| AD4GB |
Rating:      |
2009-05-07 | |
| Awesome Antenna! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I had been shopping for a screwdriver antenna for a long time but all the popular brands are so expensive and I could not bring myself to pay such elaborate prices for a mobile antenna. I started surfing the classified for a used screwdriver and came across Alpine Antennas, I checked them out on eham and saw the great reviews and bought one.
I installed my new antenna and wow what a performer! I am very pleased with the initial performance that I have with it, my first contact was with a fellow across the state on ground wave, then I made contact with the mid-west country cousins and got 5-9 reports all the way around from folks all over the U.S.and Canada. I was even able to cut through the pile-ups on 20 meters with the New England Qso parties! Also I was surprised to see it covered everything from 80-6 meters! Just like the other reviews said the owner of Alpine called me himself to ask how the antenna was doing and if I had any questions! I doubt any other antenna company would do that! They have my endorsement! Great quality also!
73's and God Bless,
Grady AD4GB
|
|
| KC2QVQ |
Rating:      |
2009-04-22 | |
| GREAT ANTENNA |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I bought this antenna thinking if it works great if not I'm not out a car paypayment.I installed it on my little truck and WOW it worked I mean it really worked!!!! made 9 contacts into Ga.qso party ,worked S58N in Solvenia,ON7CD in Belgium and G0BLB in U.K. from my driveway on 40m w/FT857d at 100w.For the price of this antenna you can't go wrong.The best part of all this was Wes the owner/builder tracked me down to ask how it was going and if I needed any help with the installation.Wes my hats off to you great product. |
|
| HAPPYHAMGUY |
Rating:      |
2009-04-10 | |
| Great Product and Great Value |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The Alpine Screwdriver Antenna is a great bargain
After experiencing the joys of being a ham for the past few years on my base station in my QTH, I felt
it was time for me to install a transciever in my SUV. I wanted the capability of multiband operation
but I did not want to spend a great deal of money for this setup.
Whenever I attended a tailgate or a hamfest, I noticed that quite a few mobiles were equipped with a
screwdriver antenna, some of them were elaborate installations and practically screamed out
" I am very expensive". But I wanted an antenna that was easy to install, detachable as needed, and
affordable. So one evening as I was net surfing I came accross the Alpine Screwdriver Antenna
and the first thing that caught my eye was the fact that it was very affordable, so I decided to call
customer support and ask a few questions. Wes answered my questions to my satisfaction and
I ordered the antenna. The service after the sale was incredible as Wes called me frequently to
answer any questions that may have popped up regarding shipment, installation, or anything
else relating to the product. On a scale of 1 to 10 compared to other companies, I would rate
him a 20.
The Installation
Installing it was as easy as eating mother's cooking, as Wes has provided documentation
that was pretty much idiot proof. The only thing that took any period of time was the construction
of the control unit as I built it from scratch. I used power poles to allow for quick disconnect
as needed.
Does it work
Yes, it works well for me, I have used it on 10 thru 75 meters and I have never used over
100 watts of power. So If you are in the market for a Srewdriver Antenna and you want
Your self, the YL, and Your Wallet to be happy, then you need to purchase the Alpine Screwdriver
Antenna. The price is under $200.00 for all models and the Customer Service is great.
73,
KI4JGH |
|
| KC8ZNL |
Rating:      |
2009-03-25 | |
| I WOULD BUY FROM THEM AGAIN |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Alpine was very easy to communicate with.(They even do fallow-up calls "just to see") I found the antenna to be of high quality. A GREAT antenna for the $$. I live in Michigan, my first two days with it I made contacts to California on 17m, Brazil on 15m, Bulgaria on 20m, half of the eastern and midwestern states on 20,40,80 ALL WITH NOTHING LESS THAN A 5/9 REPORT. If I can hear them I can work them with just a 706mk2g 100 watts. And today I found that with a 66 inch whip I can resonate 6m as well(tune in 40m first then go to 6m) These antennas tune best with a field strength meter leave the swr bridge out of line. |
|
| N0SPY |
Rating:      |
2009-01-11 | |
| Outstanding product & service |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Not only did I get a great product for my money that works just like I expected it would, I got 2 calls from the company/owner to get my feedback on the operation, etc. When was the last time you got a call back wanting to know how their product was working? This is the way business should run...My solid endorsment. N0SPY |
|
| KI6SVI |
Rating:      |
2008-12-01 | |
| Great price, works great, great customer service. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I'm a new ham and was looking for an antenna that was portable, and easy to use. I was told about Alpine antenna from a friend and long time ham. I called Wes from Alpine antenna, and ordered it, he had it ready for me in just a couple of days. The mounting was easy and straight forward. Tuning is very easy on this antenna, even for a beginner. I tested it out and our 1st contact was in Brazil, with a good report, in the driveway of my friends house, I was amazed and sold on it. Since then I have made contacts all over the U.S. and Canada. My first camping trip with it was great as well, I was near Death Valley and made contacts all over the western states.I highly recommend it, the price is very reasonable compared to others, and Wes the owner has even called on several occasions to make sure I was happy with his product, great customer service! |
|
| WA5FLV |
Rating:     |
2008-08-22 | |
| Great buy! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
For the money this is a top notch antenna. With a little understanding of what is supposed to happen it is easy to use. Like any mobile antenna the key is GROUND.
The motor is noisy but again for the price you don't care.
I have dedicated this antenna to use on a trailer with push up mast, generator and assorted antenna gear. For use to deploy as a portable base in emergencies. Mounted to the trailer frame. (GROUND)
Have mounted the base on a tripod, with radials, ground rod and of course the coax and cable to run motor. This can be set up in a matter of minutes. Gives multi band use in a limited space. Wire antennas for 80 and 40 to compliment the screwdriver as room and time permit. Gives just a bit more agility to the platform.
First tests of this antenna gave good results. Good SWR over a reasonable bandwidth. Rapid band change. Typical of what I have come to expect from a mobile screwdriver antenna.
Can't say enough about Wes! Again a top notch Amateur Radio Operator. He has called to check on how I use the antenna and the results I have gotten out of it. Very helpful. I think he is "old school" and thinks about what is right and customer satisfaction.
Good buy, good customer service, good man.
It ain't perfect but it sure works good. |
|
| NN3RP |
Rating:      |
2008-08-21 | |
| Outstanding |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
For the past couple of months I have been searching on the Net for the best deal on a HF screw driver antenna system. Not that I didn’t have one in place but I wanted to upgrade my existing ATAS 100 and Outbacker Split. The ATAS100 tunes just fine with FT-857D but cannot handle more than 100 watts. In the other hand, the Outbacker is just a fine system that can handle 300 watts but I dislike the fact that I have to get out of the car to switch bands. And also only a portion of the band gets you good SWR. If I need to be at the upper portion of the band then I need to recalibrate the antenna with the stinger. I am one that likes to swivel the dial up and down the band and hence the need for a system that can allow me to do this automatically, without a tuner, and can withstand at least 500 watts. One other requirement, in my research and as important, was that I need to quickly connect / disconnect the system from Trailblazer. The last requirements had to do with performance and pricing besides the need for additional accessories.
I have been learning about High Sierra, Hi-Q screwdriver antennas as they present multiband operation and easiness of switching bands automatically. Although they can meet some of my above mention needs, my budget will not allow me to embark in one of them. I also noticed that there might be additional accessories to purchase for them. So I became disappointed in my search.
But luck was just waiting to be discovered.
While looking around eHam.net classifieds area I stumbled into Alpine Antennas by KA6ELK (Wes)and decided to give him a call.
In conversing with Wes I learned many aspects of his system.
He further told me what I will need in order to make the antenna tune up/down the band in use (this is a motorized antenna). Merely a simple DPDT 20-Amp Momentary Flip Switch (Catalog #275-709 / $5.00) from RadioShack was all that was needed to find the resonant point and to lower the SWR. I also needed to buy a stainless steel 72” whip. He recommended MFJ-1964 ($21.95 + s/h) for best performance.
He also assured me that I will be able to quickly disconnect the antenna in no time.
So I decided to give it a try and sent for one. This antenna, I thought, will meet my needs, performance and price wise.
My Ham mobile station consists of FT-857D onto ALS500M to a Daiwa 2K SWR/Power meter. In preparation to the arrival of the antenna, my Trailblazer had a 2” hitch already in place for the Outbacker Split. It was just going to be a simple matter of removing the existing mounting hardware and store away for making room to my new antenna.
Well, the antenna arrived one day late. But it was here and I started unpacking it. I went into the backyard fully prepared with necessary tools to set it up. This included repellent against mosquitoes. They are pretty abundant in this area.
Once the electrical connections were made, coax attached, ground strap connected, and the whip placed to the antenna top, I turned on the FT-857D. As soon as I started moving the flip switch down, I heard the motor inside the antenna making noises. At the same time, I started hearing the typical noise of the radio when tuned to the right antenna. A few more flips, while watching the Daiwa meter, put the antenna at a 1:1 SWR at the frequency on display (middle of the 20M band). In fact, the RF back was, to my surprise, almost 0 (zero). The PEP reflected the actual setting of the rig. Moved the frequency up / down and noticed how broad the antenna was.
I have made distant and short distance QSOs with this antenna both with and without my amp. Reports are just great. And the broadness of this antenna is just awesome. Also, at least for my case, I don't need to buy any fansy controller or any other accessories.
My wife and I concurred that we have gotten what we were looking for on an antenna system. When we discussed price and performance, and also easiness of maneuvering it, we realized that we have gotten a great deal on this screw driver.
Thanks for your support to the Ham community Wes! |
|
| W9JCM |
Rating:      |
2008-06-10 | |
| Top Notch! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Excellent product. Reason I went with Wes at Alpine antennas is because number one Price and quality of design. The customer service is outstanding and I highly recommend this product to anyone thats looking for a screwdriver. Performance is on par with any other screwdriver out there. Wes is always around to answer any questions you have. |
|
| WM4RB |
Rating:      |
2008-04-27 | |
| Great Screwdriver Antenna |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I purchased this antenna and had a small problem with it. I called Wes and he promptly helped me out. Wes has a good product and outstanding customer service at a very reasonal price. I have 2 other screwdiver antennas from other manufactures on my truck and bronco. Wes's antenna is as good or better and at a much better price. You will not be disappointed with this antenna.
73,
Mike WM4RB |
|