Great Base HF Antenna

I’ve been using my S9V31 since fall and can now give a review based on experience.

My installation is ground mounted with 18 buried radials each 27 feet long and connected to the S9RP radial plate. I also opted for the LDG RU-4:1 Unun at the base and feed it with 50 feet of RG8X coax. An LDG AT-100ProII auto tuner in the shack brings the SWR down to 1.5 or lower across all bands from 40M to 6M.

I chose this setup because my community has antenna restrictions and the S9V hides in plain sight. Mine is in a fairly open space between my house and a golf course and nobody notices it because it blends into the background so well. I also chose the S9V for the low price and multi-band capabilities. I wanted something simple. I didn’t want to mess with guy wires, etc.

Does it work? DEFINITELY. In just over a year and running only 100 watts with a Ten-Tec Omni VII, I’ve made DXCC and WAS using only LoTW confirmed contacts. If I can hear them, I can work them. It’s amazing how many pileups I’ve been able to break – even FT5ZM on Amsterdam Island (11,484 miles from my QTH). And it doesn’t matter what mode or band. I’m active on 10M, 12M, 15M, 17M, 20M, 30M, and 40M using SSB and CW.

Weather has not been an issue either. To play it safe, I lower the antenna if wind gusts over 45 mph are predicted. It takes about a minute. Remove one wire nut, pick up the 2-1/2 pound antenna, and lay it down.

My only complaint with the S9V is that the antenna sections tend to collapse into each other. The supplied plastic clips don’t prevent this. The remedy is to simply use a sheet metal screw at each junction. A quick, one-time fix.

73, Jon
N8ZH

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