I installed a COMPACtenna model 2M/440 and it works amazingly well. 😉
My tests so far are with a handy with only 4 watts …
I could open a DMR repeater with 0 percent packet loss,
always signal 8/9 for about 20km distance whilst driving,
before entering an urban area and even there I got less packet loss in transmit then before.
The antenna I used before on this vehicle was a window mounted Diamond antenna.
In my opinion this antenna is also aesthetically less intrusive.
And it looks cool !
Joeri Van Doeren, Belgium
John KK4SBS writes:
Not sure what sort of … magic wizardry you’ve pulled off here but the performance on the 70cm/1.25m/2m tri-band
COMPACtenna is absolutely phenomenal!
The performance on all three bands, right out of the box, has been nothing short of incredible.
I had been running a B-10NMO (70cm/2m & 12″ tall).
Since switching to the COMPACtenna,
I’m now receiving reports of full quiet on repeaters that I previously struggled to even Rx at ~S5.
I’m now able to Rx those same machines at S8-S9+ with no issues and to my shock,
I’ve also had no trouble on Rx/Tx in the areas I used to struggle.
So thank you for engineering such an awesome product. …
Thank you John.
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eHam.net review by WA8JBT (posted on HamR-7Digi listing) of model HamR-7 :
With the HamR-7 inside my apartment with a 1:1 match on all bands using my tuner, in the last 3 months I have logged over 400 contacts with this antenna, mostly in the U.S. but some in Hawaii, South America, Mexico, Canada, Caribbean area and Spain & France. Using PSKreporter my signal has been heard in Japan, New Zealand, Africa and all over Europe.
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Amazing World-Wide Shortwave Listening with the ‘Magnetic-Field Resonator’ of COMPActenna Science & Technology by Dr. Jack Nilsson! (Customer)
ON3URE in Belgium provides Live Streaming – REAL TIME World Wide Reception with the Revolutionary tiny 20″ COMPACtenna ShortWave antenna.
You may choose Broadcast Shortwave Stations from Countries Around The World to listen to INFORMATIVE NEWS, music, and more. There are also PIRATE Radio Stations, and Secret Messaging NUMBERS STATIONS. Select Ham Radio Bands to listen to Amateur Radio Operators, or Universal Time Atomic Clock Transmitters, etc.
No assembly required. Shown here on a 3/8″-24 thread magnet mount:
SWR Graphs on Icom-7300 (Internal Tuner) :
[HamR-7 antennas now with Black Caps]
HamR-7 HamR-7Digi HamR-7WARC
eHam.net review by WA8JBT (posted on HamR-7Digi listing) of model HamR-7 :
With the HamR-7 inside my apartment with a 1:1 match on all bands using my tuner, in the last 3 months I have logged over 400 contacts with this antenna, mostly in the U.S. but some in Hawaii, South America, Mexico, Canada, Caribbean area and Spain & France. Using PSKreporter my signal has been heard in Japan, New Zealand, Africa and all over Europe.
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
Results speak for themselves. I tried the WSPR digital mode, and just 5 W transmit power from Los Angeles with my KX3 and its internal ATU (similar results were obtained with the 991A). My signal on 20m and 40m was heard as far away as Canada, the Canary Islands, Antarctica, and Melbourne.
I’m happy with the HamR-Digi & recommend it to anyone with a good internal or external ATU, & a need for small footprint.
*** To help have the successes others have,
see ‘Installs’ page for Optimizing Installation of small (HF) antennas in ‘small spaces’.
Topics include:
A good External Antenna Tuner helps realize this antenna’s broad performance capabilities.
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.
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;
Link to YouTube 20 second video of W8TWL using the 20 Meters 20″ COMPACtenna
