Great Portable Antenna, Easy to use and performs very well

Based on the reviews, I acquired a Hextenna to use on portable ops such as POTA (Parks On The Air). The day it arrived, I unpacked the antenna and its very sturdy tripod. I took it out in the back yard and did some initial checking with my analyzer and as expected, it resonated nicely on all bands 40 thru 6. The lengths specified in the instructions were very close except for 30 and 40 meters. I checked the length of the add-on wires, and they may have been cut long. I shortened the whips and then got good readings there too.

I then got on the air. Strong signals on 20 meters. Ran across a Brazilian station that was 59 so I gave him a call and he came right back to me with a 57 report. I was only running an Icom 703+ with 10 watts. Pretty impressive! I went on to make several other POTA contacts as a hunter and was able to get through to most of the stations pretty easily. This was a good dry run before going out in the field.

At first glance it appears to be a bit unwieldy to set up and adjust, but that wasn’t the case. I laid the antenna on it’s side to adjust the lengths and then put it back upright. I use a long tape measure, pinning the end to the ground at the hub and measure the length for the band I will operate. I marked the settings for each band with a piece of tape so I can quickly adjust to the operating band desired.

If it’s very windy, I would recommend hanging a weight from the center hook of the tripod or use some guying.

I originally was using a mag loop antenna, and it worked great. But to QSY within a band was a hassle. With the Hextenna, I can operate pretty much across the band without worrying about the setting. Small adjustments can be made without leaning it over by pushing the bottom section of the whips in and out as needed.

I haven’t had a chance to try it in the vertical configuration but would expect it to perform well there too. A counterpoise wire is provided.

All in all, very pleased with the antenna, ease of assembly, ease of transport in its case and its performance. It will be with me on my next POTA trip.

AC9O

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