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Reviews For: Moonraker EVX5000 - 5 BAND HF VERTICAL

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Moonraker EVX5000 - 5 BAND HF VERTICAL
Reviews: 2MSRP: 170 GBP
Description:
5 BAND HF VERTICAL which covers 10-15-20-40-80 METRES
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.moonrakerukltd.com/shop.php?cat_select=12
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0023.5
M3OXD Rating: 2006-10-31
Decent DX performer... once swr matched Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought the EVX-5000 together with all the loaded optional radials (10-15-20-40-80) off ebay in almost new condition. I have now had it up for over six months and I thought I would give it a half-yearly review.

The assembly was fairly straigth forward, and like the previous reviewer, I thought those screws are unsuitable, although the antenna is all aluminium and fairly light. Matching the radial whips to their fiberglass counterparts was a bit of a guess, as no instruction relating to them is available. I called Moonraker and although I didn't buy it from them, they tried to help even if without much success. So it was a trial and error business, and I eventually got all five adjustable whips matched to their radial housings. Little I knew the hardship was only beginning.

I raised it in my limited spaced garden on an aluminium tube/mast 20 feet tall. The swr was shooting high all over the place. To make a long story short, I had taken it down and back up on the mast again for countless number of times since then. I tried adjusting for low swr on the ground, when I put it up it was high. Other times, it was good on 10-15-20 but high on 40 and 80. I read on the internet all there is out there about this antenna (very little) as well as following typical tuning procedures. The bottom line was that the whip on the 80m was just too long to get a low swr at 3700KHz but I decided I will not cut the whip short. So I used a short piece of copper wire which took the place of the 80m whip. Also, the final solution to the changing swr problem was solved in this way. I removed two elements from the mast, leaving me with the antenna 10 feet above the ground. Climbed on a tall table placed under the aerial I was able to reach to the radials and adjust them. I used an MFJ-217 antenna analyser on batteries as well as my handheld Th-f7e trasceiver with ssb receive on hf bands to set the lowest swr at the desired frequency. When this was done successfully, I added the other two elements to the mast and when I checked the swr...one first pleasant surprise: it went even lower on the 20 and 40m, from 1.5:1 to 1.2:1. All these being said, it is a good performer and best for dx work. Whatever I can hear, I can normally work. My other antenna is a full size G5RV balanced multiband dipole and this vertical is a definite improvement from it, even if like all verticals, the evx is a bit noisier (more sensitive to local interference) than the dipole. If you have limited space or planning difficulties erecting a beam on a tower, I think this antenna is a good investment and a keeper. It's cheaper than the big names out there and I have doubts it will be outperformed by other verticals in its class. It does bend a little in high winds, but the aluminium tubes are very well constructed and quite flexible so I don't think it needs extra guy-ing.
GW4DVB Rating: 2006-10-22
Could be better !! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this antenna 2 weeks ago and I am still having to play to try and get it to give a decent match. Initially I thought I had got a duff antenna... but having taken it down and checked all the terminations etc it would seem to be electrically OK...

The delivery from the supplier was excellent (MoonRaker UK) http://www.moonrakerukltd.com

Like many other foreign imports the construction manual consisted of two sides of A4 which gave skimp visual instructions with suggested measurements. The various components of the antenna are fixed using some very dubious self tapping screws and for the feint hearted I would suggest replacing these with similar size bolt with butterfly nuts to give more rigidity.

Trying to tune the antenna has proved a nightmare and having tried ground mounting and elevating the antenna up at 4 - 5 metres above the ground and using the matching loaded radials I haven't been able to get a good match on any band!!

Thanks to the MFJ auto tuner I am able to tweak a match and use the antenna..

Another word of advice... despite no recommendations I would suggest some kind of guying.... at 5mtrs the antenna blows around a lot and after two nights of winds gusting up to 20mph the antenna looks decidedly bent.... I guess it will snap if we get up to 35+ !!! (I guess ground mounted would have protected it a bit)

Performance wise... the antenna gives fair to good results... from my location in South Wales - UK I can work all the bands and normally can QSO everything I can hear...

For the money a good practical experience in HF Vertical antennas and far superior to the Comet CHA-250 (Dummy Load.

I am going to try and tune the antenna one more time and will complete this review depending on the result... and, of course, if the antenna up and in one piece!!