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Reviews For: Scorpion Antennas SA-680

Category: Antennas: HF Mobile & Accessories

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Review Summary For : Scorpion Antennas SA-680
Reviews: 106MSRP: 1045
Description:
SA-680 covers 10 through 80 meters.
Length retracted: 39” Extended:57”
3 inch diameter coil with 10 gage tinned copper wire wound at 6 Threads Per Inch.
Mobile or backyard typical vswr 1.5:1 or less.
Antenna rated at 1500 watts PEP
Weight 18 Lbs
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.scorpionantennas.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
151065
KC0W Rating: 2010-05-05
Great Antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Installed a SA-680 in the center of my Silverado's bed & have been very happy with the results ever since.
My previous mobile antenna was a HI-Q which I was not real happy with. Customer support from HI-Q was even worse.............
As always, ground, ground & then ground some more. You can't go wrong with this antenna!!!


Operating 100% CW Mobile from North Dakota,



Tom KCØW

VE7HRA Rating: 2010-02-26
best antenna and service Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have enjoyed my Scorpion for 2 years now. Construction is the best. I have owned 2 other mobile motorized antennas and this one leaves the others in the dust.
I have checked into the BC Public service net (3729)many times from Yuma Az. with no problem. The recieving station was in the middle of BC, which is almost 2200 miles.
In Quartzsite this year at Quartfest 2010 we had an antenna shootout. My 680 won the 100 watt "screwdriver" mobil mount I won the event over a couple of the better known antennas. In the run what you brung I was 3rd, beat out by a fullsize dipole and a marine antenna. The recieving staions were in the Bay area and L.A.
I did have a small problem with the antenna and sent it to Ron to have a look at it. He fixed the minor problem upgraded everything to today's standard and shipped it back to me in BC, all at nocharge. I did expect to pay the shipping but Ron said no, he would pick up the tab.
How much better could this man be?
Ron is a super guy, and a great boost to Ham Radio and Scorpion Antennas. If I could give a 10 out of 10 it would have it.
KC7WVE Rating: 2009-12-06
The best antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had this antenna for over a year, before I owned a High sierra and other different antennas, but the perform on the Scorpion antenna is the best; it is a great Customer service. Ron is a great person to talk on the phone or in person; he takes all the necessary time to answer your question and to make sure you understand all the details.
I talked to a different station in the USA and out side the country and the results are fantastic, people don't believe I am in mobile with 100 watts out put. SWR in all the bands are very low.
Until today, I never had to open the antenna for any maintenance like others do.
This antenna maybe expensive but you really pay for an excellent antenna and a very good customer support.
Remember, this is a steel antenna. It is not cheep aluminum.

Thank you very much Ron.
Felix
kc7wve
K6DTK Rating: 2009-10-20
Terrific Antenna and Customer Service Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
While the quality of the antenna is superb, it is the customer service that Ron delivers, in addition to a great product, that makes the Scorpion Antenna such a great buy.

There is nothing light or medium duty about this antenna, including the packaging. I use the antenna at camp during our back country 4WD expeditions and nothing but stout equipment will survive.

If there is any one thing that I would emphasize, it is to carefully read and re-read the information about mobile antenna installation that Alan K0BG has compiled. Between Ron and Alan, there are none better.
KK7HO Rating: 2009-09-18
Exceptional Performance & built to last Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Well, after using the Scorpion Antennas SA-680 for over a year in the hot Nevada desert I have to say that it is built to last. No kidding, this antenna, besides still looking new after a year of Nevada desert heat, being bounced around while off-roading in the desert and being tuned thousands of times - has operated flawlessly and has surpassed every other antenna I have used for HF Mobile. The signal reports and testing I have done early on has proved it to be a top performer and this still holds true after a year of operation. The icing on the cake is...it has a lifetime guarantee. It's not often that you find a product that lives up to the hype...this one does. I highly reccomend this antenna for anyone who wants to do it right and only do it once.
K0BG Rating: 2009-09-07
Perfection at its finest! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
It would be hard to surpass what's already been said about the Scorpion 680. And it doesn't make any difference which attribute we're talking about. It is the best of the best! However, a few corrections need to be made.

First, is its power rating. Although rated at 1,500 watts PEP, it will easily handle 1,500 dead carrier for as long as you desire. Other similarly rated antennas, if they don't melt first, become very warm after just a few moments at full legal limit, PEP or otherwise! This is telltale that their coil Qs are substandard.

The advertised SWR rating is <1.5:1, which means the input impedance is very close to 50 ohms. This is true because the Scorpion comes with a pre-wound, shunt matching coil (the preferred method, by the way). If you remove the matching coil, and measure its resonant input impedance, it will be from 3 to 6 ohms less (depending on the band) than the unmatched input impedance of its nearest competitor. Again, this is telltale of superior coil Q.

It is heavy! At 18 pounds, it requires due diligence when mounting. However, there is a hidden factor here which most mobile operators never consider, and that's ground loss. After all, the best HF mobile antenna money can buy, isn't any better than its mounting scheme. This is particularly true of high quality antennas like the Scorpion. The better they're mounted, the more their superior performance is evident. Therefore, consider its weight as a hidden attribute.

I've never been a screwdriver antenna fan for a variety of reasons. This said, if they were all this good, I would have switched long before now!

Alan, KØBG
www.k0bg.com
W4XTL Rating: 2009-09-07
First Class Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased my Scorpion SA-680 about a month ago. I researched HF Mobile antennas for over 3 months and decided on the Scorpion for following reasons

1. Quality
This is a first class antenna, built with high quality materials and excellent workmanship. I have looked at and researched every screwdriver antenna on the market and there's not one that even comes close to the quality and design of this antenna. The antenna is first rate and you will not be disappointed and the design and quality is a step above the rest. Even the shipping Packaging was top notch!!!

2. Warranty
The antenna has a Lifetime Warranty; also there is also a 30-day return policy. If you are not completely satisfied with the Antenna after 30 days you can return it for a full refund! I'm not sending mine back it's a keeper and plan to use it for many years. My bet if you get your hands on one you will not send it back.

3. Antenna Mounting System
The Antenna has unique feature, a built-in quick disconnect at the base of the antenna. The built-in quick disconnect is installed onto a 3/4 inch all thread. There is not a stronger or easier to work with mounting system out there. I wanted a mounting system that was strong enough and avoid any metal clamps around the antenna mast. Ron's mounting system is strong enough to do this.

4. Efficiency
Scorpion 680, with its 3-inch coil wound with #10 plated wire with 6 turns per inch, it's one of the highest average Q commercially available moblie antenna out on the market. This antenna is for my vehicle I drive to work. I live one hour from work and in the frist few days of install I worked 12 states while traveling to work. Matching and tuning of the antenna was a snap and couldn't been easier.

5. Post Sale Support
Scorpion's Ron Douglass NI7J is a reflection of his antenna quality, post sale support is outstanding and is 2nd to nobody. I researched the post sale support and did not find one unhappy owner of a Scorpion antenna. Also Ron is extremely helpful and prompt with his responses to my questions. After getting the antenna in hand and installing it I fully understand why I couldn't find one unhappy owner. I found some Scorpion antenna owner's that have owned some of the other popular brands and said they where happier with the Scorpion SA-680 performance and support.

Sure you can buy a cheaper mobile antenna and believe me I didn't want to pay 600.00 for a HF mobile antenna.
But here is the deal, I wanted to do it right the first time and was looking for a antenna with high quality materials and efficiency. I don't have a unlimited supply of money or time to replace antennas, so I needed a antenna that will last a long time and maintain top performance. I think this antenna will do that without any problems.
I am 110% satisfied and glad I bought this antenna instead of going with any other HF mobile antenna.

Note: you must do your research on installing you HF mobile system and a good place to start is Alan R. Applegate, K0BG http://www.k0bg.com/.
Because the best antenna in the world will not do you any good if it's not property installed.
Thanks Alan for a great website.

In today's world of substandard design, support and materials in products on the market it's "refreshing" to find a great top notch product.
You will not be dissatisfied!!

So if you are looking for a top notch mobile antenna that will last you a lifetime this is the one to get.

Thanks to Ron Douglass NI7J for having a great antenna on the market.
K5WF Rating: 2009-04-01
This is an excellent, well-built antenna. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased the Scorpion SA-680 about a mounth ago and use it on my motor home. I run 100 watts from an IC-7000 and have worked stations all over the world (mostly on 20 and 40 meters SSB). The antenna is very well built and works great. Ron is a great guy to deal with.

K5WF
NK4I Rating: 2009-02-25
Amazing!!! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I won mine during the most recent ARRL on-line auction. It was money well spent!

It's mounted inside the bed rail over the fender on my Dodge Ram 2500. The quality of the antenna makes my homebrew mount look sad. And my grounding isn't what it should be to the body parts forward of the bed. But this thing just works, and does it well.

I've had no problem working EA, UR, YN, and I5 while being mobile in South Carolina. Even picked up K5D on 3 bands.

I would highly recommend this antenna. Support is great and customer service is a priority.

73, Tighe
K4ELO Rating: 2009-02-06
Great product Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have been using this antenna for about 4 months now.
I can't really rate the performance since I installed it on the balcony of a 3rd floor apartment and I have a very limited ground plane - about 40sf of aluminum screen under it. So it's operating under poor circumstances, but I have been able to work stations with it, including EU on 40m cw.

The quality is excellent - first class. Materials and construction couldn't be better. Ron's customer service is great. He has been extremely helpful and prompt with his responses to my questions.

It has outperformed my MFJ mag loop both in lower noise level and stronger reception.

For apartment dwellers with a balcony who can't put up wires, it's the best solution I have found.