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Reviews For: Tarheel Little Tarheel II

Category: Antennas: HF Mobile & Accessories

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Review Summary For : Tarheel Little Tarheel II
Reviews: 65MSRP: 379
Description:
When properly installed on your vehicle this antenna will provide continuous coverage from 3.5 to 54 MHz with the supplied whip. The Little Tarheel II antenna like all of our motorized antenna models are built to meet the highest standards but in a smaller size.

All of our antennas come with the sensors already pre-installed so if you decide to add one of the auto controllers (Tarheel Simple Controller, Tarheel Programmable Controller, Turbo Tuner, Antenna BOSS and BOSS II, SDC-100 or the SDC-102) now or later everything is ready.

We designed this antenna for the person who wants to enjoy HF mobile but is not interested in our large antennas. Don't let the small size fool you because we designed this antenna to be mounted higher on the vehicle, and when mounted higher on the vehicle you have less ground loses which equals higher performance. Also, because of the smaller size you can use a more common type of mount like the Diamond K400 Series, the Comet Series or similar 3/8" stud type mount.

And like our other antennas you get the same great look with our Dupont Imron 5000 system with standard colors of black, white, red or silver. It also comes with the LexanTM Weather Shield like its big brothers, not the flimsy stuff others use. This model also uses the commercial 12 volt gear motor.

We designed the Little Tarheel II as a package. All you need extra is a mount of some sort and a nice HF radio. Included standard with the Little Tarheel II antenna is: the whip, 20 ft. of plug & play control cable, manual control box, ferrite decoupling core and 3/8-24 stud.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.tarheelantennas.com/little_tarheel_ii
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00654.9
KD9MF Rating: 2009-09-16
revision of my 0 rating. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
tarheel took care of the trouble, no charge. also gave me a new set of wires and switch, no charge. need to retract my 1st rating , they are top notch and customer service is absolutely the best. they bent over backwards to be sure i was happy.
W7VI Rating: 2009-07-27
Greaat Little antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had my Little Tarheel antenna for about 30 days and it is everything they advertise it wil do. G3VHF, Carlo Eavis said it all read his review (report) on the Tarheel website. I am pleased with the antenna . So far the antenna has preformed well. when I have it permenantly installed I will give a more detail reprort; but for now it is great!
VE7LGF Rating: 2009-07-24
With Antenna Boss and FT-100d Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have installed the Little Tarheel II and Antenna Boss with Yaesu FT-100d. Sure tunes nicely 6m-40m and is easy to drive manual with rocker spring center switch. Tune to 75m and listen for noise to increase...Reduce output power and Tx AM FM, or CW with carrier to see low VSWR. One click up or down and resonant. Sure wish I could find a discontinued W4RT Y-OTT One touch tune or the LDG Y-OTT One-touch tune module for autotune 75m...
73 de Glen VE7LGF ve7lgf@rac.ca
NV7E Rating: 2009-07-17
Great for use with rental car Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My job is in South Africa these days but I make an annual trip home to Elko, Nevada to operate as NV7E. There I have to operate portable or mobile from a rental car. After trying other antennas, I have found the Little Tarheel II to be the best mobile solution for that type of situation. Because it is light and has low wind resistance even at 70 mph, the Little Tarheel II can be lip mounted on the trunk of a sedan using a Diamond K-400-3/8C mount. It easily fits into your suitcase. It sets up in just a few minutes. It handles 100 watts with no problem. On-the-air performance is wonderful. I added a longer whip for improved performance on the lower bands.

Last year I used the standard control switch supplied with the Little Tarheel II but found the wires used from the switch to the antenna too thin and they kept breaking. This year I used Tarheel’s optional SDC-102 Programmable Controller. It works great. I assigned a button for each band on the SDC-102 and once programmed it returned to the desired frequency. Once on the proper band you can fine tune the antenna with the SDC-102 using your rig’s SWR meter. I used a Diamond SX-20C meter because it is easier to see. An advantage of the SDC-102 over some other controller options is that it can be used with any HF transceiver. I also recommend the antenna quick-disconnect option so you can detach the antenna and put in the trunk easily for security.

The Little Tarheel II is an excellent value. I look forward to using it again on my next trip to Nevada.

ZS6SIG
KI4RGD Rating: 2009-07-13
Get One! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
If you're reading these reviews you are undoubtably asking yourself whether or not its worth it. It is! Here's my story.

I drive a 2 door Jeep Wrangler, soft top. I have two after market antenna mounts side by side next to the spare tire. The antenna mounts are attached to the tailgate of the Jeep. I have a ground strap from the gate to the vehicle. I have multiple ground straps underneath as well. (Hint - ground your vehicle)

The coax runs inside the gate of the Jeep. The control box cable just slips in through the soft top/gate opening. I wanted the control box cable easily accessible in case I had to disconnect the antenna quickly. You never know in a Jeep when you'll have to remove an expensive antenna!

You don't really need an expensive "control box" to find the perfect SWR. All you have to do is listen, its that easy. Change to a band you want to operate. More than likely, the band will sound flat - no static. Raise or lower the antenna using the manual control box. In a few seconds you'll hear the static loud-and-clear! You're close! Now, give your radio a low watt carrier, using voice on 5 watts say your callsign and note the SWR. Trim the antenna up or down until the SWR is agreeable. Give it full power (or enough to make the contact) and you're good to go!

I can do this whole process while driving, shifting gears and drinking coffee - amazing! I digress. This is a great, tough (tuff) antenna. My Jeep feels every bump, hole, rut, rock, etc.. on the road. This antenna just rides along! Yep - its a hum-dinger! I recomend this one!

How does it play? For a mobile HF station, pretty good. I use the standard whip (currently) and I can make contacts across the country, into Europe and South America. I heard Japan the other morning - he couldn't hear me due to everyone and their brother trying to get through.... go figure (I'm only pushing 100w).

To sum up, the Tarheel II is a great little HF screwdriver antenna. You won't be disappointed. If it can handle the abuse of a Jeep - then it should be able to handle anything out there.
W3PDW Rating: 2009-06-29
Worth every penny Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Have had mine installed for two years now. Great working antenna. My only suggestion to anyone buying it is to buy the longer 56" whip. You will lose 6 meters but the improvement on the other bands is worth it.
KI4GSV Rating: 2009-06-26
Great Product/service Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
As a novice to HF Mobile I called and talked to Mr Robert. He took time and patience to explain the principles ( > 1 hr.) he also refered me to a few publications. He stated that when I was ready to install that if I had any problems with his product to contact him. The Tarheel II has been installed for about a year and I have hit almost everything with it ie stations heard as well as the lights in the bank drive thru and numerous trees. Great Product and Service I just wish all companies would follow his example..

Buy one , You won't be disappointed...

73

Bill KI4GSV
W3BIG Rating: 2009-05-09
Fantastic antenna for mobile HF Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The Little Tarheel II replaced (2) Yaesu ATAS-120 antennas, both of which failed due to poor construction. The Little Tarheel II is a solid, well-built unit that is a pleasure to use as a system with my FT-100D and W4RT Antenna Boss.

The Little Tarheel II coupled with the Antenna Boss makes tuning a snap. From 10-40 meters you press the TUNE button on the transceiver and the antenna moves to the "resonant" point on the coil. For 75 meters you turn off the ATAS-120 auto-tune function on the radio and use a rocker switch to raise and lower the antenna.

Here's some advice. Screwdriver antennas need a GOOD GROUND to work properly. Don't overlook the importance of grounding the transceiver to the chassis of your vehicle. A proper ground is necessary for your antenna to find an acceptable SWR. Tuning will be difficult or impossible without it.

After two years of service, I began having trouble with the system. The antenna wasn't tuning. After checking everything I was still baffled until I checked the ground connection on the chassis of my Jeep Cherokee. The connection had rusted and was probably presenting too much resistance for a good ground. I resolved the problem by finding a new grounding point. I lightly sanded the new hole, used flat washers and a solid nut and bolt to secure the wire. I then coated the new ground connection with white lithium grease. The antenna system is back in operation and tuning flawlessly.

The Little Tarheel II is a terrific little antenna. It is well-built and should provide years of excellent service. Don't blame the antenna if you experience erratic operation. Check your ground. It's probably the culprit.
KK8ZZ Rating: 2009-04-17
Tough, reliable, XYL approved ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had the Little Tarheel II on the lift gate of my Toyota Highlander for nearly 4 years, in all kinds of weather conditions and temperatures from 120 degrees F. down to -15 degrees F. It works through the excellent Turbo Tuner and connects to the Icom IC-7000. I am able to check in to the ECARS net any morning I want to, mobile, and have used it on 75 (YES, 75!), 40, 20, 17 and 6 meters. It has never failed to give a quick match, stay on the freq selected w/o retuning, and QSY when I needed it to. The construction is excellent, so much better than the HS antennas I had before. Look at the power connector, for one thing. Tarheel has a neatly semi-sealed 4 pin connector, and the other brand uses a cheap 2 pin trailer connector that corrodes the first winter. Robert's paint jobs are first-class, and the hardware still shows NO SIGN of rust despite the salty Ohio and Michigan winter roads. The Tarheel II's weather shield is MUCH better than the Hi Sierra version - which I had to replace TWICE on the "sidekick" due to scuffs and cracking. This Little Tarheel II is one of the BEST ham radio bargains out there... buy quality the first time, and you'll never have to buy something better the second time. This antenna is absolutely first-class. de KK8ZZ/happily mobile
K8VE Rating: 2009-04-03
Great Mobile Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used this antenna with a Turbo Tuner both Mobile for several years and once Maritime Mobile. Using my ICOM 706MIIG and Tarheel II During Hamradio Cruise 2008(October) made over 200 QSO's from my Balcony Stateroom on the Carnival Victory. W8AF and I won the WV QSO Party mobile with an Icom 706MIIG, Turbo Tuner and the Tarheel II. I have previously used an ATAS system and other Mobile HF antennas with auto tuners. While the others were ok, The Tarheel II and Turbo Tuner along with my Kenwood 480HX or the Icom 706 blows the others away.