| N3SCR |
Rating:  |
2008-09-18 | |
| Works Well as a Vertical |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I purchased a 40-meter Tak-tenna a couple of months ago and I initially installed it off the side of my roof at about 15 feet high. I worked several Europeans with 100 watts and their received signal strength was approximately 1-2 S units below my quarter wave sloper which is installed at 30 feet, is over 30 feet long, and has the benefit of working against a 35 foot tower. I was impressed!
I have since set up a different installation which is more acceptable to my wife and easier for me to work on. The Tak-antenna is now just 11 feet off the ground mounted on a wooden 4 X 4 post. I am using a Yaesu FT-817ND at 5 watts with the Tak-tenna now. My first QRP (CW) contact from Maryland was with a station in Michigan…… he was running 20 watts into a GAP vertical… I sent him a 589 report and I received a 579 report…… That is very encouraging indeed! The Tak-tenna is installed in the vertical configuration and it hears extremly well compared to my sloper, again just 1 S unit below the sloper; however, I have not been able to work Europe ( I can hear them just fine) with just 5 watts of power.
It did take a while to get the antenna tuned up but here is the bandwidth with my current set up (SWR at the radio): (7.000 MHZ – 1.2 : 1) (7.150 MHZ – 2.0 : 1) NOT BAD!!! No tuner needed for the CW sub-band!
I am looking forward to chasing states on 40 Mtrs with QRP power and the Tak-tenna!
Thanks for a neat little antenna Steve!
|
|
| KC7MF |
Rating: |
2008-09-07 | |
| I like mine |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The antenna arrived quickly and was really easy to assemble. I tuned it using a 10 foot pole, one ladder, an MFJ tuner and a wife. It took about 30 minutes to tune. I have had it about a month now and am very happy with it. I have made several Mid-West and East coast contacts from Arizona with the hot side pointed east. Without moving the antenna I have contacted Mexico City and points in the North West. All on about 70 watts. So far I have only used it on 40 meters. The SWR is flat on 7.210 which is perfect for phone. The tuner handles the rest.
I have it up 25 feet about 10' above a stucco house. I am thinking about a rotator for it. Just curious. This antenna is a compromise for sure but it is a good one. |
|
| K6PH |
Rating: |
2008-09-07 | |
| Great limited space antenna! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| My 40m model went together in about an hour. Tuning was a little tricky and took a little longer than I thought it would, and really should be done using an analyzer, not just an SWR meter. I have it mounted on a 12ft fiberglass pole in the backyard, and have been using it with my FT-817. 59 reports, mostly SSB from the 4 corners of the 48 states and Canada. No DX yet. Very handy and convenient in limited space!! |
|
| KB3IFH |
Rating: |
2008-08-24 | |
| A Real Performer |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I wanted to add my 2 cents to this review since I've owned the antenna for a little while now. I've even placed a series of pictures from opening the box to final assembly on my website at http://www.bcpink.com/KB3IFH/Antenna.html . I Can only tell you it took me 2 hours, not 90 minutes to assemble, but I enjoyed every minute. hi hi! After assembly I placed the anntena on a 15' TV Antenna mast, ran with 450 ohn ladder line (as you can see in the photos) into a Palstar 4:1 Balun and into my Palstar AT1500CV tuner. Also using a TenTec ORION II for the xmtr. I am able to operate flawlessly on all bands as advertised, local and DX. QSO after QSO with no trouble. No this isn't a 3 element beam, but it's a fantastic antenna for restricted areas, portable operations, camping trips, or you just wanna have fun.
73's
Randy
KB3IFH
www.bcpink.com/KB3IFH |
|
| N4CT |
Rating: |
2008-08-17 | |
| AMAZING LIL ANT |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| THIS IS NOT YOUR OLD GOTHAM OR JOYSTICK JUNK. I AM SURPRISED HOW WELL THIS THING WORKS. I HAVE COMPARED IT TO MY 3.5MHZ INVERTED L AND IT HEARS JUST AS WELL ON 7MHZ WHICH IS THE TAK-TENNA MODEL I HAVE. TESTED IT THIS MORNING ON 7MHZ SSB WITH MY FRIEND LES, K4DY AND GUD SIGS BOTH WAYS. IT EASILY TUNES ON OTHER BANDS....WHETHER IT WORKS THAT WELL ON OTHER BANDS I DON'T KNOW YET. I THINK IT CAN PASS FOR A WIFI ANT WHICH IS ALLOWED IN THIS RESORT. I MAY TRY ONE AT 150' AT MY HS0ZDR QTH. |
|
| K7NNG |
Rating: |
2008-08-17 | |
| excellent |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Taken to task by another ham over coax radiation vs antenna. I placed 4:1 balun in line, no substancial change in signals with balun in place. Took balun out of line, signals the same.
Antenna is at 20 feet with a tailtwister for direction. Using homebrew tuner, and a Alinco DX77t that a friend let me use. Varied power from 5 watts to 100 watts with and without balun, and made lots of good contacts, mostly 4 and 5s some 6s from Denver on 80 20 and 40 mtrs.
I also use this antenna to monitor two major airports Towers, grounds, approach and departure on a scanner thru a antenna switch. I have a 120 foot dipole fed with 450 ladder with a 4:1 in system which does just fine, but the Tak-tenna does as well. I have a R-7 which is like not having a antenna at all compared to the TAK-tenna.It is coming down this weekend with help of friends. I tell you guys, for a antenna that is not supposed to work all that well, the TAK-tenna sure has my attention. It is now my primary antenna.
I am in a home for the useless and aged now. I am experiencing a memory loss problem, but I am able to stay on the air because of my physical room layout in relation to trees and my little patio, and a very nice nurse. I may dribble from my mouth, but I am in ham radio until I die. I have 24 hours a day to play radio.
My only regret is that I did not run onto the TAK-tenna sooner. Its a winner. |
|
| KI6PYZ |
Rating: |
2008-07-31 | |
| It really works. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Have made contacts on 40m,10,and 20 in several states and always rec. good signal reports. Putting the antenna together was a snap (even for a 75 yr.old novice. Took about 1 hr. A little tricky to tune but when done it works like a champ and it is only 21 ft. from ground. It can be used horizonal or vertical. I'm using it vertical. I am using a MFJ-945E tuner with my FT-897 100w PEP. I got the following readings using a MFJ-259B analyzer (analyzer is a must). 7.175 swr 2.0, 88% match, 7.200 swr 1.6, 94% match, 7.225 swr 1.3 97% match, 7.244 swr 1.2 98% match, 7.250 swr 1.3 97% match,7.275 swr 1.5 94% match,and 7.300 swr 1.9 89% match. The manufactor TAK-tenna (WA2TAK) stands behind his product and will help you on the phone with any problems you have. He (Steve Tetorka) is not satisfied until the customer is satisfied. Great service. Any questions you can email me at my QTH jwbstr33@verizon.net
KI6PYZ
|
|
| KB2EZV |
Rating: |
2008-07-30 | |
| Africa first QSO ! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I assembled the Tak Tenna and mounted it 6' off ground (as manual suggested to facilitate adjustments). I tried it at this height just to see if it would work. Well, I was surprised to get a 57 signal report in Senegal Africa ! It sure works !!!
I think it's a great product and well worth the money. I can't wait to see what it does at 10 or 20 feet ! |
|
| 2E0PJR |
Rating: |
2008-06-13 | |
| Well worth the cost |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I have had the TAK-tenna 40 for a few weeks now.It was easy to build (just about one hour).I used a TRIO DM-801 DIP METER to resonate it about mid band on 40m. It was put on a 10 foot pole with a rotater and fastened to another pole which only gave it about 15 feet above ground level.It worked very well and stations in some locations which I could hardly hear before were much clearer. I tried other bands using a Yaesu 840 with the Yaesu FC-10 automatic tuner and it tuned 40m with no problem but on other bands(20-10) it was a little high on the swr. I tried a KW E-ZEE match antenna tuner on those bands with high swr readings and with a bit of fiddling about it bought them down to about 1-3-1.So not too bad.I'm now waiting to get a 20 foot scaffold pole so I can mount it on the side of my QTH at around 30 feet and above the ridge of my roof.This antenna is well worth the cost and is small enough for any location without being obtrusive.Thanks to Steve and the guys. Regards, Peter. (2E0PJR) |
|
| NA0US |
Rating: |
2008-05-09 | |
| TAK-Tenna on My Houseboat |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I have a small houseboat I enjoy on Lake Powell in southeastern Utah. I've used a Yaesu FT-847 and ATAS-100 screwdriver in the past, with limited success. I recently sold both the radio and antenna and purchased ICOM's IC-7000, and LDG AT-200 tuner, and began looking for an alternative to antennas I could use on my boat. I ran across the TAK-Tenna and decided to give it a try.
Mounting the antenna was challenging and I affixed a 1" piece of PVC to the roof support on one side of the boat, which is about 2 to 2.5 feet above the roof of the boat. (The boat has an all aluminum roof and frame.) At the top of this PVC is a threaded "T" coupling. I have an additional 10' length of PVC with another threaded coupling and attached the TAK-Tenna to the top of this section, then screwed the extra 10' of PVC to the existing mast, placing the TAK-Tenna about 11-12' from the roof of the boat and about 20' from the surface of the water. (Of note, I put 1" pine dowel inside the PVC to give it some additional strength, which proved to be a great idea when I experienced high wind.) Next, I attached a 4' section of PVC to the "T" at 90 degrees to the mast, giving me the ability to guy the mast on the water side of the boat. I guyed the mast to the railing of the boat on front and back, then guyed the third guy to the tip of the 4' section of PVC and down to the side of the boat. In addition, I guyed the 4' section to front and back of the boat to keep the mast from rotating. I have several photographs of the setup. Two can be seen here:
http://www.ferrises.com/albums/Lake_Powell_2008-Apr/585_50_Mile_Canyon_P1020649.JPG
http://www.ferrises.com/albums/Lake_Powell_2008-Apr/352_Oak_Bay_DSCN5993.JPG
The resultant setup worked quite well and I was able to make several contacts on 80m, quite a few on 40m, and several more on 20m. All contacts were made with the IC-7000 and LDG AT-200 tuner. I checked other bands and found little activity. The antenna had no problem tuning other bands, though 17m took some time to tuneup, which was unusual for the AT-200 tuner. The SWR was higher on 17m than other bands, but was acceptable. Powering the radio are three deep cycle batteries all charged with a 120W solar panel. I also was running my laptop computer and several other devices, so battery voltage was never optimal and my normal output power was about 60W at full power due to input voltage being lower than full battery charge. In many instances, I was inside deep canyons, where canyon walls are 300-1000' above the surface of the lake and in the past, these deep canyons make for difficult HF communication.
The TAK-Tenna performed well, with contacts into California, Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Georgia, Arkansas, on 40M. I made multiple contacts to both coasts on 20M. My 80M contacts were into Utah, Arizona, and Colorado, so were what I'd consider "local", though I did not operate on 80m often. Band conditions were not the best at the time either, so I was quite pleased with the performance and can easily say that this antenna out performed the screwdriver I used in the past.
Additional photographs of the setup are available here:
http://www.ferrises.com/albums/Lake_Powell_2008-Apr/554_50_Mile_Canyon_P1020599.JPG
http://www.ferrises.com/albums/Lake_Powell_2008-Apr/555_50_Mile_Canyon_P1020603.JPG
http://www.ferrises.com/albums/Lake_Powell_2008-Apr/584_50_Mile_Canyon_P1020647.JPG
Early spring at Lake Powell can produce some unusual winds. On my last day/night at the lake, I got tied up to the beach and a storm hit which lasted about 12 hours. Winds were steady from 40-50mph and gusted much higher occassionally. I was more worried about my boat than the antenna, but when the storm subsided and I checked the antenna, there was absolutely no problem. It had been guyed properly and survived the high winds easily.
The TAK-Tenna may not be the optimal antenna to use in situations where others will fit, but in my case, the ability to erect a good performing antenna is very limited and I was very pleased with the communication I was able to make using the TAK-Tenna. I might add that I'm not a fanatical DX-er and went to Lake Powell to enjoy fishing, hiking, and relaxing and didn't operate a great deal. I'm sure I'll do more in the future and will be able to make worldwide contacts.
This antenna fit my needs quite well and I'd give a 5 star rating for my application. Next, I'm going to try it at home, but have as yet not had the time. |
|
