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Reviews For: Force 12 C3

Category: Antennas: HF: Yagi, Quad, Rotary dipole, LPDA

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Review Summary For : Force 12 C3
	Reviews: 31	MSRP: 1199
	Description: multi-monoband Yagi type HF antenna
	Product is in production
More Info: http://force12inc.com
# last 180 days	Avg. Rating last 180 days	Total reviews	Avg. overall rating
0	0	31	4.8

W9DJ	Rating:	2023-04-29
Excellent and Durable Antenna			Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had a C3ss (the linearly loaded 20 meter element model) up for 22 years with no maintenance. Finally one of the Lexan element separators broke. I took it down to fix it, but decided to replace it with a SteppIR so I could get WARC band and 6 and 40 meter coverage. I gave the Force 12 to a friend who has been using it without issues for 2 more years so far. I made a zillion contacts with it. For some reason it was especially fine on 20 meters. Made tons of contacts and it survived many ice storms and high winds. Hard to believe it was only 2 elements/band.

N7VY	Rating:	2023-04-27
C-4/C-3 Stack - Best QRP Antennas			Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had a stack of C-4/C-3 antennas when I lived in Page, AZ. The stack was placed on a 68' tower and I used the StackMatch to power them. Unfortunately I had a transfer and medical problems so the antennas were sitting in my garage for the last 23 years. Its time to get them back out. Let see what solar Cycle 25 will be! I worked 289 countries, 5BWAS and DXCC QRP. Not much more needs to be said. Thanks Force12!

N5SM	Rating:	2009-03-21
Best hf antenna ever!			Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Well, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the Force Twelve C3 tribander HF antenna. I have had it on top of a 50 foot Rohn 45 tower for 11 years without taking it down, and it still works as good as the day I put it up, and that is perfect! I have worked the world with my 10 watt K2 and this antenna. I live on the high plains of west Texas where we have lots of wind. Forty to fifty mph is normal. I've seen so much ice on the elements that the ends seem to point straight down, but they always rebound when the ice is gone. The price seems a little high on this antenna, but it will outlast the other brands three to one! You can't go wrong with this one. Scott N5SM

KT4OO	Rating:	2007-12-23
Excelent Antenna			Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned the Force 12 C3 Beam sinced 1997, 10 years. When I assembled it and put it up, the standing wave ratio was less than 1.2/1 ratio on the phone bands. It today still holds that ratio.The beam is on a 40 ft. tower. I have gotten my W.A.S. and talk to over 150 countries. I have had great signal reports for the whole period I have owned the beam. The wear on the beam is still sturdy and durable. It has been through wind and ice storms. It has been 100% maintenance free. Well worth the money for a life time of performance. John kt4oo

K2VI	Rating:	2007-10-24
One problem			Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
For what they ask for this antenna you would think the driven element insulator would last more than 5 years,The rivets elongate the radials.When that happens you have to devise a way to either bolt or hose clamp them back.Be pepared to take it down for part replacement especially if you live in a high wind area.This is an expensive antenna and should last longer.That's the bad part.The good part is it does radiate a very good signal with excellent foward gain.A little advice for the guys at force 12.Please engineer the construction better and you have one of the best on the market.

N1TX	Rating:	2007-03-19
Works for me!			Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
In all, nearly 3600 QSOs with all continents, 68 countries, all 50 states and DC in five months have gone into my observations about The C3 antenna. That’s more than twice the QSO count I made in the eight years before installing the C3. In short, that antenna rocks! I can't wait to get a second one up this summer. Mine is installed at the 55-foot level on a 140-foot Rohn 55/45 tower fix-pointed to the Lower 48. I intended it to be used primarily for Sweepstakes, ARRL DX, and Field Day. I can work Asia off the back of the beam, and it shows the benefit of a modest F-B ratio. The next one, already purchased, will go at the 85-foot level pointed towards Europe, due north. South Pacific should be do-able off the back of the beam.

K4XZ	Rating:	2006-10-26
Great Antenna			Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had my C3S/HH up for 3 years.No problems.It really plays on 20 meters at only 35'.The HH is for 140MPH wind load.Went thru Hurricane Wilma last year.Held up to 111 MPH sustained winds with no problems.I watched this antenna rock & roll in that storm,But its still up there and works fine.I'm looking at there new 40 meter 2 element Delta 240 to go on top of the C3S.Great consruction all went together as planned.Force 12 gets some bad press sometimes,but not here.I can always get Tom on the land-line or even calls me back.Buy one you won't be disappointed.See you on 20 meters! Joe K4XZ

K0WA	Rating:	2006-10-26
Greatly Impressed			Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just installed a C3E/D model on my 60 foot tower taking down my venerable TH6DXX. I've been researching antennas for more than two years to find the one that was best. Weighing price and performance, I looked at SteppIR, Force-12, Opti-Beam, and Hex-Beam. I opted for the Force-12 C3E/D (100 MPH) because of price versus performance. Also, simplicity. I like the idea of no traps...and since it is getting harder and harder for me to do tower work...I did not want moving parts in the antenna. Price came into play and also how the antenna would look. I took on the Force-12 C3E/D and am pleased with the product. I understand the design and philosophy behind the antenna, but I would like to say I was impressed with the construction. Well designed construction, holes were perfect and not binding, the antenna went together without any problems, and it seems to be made very tough. All pieces were marked or engraved. On the air, the beam seems to be "brighter" than my 35+ year old TH6DXX which I rebuilt with stainless steel bolts and nuts about 6 years ago. The tuning of the antenna is ... well ... good. In fact, I am really suprised how well it is matched on 20-15-10 meters. The bandwidth is excellent (I prefer CW but use SSB - and I like contesting in both modes) and gives me a good SWR curve across the bands. The match is acceptable from high to low without a tuner. I had no trouble working DX or stateside with the antenna, so far. Again, I've had little time to give it a go on the air, but I wanted to feedback about the constuction of the antenna. Thanks for reading.

AE4EN	Rating:	2006-08-09
A Tough Antenna That's Gonna Get Tougher			Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased a Force 12 C3 in the fall of 1996 after Hurricane Fran destroyed the trap tri-bander I had. The first thing I noticed was its easy of construction. It took roughly 4 hours to assemble. Next was its light weight. After that was the performance it had over the trap tri-banders that I had owned. It was definatly much better. But alas, I had to pull it down this Summer (2006) because the rivits failed on the boom to element mounts for 20 meters and the center sleeve to element rivits failed on most all elements. I live right off the water in Wilmington, NC. We've seen over 12 hurricanes and tropical storms since my C3 was installed. Remember that the C3 has an 80 MPH wind survival. Not one triband antenna that I've owned has been able to stand the elements here for so long. I never expected it to last as long as it did. This is why I rate it a "5". Right now, I am rebuilding it with welded elements, stainless 1/4 x 20 bolts (replacing rivits on the boom), stainless U-bolts, new PVC insulators and a 40 meter kit. I wasn't going to replace the PVC insulators but the manual states that they have a 5 year life span. If I can, I'll report back in 5 years from now on how good this antenna still is. 73 and gud dx!

K9YP	Rating:	2005-09-28
happy C3 owner			Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Assembly was easy to understand and the predrilled rivet holes were snug and precisely positioned. It would be difficult to misassemble it. I gave it its first real workout on Scandinavian Contest day, running about 800w from Southern Illinois, I gave and received honest 59's from Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Iceland. Finally, I feel like one of the big dogs. This is a good antenna.

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Category:

Antennas: HF: Yagi, Quad, Rotary dipole, LPDA

Product:

Force 12 C3

Summary:

Rating:	Time Owned:
Great! Good OK Needs Help Poor Awful!	0 - 3 Months 3 - 6 Months 6 - 12 Months More than 12 Months

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