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Reviews For: Alpha Antenna S9v31

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Alpha Antenna S9v31
Reviews: 68MSRP: 199 to 399.
Description:
The Alpha Antenna 10-80 meter S9v31 is a HF Vertical Antenna that can be deployed as a single band system or as a multiband system when the optional Alpha Match is installed.
Latest version of predecessor: S9 Antenna S9v
Product is in production
More Info: https://AlphaAntenna.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
15684.9
KE0MF Rating: 2010-06-28
Great For FD! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This is an add-on to my original review. I ran the 31' version of the S9v at our FD effort this year. We had a relatively casual 4A effort, and I ended up on the air till about local midnight, and then back on the air around local 7 am. I was only running phone contacts on 20m initially and then 40m for the rest of the contest. I was able to run a frequency on both bands with just my 100watts out, and worked virtually anyone I could hear when searching and pouncing. The SG-231 and the S9v with 16 radials gave me a perfect match on both bands. I made 125 contacts on 20m and 379 on 40m. The set up and tear down were quick and easy. It doesn't get any easier than this for FD! I have finally ended my quest for an excellent FD antenna :o)
NM6E Rating: 2010-05-30
S9V 43' GREAT! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have both versions but this review is for the newest 43' Vertical wire.

The antenna rocks for two reasons:
1. Price $140
2. Efficiency and ease of installation/use in limited areas (CC&R's) being able to put it up and down.

Prior to the S9V 31' or this new 43', I was using a Hustler 6BTV and it was not at all efficient.

When in my California home, I had a Butternut HF-2V (40/80m) antenna and the price on that is about $280..

This S9V 43' is equal and with all the radials with the S9V radial plate, plays equal to that antenna PLUS I can take it down fast because of the light weight as I live in a CC&R area.

On 40m and 80m (need to add a few more radials) the thing works great.

It loads up very nicely on 6m with a 4:1 unun.

I am using the S8V 43' with an IC-7000 and an LDG AT-7000 and have no issues with tuning.

I want to say that the 43' and the LDG works better than with the S9V 31'.. THings tune up much faster and it's relatively broadbanded not requiring as many tuneups.

Assmbly, in hot weather (North Dallas) and humidity takes a little longer with the felxibility and lining up the holse to insert the screws preventing collapse of the antenna.

The instructions are striaght forward (having put the 31' perviously) so I knew what I had to do.

I have the S9V radial plate as well and that in itself is bargain to use with this antenna (I had used in California with my Butternut HF2V a DX Engineering radial plate and it was much more expensive.

I hope to put the 43' to the test during Field Day in a few weeks but my IC-7000 and the LDG-7000 have no issues so far (using an 4:1 unun).

Great product!
K2AFY Rating: 2010-05-10
Great Quality Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have had the S9v up for a little over a month now. The company is great to deal with and the product lives up to its claims. We recently had 30 mph sustained winds with 60 mph gusts no problem with the antenna. I decided it to take it down so due to a nearby tree and was able to take it down in minutes, to avoid tree damaging it. As far as performance it works as I expected and any antenna is a compromise.
K5BDH Rating: 2010-04-16
Great Antenna Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Just got the S9v 31' vertical about 2 months ago with the radial plate and 80m coil. So far the performance has been great. I wired mine up with the ldg z11 pro atu in a ammobox at the base of the S9 and 16 radials (15-50') to fit my yard. So far I can tune 80-10m and seem to pick up quite a bit more stations than on my previous end fedz wires. Just recently placed a Balun Designs #115 1:1 balun between the atu and the 100' length of rg8x running back to my rig. I plan to replace it with RG213. For anyone looking into getting this antenna its hard to beat in my opinion, especially for the price.
W3ZZT Rating: 2010-03-22
Excellent antenna, great service. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I give the antenna a five, and John's service a ten. I bought the antenna, portable mount, radial plate, and hardware from John; all top quality. The antenna took no time at all to put up. Laying the ground radials is a little time consuming, but easy to do. I started out with only 12 radials and still got excellent reports from all over the country and Mexico. I added 18 more radials today, but haven't had a chance to see what improvement that made yet. I am very happy with the S9v so far. I'll update this review after a longer period of use.
KL2GN Rating: 2010-03-14
Good value...good service Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought one of the full size S9 antennas looking to put up a vertical in the middle of the yard. I have a large lot but very few trees and no tall trees to hang a wire from. This seemed to fit the ticket at a reasonable cost.

I have had mine up for a little under a year and it has survived wind storms (50mph+), snow, ice, and everything else mother nature seems to throw at it.

I started to use it with a 4:1 unun as suggested by many of the vertical suppliers but was not very pleased with the performance. (nothing against the antenna or construction) I replaced it with a 4BTV that has been a significant improvement. I extended the length of the S9 to be a full 1/4 wave on 40M and relocated it to a different part of the yard and use it as a dedicated 40M vertical. It works great. I like it enough I bought a second one to make a set of phased verticals for 40M once the snow melts up here.

The customer service was great, questions answered quickly, shipping is fast and reasonable, and the product has held up much better then I expected even in strong winds.

K4QXX Rating: 2010-03-14
Great Antenna, Great Price Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This antenna works very well on 40 meters and 15 meters. It will tune up nicely on 40-10 meters. If you have any questions or issues, your emails are answered almost immediately, even on weekends. Very good customer service. I like the antenna so much I bought a second antenna for portable operation. You can't go wrong with this antenna for the price.

K0XY Rating: 2010-03-04
...Spot On, Part 2 ! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
...I use S9 verticals for "pop-up/pop-down" CC&R antennas. I have both the S9V and the S9Jr and slide them over the mast for a quick up and down. Both antennas are exceptionally light offer great quality at a great price. Did I mention they are light...perfect for the CC&R crowd.

By far the more stealth antenna is the JR. But 40m and 80m performance begins to suffer with the short height. The S9V at 31' however performs quite well on 40m and 80m. Not only can I hear the DX, they can now hear me !!!

...Bottom line, I can put up the Jr for several days or a week or so without fear of anyone noticing the antenna and becoming annoyed...the S9V can only go up for couple of days (weekend) before I become a bit nervous about it visability...

...everything in life is a tradeoff, but BOTH antennas are exceptional for the CC&R bunch... and if you cannot decide which antenna is best for your location, then GET BOTH and swap off as necessary !!!
K6LO Rating: 2010-02-23
Great value and service Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
John is tops for customer service, and the 31 foot S9 pole is sturdy, light-weight, and low profile. I am pairing two of them in a phased array on 40. Since the antennas are shy of a quarter wave on 40 meters, I am simply using thickwall PVC mounting pipes, mounting the antennas a couple feet up on then, and extending the wires. They freestand nicely and go virtually unnoticed in my yard. The radial mounting plate is also very nice.
N9SOR Rating: 2010-02-07
GREAT VERTICAL Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I installed this antenna right before our Chicago winter.Ships antenna right away. Very easy to put together. Customer service is 1st rate. Any questions get answered fast. As we all know the bands are bad. I have been able to work all over with this great antenna. Today I worked St Helena Island barefoot! I also put down about 60 ground radials. We have had 2 ice storms here with 40mph winds. One ice storm left 1/2" ice on the antenna. No problems at all. For the price it's a bargain. Charlie N9SOR