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Reviews For: Radio Works Carolina Windom 40

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Radio Works Carolina Windom 40
Reviews: 6MSRP: $130.00
Description:
Specifications:
Frequency Coverage: 40 - 10 m + 30, 17, 12 WARC
Gain: As much as 10 dBd* reported at most installations
Radiator Length: Horizontal 66' Vertical 10'
Feed line: 50 ohm coaxial cable, RG-8X recommended
Matching method: Dedicated matching transformer + user's tuner.
Tuner needed: Yes
Power Rating: Legal limit **
Recommended Height >30' usable at 25'
Radials: Not required
Product is not in production
More Info:
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0064.8
W7BTM Rating: 2024-03-01
wonderful, but obsolete antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I was given a Radio Works "Carolina Beam/2" antenna by my Elmer when I got my license one year ago (February 2023). It was my 1st multiband HF antenna. it was a brand new NOS antenna. I installed it about 40 feet up in my back yard with the help of my tree-climbing son. it's only 50ft long but has three vertical radiators, and tunes up nicely on all HF bands except 160m with my LDG AT-100ProII tuner.

I get excellent reports using 100 watts on my Icom 7610.

In fact, I like it so much, I found what was probably the very last NOS Carolina Beam for sale at Radio World in the UK in the fall of 2023, so I bought it. Delivered to my QTH in Oregon for less than $200! It's currently waiting for my son to climb one more tree and then it will be installed above and at 90 degrees to my existing antenna. This should give me excellent 360 degree coverage.

The sad part is that the manufacturer (Radio Works) is out of business with almost no trace of what happened. the owner Jim Thompson (W4THU) still has an active QRZ page as of 3/1/24. I assume the owner just aged out of the business and it was never taken over. It's unfortunate that there are no specifications available on the "Special Matching Transformer" required for this antenna. I think that a standard 4:1 matching transformer might work as this antenna is similar to a Carolina Wyndom with the addition of the dropped ends giving it 3 vertical radiators in addition to the center isolated coax that a Carolina Wyndom uses.
W2WCM Rating: 2017-01-01
works very well! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Even though I can only mount it up about 25 feet, this Carolina Windom 40 has performed wonderfully. A couple of months ago, during a DX contest, I started out and worked five DX stations before I realized that the support rope at one end of the antenna had broken, and half the antenna was essentially lying on the ground!
It works better now that I have it back up in the air!
N8YQX Rating: 2013-10-04
Works well, but need to add extra choke Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I put up the antenna in a sloper configuration about 40ft high. The antenna seems to outperform my end fed of similar size by about 3 S-units based on my A-B-A tests.

I did experience intermittent RFI on 40m to my network switch and baby monitor. Adding about 10 ferrite chokes to the coax fixed the problem. (Hence 4/5 score).
N2ZDB Rating: 2011-10-18
Excellent Multi-Band Dipole Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Works as advertised. Mine now is around 9 years old and still going strong.

Excellent SWR's on 40 Meters. Very low on 20M and the higher end of 10 Meters.

Use it with an antenna tuner and you can't go wrong!
W5LXG Rating: 2010-12-18
Superior multi-bander Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Mine has been stuffed in the attic for 17 years, serving as a "spare" or emergency antenna. It performed surprisingly well.
Fast forward to 12/2010. I erected a Radiowavz G5RV Jr. outside with horrible results. See separate review if interested.
The Carolina has 1:1 SWR on 40 CW and 1.3:1 on 20. SWR between 2:1 and 3:1 on higher bands, easily tamed by rig's internal tuner. The Carolina "hears" much better than the G5RV and QSO performance is outstanding. While I am here, I once took a Carolina "beam" down to VP2V with just wonderful results. There is alot of silly hype on the OEM website, but some of it is backed up by the antennas performance. I ask alot of multi-band antennas and this Carolina gives results. Buy one.
K3YUB Rating: 2010-01-12
Works as advertised Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The Carolina Windom 40 has been at my qth since May, 2009. I like this fine OCF antenna because it performs as advertised. It does require an antenna tuner. I've used it with a Palstar AT2K, an LDG Z11PRO automatic tuner and a LDG AT-200PRO. It loads equally as well with all three tuners giving a nice match. I've used it on 40M through 6M with no trouble. It has even given a good match on 75M (100 watts). From my qth near Pittsburgh, I've worked Hawaii and Alaska and almost all other states on 40. It is mounted horizontally at 35 feet and is fed with RG8X. The construction is solid, but by all means follow the instructions exactly as written. I gave a 5 because it performs as advertised. I'm very happy with it.