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Reviews For: BuxComm 40-2meter Windom 40270

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : BuxComm 40-2meter Windom 40270
Reviews: 6MSRP: 69.95
Description:
40 thru 2 meter Windom
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.buxcomm.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=36&products_id=721&zenid=cd7d60174a99ee7ac1571f6388932f77
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0065
VA3RTX Rating: 2015-12-16
Still great after 6 years ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
As you can see below, I've had this antenna for 6 years and have made a few thousand contacts on it since. Five years ago we moved to another house with a larger yard. I still have it mounted at about 25ft, with a fiberglass standoff from the chimney. Still in an inverted V, but a little wider. It still covers 10, 20 and 40 meters, with little or no tuning. I've always used this antenna with 100 watts or less, but I recently tried a bit more power. If I try to tune my Ameritron AL-881H amp on it, the plate current rises too high after a few seconds. The balun is marked 1500 Watts, but a 500 or 600 Watt carrier, even for a few seconds is likely too much for it. I think it's time to contact BuxComm for a bit of advice. In short, GREAT product and NO complaints after 6 years of regular use !!!

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Earlier 5-star review posted by VA3RTX on 2009-12-16

I've had a BuxComm 40270 up for about 6 months now and it has worked flawlessly. I've built several homebrew antennas over the years, but for $60 US that I payed, I could not have made this antenna. I have a two story house with a 40' by 40' back yard. I mounted the center 25' up off the back of the house. In the back corners of the yard I have two 4x4 posts that reach 9' above the ground. Using rope, pulleys and 5 pound weights, I created a somewhat inverted V. Without using a tuner, I have a near flat SWR on 40,20,10 and most of 6 meters. The big advantage of this antenna over a GR5V, is that it is fed by coax and not ladder line. The only odd thing that I encountered were the conflicting specs on the balun. The model 40270, corresponds to 40M to 2M and 70ft total length. My balun was labeled 1.5Mhz to 55Mhz at 1500 Watts, their website says this balun is good for 1.6Mhz to 60Mhz at 1200 Watts and if it was good for 2 meters, I would expect it to be good to 150Mhz. I've checked with some other hams who have bought these antennas and they appear to be like "snow flakes", no two are alike. This doesn't bother me as I have no intention of using this type of antenna for VHF, but it is rather confusing. The most important thing to consider when purchasing this antenna is that you request the correct ratio balun. The selection of balun is determined by how high above the ground it will be mounted.
W3RAR Rating: 2015-04-10
Excellent quality built antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently moved into a new home and left behind my nice 40 foot tower. I sold it and my antenna farm, which included 4 VHF and UHF beams, as well as the center point for a full size 10 to 160 OCF Windom. So I built a G5RV and stuck it up, just to get on the air. After taking some measurements, it seemed the best choice for an antenna here was a 40 meter OCF windom. I chose the 40270 and I am glad I did. The price was good, it arrived quickly and the construction is excellent. The antenna comes ready to go, just add some coax, coax seal and some mounting pipe. My antenna is mounted 26 feet over top the house in an "inverted vee". I have no problem hearing stations and working them with this setup. I have even busted some tough pile ups. My station consists of an FT-950, a MFJ 962D tuner, and an ALS-500 amp. The tuner is really only needed for the WARC bands and possibly 15 meters, but I use the it most of the time. In fact by using the tuner I have made some nice contacts on 80 meters late at night. The solid state amp is very "swr" sensitive. I can make it work a little easier by "touching up" the match it sees and thus it won't kick out on modest swr readings. In the past I owned several Rascals and was always happy with their quality and ability to do their job. Once again, I am not disappointed at all. This antenna is doing its job well. Thanks for another great product!
KM5YE Rating: 2014-05-11
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Two and one-half years ago I purchased one of 'Bucks" 2m-40m Off-Center-Fed-Dipoles; the model is no longer offered for sale. Over time the non-coated copper wire corroded very badly - nearly doubling in size; I had never seen corrosion to such a severe degree. Naturally, being a grumpy old coot I was very disappointed and pulled no punches when e-mailing 'Buck' to let him know my disappointment in his product that had been described as the best thing since fresh baked bread. I was rude and I wouldn't have blamed him had he simply dumped my mail in the trash; but, he did not do so.

I received a short message back telling me he would replace the antenna with model 40270 AT NO COST TO ME - shipping included! I was so embarrassed as I should have been; 'Buck' didn't mention a word about my anger!

The antenna arrived in record time and I was amazed at the quality compared to the model it replaced. The 40270 is VERY WELL MADE - the balun is far better than the previous model balun (which had been replaced twice under warranty). The VSWR at 35 feet while not "flat" is a respectable 1.3:1 on ALL bands the antenna is designed to operate on; AND on 17M the VSWR is 2.0:1 - not bad at all.

'Buck' amazed me by replacing an antenna I had for well over two years and for not beating me up when I was abusive towards him when contacting him regarding my displeasure with the original OCFD model I purchased.

73 from John .... KM5YE
K5DHE Rating: 2009-12-29
review 2 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
got the antenna up. works better than my g5rv. the thing even loads on 75 meters with my heath tuner...im very pleased and would recommend it to anyone that wants a well made proven design. tech support is good. the tech folks being buck knows antennas plus he is a real character.


jim k5dhe

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Earlier 5-star review posted by K5DHE on 2009-12-10

just purchased a 40270. if the antenna is as good as the tech. service which i fully expect, i just purchased the antenna perfect for my station and pocket book. been a ham for 54 years.. i expect it to out last me.
k5dhe jim
KG4BCN Rating: 2009-11-23
Great antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I was looking for a replacement antenna for a homemade fan dipole. After a LOT of going thru reviews I settled on the BuxComm 40-2 OCF. After the antenna was delivered I went over it thoroughly. I was impressed by the quality of the antenna but was still slightly unsure how it would work. The antenna was put into the air and the SWR was checked on all bands 40-6 and all the bands showed a SWR of 2.0 or less. I put my Yaesu FT 950 on 80 meters and the SWR was surprisingly low 2.5-3.0. Since my radio doesn't cover 2 meters I couldn't check it there. The antenna has been up since then with no problems at all. Would I recommend this antenna to anyone else? I already have.!!!!!! I’m seriously thinking about getting another one for when I go camping or for general radio work when I’m out and about.
NT8F Rating: 2009-07-29
Great Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was looking for a good antenna to put up at my camper location and knew a BucComm antenna would fit my needs as I use them at home. I purchased the 40-2 meter Windom and installed it at about 25 feet. This antenna replaced a rotating dipole I had and what a difference. The Windom works excellent, I have a match of less then 1:8 across all bands and do not need a tuner that I needed with the rotating dipole. I now hear and work stations on all bands. This antenna is well constructed and for it's price is an excellent choice for those looking to get on 40-2 meters with one antenna. Customer support is great and personal. Thanks Buck!