I bought 'em at a local shop yesterday, and that's what I got when I asked for "Hamsticks." They look very well constructed, and are an obvious copy of what a Hamstick is. I got the 40 and 20 versions, and both needed no adjustment after I mounted them. Both were resonant at the "sweet spot" in the band, and weren't overly narrow. They were wider that specified.
I mounted them with a Diamond K400 on the hatch lid of a '92 Celica and, in my hurry to "get on the air" relied on the setscrews (All four of them) to provide contact with the car body. (I know, I know..the hinge can be a lousy contact. And, eventually, I'll put a ground strap in).
But even with that less than optimum installation, they both tuned, and worked very well. Time was limited, and I didn't really have a chance for a "real" operating session, but had one QSO each on 20 and 40. On 20, it was a local (I was glad for that so I could get an accurate audio report, which was fine), but on 40, the one contact was when I broke in to a group down south, and got a report out of Augusta GA. There's detailed words about that over on Talk and Opinions, but, I must have been doing a decent job of getting out to have had that exchange. So, I'm pleased with those antennas. And, not for nothing, they cost half of what "real" Hamsticks cost.
The radio was an '857d, which installed flawlessly with the radio in the back seat and the control head, speaker, and mic in the front seat. When I can do a little better job of the installation, that's going to be a great setup.
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