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Reviews For: Buxcomm T2FD

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Buxcomm T2FD
Reviews: 4MSRP: 249
Description:
10-80meter model #1080T2FD
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.buxcomm.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=45&zenid=qj0ragan0h62c260r6lvhbbsf3
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0044.5
KC2HTV Rating: 2021-06-04
Bucky you are truly a legend. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have one of the last ones that Bucky made for the Armed Forces. I have run it for over 3 years. I feed it with LMR 400 at 30 feet both ends. I run an AL-80B into it wide open most nights on 75, 80, 40, and 20, Never a hicup.
It can be very directional and narrow banded if you choose not to run a current balun. It has survived heavy wind, and heavy ice/snow loads. Truly a resonant antenna and meets all my expectations from Buxcomm brand. I also run their 360 ft. OCF Windom. The folded dipole keeps up with this antenna except on 160 where it really shines. Low ground noise on the T2FD wins all the time.
GW4PJQ Rating: 2016-10-06
Good compromise but: Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have made many TFD's using my own sourced components and they have performed very well indeed. However I recommended this antenna off the back of my experience of this type of antenna. The sad truth is it is just not possible to make a high performance antenna of this type at this price. First take a look on say ebay and look at the price of a good non-inductive resistor. Then add the cost of a good matching transformer. Already you are at the list price of this antenna. My Buxcomm TTFD failed at just 400w SSB. The autopsy found the resistor had burnt out and the matching transformer showed signs of stress. So is it any good? Well if you are using a 100w radio you wont have any problems on SSB but the resistor would suffer when using AM on 80m and 160m. You pays your money and takes your choice as we say in the UK. Personally I would make my own with a 600R 500w resistor and a 12:1 DX Engineering balun.
DH4SC Rating: 2012-09-13
Great (when homebrew) Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
In the last 15 years I had so many antennas, any size, any style, beams, verticals, wires......Now I looked for an antenna which can handle the complete shortwave spectrum because I was was sick of tower, radial networks, masts, guying wires and expensive gear.
So I didn´t believe in this bad reports about the W3HH/T2FD antennas and gave it a try.
I build one 28,6m long, 0,85m spacers, 390 Ohms resistor, 6:1 Balun. Spacers made of high strengh POM plastic bars of different diameter.
Easy to build, easy to put up on a mast. AND IT WORKS WELL!!!!! Compared to a ZS6BKW in the same height there is almost no difference, on 15m the W3HH works better.
Compared to monoband dipoles on 80m/160 there´s almost no difference on 80m, but on 160m the full size dipole it always abt. 3 S units better.
Conclusion:
The W3HH/T2FD antenna is if it´s well build not as bad as many hams say. But there are different versions of this antenna so I can only quote mine.
For me it´s the best all band compromise available, I can work all bands 80m to 10m with great success. For 160m I still use my dipole.
W7LPN Rating: 2010-05-30
Great Performer! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've had it a week and am not disappointed. It was easy to put up. You will need either anchors on your poles or large heavy poles. It's not heavy especially when tilted, but need to be stretched unless you have center support. As advertised, it is a quiet antenna. I have had strong contacts on 10m (recently opened Finally!), 20m, 40, and 75m. These are my favorite and most frequented bands. On 40m I had a contact with a vertical antenna station in Tacoma, from Boise, both reports 5/9 but he was using a 600 watt amp, and I'm barefoot with the ICOM-730 100 watts more or less. NO MORE KNOB TURNING the tuner! No more Click Click click to tune, no more dead carriers to tune or trouble finding an open freq nearby to tune on. It'll handle 300 watts if needed.