Buckmaster 8 Band OCF QUESTION

[211inthamag]

OK...does anyone here have any experiance with the Buckmaster OCF 8 band Dipole? Will be talking on 160 locally (150 mile radious) and will be bouncing around all bands ! I wanted to see what yall think!!!

 

[IMD262]

OK...does anyone here have any experiance with the Buckmaster OCF 8 band Dipole? Will be talking on 160 locally (150 mile radious) and will be bouncing around all bands ! I wanted to see what yall think!!!

Very overpriced IMHO

 

[211inthamag]

I agree 100%

 

[wavrider]

4:1 current balun and some wire.
Roll your own.

Fan dipole will out perform that OCF.

 

[bcrewcaptain]

it's a good antenna, real good, however overpriced.
The owner/engineer Jack is a good friend of my father, I have met him a few times, very nice, very knowledgeable, but caters to a crowd that isn't the cheapasses we are here..
After talking with him for a few minutes a couple months back, I managed to talk him into selling me the balun/network that is the main part of the cost, and will be making the rest of the antenna myself. He also doesn't use cheap wire, or ends, so you could certainly save money on those as well, he just prefers to use more top shelf goods, thus the large price tag. I couldn't get him to explain exactly what is in the network, maybe somebody else has taken one apart to see, but it's all enclosed, and potted, and I'm not going to cut mine apart to see..

 

[North Texas Mudduck]

we had a mini feild day and another group came down and set up there 8 band ocf and started talking smak about their ocf and they were on 40 meters trying to make contacts
we had just a plain 40 meter inverted V maybe 20 feet off the ground and were up to our necks in contacts and the group came over to see what was going on
and then they began their conclusions and excuses that they were not high enough and they needed to turn it around and on and on
so off they went taking it down moving it running it up in a tree and even had it on the ground .
so after the field day it was decided that the plain jane 40 meter inverted V smoked them

 

[wavrider]

Hard to beat a simple easy dipole.

Balanced antenna, good current distribution, just a good all around decent antenna.

I have built and used the OCF, installed some for a vision impaired friend.


They work, some will say they work good, in the direction of the lobes that is.

I always went back to the plain simple dipole. They work.

 

[bcrewcaptain]

I think the main plus would be..the multi bands without a tuner, and being OCF for more mounting options. Not perfect for everything, of course there is a trade off.
A simple wire dipole is a great antenna, my $6 wire dipole works as well on 10m as anything else I have used, but I can't switch bands without switching antennas.
Jack of all trades, master of none, but for what it is, it does do a great job, removing the price point of course, and chews up a lot less real estate than 8 dipoles.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

it's a good antenna, real good, however overpriced.
The owner/engineer Jack is a good friend of my father, I have met him a few times, very nice, very knowledgeable, but caters to a crowd that isn't the cheapasses we are here..

I wouldn't say we are cheap asses here simply because we think the antenna in question is WAAAY overpriced. Not at all. I don't care what kind of wire the guy uses unless it is solid silver or gold, 270 feet of wire, a few connectors and a balun are NOT worth $272 for a 300 watt version and an even more astounding $518 for a 5000 watt version. Sorry but 14 gauge wire will handle 5 Kw so the only real difference is in the wire size and core for the balun at the feedpoint. I am far from being cheap, in fact I could stand to be a little cheaper in some of my acquisitions however the one thing I refuse to buy is a wire antenna......any wire antenna. For a fraction of the cost I can make one that works just as well and learn a little while doing it and then have the satisfaction of making contacts using something I built myself. After that I can take the money I saved and spend it on another classic hybrid rig or shack accessory. IMHO buying a wire antenna is akin to buying popcorn at the movies. You know you are getting screwed by buying some way over priced thing yet you just cannot resist the temptation to try it.

 

[w9cll]

As CK said, there is cheap and then there is foolish. The later is spending $200+ on wire. Sorry I can build it myself for less then $50. Congrats to him on his marketing abilities though.

 

[wavrider]

I think the main plus would be..the multi bands without a tuner, and being OCF for more mounting options. Not perfect for everything, of course there is a trade off.
A simple wire dipole is a great antenna, my $6 wire dipole works as well on 10m as anything else I have used, but I can't switch bands without switching antennas.
Jack of all trades, master of none, but for what it is, it does do a great job, removing the price point of course, and chews up a lot less real estate than 8 dipoles.

Maybe a multi band dipole IE fan dipole.

20/40/80 meters and work 15 meters on third harmonic of the 40 meter wire.
One coax four bands.

Second one could be 10/17/20 could even throw in 12 if you like, no tuner required.

 

[Mudfoot]

How much real estate do you have?

Full size on 160/80 would be great.

Fan for the rest.

 

[211inthamag]

I wasnt planning on the purchase of one because the price just doesnt make any since being $300 and all...i have about 10 acres of property!! BUT..i have a guy who has one still in the shipping package and decided to go another route..i can get it for around $150 and i figured id try it!

 

[BJ radionut]

Don't believe the VSWR curves either!!!op:
You will still need a Tuner IMHO

All the Best
Happy New Year to ALL
Gary

 

[wavrider]

Gary you going to have another net on new years on 80 meters?

Will bring out that old swan 700cx and get it ready, may even see how it does going into that home brew 3-1000Z