Wow lots of critics. I have a buddistick pro, and I appreciated the video content for what it was. And it’s a high quality video for all that you got across.
This is a great illustration of how the difference in height affects the lobes and therefore the performance especially the low angle performance. The Buddipole is by definition a portable antenna and is purposely designed for easy deployment. While RUclips is great for this kind of quick comparison it’s always subjective. Every tool in the shop has its place. I won’t take the time or risk aggravating a park ranger by stringing up a dipole thru the trees. But I sure won’t think twice about a compromise system like this in a vertical or dipole configuration. If I’m really comfortable at the park I’ll throw some kind of one leg wire antenna in the trees. Thanks for taking the time to post.
Absolutely! I 100% agree with you, every antenna has it's place. I love the dedicated 20m dipole at 1/2 wave height - however, as you pointed out the last thing you want to do is break limbs off trees in the park for POTA or whatever and have someone get on you for it. That was the exact reason I bought the Buddipole. Happy hunting!
@@W0KNI Really appreciate you sharing your experience. People don’t realize how much time it takes to record videos and edit / upload. Please keep up the good work. Don’t let the keyboard experts (if any) discourage you. Anything that generates thought and conversation is a good thing.
Not trying to be rude, but if you were having trouble getting better than 1.7:1, you weren’t tuning it correctly. You either need an antenna analyzer, a tuner, or a complete understanding of how to fine-tune the Buddipole. Without either an antenna analyzer or a tuner, you go to the top of the band you want to tune it for and check SWR there…note what the reading was. Then go to the bottom of the same band and check it there. If it’s a better SWR at the top of the band than at the bottom, then the antenna is too “short” and you either need to either lengthen the whip sections or if you have the shock-cord elements, you add “turns” AWAY from the ends of the elements to add wire to lengthen it. Only add 1 turn at a time and make sure you maintain about a 3-turn differential between the black and red sides to maintain the off-center fed characteristic to keep the impedance acceptable. This is how I tune my Buddipole and I get around 1.1:1 or flat just about every time. I’m making digital contacts with 5w power with the antenna around 7’ AGL. Keep trying. 73.
The Buddistick is unlikely to ever perform as well as full size dipole as more wire almost always equals better signal. It would be closer if the Buddistick was at the same elevation. I think the takeaway is if you can use a full size antenna it pays. If you can’t well the Buddistick and Buddipole can be setup in under 10 minutes and do a pretty good job for the ease of use. Thanks for taking the time to make the video.
Great video! New General here. HF is a completely different beast. So many antenna choices. Was hearing about the Buddipole and thank you so much for doing a head-to-head. Going to hold off for now and keep to the basics with dipole.
This is such an unfair comparison. Each antenna has its purpose. The dipole is going to take much longer in the field to erect, is going to require a lot more equipment, having 3 spots to hang the center and the ends, and can be difficult to get up 33’ in the air, let alone evenly. The BuddiStick is designed for quick deployment and is a shortened vertical, of course it’s going to be down 36db from a resonant tuned dipole. Other than that it’s a great video and thanks for it.
You really should learn how to tune your antennas before making videos and statements that aren't necessarily true. If you're using a RigExpert stick, it should be no problem getting the SWR down to around 1:1.2 1/2 wave dipoles, at 1/2 wave high, will always have better results than any compromised antenna systems. No shock there!
Thanks for watching. I really like having the turnkey solution that is standalone. Something I don’t have to hang from the tree. Some of the parks I go to hanging things in the trees is not acceptable. It’s pretty lightweight and can easily be carried alongside a dipole.
I stopped climbing trees and towers ten years ago. The Buddipole serves a great alternative to ladders, boom-lifts, climbing harnesses and hospital bills... The archery and slingshots were however pretty cool! I have a Buddipole setup that stays in my pickup which allows me to stop anywhere and get on the air, in about 3 minutes and make some contacts, while my 135ft Flat-Top Dipole stays at home.
This test was BS! The dipole antenna a half wave above the ground will always out perform a compromised vertical antenna. He didn't even properly tune either antenna. Further, the Buddistick deluxe is the worst performing of the Buddipole antennas. While it works and I've had some good signals, they are nothing compared to the Buddistick using the 11 ft shock corded mast or 18 ft tripod mast. Further, the Buddistick doesn't perform as well as the Buddipole on the 18 ft mast or33 ft mast. I'm also use the Buddihex, and it performs extremely well. Each antenna system has it's place and use. But wire antennas always work, provided they are tuned and you have a high enough support (tree).
Hey Nick! Both at first, but then just the horizontal leg/CP. I've gotten better SWR before, I think the tall wet grass was effecting things. Normally I'm in the
Hey there Jay - I tried different lengths of the horizontal leg, but not the coil tap. I might try that next time in combination with the hz leg. Cheers!
I love experimenting with portable antennas. My go to antenna that always beats out all the other antennas is an inverted V doublet on an 18 ft pole. I use light weight 300 ohm ladder line with 30 ft thin gage wire(on each side) for the antenna on a cheap 20 ft fiberglass pole. I run QRP so I use a tiny tuner for all band operation. This setup always beats out any other antennas but I'll keep trying to find something better. lol Thanks for your informative video. 73's Alan
Hey Alan thanks for watching. Building antennas is probably one of the most fun parts of this hobby. What you built sounds really interesting. I might have to take a look at that. I’m always open for a new antenna design. Cheers.
If you check out some of my other videos you’ll see I build my own. I’m really happy with the 40 m trapped dipole. It was fun to make the parts are inexpensive and it’s a great performer for the price. As long as you can get the antenna up 32 feet or higher it performs really well.
Umm yeah. Impossible to beat a res / prop elevated dipole -vs- a designed as such portable multibander? Not sure what was actually meant to be shown here, maybe that but not said? "Surprise?" (Title) nope, not surprised.
LOL - I agree with you, and for those of us who have been at this hobby for awhile this should be a no brainer as you pointed out. But for those getting started in this fun hobby it can be informative. Thanks for watching! Cheers.
The title of this video is misleading. You are NOT using a Buddipole, you are actually using a Buddistick Pro. I suggest you update the title and description.
Sorry, Stephen. Not a fair comparison. The dipole at 1/2 wavelength above ground will certainly out-perform a Buddistick (not a Buddipole!) on top of a tripod a couple of meters above the ground. The comparable test would be with a Buddipole at 1/2 wavelength. I know this was only a quick test, but put all the facts up front when you do it. Keep up the vids. We can always do with more Ham Radio on RUclips.
Looked like you setup a buddistick vertical. Im not an antenna genius, but you have a horizontal dipole 30' off the ground vs a vertical whip on the ground. Did you use a counterpoise? Of course there is an s9 vs s3 on a tuned horizontal dipole vs a vertical mobile. This is an absurd comparison, waste of 2 min.
Thank you for making this video and sharing it with all of us! Question: How many radials and what length were you using with the buddy pole? I am of course subscribed with notifications turned on and thumbs up! 73 W3GUY Ernie
Hey Ernie - thanks for watching and the L+S! I appreciate that. Only 1 radial on the Buddipole. It only ships with one. It's a fantastic solution when you don't have/or can't hang stuff from trees. Cheers!
For sure! The odds were certainly stacked against the little Buddipole. I'm going to put together a follow up video once the weather shapes up around here. Thanks for watching!
Oh for sure Phil! Ya the buddistick usually gets WAY better SWR but it was in some tall wet grass I'm guessing was effecting it. Yep - hands down and a no brainer for those who have been doing this for awhile. But it's always nice to see when deciding on something new or if your new to the hobby. Thanks for watching!
Nice interesting video, thank you. Ofcourse the Buddipole is a shortened antenna, too low mounted. A full dipole is dirt cheap, and works great. But somewhat unpractical. 73 PA5BAS
Hey Jim thanks for watching. I’m sure it was an easy prediction by any experienced HF user like you, but for those just getting into the hobby - any comparison to watch is valuable. Cheers!
This is NOT a BuddiPole... it is a Buddistick Pro. You are trying to compare a horizontal dipole a half wavelength above ground vs a vertical antenna not very far above the ground. You are comparing apples to oranges which is an unfair test. I can almost guarantee that my BuddiPole dipole antenna on top of my 33 foot Mastwerks mast/tripod that my results will be comparable to your dipole.
Hey Bob, thanks for watching! It certainly was not a scientific experiment LOL. However it was to prove an obvious point that a properly configured dipole was better than the a compromised vertical. Cheers!
I not only don't believe this to be a fair comparison; it's more of a 'why bother' ? Apples vs oranges. The Buddipole is meant as a quick setup/takedown portable antenna meant for backpacking & SHTF events. If you want to compare your home made dipole REALLY compares to the Buddipole, hoist it up 1/2 wavelength (climb a couple of trees, or hoist it up a flagpole). Then your results will have more meaning. Also, a dipole closer to the ground has a much higher radiation angle, so it's propagation will be completely different to the 1/2 wave high dipole. So, why bother making this comparison?
Hey miKey! Thanks for watching. Believe it or not, there are plenty of new Hams who have not experienced either, or maybe just one of these types of antennas. So a comparison of the two helps the curious. As you sound like someone with lots of experience, this comparison is clearly "Apples vs oranges" as you put it. 73.
I found that doing this test basing your result on only one contact is very, very misleading. While I do believe that the dipole at 1/2 WL above ground should have the dipole give a better result in most cases, the difference in a vertical vs. a horizontal and where the signal will touch down makes using just one contact a very bad comparison. You should have strived for multiple contacts at different distances to get a better result. This is very misleading and someone like yourself should have known better to base a result on just one contact. At different distances, the Buddipole may have given a better result. I would expect that the dipole, which as set up is not a compromise antenna, would do better in most cases. That said, the difference may have been far less between the two at other distances. You were not willing to lower the dipole or adjust the counterpoise on the Buddipole to make the SWR the same. The SWR would not have made a huge difference in performance, but when doing a comparison, you should have strived to make things as equal as possible. Either you don't like the Buddipole or you're just lazy. It's easy to get the Buddipole down to a very low, almost perfect SWR, especially on 20 meters by just making fine adjustment to the counterpoise length. I do it all of the time. Compare the Buddihex to the dipole, be sure to point it the right way and watch the dipole get smoked.
Hey John - thanks for watching! Yes, yes showing more than one contact would probably be better for the audience as you mentioned. I did make a few that day and this was one of the more detailed so that's the one that made the video. You are also right about the Buddipole SWR can get better, in fact I normally have it under 1.10 but that day in the tall wet grass it just wasn't going to do it! All good. Cheers!
@@jeffreyrichard9675 Not trying to be abrasive. I'm tired of non objective comparisons that mislead people who don't have much experience with antennas. I thought he could have done a much better job. You can just be a fan boy and gush all over videos no matter what the content is, or maybe push back a little for better content. That was abrasive.
Disingenuous. We already know a dipole beats ANY vertical every time, except perhaps over salt water. However, lets evaluate your setup. 1) Did you put that dipole up the same day? Looks like it is semi permanent and required a boom lift to get it up there. 2)Did your vertical have a full sized radiator or were you using a loading coil with a shortened element? 3) Was the feed point up 8ft? 4) Did you have at least two elevated radials? 5) Is there a balun in the line? You probably needed 2:1... 4:1 if it was a really short whip, a loading coil, and only one radial. If the answer is no to any one of these, there is much room for improvement. I can set up a 20M Buddypole/stick on a park bench in about 3 minutes, 4 to 5 if I go full sized and need to guy and I am on the air. Yes Buddipole is a little expensive, BUT so are boom lifts, ladders, climbing gear and hospital bills. Keep in mind, if you are building that dipole you will be going up the tree several times to get the SWR you are looking for. I've put up dozens and not once have I gotten the desired 50ohm on the first try. You even said in you could do better if you went up the tree and made some adjustments. Better order up that boom if 1.0:1 is your goal!
Hey Paul - thanks for watching! By reading your detailed comment, you've obviously been doing the radio thing for some time! Thank you for taking the time to write it. However, this video was designed for the beginner seeking out what works better. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind which would perform better. Both antennas were put up the same day. I use Arbiter weights to sling line up for both ends of the dipole. The Buddystick is a great little antenna that is completely self contained, requiring no trees! Thanks again for watching! Cheers.
Oh for sure, totally agree. As my friend said after finding out I bought a commercially made antenna - "you've gone to the dark side" LOL. I do enjoy the simplicity and the fact I don't have to hang it in a tree, which for me doing POTA, is not always an option once on site. Cheers.
Even before you revealed the results, knew it was hands down the dipole. Just listen to the muted/noisy b-pole vs your dipole. great video!!
Thanks for the view Greg - you were absolutely right! Dipoles are fantastic antennas. Cheers!
Wow lots of critics. I have a buddistick pro, and I appreciated the video content for what it was. And it’s a high quality video for all that you got across.
This is a great illustration of how the difference in height affects the lobes and therefore the performance especially the low angle performance.
The Buddipole is by definition a portable antenna and is purposely designed for easy deployment.
While RUclips is great for this kind of quick comparison it’s always subjective.
Every tool in the shop has its place.
I won’t take the time or risk aggravating a park ranger by stringing up a dipole thru the trees. But I sure won’t think twice about a compromise system like this in a vertical or dipole configuration.
If I’m really comfortable at the park I’ll throw some kind of one leg wire antenna in the trees.
Thanks for taking the time to post.
Absolutely! I 100% agree with you, every antenna has it's place. I love the dedicated 20m dipole at 1/2 wave height - however, as you pointed out the last thing you want to do is break limbs off trees in the park for POTA or whatever and have someone get on you for it. That was the exact reason I bought the Buddipole. Happy hunting!
@@W0KNI
Really appreciate you sharing your experience.
People don’t realize how much time it takes to record videos and edit / upload.
Please keep up the good work.
Don’t let the keyboard experts (if any) discourage you.
Anything that generates thought and conversation is a good thing.
Not trying to be rude, but if you were having trouble getting better than 1.7:1, you weren’t tuning it correctly.
You either need an antenna analyzer, a tuner, or a complete understanding of how to fine-tune the Buddipole. Without either an antenna analyzer or a tuner, you go to the top of the band you want to tune it for and check SWR there…note what the reading was. Then go to the bottom of the same band and check it there. If it’s a better SWR at the top of the band than at the bottom, then the antenna is too “short” and you either need to either lengthen the whip sections or if you have the shock-cord elements, you add “turns” AWAY from the ends of the elements to add wire to lengthen it. Only add 1 turn at a time and make sure you maintain about a 3-turn differential between the black and red sides to maintain the off-center fed characteristic to keep the impedance acceptable. This is how I tune my Buddipole and I get around 1.1:1 or flat just about every time. I’m making digital contacts with 5w power with the antenna around 7’ AGL.
Keep trying.
73.
love your 2 friends! glad you brought them along (they were glad, too). dogs and water...
They are the best. Chloe is the yellow and Lily is the black one. Both English labs. 1yo and 3.5 yo
Thank you for this video, i was on the website about to purchase a BuddiPole I think I will keep looking.
The Buddistick is unlikely to ever perform as well as full size dipole as more wire almost always equals better signal. It would be closer if the Buddistick was at the same elevation. I think the takeaway is if you can use a full size antenna it pays. If you can’t well the Buddistick and Buddipole can be setup in under 10 minutes and do a pretty good job for the ease of use. Thanks for taking the time to make the video.
Great video! New General here. HF is a completely different beast. So many antenna choices. Was hearing about the Buddipole and thank you so much for doing a head-to-head. Going to hold off for now and keep to the basics with dipole.
Welcome aboard! Glad you enjoyed the video. 73
This is such an unfair comparison. Each antenna has its purpose. The dipole is going to take much longer in the field to erect, is going to require a lot more equipment, having 3 spots to hang the center and the ends, and can be difficult to get up 33’ in the air, let alone evenly. The BuddiStick is designed for quick deployment and is a shortened vertical, of course it’s going to be down 36db from a resonant tuned dipole. Other than that it’s a great video and thanks for it.
You really should learn how to tune your antennas before making videos and statements that aren't necessarily true. If you're using a RigExpert stick, it should be no problem getting the SWR down to around 1:1.2
1/2 wave dipoles, at 1/2 wave high, will always have better results than any compromised antenna systems. No shock there!
Great video. Was thinking about the Buddipole but think I will hold off now.
Thanks for watching. I really like having the turnkey solution that is standalone. Something I don’t have to hang from the tree. Some of the parks I go to hanging things in the trees is not acceptable. It’s pretty lightweight and can easily be carried alongside a dipole.
I stopped climbing trees and towers ten years ago. The Buddipole serves a great alternative to ladders, boom-lifts, climbing harnesses and hospital bills... The archery and slingshots were however pretty cool! I have a Buddipole setup that stays in my pickup which allows me to stop anywhere and get on the air, in about 3 minutes and make some contacts, while my 135ft Flat-Top Dipole stays at home.
This test was BS! The dipole antenna a half wave above the ground will always out perform a compromised vertical antenna. He didn't even properly tune either antenna. Further, the Buddistick deluxe is the worst performing of the Buddipole antennas. While it works and I've had some good signals, they are nothing compared to the Buddistick using the 11 ft shock corded mast or 18 ft tripod mast. Further, the Buddistick doesn't perform as well as the Buddipole on the 18 ft mast or33 ft mast. I'm also use the Buddihex, and it performs extremely well. Each antenna system has it's place and use. But wire antennas always work, provided they are tuned and you have a high enough support (tree).
helps to have nice tall trees close enough to string a dipole. Otherwise we are at the mercy of what we can do and what we have
How are you tuning the buddistick pro? Counterpoise length? Mast extension?
Hey Nick! Both at first, but then just the horizontal leg/CP. I've gotten better SWR before, I think the tall wet grass was effecting things. Normally I'm in the
@@W0KNI just curious because I have only used the buddistick pro and never had issues. I enjoy watching your local content
Thanks Nick! My K-2829 POTA I was able to get 1.10 with it. It was over sandy soil and short grass. The Buddistick is a great standalone antenna!
Did you try different lengths or change coil tap to try to get better SWR on the buddipole?
Hey there Jay - I tried different lengths of the horizontal leg, but not the coil tap. I might try that next time in combination with the hz leg. Cheers!
I had made an antenna similar to buddipole with offcentre loading to match the impedance as it's not half wave above ground. Works fantastic 👍
Sweet! That sounds like a great antenna. Thanks for watching!
Very valuable video - thanks !
You are welcome!
That's the buddistick, not the buddipole. Buddipole, the company, has an antenna that is also named the buddipole which is different than this.
I love experimenting with portable antennas. My go to antenna that always beats out all the other antennas is an inverted V doublet on an 18 ft pole. I use light weight 300 ohm ladder line with 30 ft thin gage wire(on each side) for the antenna on a cheap 20 ft fiberglass pole. I run QRP so I use a tiny tuner for all band operation. This setup always beats out any other antennas but I'll keep trying to find something better. lol Thanks for your informative video. 73's Alan
Hey Alan thanks for watching. Building antennas is probably one of the most fun parts of this hobby. What you built sounds really interesting. I might have to take a look at that. I’m always open for a new antenna design. Cheers.
Stephen, what dipole were using? Commercial or DIY? Thanks.
If you check out some of my other videos you’ll see I build my own. I’m really happy with the 40 m trapped dipole. It was fun to make the parts are inexpensive and it’s a great performer for the price. As long as you can get the antenna up 32 feet or higher it performs really well.
Umm yeah. Impossible to beat a res / prop elevated dipole -vs- a designed as such portable multibander? Not sure what was actually meant to be shown here, maybe that but not said? "Surprise?" (Title) nope, not surprised.
LOL - I agree with you, and for those of us who have been at this hobby for awhile this should be a no brainer as you pointed out. But for those getting started in this fun hobby it can be informative. Thanks for watching! Cheers.
The title of this video is misleading. You are NOT using a Buddipole, you are actually using a Buddistick Pro. I suggest you update the title and description.
Sorry, Stephen. Not a fair comparison. The dipole at 1/2 wavelength above ground will certainly out-perform a Buddistick (not a Buddipole!) on top of a tripod a couple of meters above the ground. The comparable test would be with a Buddipole at 1/2 wavelength. I know this was only a quick test, but put all the facts up front when you do it. Keep up the vids. We can always do with more Ham Radio on RUclips.
LOL Ya the poor buddistick didn't have a chance looking at the technicals but it's always fun to compare and see what you find out. Cheers.
Looked like you setup a buddistick vertical. Im not an antenna genius, but you have a horizontal dipole 30' off the ground vs a vertical whip on the ground. Did you use a counterpoise? Of course there is an s9 vs s3 on a tuned horizontal dipole vs a vertical mobile. This is an absurd comparison, waste of 2 min.
Thank you for making this video and sharing it with all of us!
Question: How many radials and what length were you using with the buddy pole?
I am of course subscribed with notifications turned on and thumbs up!
73 W3GUY Ernie
Hey Ernie - thanks for watching and the L+S! I appreciate that. Only 1 radial on the Buddipole. It only ships with one. It's a fantastic solution when you don't have/or can't hang stuff from trees. Cheers!
@PlasmaStorm73 [N5EVV] the Buddistick does not have radials, it has a counterpoise, different animal.
@PlasmaStorm73 [N5EVV] After four, the returns rapidly diminish. I use two and try to get a full size radiator up whenever possible.
No surprise there. Convenience comes at a cost in signal strength.
For sure! The odds were certainly stacked against the little Buddipole. I'm going to put together a follow up video once the weather shapes up around here. Thanks for watching!
You need to better tune the buddistick pro and apart from that you cannot compare the height of the dipole with the height of the buddistik pro
Oh for sure Phil! Ya the buddistick usually gets WAY better SWR but it was in some tall wet grass I'm guessing was effecting it. Yep - hands down and a no brainer for those who have been doing this for awhile. But it's always nice to see when deciding on something new or if your new to the hobby. Thanks for watching!
jejejejej nice review good job Stephan Great job 73 from kb2uew
Glad you enjoyed it Alvaro, I had fun making it! Cheers.
Nice interesting video, thank you. Ofcourse the Buddipole is a shortened antenna, too low mounted. A full dipole is dirt cheap, and works great. But somewhat unpractical. 73 PA5BAS
Howw u doing?!you shared outstanding -
Hey thanks for watching! Short and sweet.
How can u compare a vertical antenna with a horizontal dipole that's a pretty stupid comparison
Hey Jim thanks for watching. I’m sure it was an easy prediction by any experienced HF user like you, but for those just getting into the hobby - any comparison to watch is valuable.
Cheers!
This is NOT a BuddiPole... it is a Buddistick Pro. You are trying to compare a horizontal dipole a half wavelength above ground vs a vertical antenna not very far above the ground. You are comparing apples to oranges which is an unfair test. I can almost guarantee that my BuddiPole dipole antenna on top of my 33 foot Mastwerks mast/tripod that my results will be comparable to your dipole.
Hey Bob, thanks for watching! It certainly was not a scientific experiment LOL. However it was to prove an obvious point that a properly configured dipole was better than the a compromised vertical. Cheers!
$1200 shortened dipole + over priced mast vs $25 full sized dipole and Buddipole will still lose, sorry.
@@zveck06 LOL - no doubt.
I not only don't believe this to be a fair comparison; it's more of a 'why bother' ?
Apples vs oranges. The Buddipole is meant as a quick setup/takedown portable antenna meant for backpacking & SHTF events.
If you want to compare your home made dipole REALLY compares to the Buddipole, hoist it up 1/2 wavelength (climb a couple of trees, or hoist it up a flagpole). Then your results will have more meaning.
Also, a dipole closer to the ground has a much higher radiation angle, so it's propagation will be completely different to the 1/2 wave high dipole.
So, why bother making this comparison?
Hey miKey! Thanks for watching. Believe it or not, there are plenty of new Hams who have not experienced either, or maybe just one of these types of antennas. So a comparison of the two helps the curious. As you sound like someone with lots of experience, this comparison is clearly "Apples vs oranges" as you put it. 73.
I found that doing this test basing your result on only one contact is very, very misleading. While I do believe that the dipole at 1/2 WL above ground should have the dipole give a better result in most cases, the difference in a vertical vs. a horizontal and where the signal will touch down makes using just one contact a very bad comparison. You should have strived for multiple contacts at different distances to get a better result. This is very misleading and someone like yourself should have known better to base a result on just one contact. At different distances, the Buddipole may have given a better result. I would expect that the dipole, which as set up is not a compromise antenna, would do better in most cases. That said, the difference may have been far less between the two at other distances. You were not willing to lower the dipole or adjust the counterpoise on the Buddipole to make the SWR the same. The SWR would not have made a huge difference in performance, but when doing a comparison, you should have strived to make things as equal as possible. Either you don't like the Buddipole or you're just lazy. It's easy to get the Buddipole down to a very low, almost perfect SWR, especially on 20 meters by just making fine adjustment to the counterpoise length. I do it all of the time. Compare the Buddihex to the dipole, be sure to point it the right way and watch the dipole get smoked.
Hey John - thanks for watching! Yes, yes showing more than one contact would probably be better for the audience as you mentioned. I did make a few that day and this was one of the more detailed so that's the one that made the video. You are also right about the Buddipole SWR can get better, in fact I normally have it under 1.10 but that day in the tall wet grass it just wasn't going to do it! All good. Cheers!
What an abrasive way to convey a suggestion.
@@jeffreyrichard9675 Not trying to be abrasive. I'm tired of non objective comparisons that mislead people who don't have much experience with antennas. I thought he could have done a much better job. You can just be a fan boy and gush all over videos no matter what the content is, or maybe push back a little for better content. That was abrasive.
Sorry, I have seen very few antennas than can beat a well-made and dialed in dipole. No surprise here.
Disingenuous. We already know a dipole beats ANY vertical every time, except perhaps over salt water. However, lets evaluate your setup. 1) Did you put that dipole up the same day? Looks like it is semi permanent and required a boom lift to get it up there. 2)Did your vertical have a full sized radiator or were you using a loading coil with a shortened element? 3) Was the feed point up 8ft? 4) Did you have at least two elevated radials? 5) Is there a balun in the line? You probably needed 2:1... 4:1 if it was a really short whip, a loading coil, and only one radial. If the answer is no to any one of these, there is much room for improvement. I can set up a 20M Buddypole/stick on a park bench in about 3 minutes, 4 to 5 if I go full sized and need to guy and I am on the air. Yes Buddipole is a little expensive, BUT so are boom lifts, ladders, climbing gear and hospital bills. Keep in mind, if you are building that dipole you will be going up the tree several times to get the SWR you are looking for. I've put up dozens and not once have I gotten the desired 50ohm on the first try. You even said in you could do better if you went up the tree and made some adjustments. Better order up that boom if 1.0:1 is your goal!
Hey Paul - thanks for watching! By reading your detailed comment, you've obviously been doing the radio thing for some time! Thank you for taking the time to write it. However, this video was designed for the beginner seeking out what works better. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind which would perform better. Both antennas were put up the same day. I use Arbiter weights to sling line up for both ends of the dipole. The Buddystick is a great little antenna that is completely self contained, requiring no trees! Thanks again for watching! Cheers.
this Biddipole is totally overpriced stuff.... mostley this cheap selfmade antennas are the best
Oh for sure, totally agree. As my friend said after finding out I bought a commercially made antenna - "you've gone to the dark side" LOL. I do enjoy the simplicity and the fact I don't have to hang it in a tree, which for me doing POTA, is not always an option once on site. Cheers.