Customer Review: 16' Flagpole Antenna in a Florida HOA by Ron KA8FTP/4
Operator Spotlight · KA8FTP/4 · Florida HOA
16' HOA Flagpole Antenna Review by Ron, KA8FTP/4
Ron writes:
“Moving into a HOA in Florida is completely different than having a tower and beams at my home in Ohio. I wanted to be on the air, but couldn't put up a tower, so the Greyline Performance 16' Flagpole Antenna was my only option.
The assembly and installation were easy, once I did a little research on other posts and installs.
After the install and while waiting for my MFJ 600W remote antenna tuner to arrive, I played with the antenna using my Yaesu FTDX1200 and the internal antenna tuner. I was able to obtain no more than a 1.2 SWR on all bands from 6-40 meters, but it would not load on 80 or 160. Once I received the MFJ remote antenna tuner, most bands' SWR was 2.0 or less, with 1.1 on 6, 40 and 80, but it would not tune on 160. I am running 75' of new RG-8X coax from the rig to the remote tuner.
I am thinking of purchasing the 4' extension to see if it helps, but not sure.
A couple antenna pics are attached, proudly flying my flags daily, only to be removed during extremely strong winds, or hurricanes.”
Greyline writes
That's a sharp-looking installation, flying two flags. Respect to the Navy Seabees. Ron has the storm rule exactly right: flags down in a blow. With the flags down, the 16' carries a 115 MPH rating, calculated to ASCE 7-10.
On 160: a 16-foot vertical is electrically short down there, and some tuners run out of range before they can match it. Four more feet of aperture gives the tuner something easier to work with, so we sent Ron a 4' extension to experiment with — our gift for the review. The low bands perk up as the long winter nights arrive.
One more gear worth checking: 75 feet of RG-8X costs real signal on the higher bands. Put your run into the Feedline Loss Calculator and compare it with LMR-400 — with the tuner at the antenna, the coax runs matched and the difference is easy to see.
Work the world like Ron: DX Flagpoles → · 4' Extension → · What height should I buy? →
What owners tell us
- “Real DX 160–6M at my HOA.”
- “4 Band DXCC in 3 months at my HOA.”
- “So pretty my XYL approves!”
- “If I can hear it, I can work it.”
More operator stories
- KJ7CWQ: 16' DX Flagpole and SGC-237 work 160–6M in a Phoenix HOA
- WD4MIR confirms Alaska on 80 meters with a 16' flagpole
- Bill in Florida one-calls XR0ZRC with 100W
- K7CWC spotted worldwide on a 24' DX Flagpole
- “Happy XYL” in Pennsylvania: Kevin's 20' DX Flagpole
Ham Radio is fun again! Pass it on… 73, Jon KL2A · 435-200-4902
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