Force 12 Flagpole Vertical Experience
I've owned & used the Force 12 Flagpole Vertical since March of 2003. It comes with 4 radials, which I increased to 12 of various lengths, spread evenly & buried about 1" below the soil. I'd rate this antenna about a 6.5 out of 10 on the 10-Point Scale.
Positives: Very easily disguised as a flagpole (duh!); easy to mount/install; performs fairly well on 20 meters (no tuner required); fair on 40 meters (surprisingly so); good on 30 meters and fairly good on 17, 15, 12 & 10; low take-off angle
Negatives: It's a vertical with all the inherent characteristics of a vertical; adding additional radials is critical to decreasing SWR; adding radials while decreasing SWR it narrows the bandspread (particularly on 20); no chance of operating on 80 meters whatsoever
Additional random thoughts: The instructions say to run 70 ft of coax from the antenna to your house & to make an RF choke near the outside entrance to the house by coiling the coax. I installed it in that manner & I've had no problems with RF in the basement. I have used both an MFJ 949E and an LDG automatic tuner & both have performed well from 40 meters up. I purchased an additional 4 ft of aluminum tubing (from Force 12); but have never installed it. For the price, if you need an antenna of this type, I think it's a very good value and one you'll enjoy using. While you'll not be getting 599s consistently, you'll be getting respectable reports and having a lot of fun. 73 - Ken
|
We appreciate your support.
Linear Mode
