I obtained a Butternut HF6V and want to make it part of a 3 element 40 meter vertical array. Will exclude all but the mast and 40 meter coil so interested in the performance on 40 and coil loading. Hope you are doing well on that metal roof.
UPDATE - It developed a problem very soon after. Last weekend I found the centre conductor had broken off at the feedpoint to the antenna and it was also noted that the grey wire at the top for the 10m circuit also broke. The antenna has been pulled down - it was a very simple job by just unhooking the small guy-carabiners, undoing and detaching the matching section from the feedpoint and removing the antenna from out of the lower sleeve. I aim to get it fixed this coming weekend and back in the air. In the meantime though, the antenna had mechanically survived 80kph wind gusts.
OK, just an update after some repair work. The antenna appears to be very good on 40 metres although its natural resonance is at 7.300. I have made some contacts into Germany and Italy over the past week on 100W using the station remotely with reports between 53 and 57 and all on 40 metres. These stations were not heard on my G5RV located in Sydney where there is also a noise floor of S5. But due to the remote station's location at 730 metres approx and all by itself in the country, signal reception is clearly much better out there. I have not attempted to make adjustments to the antenna but measurements indicate the entire antenna to be resonant slightly high on all bands with some exceptions. As per below... Measurements are on AM at 30W without the LDG AT-100 Pro in line unless specified. 160 - No way. Not even with a tuner. 80 - 3.750 = 1:1 40 - 7.3 = 1:1 30 - 10.150 = 1:1 20 - 1:1 at the bottom sliding up to 1:1.5 at top. 17 - No way but the tuner pulls it in. 15 - SWR way above 1:3 but the tuner pulls it in. 12 - 1:3.2+ but the tuner pulls it in. 10 - Was 1:1@ 28.4 but has changed and not stable. 6 - 1:1 at 53.4 but was way out last time I checked. Hmmmm....
Hi , great video and I am going to give it a try as I have limited space.I have the HF2V with 30 and 160 m add on,will let you know how it works on 160m. 73 De 8P6ET
any update on this as i was thinking of getting either butternut or hustler, think i rather the coils than the traps. also i believe that for an elevated vertical you must use tuned radials, maybe 2 per band, worth it to try out and see if it makes a difference.
It is working fairly well. Very happy with it on 40m with similar performance on 20m. Not as good as a dipole on 80m with very narrow bandwidth. I'm having to use an external LDG tuner to get the most from 80m. Because I have mounted it to a tin roof, I have not worried about radials. Everyone I talk to on air say that in their experience, the Butternut HF6V is a very good multiband vertical antenna, even though they may not be oriented towards verticals and are dipole and yagi fans. My example was bought when it was part of Bencher. I do not know if MFJ manufacture them as well as Bencher used to.
Not sure just yet. The Butternut developed a fault soon after. I have yet to pull the thing down and inspect it. It was noted that the 11m section, which comprises of just a grey piece of wire, has fallen off.
I obtained a Butternut HF6V and want to make it part of a 3 element 40 meter vertical array. Will exclude all but the mast and 40 meter coil so interested in the performance on 40 and coil loading. Hope you are doing well on that metal roof.
Can you do a follow up video letting us know how you got on....Thanks
UPDATE - It developed a problem very soon after. Last weekend I found the centre conductor had broken off at the feedpoint to the antenna and it was also noted that the grey wire at the top for the 10m circuit also broke. The antenna has been pulled down - it was a very simple job by just unhooking the small guy-carabiners, undoing and detaching the matching section from the feedpoint and removing the antenna from out of the lower sleeve. I aim to get it fixed this coming weekend and back in the air. In the meantime though, the antenna had mechanically survived 80kph wind gusts.
OK, just an update after some repair work. The antenna appears to be very good on 40 metres although its natural resonance is at 7.300. I have made some contacts into Germany and Italy over the past week on 100W using the station remotely with reports between 53 and 57 and all on 40 metres. These stations were not heard on my G5RV located in Sydney where there is also a noise floor of S5. But due to the remote station's location at 730 metres approx and all by itself in the country, signal reception is clearly much better out there. I have not attempted to make adjustments to the antenna but measurements indicate the entire antenna to be resonant slightly high on all bands with some exceptions. As per below...
Measurements are on AM at 30W without the LDG AT-100 Pro in line unless specified.
160 - No way. Not even with a tuner.
80 - 3.750 = 1:1
40 - 7.3 = 1:1
30 - 10.150 = 1:1
20 - 1:1 at the bottom sliding up to 1:1.5 at top.
17 - No way but the tuner pulls it in.
15 - SWR way above 1:3 but the tuner pulls it in.
12 - 1:3.2+ but the tuner pulls it in.
10 - Was 1:1@ 28.4 but has changed and not stable.
6 - 1:1 at 53.4 but was way out last time I checked. Hmmmm....
Hi , great video and I am going to give it a try as I have limited space.I have the HF2V with 30 and 160 m add on,will let you know how it works on 160m. 73 De 8P6ET
any update on this as i was thinking of getting either butternut or hustler, think i rather the coils than the traps.
also i believe that for an elevated vertical you must use tuned radials, maybe 2 per band, worth it to try out and see if it makes a difference.
It is working fairly well. Very happy with it on 40m with similar performance on 20m. Not as good as a dipole on 80m with very narrow bandwidth. I'm having to use an external LDG tuner to get the most from 80m. Because I have mounted it to a tin roof, I have not worried about radials. Everyone I talk to on air say that in their experience, the Butternut HF6V is a very good multiband vertical antenna, even though they may not be oriented towards verticals and are dipole and yagi fans. My example was bought when it was part of Bencher. I do not know if MFJ manufacture them as well as Bencher used to.
Think you need to add at minimum 12 radials?
I think that’s a metal roof mate, and the ground side of the mast is adequately bolted to it.
wow great idea congratulationes 73 from kb2uew
How is it holding up after three years?
No problem! Still there.
how well does the shed roof work for a ground?
Not sure just yet. The Butternut developed a fault soon after. I have yet to pull the thing down and inspect it. It was noted that the 11m section, which comprises of just a grey piece of wire, has fallen off.
Also see the UPDATE to charlioscar09 above.
WACRS FOREVER FOREVER WACRS