| K2HK |
Rating:  |
2007-04-05 | |
| Reliable, Competent,Reasonable |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
John recently finished some antenna work for me. Two 4 element SteppIR's to be lowered and repaired and then raised back to 80 feet. Unlike many he is RELIABLE. He answers calls, will discuss the situation in advance and is very reasonable. John had to drive more than 3 hours but showed at my door at precisely the time he said. The operation was performed professionally. He is also very pleasant to work with. When John leaves you feel a friend has just left.
Howard..K2HK |
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| K9RS |
Rating: |
2007-03-10 | |
| Outstanding |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| I had John put up 80 feet of Rohn 45 with a stack of C31XR's and a 2 el 40M. To say that John knows what he is doing is an understatement. He is very capable of not just the normal stuff but also complicated projects and deals with missing parts and parts that don't fit with a level of experience that enables him to complete the job in a quality way even with the obstacles that are invariably involved in any major tower project. I highly recommend John, you can't beat the superb work and very reasonable price. |
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| W2FZ |
Rating: |
2007-02-16 | |
| Outstanding work, service and expertise! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I am not sure where to start. In August 2006 I contacted GD. I told him my goal, the confines I had to work with, the budget and all parameters. He came back to me with a turn-key solution. His perfectionist approach was clear by way of personally inspecting the site - so he drove to Bedford, NH from PA to see the project with his own eyes. He then suggested and helped me find the antenna, the rotor, the coax and the tower. He also worked with my local contractor to excavate the property and pour the concrete.
He did everything, and he did it without one mistake, he did it well within the budget we discussed, in fact almost 20% below our original expectation (and that budget was almost half of another quote I rec'd from his competitor). The customer service he provided was outstanding, and so too was his knowledge and expertise.
What he designed was a a crank-up Tashjian Tower, Force 12 C4SXL 8 element antenna, alongside a Carolina Windom 160 Special, with a Yaesu G-1000 Rotor. The result: A station that has exceeded my expectations.
So, as I suspect is clear, I have confidence that John is among the best of the best in this line of work. I see from other reviews that he has had big and small jobs -- assuming mine is along the lines of a full-service (big) job, he simply exceeded all expectations and can handle the big jobs as well as the small ones. I would use him, and recommend him again with full confidence and conviction.
73. Dan Monfried W2FZ |
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| NI3P |
Rating: |
2007-01-09 | |
| Good job |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| John knew exactly what needed to be done, and did it when installing a Force 12 C3 on my 50 foot tower - I am too old to do that sort of thing anymore! He caught one assembly error before it went up, and noticed that a connector was not properly attached to the coax - and fixed it. No problems, works fine. |
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| KC2NB |
Rating: |
2006-11-10 | |
| Antenna Installation |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
There are many hams who do good antenna/tower installations and repairs, but how many of them are world class ham operators? John is the only one I know. He understands what it takes to develop a station which fits the client's needs whether it be for general rag chewing or serious contesting. Thus John becomes not just a repair person or an installer. John becomes a consultant
I am on the DX Honor Roll [need only BS7] and have always done my own antenna /tower installations. At age 73,I realized that I needed help to revamp my station. After discussions with John, I decided to order a Force 12 520/340 dual band antenna and have John install it on my 70 foot TriEx tower. I only had to prepare the coax and assist John. Whow, what a relief!
Beware that there are some installers who are:
A. great at tower work but questionable at antenna work or vice versa;
B. difficult to contact when you need them;
C. pushing to sell you package "deals".
John does not fit into any of these categories. He is there when you need help.
Chuck Fainsbert
KC2NB
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| W3FM |
Rating: |
2006-09-28 | |
| MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I have a 38 year old TRI-EX Model H-471 crank down tilt over 71' tower. Recently while cranking it down two sections jammed. John W2GD climbed the tower and overcame the jam. After the tower was fulley nested he removed my old yagi and installed a new one. John started climbing towers at age 12. If I have any more problems with this old tower John will be the man I call at 908-391-5611 |
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| KA3UIX |
Rating: |
2006-09-17 | |
| Expert, Responsive, Affordable |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I had heard of a first-class antenna installer in John Crovelli, W2GD and recently hired him for some antenna repairs at my station. Calling him at his cell number for the first time ever, he actually answered my call while working up on one of W3LPL’s 200’ towers. I have since been very impressed by John’s responsiveness, professionalism and I’m very pleased with the results of recent antenna and tower work performed by John. His decades of experience working on ham towers and antennas were self-evident.
On very short notice, John came to my QTH and replaced a defective element motor on my brand new 3 element SteppIR HF yagi, and he also tuned several other antennas for me. John carefully sealed all coax connectors and was very neat and tidy routing all the cables with tie-wraps. He even installed a new weather station for me on the tower, and was particularly responsive and accommodating to all my unique requests and small details. He works carefully, efficiently, and always with an eye toward safety.
John W2GD has lots of antenna and tower system experience, has been a ham since 1961, is well known in DX and contesting circles as P40W, and he’s even a member the CQ Contest Hall of Fame. John has been making his living doing tower and antenna work for several years. His list of services includes tower installation and removal, antenna construction and repair, rotator replacement, coax and control line installation, tower painting, etc. His customer list looks like a who’s who of Frankford Radio Club and Potomac Valley Radio Club members. John says he had done work in CT, MA, NH, VT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, WVA, OH, and on several Caribbean islands.
He promptly returns all calls (cell 908- 391-5611) and emails (w2gd@hotmail.com ), does high quality work, and is very reasonably priced for the level of service provided.
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| K8AZ |
Rating: |
2006-09-14 | |
| Excellent, professional service |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
John, W2GD, is not only a CQ Hall of Fame contester, he also is a great resource for tower work. Over the past 18 months, John has travelled to Ohio to paint all 4 of my towers (total 590' of Rohn 45.) John does it the careful, old fashioned way -- he uses a coffee can of good paint (he requests Brite Zinc paint by Weld-Aid Products.) John thoroughly prepped each job (removing and temporarily "standing off" coax and control cables, and wire brushing the entire tower) and then began painting, by hand, every square inch. Because he uses a small, quality brush instead of a painter's mit, all of the paint ($99/gallon) winds up on the tower. (Even with a tower bracketed to the house, I found no evidence of spillage.) Two of the jobs were painted more than a year ago; they both look as good as the towers painted last May.
John is fair in his pricing and is accurate about time-keeping. Having John paint your tower is not the cheapest way to go -- but if you're only planning to do it once, and especially if you want it done right, you will save significant dollars in the long run.
I give John my highest recommendation.
73,
Tom, K8AZ |
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