| N5XJT |
Rating:  |
2024-07-04 | |
| Needs Help |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
UPDATE: Following tree damage to my LDG S9 I purchased the Alpha S9 as a replacement. First it was shipped loose in a large tube tossing about with the wire laying outside the antenna and it had to be reinserted. Assembly was ok other than restringing the wire which has been reduced to about 16 ga. The exit hole is drilled too low on the antenna and allows the wire to scrape on your mounting pole so you will need to redrill it. The power handling has been reduced from the LDG rating of 1kw to Alpha rating of 250 watts so this eliminates using an amplifier. Aside from these issues works ok but not as good as the LDG model. Also noteworthy is the price difference, LDG model cost around $100 shipped, the Alpha model cost $199 plus shipping.
Bought mine about 2 yrs ago while LDG was still making and selling these antennas. Easy to install except for digging the radials and it blends into the background better than expected. A bit nosier than my trap dipole but works well and receive is very good. One oddity, the S9v31 is advertised as providing 40 thru 6 coverage but mine easily tunes to 1.5 or less on 75 meters with only a 31 ft. height. This is a good inexpensive antenna which tunes easily on all bands despite the off the chart SWR/Ohms readings. Note...you will need a good tuner. |
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| AC8HZ |
Rating: |
2023-06-26 | |
| Good system for Field Day / POTA |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I purchased this antenna last fall and made a simple portable mount with some EMT clamps and 2 foot of 3/4" EMT. The mount worked but need improvement, my first try.
I tried at first using a 4:1 BALUN and some ground radials, my analyzer told me that that was not going to work.
I talked with Steve at Alpha and he said I need to use the HOA buster match. Well I did and used this on Field day 23. It was simple and worked as he said. Great simple antenna for portable operations.
I look forward to this giving me better portable operations with a simple setup. |
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| KD9HJU |
Rating: |
2023-01-04 | |
| Still a great antenna! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
As an operator with physical space restrictions that can't lift a heavy antenna, this Alpha Antenna S9v31 is the perfect fit for my 15, 40 & 80M CW and occasional 10M SSB activations at my home QTH. At 3.5 pounds, this 31-foot antenna collapses to about 43 inches, which also makes it great for future POTA (Parks on the Air) that I am planning to do.
I was told that Alpha Antenna bought S9 Antennas because they didn't want to see a great antenna system go away. Turns out to be true! You will see great reviews stating clearance prices, and fortunately it is back, even though it is at full price. That should ensure this great antenna is around for a long time to come for hams like me.
I've used the antenna both as a 40/15 meter resonant vertical and had armchair DX QSOs as well as used it with the S9 Alpha Match, which makes it a 10-80M antenna. To install the S9 I put a short pipe into the ground and slid the antenna over it. I also put a round piece of plastic that I had cut a hole in between the vertical element and the dirt. I then connected optional 35' radials from Alpha to the bottom grounding bolt of the S9 Alpha Match, but they aren't perfectly laid out. I sort of deployed them only in a 180 degree from the antenna because the vertical is too close to my home to deploy them in a 360-degree pattern. But it still works fine, as I am able to pretty much have a QSO with anyone I can hear. I hope this information helps you out! |
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| NY4D |
Rating: |
2020-12-06 | |
| 10 Years Later |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I last reviewed this 10 years ago. Time flies. Of course these are no longer made by the original owner but there are similar antennas still for sale and Alpha Antennas now owns the name and does have them listed on their website, though for quite a bit more $$ than their competitors.
It would be easy to homebrew one with a Jackite or MFJ pole. Nothing magic, it's just 31 feet of insulated wire run up inside of a fiberglass pole. The original idea was either a 40 meter monobander or to use an unun feed for an all band antenna. And they work well enough that way.
A couple years ago, after my inverted V had a run in with a branch shedding tree in the front yard for the third time in several months, I retrieved my S9 31 footer from storage so I could fit an HF antenna entirely in a treeless but small backyard. I had to replace the wire inside and I had lost a few of the screws that keep the sections from collapsing but they were easy to find and replace.
I was less than thrilled with using just the vertical wire as the radiator, so I decided to make it into a lazy inverted L as I had a likely 10 foot high end support already at the other end of the yard. Anything higher would be likely to fall into the power line feed to the house.
So my space allowed a tad less than 80 feet of radiating wire total (counting the 30 ft or so vertical) and a 35 foot wire laid on the ground served as a counterpoise. This was supposed to be a temporary solution but it has worked well enough that now 2 years later it is still in place. The extra wire made it a very useable antenna on 75 and 40 meters where before only having the vertical section made it a struggle sometimes.
I have fed it both through remote tuners and by using an unun at the base with a tuner in the shack. Both worked but the remote tuner (AH4) is way more convenient and keeps the rig happy everywhere.
Having had better antennas at both this and previous qth's I'm not going to tell you it is a dx marvel or the end all and be all of antennas BUT for an all rounder that works well on the low bands it fills the bill. On the low bands the horizontal section gets some high angle radiation in the picture so you aren't skipping past where the band is open to. On the high bands I see little difference over the 31 ft version on transmit though I believe it hears better with the extra wire.
FWIW, your mileage may vary.
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Last update from 2010:
This is an update to my previous review. Previously I was using this on all bands with a remote tuner. The outdoor tuner went south so I've made this antenna into a dedicated 40 meter antenna with the 40 meter coil sold by S9.
Ground system is still a 60 foot section of steel field fence. The base of the antenna is about 4 feet off the ground, which almost but not quite clears the fence.
It is interesting to compare this to my inverted vee. Of course close in stations are a tad louder on the inverted vee. But generally so is the noise. Verticals have a reputation as noisy antennas but I am not finding this one to be overly so, and I live in a typical suburban neighborhood with all the noise that goes with that.
Being able to switch from the inverted vee to the vertical shows why it is good to have one of each. Sometimes there is as much as 2 s units difference in favor of one antenna or the other. And out past 1,000 miles or so, the S9 almost always wins.
Anecdotal for sure but just this morning I worked into VK with 100 watts on SSB with the s9 vertical. That's something that's never happened on 40 with the inverted vee.
I've got a few more changes I want to make to improve the system, but for now I can say this antenna works very well, and is doing all I expected it to do, and then some. |
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| KO1C |
Rating: |
2020-12-06 | |
| So Far, So Good! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
This was my first HF antenna back when I first moved to New Hampshire. I was N1ZHE back then, I worked a LOT of JT-65 then.
My best time was at around 1 AM EST one night when I worked South Africa, then the very next QSO was with New Zealand. Heady stuff!!
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Please note that I've had about 30 minutes on-air time with this antenna. The ratings at this point are for quality of materials and craftsmanship, as well as near instant message-like email support from the company owner.
Ex-QTH in Maine was a small in-town lot with two trees on it - they were right next to each other! Was running a shortened dipole with coils, was very inefficient on the lower bands, a real trade off but it got me on the air.
New QTH in NH, I live in a CCR neighborhood, S9v installed about 30 feet into the woods behind the house, it has 16 thirty foot radials on the ground. 135 feet of Bury-Flex and a Balun Designs 4:1 unun connects the antenna to my Omni VII. My radio's 10:1 internal tuner easily handles this antenna.
Hooked it all up, wow! I never heard all those signals before with the dipole! First station worked was Cuba. Nothing like christening a new antenna by working DX for the first contact!
I'll have to hurry and get the coax buried, make it permanent.
Never thought I'd ever run a vertical but the trees are too dense to try to string a dipole. I am pleased with the results.
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| K2KGJ |
Rating: |
2016-10-30 | |
| Excellent physical design |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I came by an S9 V43 with a broken 2nd from top section. I was hoping to find one from the Alphaantenna.com reference mentioned in the last post but that site has no information on the S9 product.
For my purposes, I can patch the break. An EZNEC model of the 43 foot vertical exhibits very high angle radiation on 10. I tried a 10 meter trap to isolate a 1/4 wave on 10 which yielded a much nicer pattern and still gave acceptable results on all other bands, assuming a tuner at the base.
Too bad replacement parts aren't available for this clever physical design. |
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| KB8NTY |
Rating: |
2016-07-04 | |
| QUALITY PRODUCT + QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE = ALPHA ANTENNA |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
This is not just another repeat review of the great S9 vertical type antennas.
By now there are enough reviews that we now all know of this product, by means of such reviews & the even more valuable word of mouth.
My short review here is for simply the mast...Yes just the mast as a stand alone component.
This component is available from Alpha Antenna, http://www.alphaantenna.com/
This valued useful item is now offered to allow the end user to do with as he/she desires!
Just felt the need & wanted to share the availability of such a great item, & equally the level & commitment of service provided as well!
With so many similar apparatus available to purchase on the market, be assured the Alpha Antenna S9 fiberglass mast is a 5-star high quality component, in a class of its own...bar none!
This mast will serve your requirements & needs for most any & all antenna type projects! & more!
Yes this is the very same legendary mast used in the successful S-9 vertical antenna line!
Equal to the products quality is the quality of the customer service experienced within my transaction.
Too many words to describe, just know the level of personal yet professional experience conveyed at Alpha is second to none.
You will need to experience this on your own, upon so you will then realize you are dealing with one of the premiere Amateur Radio distributors available today.
Alpha is a world-wide international manufacturer-distributor of high quality, professional antenna products, tactical systems for HF operations, components, accessories & much-much more!
Proudly & professionally serving the Government-Radio Amateur & Military type customer base.
Well worth taking a look at: http://www.alphaantenna.com
...73... |
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| AC7A |
Rating: |
2014-12-26 | |
| A good, practical vertical antenna |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Several years ago I purchased two of the 31' S9v antennas from the original product founder. I find that the antenna serves nicely as a convenient, portable antenna.
It is easy to handle and set up by one person due to its light weight. It can be lashed to most anything solid and you don't need to worry about guys. I often use mine as ground plane with three, 32-foot return wires about 6 to 7 feet above ground. I feed it with 300 Ohm twinlead, a 4:1 current balun and use the radio's internal tuner for 40 through 10 meters. Yes, that's probably not the most pristine implementation. But I have no problem matching the antenna with a tuner, or making lots of contacts with 5 Watts of power.
We do find here in AZ that the fiberglass breaks down in a couple of years and splinters due to the intense UV. That happened to my friend's S9v and is why I don't use one here as a permanent antenna. Also, I accidentally dropped one of mine while it was fully extended against the edge of the house. One of the fiberglass mast sections fractured. That sounds the death knell for that section. Fortunately, LDG was selling replacement sections at the time and I was able to repair the antenna.
I am pleased to find that Alpha Antenna is picking up the S9v product line. It is a nice, affordable, multi-band antenna solution (with an added tuner)that can be installed by an individual. |
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| KC6NRE |
Rating: |
2014-12-26 | |
| Self supporting 6-40 Meter dipole, how cool is that? |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Been using two of the S9 Antennas v31 as a Resonant 6 through 40 meter dipole base and portable antenna for years. I put yellow electrical tape where each wire has to be wound back to for resonance on each band. Never had to worry having the wrong SWR after doing that! It is so very light that it makes a perfect portable antenna on my Steel Tripod. It's also easily supported by my Radio Shack roof mount tripod, where I use a 4:1 Balun with my tuner. What can I say, it's a free floating dipole, and a dipole is a great antenna! |
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| K3WR |
Rating: |
2014-10-12 | |
| Nice multiband vertical |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
This vertical utilizes multiple tapered telescoping fiberglass tubes to construct the 31 foot antenna. Easy assembly and installation. Very light weight, about 6 lbs.. I used a TV antenna tripod with a 1 1/4 diameter pipe to support the vertical on the ground as this is a part-time use station. I installed 30 radials about 26'9" in length and connected the antenna and ground radials to an Icom AH-4 antenna tuner at the base of the antenna. The radials were made from 17g. electric fence wire purchased from Tractor Supply supplied in a spool (1,320 foot spool). Plenty left over for more radials in the future.
The antenna loads in seconds on 80 through 6 meters with low SWR across all of the bands. The AH-4 tuner provides the tuning "magic" to this simple vertical, which works great.
My rig is an Icom 706 MkII G pushing 100 watts and in less than 10 hours of operation have worked DX to15 countries, some which had big pile ups (YL on Martinique) and about 10 states.
With few exceptions, using my modest 100 watt station, if I can hear 'em, I can work 'em!
This antenna is a good solution for amateurs looking for a multiband vertical at an affordable price point.
A nice feature of this antenna is the ability to quickly stow it in the event of high winds. I merely lift it from the pipe, disconnect the coax feed and lay it on the ground. Takes about 30 seconds to quickly remove this antenna from harm's way!
I am using this antenna at my part-time home in Florida, but have been so impressed that I plan to install the same antenna at my home QTH.
I will post some photos of the antenna, tuner and base mount on my QRZ.COM web page, which may be helpful. |
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