Bought my set in 1978. Spoke to the USA from South Africa on 50 watt, Still using it as my Go-To system. I now have a complete set including WARC bands.
Excellent video. My 20 hamstick just broked at the base while mobile 🚛 going to be replace by a MO3 and 20m resonator….thanks for posting and 73s…..WP4OOI
Thanks for the tips on using a magnet mount with portable antennas. I picked up a 5” mag mount from the local truck stop and put a 10 meter antenna together from Buddipole parts. I drove up to a mountain lookout here in East Tennessee yesterday morning and set it up on top of the truck. 10 meters was booming from Europe and I was able to make some good contacts with my FT 891 running 50 watts.
great video. as a new ham and just starting. pota a love the way your run an activation. good pace and engaging in a bit of conversation other than super brief signal reports.
I had the fold over mast, 10M-75M resonators that I bought used in the 70s. I eventually replaced them with Hamsticks which fit inside my Corolla better than the Hustler. I operated mobile for many years until the early 2000s and would like to start up again. I still have my screwdriver antenna and my Hamsticks in storage.
That’s been my mobile antenna since 1968 or 1969! I have worked almost 100 countries mobile with it! Almost all of my POTA activations have been with the Hustler, either on a magnetic mount, on my tent stake mount or my picnic table C-clamp mount. With my old 4Runner, and now my new Tacoma, I use a trailer hitch mount. With the stake mount or clamp on mount, I get out quite nicely with four short radials. One of these days I am going to have to try one of those triple magnet mounts. I get much better tuning stability with all the mounts except my single magnet mount. I think tripling the capacity coupling would make a big difference. I seem to have to retune the resonator when going from the single magnet mount to any of the other mounts. Great video! 73, Don N4DJ
Thanks Don! 1968 I could have had one on my bike, wasn’t quite driving yet. It’s interesting to see how many experienced hams use these but they don’t seem to be as big now as they once were. I really like this antenna. 73 my friend!
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES They are good! Theoretically having the coil above 54 inches of mast increases the radiation a good bit due to the current distribution. For portable setups I plan to try two 54 inch masts and then the resonator. I have a white mast like yours ( relatively new) and still have my old original with the fold over hinge in it. The old one and a couple resonators are always in the back of my truck for use with my Icom 706. When camping I have the newer one in the van. Funny thing is I have always wanted a CW filter for my 706. I had to take it apart a few weeks ago and found a CW filter in it! It had never been invoked by the setup menu. So when I set it up properly I finally had my CW filter! I bought the rig used in about 2001. The guy I got it from said he bought it used and did not have a CW filter! I never checked in 22 years!
Yeah I have similar experiences with my K400 mount. As long as it's above the roof line of my Durango it really puts out well. I can work many stations with the 20m Hamstick! I'll have to look into the Hustler system. I've heard about them and frankly the reviews were kind of all over the place, so never knew what to make of that.
Never depend on a mag mount capacity coupling for HF mobile operations. Bond a jumper from the coax shield side at the feed point to the body of the vehicle with as short a length of wire or strap as possible. Way more efficient and you won’t have any “SWR instability”. Chris AJ1G Stonington CT
This is exactly what I was looking for. I have one of these with 4 different resonators that was given to me a long time ago, and it's been sitting in the garage waiting for something to do... Mine is going to be on a short tripod, so I'll need to run a counterpoise. I have the folding mast.
I got several of these at a local ham swap. They work so good that I got more of them. Too bad they aren’t selling now for the “$7.95” listed on that vintage ad. They are perfect for the porcupine vehicle vibe.
Many thanks for this review. It solved a problem for me. I got a good deal on two older, high-power Hustler antennas (20m & 15m) from of all places Goodwill. Other than camera lighting tripods, which work well for portable work, not much with ham gear potential shows up at thrift stores. Lacking any other mobile antennas, I've not had anything to compare them with. Your results are impressive. Perhaps I need to get a mag mount and go mobile.
Great video! Glad to see you using the Hustler setup. I’ve got a set that I used 30 years ago mobile. Just bought that Tram mag mount. So, I’m going to try the Hustler again. This time, like you, for portable ops. Maybe even POTA.
Thanks for watching! I was pleasantly surprised how well the antenna performed with the mag mount. I actually bought one for another band the next day.
I've always had good luck with Hustler antennas. A solid product that has withstood the test of time. Mounting the loading coil up high is always the most efficient for RF, but is a trade off for mechanical stability. I think the only real cinch in the armor is that people are inherently lazy and don't want to change whips, so they dish out big bucks for a screwdriver. Thanks Walt, now let's hit the rewind and go back 48 years to 1975 for a NUMBER ONE HIT in the US on the Billboard Top 100.... here's Van McCoy - The Hustle!
Hahaha 1975, 13 year old me was listening to those tunes on AM, keying the mic on my Realistic Navaho base and sending off reception report letters to shortwave stations asking for QSL cards. 73 my friend!
Indeed! Impossible for me to believe it was 48 years ago! So many tunes, so many parties with hot chicks and we all had our ears glued to the AM radio. Can you imagine having a party today and dancing to the AM radio? LOL 73 Bro.@@COASTALWAVESWIRES
Wow, what a pileup! Glad you rediscovered the Hustler Resonators. Love your antenna experiments. I'm gonna add you to HamAlert so I can finally maybe work you. Best 73 de W8RD.
Nice video Walt, looks like you are getting good bandwidth from that 20 meter resonator, I'm going to purchase one. It's been years since I've driven past the shipyards, I remember being impressed with the size of it.
Yes I was surprised at the bandwidth. I drive past that shipyard everyday on my way home from work. Driving past it is much better than spending all day in it LOL. All the best my friend!
Great video, Walt. Finally made a QSO with ya. I'm using my G90 and a DX Commander Expedition here in the Ocala National forest in FL. I still have the Coastal 20.(great antenna ) but the squid pole I have got run over by another camper 😂🤣😂
Hustlers move the coil UP the antenna... It is the CURRENT portion of an antenna that radiates. Base loaded are the least efficient. Coils dont radiate... I have both the fold over and the 22" base sections. For the record, loaded antennas work best if not shorter than 1/3 full length, below which you literally fall off a cliff for efficiency. The hustler with the 54" base on 20 is close to 1/2 full size, so very efficient (~8' vs 16'). You can tune for lowest SWR by adjusting the length of the whip tip. Ham stix follow on the Hustler theme of moving the coil up. BTW, on 40 expect~15% efficiency, 75 ~3.5%. Just too short... 73 Jerry wa2omu
I have a Hustler resonator for 80 meters that I use for Field Day and contesting, just to get on the air in a pinch. It works, but is very narrow-banded.
By Hustler's specs, the RM-75 and RM-80 have a bandwidth of 25-30 KHz. The higher-powered versions, the RM-75S and RM-80S, have twice that bandwidth at 50-60 KHz.
They still have the same construction as before, but like everything else they’ve cheapened their construction. Using set screws instead of a compression nut at the spot where the whip goes into the top. You can buy a tri mount that goes on the top that shaft allows you to use 3 or 4 different resonators at one time. 4 is if you use 1 resonator to hold the trimount to the top of the 54” shaft. The 54” shaft is also resonant for 6m too which makes it 5 bands.
Yes, It is VERY interesting.... I've had zero luck with 6 meters thus far. I've written it off as "bad band days," but putting up those dipoles are a pain in the ear. So, what you are saying is I just use the 54" mast by itself and that will work for 6 meters? FYI - I have two of every Hustler Resonator they make. I love them and their ease of use and tuning. I primarily use them with my IC-7300 and occasionally with the IC-705. I use the 54" fold-over mast and all Hustler antennas have the quick detach on them so I can change bands in a flash.
I have both kinds of Hustler antennas, older ones I got used with the compression nuts and newer ones with set screws. If anything, the set screws have an advantage. They're far harder to lose than the tiny compression nuts. And to the great credit of Newtronics/Hustler, you can still get those compression nuts. DX Engineering sells them as "Hustler Antenna 3774-1... Old-Style Resonator Clutch Sleeves." I should probably get several just in case.
Hi Walt, Missed your activation yesterday at K-3998. Was at the podiatrist getting my feet checked since I have type 2 diabetes. I have Hustler resonators for 80, 40, and 20. Have the fold over 54" mast with the multi band adapter that allows mounting three resonators on the mast. Still looking for a second contact. Stay safe. 73 WJ3U
Hope the visit went well. We will definitely make that second contact soon. I really like the Hustler resonator setup and will be getting some more bands for sure. 73, Walt
Hahahah my first impression was like "Wow new vertical arrived" and then you revealed when they were designed.... Haha good Lord I wasn't even born that time 😁😆 Amazing !
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Hehehe I did some math and to be honest you doesn't look and sound your age at all. Ofc facial hair adds few years to overall appreance but even tho you look bloody well at your age ;)
Walt you popped up on my hamalert and I could hear you just fine here in SW Missouri! 56 to 57, just didn't have enough time to stick it out and try to get through the pile up!! KF0LZX
I presume you were more impressed by the performance of the Hustler than a ham stick. I’ve always thought they were some pretty robust looking antennas. Much more so than a ham stick anyway.
Just received my 20 and 40 meter with the 52 inch base Hustler. Gonna use it with mfj triple mag mount for POTA thanks for test driving this for me. How much does the stub tuning affect the swr? Have a ic7300 and will use the built in tuner also.
Hey Walt what was ur handle on 11 meters back in the day ? I lived in Chesapeake just outside BOWERS hill back in mid 70’s in Sccottsfield . Ran a PDL 2 and a Siltronix 1011D KZI8833 handle was the Flagship and my dad was the Boston Bruin
I honestly think the performance is a little better than the HamStick because of the center load. Maybe I was just having a good day. I’ll see after using them more. 73
I’m not a big fan of Hustler mobile antennas. They are very top heavy compared to a center loaded screwdriver type antenna or Hamsticks, and usually require lots of high nerd factor rigging to keep them in place under way. They are also very lossy. My 250 watt rated 30 meter resonator gets hot as a pistol during extended CW operations, and eventually drifts out of resonance. Back to back comparisons of reverse beacon SNRs between my Hustler mobile antennas and my Hamsticks and my Webster Bandspanner show the Hustlers perform the worst of the three types on most bands. Hamsticks, properly installed and matched with a good ground connection to the vehicle body for the counterpoise perform almost as good as the Bandspanner on 40 meters and higher frequency bands. Thier allefed poor performance on 75 meters is due to them being low angle radiators, and very little high angle radiation. Local 75 meter propagation within several hundred miles is all pretty much high angle. Even a full quarter wave size fielded vertical with a good ground system will be up to 20 dB down from a typical dipole on 75 meters for local work. DX is a totally different story. I regularly work Australia both long path and short path on 75 SSB from shore side locations in my mobile with Hamsticls and 100 watts, have also worked 7J4AAL in Japan on 75 long path from my mobile with a Hamstick, although his monster 75 meter beam is hauling most of the freight. But if I try to work locals here in Nee England a few minutes later and just a few KHz above the DX window, the locals have poor copy on me! Chris AJ1G Stonington CT
Hi there. Glad you are using the hustler mobile antennas. I had a almost full set of these antennas. The only one I didn't was for topband. Sadly that got lost when I moved from England to Thailand. I think they simply got left behind. 73's Paul HS0ZLQ, G0MIH.
Thanks so much for hunting me. It was great to get you guys in the log. Living so close to North Carolina I don't get to log the Tarheel state on HF too often. Thanks for catching me from your side of the great state. All the best and 73!
