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Reviews For: W2GD Antenna & Tower Installation, Repair, Painting

Category: Tower and Antenna Installers

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Review Summary For : W2GD Antenna & Tower Installation, Repair, Painting
Reviews: 118MSRP:
Description:
Description: Plans, installs, maintains, and repairs amateur radio antennas, towers, rotators and related cabling. Also paints rusting towers and performs Insurance Estimates. Nearly 50 years of amateur radio experience. Will provide service anywhere worldwide, with clients in the USA, Carribean, and South America. Member of the CQ Contest "Hall of Fame". Supports towers 20' to over 200', for Big Gun DXers, Contesters, and Little Pistols. Supports all types of antennas and towers. No task too small, no project too large. Reasonable rates. Contact John directly for a consultation and estimate. John Crovelli W2GD/P40W w2gd@hotmail.com 908-391-5611 (c)
Product is in production
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# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001185
WX3G Rating: 2015-10-03
Great Job As Usual Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
In an earlier review for John's service 7 years ago, I indicated that I would most certainly and without any hesitation rehire John and his assistant Bill once I upgrade from my TH2 to a better antenna around the sunspot peak (plus/minus a few years). Well, I did just that this September as it was time to retire the TH2 and move on to something a bit more sophisticated. John and Bill arrived promptly on the day of installation and went right to work dismantling the TH2 from a Rohn HBX tower, and beginning the task assembling a brand new Force 12 XR3 that I bought from a fellow ham at a reduced cost. Unfortunately a few of the tubular sections were missing as I had not inspected the contents of the box which had arrived a few weeks earlier. John immediately put in a call to Force 12 and made arrangements with them to fabricate and ship the missing sections to my house the next day by overnight mail. The package arrived on time by 10:00 AM the next morning and John and Bill were able to complete the installation by early afternoon, with the antenna exhibiting the quoted broadband specifications. John also served as the honest broker in suggesting how the additional costs of the missing sections and expedited shipping might be partitioned among the seller and myself. The actions John took to complete this project on time using his extensive connections in the ham community are extremely commendable, along with the quality of his work, attention to detail, and absolutely pleasant attitude. For the second time in the past 8 years I STRONGLY recommend W2GD antenna installation service if you are looking for a job to be done right the first time and at a reasonable price. Thank you John and Bill for your excellent service!
AJ2I Rating: 2015-06-05
Excellent Work! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
John and Bill did an excellent job on my hexbeam! They arrived on time and completed all the tasks as promised. John suggested Unistrut for attic bracing for my Glen Martin tower with lag bolts. VERY strong! I felt very confident throughout the install that it would go properly and smoothly, which they certainly did. Bill and John are a great team and I highly recommend their services.
N3ZC Rating: 2015-02-21
Great Job as Always Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My 3-El SteppIR was having issues. High SWR everywhere. I contacted John and he suggested giving SteppIR Support a call as far as eliminating the SDA-100 Controller, cables, etc, I figured out the Driven Element was not moving, broken shaft (older model motors). I decided to replace all 3 motors while the antenna was down on the ground. I contacted John and he fit me into his booked up schedule. I also figured I'd put up a 2M Beam (M2 17 Element beam) He put that up too. Him and his helper took care of everything. They did a neat job, showed up at the time planned, and took about the time he said. He also "Pre-Lubed" my tower cable, checked everything with a once-over, made sure everything was taped-up, etc. I've used him several times before, and always with the same result, a great job at a reasonable price. Hire John, no need to look anywhere else!
WG2Y Rating: 2014-11-20
Great Job All Around Time Owned: N.A.
I needed to have a balun and coax replaced on my tower. I contacted John and his response was prompt. The scheduled day had temperatures in the low 30's. That did not deter John He arrived and did his work in a professional manner. If it was a warmer day I would have fired up the grill and cracked a few open with him. He was that much fun to have around. Call him if you need tower service you will not be dissapointed.
KT0F Rating: 2014-11-19
Over the top, best of the best!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Can't say enough about John, W2GD and his excellent skill. John had been responding to my e-mails on and off for the past 3 years as we decided the install at my location. It is important to note that John works on 'little pistol' stations like mine as well as the big multi multis, which is fantastic. The first thing that you notice about John is that he likes to answer yes when asked about projects. His can do attitude is manifest in every action that he emulates.

Our project involved a roof mounted tower and Force 12 beam antenna. Through many challenges (outside temperature upon his arrival = 1 degree and that is not a misprint) John reacted as a true professional crafting the necessary assemblies to create an awesome, finished product.

His consult after the project has not deprecated. His rates, disclosures and recommendations are honest and resemble experience hard to eclipse.

At the end of the day, you only need to make one call, and that is to John, W2GD.

Thanks to John, I'll see you all on the air...a little louder than before!!

73
John
KT0F
K3SX Rating: 2014-11-02
Excellent and Professional Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Fresh from the contest at P40W John arrived at my home and in a matter of a few hours he and his helper took down my ancient tribander, helped me finish building my new Tennadyne T6 and installed it and a 5 element 6 meter beam. Everything was done with his deliberate way of first being safe and second doing the job correctly. No shortcuts.
I have used John's services in the past and he continues to deliver!
KB3Z Rating: 2014-10-09
Job Well Done! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Due to the ice storm we had this past winter I lost my K4KIO Hexbeam (Buy the Ice Supports). I was looking at various antennas to choose from. I have done business with John before and he made his recommendations.

I chose a Force 12 XR6 and a Force 12 Delta 140 40 Meter Rotatable Dipole. I talked with John and he gave me an estimate for assembling and installing both antennas. Both he and Bill came and it took two days to do the total job.

I did have some SWR problems with the 40 meter dipole. But it was not due to an interaction with the XR6. It eventually came down to replacing the RG-213U coax from the dipole to the DX Engineering switch that John installed.

John is very fair in his pricing and he does the job right the first time. And if there are problems he stands by you through thick and thin. Thanks again John, and I'm sure the next antenna project I have, I will call John Crovelli. Mark Griffin, KB3Z
K2MIT Rating: 2014-09-21
Great advice, great service Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
John is full of great advice, is an excellent antenna builder and installer. He put up my SteppIR 3 Element with 30/40 add-on kit in 2 days in a tricky roof-top configuration (not his design--mine).

He is efficient, careful and does an excellent job. His hourly rate was very reasonable.
WA2DFP Rating: 2014-09-18
100% FB! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The time came to replace my 20+ year-old TA-33M, but my time to climb ladders has passed. Based on recommendations on this site I contacted John W2GD about the job. He strongly urged me to stay away from lossy trap antennas with limited power-handling ability and to use full-sized elements. The new Force-12 XR3 fits the requirements and the constraints of my location. It is designed, though, for installation in "freespace" such as on a tower at least 30' tall and away from a house. My need was for 25' above ground, only 6' above my roof, which changes the impedance match. John helped me work with the folks at Force 12 to develop the needed element length adjustments. He and Bill W2RQ expertly took down the old, rung up the new (including a heavy-duty balun), and tuned the elements. My amplifier and I are very pleased with the professional quality of the result. Calling John would be my first step, not just in doing any future antenna work, but in planning the project.
N3EON Rating: 2014-09-16
Another Great Job Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I'm a repeat customer simply because John knows his stuff and with his able assistant Bill, can handle any job, big or small. They will not leave until everything is operational and the customer is completely satisfied. John's extensive knowledge and skill set in all facets of antenna and tower design and installation are readily apparent as they perform their magic. I've relied on John's recommendation for a beam and his responsiveness and support following a lightning strike have been invaluable. I will continue to use John for my antenna needs and I give him my full endorsement.