5-8-9 Reports on 20 Meters! HamR-7 Due to HOA restrictions, I was forced to find an alternative to dipoles and beams… The COMPACtenna HAMR-7 is only 46” tall and requires only a small ground plane counterpoise (36” x 36”). This fit within my [very limited space] parameters. The build quality (materials) of this unit are superb…. After resolving some SWR anomalies (due to defective magnetic mount), the HamR-7 snapped right into spec on 40, 20, and 10 meters. I am happy. The COMPACtenna had me talking to NJ, PA, and LA with 5-8-9 reports. If you have an HOA or apartment preventing you from enjoying your Ham Hobby, consider the COMPACtenna series of antennas. Avi, N1KSP
POTA (Park On The Air)
K8ZT visited a park a few miles from his home. He reports that within 10 minutes of leaving his house,
he had easily deployed the HamR-7 antenna and made many CW and SSB voice contacts accross USA
and abroad running QRP with only 5 watts on battery power.
Scott Roberts, KB3CBC submitted a very well written report:
For one specific case: there is a venerable major manufacturer whose antennas are used by first responders and amateur radio operators (me) for decades. The particular antenna by this manufacturer is used on 2/70 and gave me a benchmark to compare the CompacTenna side by side. In urban, NLOS environments, the CompacTenna beat the 2/70 antenna in every case.
With regards to the magnetic vs electric fields: a fast but inaccurate translation would be to say that this antenna functions as an omnidirectional circularly polarized antenna, and if you didn’t know any better, that’s what you would hear on the radio and see from your reception and transmission reports. It’s a lot more complicated than that and would recommend you review the various YouTube videos Dr. Jack put together to address this topic. Antenna analyzers and plots only give you part of the story, primarily based upon the E-field. It doesn’t show you, directly, what’s happening from the H-field side. Use a spectrum analyzer to compare received signals, though, and you’ll see the difference. The noise floor was reduced by approximately 3db and the signals were more evenly distributed. Signals that were close to the noise floor were observed to have increased by 3-6db, and stronger signals were slightly attenuated. The result is that there was minimal fading and the capability to hear signals that I could not using other manufacturer’s antennas.
I went 114 miles single hop today on aprs with this little guy.
Voice comms are great as well, hitting repeaters 40-50 miles away clearly isn’t difficult.
Digital Communications – DMR Radio with COMPACtenna Science & Technology (eHam.net):
Thank you, Carlos.
6 Minute Video of Tom Medlin of W5KUB.com Interviewing
Dr. Jack Nilsson Regarding 7″ COMPACtenna Model 2M/220/440 :
Testimonial:
Our company “Ham and HiFi” purchased a Compactenna 2M/220/440 antenna from HRO recently! We use the antenna for testing radios we acquire from ” ham radio collections” we purchase from all over the US ! The construction of our shop / warehouse is with foil backed insulation, steel doors and steel roof which have made using inside antennas a problem ….. But when using the Compactenna I’m now able to connect to repeaters through out the Reno / Sparks area! Easy to install, easy to use ( no tuning ), wide banded and will handle 85 watts on 2, 50 watts on 220 / 440 ! Best of all a small footprint and it works ! I ordered another for my truck ! Regards, Don W7SSB HAMandHiFi.com
Satellite Communication with COMPACtenna Science & Technology
Summary of comments on Groups.io by Brad Smith, KC9UQR:
Brad Smith, KC9UQR I use the COMPACtenna model 2M/440. It is elliptically polarized and a very good satellite antenna. It does work better than a vertical. I have tried many antennas, including 1/4, 1/2, and 5/8 wave verticals and an eggbeater. Dr. Nilsson explained the elliptical polarization. I am very impressed by this little antenna. The website is COMPACtenna.com . There is a lot of info there, including videos by Dr. Nilsson that are informing. The COMPACtenna is also very good at high elevations/working directly overhead. …there is no “doughnut hole”. The proof is when you get out into the field and make a contact and I am doing that every day.
Brad Leeser, KEØLDS North Dakota Report on COMPACtenna 7” model 2M/440
Dodge Durango 2 meter & 70 cm Bands tested Analog & Digital Yaesu – System Fusion – C4FM 4-level FSK
I had been using a ‘tall’ 2 meter/440 Ham Radio antenna on the center of the roof of my Dodge Durango. But I moved and the new garage has a low clearance that will not allow standard antennas/technology.
It works great around town in Fargo, North Dakota. I put the antenna on the rear left side of my car as recommended. I’ve used it on the 2 meter and 70 cm bands and have done both analog and digital System Fusion transmissions. So far…two thumbs up. And I have a four-inch clearance getting into my garage! [So a ¼ wave 2 meter antenna wouldn’t even fit.] BTW it was -21 degrees this morning in Fargo. and the antenna worked great!
As a follow up, I completed my 300 mile trip last week from Fargo, North Dakota to Rochester, Minnesota. I knew roughly how far the repeaters reached as I traveled along I-94 with my old tall antenna. I am happy to report that my new 7” COMPACtenna had the same reach to those repeaters as my old tall antenna. I was picking up and reaching the repeater as far as 30 and more miles away, which in hilly Minnesota country is not bad at all.
So, overall, I give the antenna a “two thumbs up”. I think I made a really good buy.
Brad Leeser KEØLDS
Non-Line-Of- Sight – Success with COMPACtenna
Simplex – Vehicle to Vehicle
I purchased one of your dual band COMPACtenna’s for my wife’s van. She has 12 inches of clearance into our garage, so we had to use a low profile antenna. This evening, she and I talked on my drive home from work on 2 meter simplex. We live in north western Michigan in a hilly region. My wife was parked below the level of the street that runs past our house.
As you can see in the attached Google Earth map, the hills are over 200 feet higher in elevation than where my wife was parked. We were both surprised on How clear the signal came through. In the past, we had a difficult time maintaining contact…
Thank you for making the COMPACtenna.
David Bolduc – N8ATP
By Bob Grove, W8JHD “The prediction of signal flutter reduction was true as well;
when annoying flutter interrupted reception of weak signals on the whip,
reception was much smoother with the COMPACtenna.”
Increased Reliable Range in the dynamically obstructed NLOS (Non Line Of Sight) Environment we live in.
***
Mobile: For best SWR and performance, mount your COMPACtenna
By Chris Parris ” … The COMPACtenna … seemed too good to be true.
The antenna appears to be very well built and not flimsy.
The COMPACtenna SW does indeed work as advertised.
It appears to be useful in situations where a larger or longer antenna is not practical or possible.
I did receive shortwave stations better than the standard whip antenna provided on basic shortwave radios.”
On 10,12,15,17m the COMPACtenna model SW receives better than a 5m active loop and 1.2m mag loop. The SNR ratio of your antenna is amazing on the 20m band, the reception of FT8 is better than my whip and magnetic loops including a 1.2m mag loop and even a 5m active loop. Joeri van Dooren Brussels, Belgium http://merchtem.on3ure.be:8074/
YouTube: COMPACtenna in attic in Ohio gets a signal report fromGeorgia
[DXE]
By Bob Grove, W8JHD “The prediction of signal flutter reduction was true as well;
