• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.

MFJ-2990 43 foot Vertical Antena

frankd4

Member
Sep 16, 2011
15
1
13
The MFJ 2990 is a 43 foot vertical antena that is very easy to put up and it is well built But the problem is that this antenna will not tune on 160 meters, I have 26 radials and I had to build and install a huge coil that sits one foot above the balum and adjust it with the antenna analyzer so I could tune 80 meters. I have called MFJ many times trying to get a solution but nobody seems to know how to make it work on 160 meters.
This is a good antenna for 80 through 6 meters but I can not recommend it for 160 meters I think MFJ should reconsider advertizing it as such.
 

Got some bad news for you. None of those 43 foot verticals, no matter who they are made by, are much good for any band except 60 meters. Sure, they will "tune" with the help of a tuner, but that's about as 'good' as they get. They may even be adequate for other bands, but that's a far cry from being 'good' performers.
So how can you make it tune for 160 meters? That loading coil is a good start. then add a really good ground radial system for 160 meters. A fairly capable tuner should then be able to get the thing to appear as a good load to a transmitter. It's still the equivalent of a 160 meter rubberduck, at best.
All those 43 footers can be truthfully called 'usable' compromise antennas. Any more than that is just typical advertising. It's pretty easy to see/hear the difference, just try using a well installed 1/4 wave vertical antenna with a good radial system for any band. Then tell us how 'well' that compromise antenna works.
I think the price of any of those 43 footers is completely and absolutely ridiculous.
- 'Doc
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
Yep. These "all in one" tuned verticals have been Excedrine Headache #372 for hams forever. They can work some and get you on the air and take up the least space but you ain't never gonna be King Of The Hill on any of them.

Full length 1/4 wave verticals are fine performers but it is readily seen that they are impractical of installation on 80M and 160M as they would be around 75' and 150 feet tall respectively.

In my opinion the best "all bands in one" antenna that works well, has gain, and low QRM features, low cost and easy-up, is the horizontal Loop. Make it for 160M if you want and it works well and has resonance on all bands above up to even 6 meters and with a decent tuner.

Tons of info on the net regarding Loops

It's the only HF Wire Antenna I will bother to use anymore.


Good luck
 
My 77 feet high inverted L and 77 feet horizontal wire as can seen on my bio on qrz (PA5COR) made from titanex tubing starting at 3 1/4 tube at the bottom, cost me 200 euro's, all tubing 10 feet long, fitting snugly inside each other.

3500 feet copper wire radials put in the ground, MFJ 998 autotuner feeding it at the bottom tunes it from 160 -10 meter.
SSB on 160 contacts to the USA. Canada, Eurasia ( 4000 miles +) running bog standard 200 watt from the FT 2000 D.

Make it yourself, the vertical piping would cost me ordered from Titanex 1000 euro's, i got an alternative adress that delivers the special aluminium/titanex tubing for 1/5 th of that price, so shopping around pays off.
Titanex - High Tech HF Antennas and Accessories
 
Matching system or not!....
Typical Vertical
Works Equally Poor
in
All Directions
:D:w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t::D

LOL...LMBFAO...
All the Best
BJ

Agreed a vertical radiates poorly in all directions.

On the low bands, 75/80/160 since getting a dipole 1/2 wl in height is more than most ops will want to do then a vertical is the next choice for a low angle of radiation to work DX. They do work and work well for long distance DX. Recommend a separate receive antenna as verts are noisy.

I used a 1/4wl vert on 75 meters and had a matching network at the base to tune it to 40 meters as a 1/2 wl vert. I was consistently busting pileups with 100 watts on 40 meters with the vert. I would go to the two element yagi at 60' and could not get through the pileup, same amount of power.

Verts have their uses but it would not be the only antenna on the farm.
 
Last edited:
Matching system or not!....




Typical Vertical
Works Equally Poor
in
All Directions
:D:w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t::D

LOL...LMBFAO...
All the Best

BJ

Sorry to be so quiche but I just was reading at lunch and had to do it!;)
Though honestly I have run a few Vert's that served a good purpose.
Most notable was my 1/4 wave 20m at 24ft to the feed point and a mere 4 radials(12ga stranded THHN). That antenna never ceased to amaze me.
There were times when that antenna heard signals my 3 element Mosley at 54ft could not hear or work!
However most op's these days don't put the "work" into a Vert to really make them play right.
I call it the..."Through and Go"... That's Buy It...Through it Up...and then.....
Why won't anyone talk to me!:D

The 40m Ground Mounted 1/4 wave can be a great antenna...
I like that set-up for a FD antenna... with 4 or 5 radials you can make contacts ALL night...then during the Day hours you can work 15m very well....
Again however to make it a "Killer DX" antenna and keep it up and working correctly over time takes a little more work...That's from the start.
All the Best
BJ
 

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • dxBot:
    Tucker442 has left the room.
  • @ BJ radionut:
    LIVE 10:00 AM EST :cool:
  • @ Charles Edwards:
    I'm looking for factory settings 1 through 59 for a AT 5555 n2 or AT500 M2 I only wrote down half the values feel like a idiot I need help will be appreciated