end. Not the ideal set up, but the only one I could come up with considering the layout of my property.I am running a IC-718 and using a LDG Z100 auto tuner. So far,I am very impressed with the performance. I have made many contacts on all but 160, and during recent 10 meter openings, have enjoyed great dx performance! I also have used it for medium wave and shortwave dx and was pleasantly suprised at the great performance in those modes. Recently, it withstood sustained 65 mph winds and was fine! For the money, this windom is hard to beat and the quality and performance deserves a 5 rating in my book.
W1KJL Rating: 2007-04-02
My first wire antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased this antenna as a compromise with the XYL. She would not allow me to string ladder line through the backyard, hence the coax feed line and burial routine :)

I have this antenna in my backyard strung between two pine trees at about 40-50ft. I'm feeding the antenna with RG-8x (high loss and far from optimal) with 225 feet of the coax running into the shack. Yes, that's 225 ft :)

I am running a Yaesu 857D barefoot at 100 watts (no amplifier yet) and have made contacts into Italy (17 meters,40 watts, 5/5 report) and also Chile (20 meters, 100 watts 5/6 report)

I can pretty much tune everything I've thrown at it to a 1:1 swr with my Palstar 1500CV tuner. For the price it's a great antenna that's well built.

Even with my minimal beginners shack, this antenna has done wonders and I'm having a great time!