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Reviews For: Diamond A144S10

Category: Antennas: VHF/UHF+ Directional (Yagi, quad, etc.)

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Review Summary For : Diamond A144S10
Reviews: 8MSRP: 120
Description:
10 Element Yagi Beam Antenna
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
1284.1
MM0HRL Rating: 2023-03-06
Fragile, and poorly "tuned". Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This antenna's most notable feature is its fragility. The gauge of the tubing used for the elements is so insubstantial that virtually ANY chance touch of a force greater than a handful of ounces causes the tubing to take a set. So for portable use for catching ducted DX, from a using standpoint it's sort-of okay. But would definitely not recommend it to be permanently mounted outdoors especially if in a place subject to stormy conditions.

I lack the means to carry out front/back performance checks, but I'm minded of one evening when I went out as a trial with this mounted on a 17ft fibreglass mast on a drive over plate and found two stations who clearly were well known to each other, one using 400w and the other I think maybe 100w. Both had multi beam arrays, so the distance separating them of maybe 170 miles was regularly easily attained. My placement was on an elevated point to the south of the midpoint between them. Used my ft857 with its 50w PEP tx. I received both roughly equally, the 400w man on the front and the other - the back. I'm not an experienced user of directional antennas so was a bit surprised to catch such a high signal from the backside.

I'd have expected it to be "deafer" from its rear. Perhaps that's unrealistic?

Other outings have shown it to be effective enough, but the SWR it shows is too high to my mind. Hovering around 1.8-2+.

Such antennas are likely to be used by mobile skipchasers when there's ducting around, rather than otherwise - since its extremely flimsy nature would (in my opinion) render it unsuitable for base station use. Any biggish bird landing and jump-launching from it afterwards would certainly deform these too-lightweight elements. Too much of that, kinked tubes and breakages could be expected. In my opinion!

So. if I'd understood how very flimsy this thing is, It'd not have left the shop.

Add that to the indifferent SWR setting on an unadjustable antenna, that's one too many negatives for me.

Yes, it works. But I doubt if Diamond could have made it any lighter - and hence more fragile - than they have done.

Added late recalled thought. Another of these is owned locally by another op. and needed a repair after a director had broken exactly in half, so it needed internally sleeved to fix it. Examination of the break surface caused the other elements also to be checked. It was found that the factory had scribed a light annular groove encircling the tubes' exact centre points, clearly forming a stress point that had caused the broken piece to break at that exact place. All directors and reflector were scribed as above. Consider that when choosing. Certainly I'd check for alternatives, and next time would choose something more robust than this very, very lightweight and clearly rather fragile item. I've had mine now for roughly five years, I think. Been used maybe ten times in all. My interest in radio has to compete with my other love, photography - which periodically takes over. Hence the limited use pattern over the period mentioned.
N5UTV Rating: 2022-02-27
Works well when right but check it well Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought one to try EME but found needed better system. Bought a second and the Arrays SWR was strange. Some of The directors seem way too close together. SWR was vastly different between the antennas. One was a dip from 2 to 1.1 the other was 5 across over +-10 mhz. Opened it up to find the hairpin had not been soldered to the input UHF socket of the driven element. After soldering it was a match for the other antenna. Would recommend using an external coax for the match if you want to use more than 50 watts. The coax used is small. I wonder if spacing the directors would give much better gain for eme which was my intention. Be sure to check them as quality control seems lacking.
K4NWD Rating: 2020-04-25
Bad day on the boom drilling machine? Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Not really a review since I haven't used them yet, but a heads up if you get an A144S10: I just got a second one to stack with the first one I've had for a few weeks, along with the stacking boom. When "assembling" the newest one I noticed the second director element was WAY off location. It was 14.5cm closer to the first director than it was on the first example I bought. No big deal, I drilled the boom and relocated the element. However it was then I noticed the boom was not drilled for the alternate horizontal polarity mounting. Again, no biggie, since I'm using the pair stacked in vertical polarization, but be aware you may have to do some drilling if yours is likewise misdrilled. Other than that the antennas are a good value and I can't wait to get them on the tower.
UR5FLN Rating: 2018-11-06
Great Light Antenna with good gain. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hello
Sergey here. Using 2 A144S10 stacked with standard Diamond's cross boom. Results even more than I expected. radiation pattern is concentrated with in +-30 degrees from direction (practical check) antenna in vertical polarization, good F/B Ratio for its length. SWR flat over entire 2M Band (plug and play). I using GP omni antenna Diamond F-23 and difference when switching to these yagi 2 s-levels sometimes more. real gain abt 11dBd.
I recommend to use this antennas.

- Positives:
1. Very light weight (not required very strong mast) I use also 2 A430S15 stacked 2m below same aluminium pile. For portable operation is very convinient
2. May be used for SSB/CW/FT8 in horisontal polarization - mounting is ready from the box just rotate 90 deg
3. It's realy works (compare to my not bad vertical F-23)
4. Comes preassembled from Diamond so you never mess the elements


- Negatives:
Didn't find yet, will see after winter time operations

kind regards
73 de UR5FLN
G4PWO Rating: 2017-11-13
Great portable antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is a great antenna for portable operation, it's very small when folded up and it only takes a few minutes to unfold and set up or fold back up at the end of the day. It is also light enough to take backpacking for a distance of a few miles.

The maximum rated power is quite low (50W continuous, 100W PEP) although this probably all most portable operators will require. I've been using it at twice it's rated power (100W continuous) without any adverse effects!

In my first week of owning it, I've already had several QSOs over 300 miles from my local park, with the antenna on a camera tripod only a few metres off the ground.
K4MJV Rating: 2017-06-18
Great for the money Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I was using a Diamond A144S5 for about a year. It worked well but I decided I wanted more gain. This antenna does not disappoint. I have worked 2 meter ssb stations 150 miles away on 50 watts with great results. It has been on my roof for over a year and is holding up fine.
WJ8L Rating: 2013-04-18
A144S10--A Great Value Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The A144S10 recently became available in the U.S.A. through RF Parts in CA. (Prior to that only the A144S5 was available in the U.S.A)
The A144S10 is unique in that it provides a full 10 elements on a boom of only 2 Meters in length, while providing good gain figures.
It is a very compact antenna and can be 'folded-up' and re-erected very quickly with it's wing-nut fasteners. Thus it makes a great VHF contest 'hill-topper'and/or rover station antenna. I have used the antenna to run a two meter SSB Net from Kalamazoo, MI, and have worked stations in OH, IN, and OH in average propagation conditions. Also the A144S10 yields a low VSWR across the entire two meter band. In sum, the A144S10 is a great value with its gain figure, small footprint, and portable design.
2M0XDS Rating: 2007-04-01
Great Antenna for 2M Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had a third party X510 type antenna,which due to high winds was damaged beyond repair,so i was in the market for a new antenna,and decided to get a real Diamond antenna this time.

and it has paid off big time,this antenna,is really up and running in minutes,all elements are premarked,you just line up and go,it should be mounted on a non metalic pole,and what better than my broken X510 copy (bottom section)the antenna also comes with a small coil of sealing tape for the PL plug,as i had misplaced mine,a nice touch.

up and running the antenna works very well with low SWR,across the band, good gain,and nice reports from contacts,within a few hours use.

the only slight grumble would be the instructions are in japan format only,but there are very clear diagrams on the instruction sheet

Donald Suttie
2M0XDS