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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
K6VWE Rating: 2012-10-31
Excellent performing, well made antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I installed a SA-680 this past summer just before embarking on a five week driving trip to the west. The antenna performed beautifully during the trip and I made many contacts (while my wife drove) all over the US and Europe. I was especially pleased to work 3D2C on Conway Reef, which was a new entity for me. I am using the antenna with an ICOM IC-7000 and the screwdriver controller from Better RF.

This antenna is very heavy duty and requires a sturdy mount as recommended by Ron in the instruction manual. Mine is mounted just to the side of my minivan on a 2x2, L-shaped square tube which fits in a 2" id square sleeve that is welded to the trailer hitch mount under the vehicle. With this arrangement I can remove the antenna mount easily should I ever need or want to.

The instruction manual contains all of the information necessary to unpack and install the antenna. Product support by Ron is excellent. Even though he has a full time day job, he manages to respond to emails or phone calls very promptly.

I highly recommend the SA-680.
N2GLF Rating: 2012-10-23
Great Anetnna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I really can't add any additioal attributes to what has already been said by others about the SX-680, at the time of this posting there were 54 posts all giving it a 5...that about sums it up.

Before I had a picture of my mobile station on my QRZ site I returned home from a long trip making lots of contacts while my brother-in-law drove. After returning home I found a QSL card from a guy 'I did not contact' in my mail box, he wanted to know what kind of antenna I was using for my mobile station. I've enjoyed working a lot of DX stations around the world.

I've had my SX-680 for over 3 years and have never had a problem with it, I use it with a Kenwood 480HX and I use the Kenwood standard hand mic.

If you look up quality in the dictionary you should see a picture of this antenna.

73
Jerry
N7CXI Rating: 2012-04-26
18 months using the Black Widow version at home Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought the SA-680 "Black Widow" black-anodized version with the Home Install pack. At the time, we lived in a neighborhood with VERY fussy neighbors, but after putting the SA-680 on the roof of an outbuilding nestled back away from the main house, I don't think any of them noticed.

The antenna performed remarkably well. In the 90 days I used it before moving, I made at least several hundred contacts on 20m and up. I also made contacts on 40 and 75m. 75 wasn't as good as 20, but far better than I expected from that small an antenna.

After moving, I now have the antenna set up on a tripod in the front yard. We have five acres of flat land with a few trees at the new place, so I've strung a full sloper for for 160, and an OCF dipole for 80-10. The Scorpion SA-680 "Black Widow" with the "hamstick" radials still holds it's own on 20m as compared to the OCF dipole, and quite often performs better than the OCF dipole on 17m and up, depending on direction and conditions.
Let's put it this way: I like the antenna well enough that one of my plans for this spring/summer is to build a radial field for 40m and up, and mount the SA-680 on a pipe right above ground level. Who needs multiband trap verticals, when you can tune the antenna continuously?

A great long-term investment, in my book.

73,
Jim Barber, N7CXI
N5SWE Rating: 2012-03-29
2 years and still best Time Owned: more than 12 months.
You can NOT find a better mobile antenna.
Ron will spend all the time you need to make sure you are happy with it.
I am very very very impressed with the performance of this antenna. 2 years now.
Everyone who looks at it is impressed with the quality of construction.
This is the one!!!
I have the shorty model.
W2RIK Rating: 2012-03-29
The best there is! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I for one will buy a product based on what other people have to say about it. As you can see from Ron’s 5/5 rating, there are some very happy HAMS out there using his antenna. I bought my first Scorpion SA-680™ about three years ago and my very first contact was to Portugal from the Outerbridge Crossing which is a bridge that connects Staten Island, NY with New Jersey. I broke the pileup with my first call and that is all it took for me to be convinced that this is the best mobile antenna on the market and you will not find any better even for twice the cost.

I have been working HF mobile for quite a few years and started out using HamSticks. I then upgraded to a competitors screwdriver with a “lifetime warranty”. Yeah right! This fellow disappeared two years later. On the other hand, I have been in communication with Ron over the past few years and his tech support is paramount to anyone else in the industry. He will email or call you back and spend time working with you to resolve your problem. Earlier in this review I stated that three years ago I bought my first Scorpion SA-680™, last week I ordered my second one for another vehicle because they are just that good!
WH7W Rating: 2012-03-18
Well designed and executed screwdriver antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I will echo all of the comments noted by other owners of the Scorpion Screwdriver.

From contact with Ron (email/telephone), to shipping/packaging, quality, build--this is the screwdriver to which all others should be compared.

I have had one of the other eHam highly regarded screwdrivers for ~10 yrs. Ron's is better-which is quite a compliment as the other brand screwdriver is/was also very functional.

This is a solid antenna and notably heavier. Plan your mount accordingly. Please be sure to read the other reviews.

Yes--I would recommend and buy this antenna again. This is a fine example of you get what you pay for. If you are serious about mobile/portable/home operations, I can honestly say get a Scorpion. You will not regret it.
AE7I Rating: 2012-02-26
Most can't believe I am a mobile station! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
If you want to sound like a typical mobile station, then don't get this antenna. However, if you want to get comments like "I can't believe you are mobile!", then this antenna is for you.

I matched the SA-680 with an Icom 7000, Ameritron ALS-500M with remote head, and BetterRF Company 7000 Tune Control and 7000 Screwdriver Controller and get daily complements on my station's signal. Sure, the amplifier helps, but combined with the SA-680 it is a base station on wheels.

The quality of this antenna's construction is impressive. It is clearly built to last and looks great too! Granted, it is a beast of an antenna and requires a sturdy mount, but it pays dividends in putting out an excellent signal. I now enjoy both casual conversations as well as DX while traveling around in my truck. My SiriusXM Radio rarely gets turned on anymore as I find HF mobile too interesting.

I love quality equipment and this antenna fits the bill! Thanks for the great antenna Ron!
KI5J Rating: 2012-02-13
Solid, Well Constructed Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The shipping container is the first indication of a superb product, the best I've experienced. All the components were there, just waiting to be installed. Since this is a heavy antenna at 18 Lbs, it demands a stout mount. After discussion with Ron Douglass (NI7J) about recommended mounting techniques, I decided on a triangle shaped flat 3/8" steel plate approx 12"x12" front and left (drivers side) bed rails on my pickup truck. A 3/4" hole drilled in the center of the plate for the mounting stud completed the mechanical portion of the install. Wiring was then completed and impedance match checked on all bands. No reactance noted ... just resistance, was a welcome event when checked with the antenna analyzer. The shunt coil was perfect, right out of the box ... no adjustment necessary. This unit tunes very easily, by just maximizing Rcvr noise and then making very slight adjustment for lowest SWR at low power. Also, there is no motor noise during tuning, and SWR matching is 1.2:1 or better on all bands. Compared to a High Sierra 1500, it is much more broad banded on the 40 & 80 meter bands, so less retuning across the band is needed. Love this antenna and would not trade it for any other!
N3JCV Rating: 2012-01-18
They think I am a base station Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I purchased a Scorpion antenna last year and what a difference it made to my mobile HF experiences. I installed the antenna on my truck with an Aluminum bridge in the bed of my truck. I typically run 300 to 400 watts and if I can hear them, I can work them 100% of the time. I love it every time I hear, "you don't sound like a mobile station". Ron Douglass helped me with a few issues I had that were my fault. Another great source of information about mobile HF was Alan Applegate, K0BG. You must study his website if you want to take mobile HF seriously. This antenna, when installed correctly, is the best money can buy.
K5WBM Rating: 2011-12-08
Excellent Mobile Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Ron was extremely helpful helping me decide on a proper mounting location and setup for my truck. He custom modified the tube length for my application to get the coil away from surrounding metal. The SWR is less than 1.5 on 80m-10m. My first contact with the mobile setup was the T32C DXpedition. This antenna works really well with a Icom 7000 and BetterRF tune control.

I highly recommend this antenna!