[amsat-bb] Antenna suggestions

[Jim Sanford]

More like my experience with M-Squared.  Their antennas are the best 
mechanically engineered antennas I've ever seen.

Jim
wb4gcs at amsat.org

On 9/11/2014 8:25 AM, Stefan Wagener wrote:
> Well,
>
> I am sorry to hear about your experience with M2. On the other hand, we
> have dealt with them over the last two years for satellite antennas and can
> report the hardware is good, it fits and instructions when followed allow
> even non-hams to built a quality system. Customer support was outstanding
> and quick. I am planning on purchasing the next set of satellite antennas
> from them in the next few weeks and will continue to share my positive
> experience about them.
>
> Stefan, VE4NSA
>
> On Wed, Sep 10, 2014 at 10:52 PM, Lizeth Norman <normanlizeth at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> If you're buying anything from M2 expect poor customer service and a
>> bad build. I have more to do tonight than list the screwups those
>> people have done. They actually charged my credit card and THEN 2.5
>> months later (after finishing another manufacturing cycle) shipped the
>> product (upgrade kit for a KLM kt-34a)!!! Not to mention having to use
>> a dremel on the "CNC" hardware. The UHF antennas use a cheap white
>> plastic insulator that cracks, allowing water ingress. Remember the
>> $200 circularity switch that you need to buy? Junk after 7 years.
>> See here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/n3ykf/11312549334/
>> Considering what these people charge, I'd expect teflon.
>>
>> Because I'm a glutton for punishment, I purchased another antenna from
>> this bunch of rejects (These bozos actually had the balls to cancel
>> two credit card orders for parts!). It was cheaper than ordering one
>> from Europe. I guess at $800, lasting 7 years, it's just over $100 a
>> year to use this, then throw it away.
>>
>> The antenna has 21 pair of elements. 14 pair (!!!!!!) were miscut. 13
>> by 1/16 and one by an 1/8. (I took pictures because I care!!!) That's
>> a real problem where the elements of the antenna are 1/16 th of an
>> inch different (most). Took me almost two hours to verify what they'd
>> done and decide that regardless of what screwups they'd made, it was
>> going together.
>> Seems to work. I've no way to test it other than swr and on air usage.
>>
>> Take care to read the Gulf Alpha page. Last I looked, the satellite
>> antennas were out of production and he was reserving parts/service for
>> original owners, only.
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Sep 10, 2014 at 4:23 PM, Dave Webb KB1PVH <kb1pvh at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>> Keith,
>>>
>>> I'm not sure if Gulf Alpha is still making the satellite antennas. He had
>>> something on his website saying that he wasn't going to build them and
>> even
>>> if he was to build them, you will wait a minimum of 4 months regardless
>> of
>>> what timeframe he tells you.
>>>
>>> Dave-KB1PVH
>>>
>>> Sent from my Samsung S4
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>> _______________________________________________
>> Sent via AMSAT-BB at amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available
>> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions
>> expressed
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>> AMSAT-NA.
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>>
> _______________________________________________
> Sent via AMSAT-BB at amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available
> to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed
> are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA.
> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
> Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
>


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