I can appreciate your video as I also have antenna restrictions. I’m using the Comet CHA-250B and it does everything I want it to and more. I agree that there’s a ton of better antennas out there but for me it’s been great. 73! K3DMM

I Have used the cheaper aluminium version with plus kit for almost a year and it works well enough for the price but has one main weakness - the balun is not properly weather sealed and heavy rain penetrating the pole will soak and ruin it very quickly. My advice is to weather seal the pole with silicon and pot the balun or better still do as I did and remove it from the base of the antenna and seal in a watertight container . Also if you use the plus kit elevated radials please pay close attention to tuning them - the reduction in noise is appreciable and improves dx performance immensely. 73 M7BLC

I put up my Sigma EuroComm HF 360 about 2 weeks ago. My first contact was 1000 miles and I was pushing 27 watts out of my FT-891. I will try my G-90 soon. I love this antenna. I have it mounted on a 8' (above ground) pole and it is working great. I high recommend the antenna and the price was not bad on Amazon.

I have one of these and I recommend it for people like myself who need a reliable antenna in a small back yard. The winds around here can be damaging in the early spring, so the aluminum Hustler verticals are out of the question as they are only built to withstand 45mph wind gusts and they are also pretty heavy. I have an endfed set up, and while it works well, it is pretty directional. For late night DX on 20m and 40m, as well as day to day communications, the Sigma EuroComm fits my needs perfectly. I have talked on 10m through 80m with this antenna and have had some pretty good signal reports. It is a light weight antenna and can be mounted directly to a chain link fence without any other additional support (no driving in poles or pouring concrete). I actually use my chain link fence as a ground instead of installing multiple radials (which is recommended even though it is not required with this antenna).

I too have one of these antennas - OK it's not an amazing antenna but, as you've found, it works and if it works, you use it. There are a few videos on YT that slate it - in fact one guy sits in his well-stocked workshop and doesn't even show it in use but slates it - I've used it on 20m upwards on FT8 at >5watts and voice at around 50watts and had good success and got stations into the log. 73 from M5GWH.

I have the aluminum version for 3 years (in an HOA) and have had great success. I use a MFJ ATU at the base and run about 200 watts. Finland to Moscow to Ascension Island and a ship off Antarctica. Simple, cheap and easy. I have even worked 10 to 160 meters.

Walt, My HF X-80 aluminum antenna came today in the mail. It was here in just under 4 days from UK to Florida panhandle. It take 4 days to get a letter to the next state that I can drive to in 5 hours. I'm just looking to get some connections with other countries on an antenna budget. No radials or wire counterpoises. Thanks for doing your video and showing me how this X-80 works. 73's !!!!! from N3GZH

I have a BB7 from Diamond, and I see people loving it. I find it to be an air cooled dummy load. The balun, to make everything 50 ohms, gobbles up all the efficiency. An S9 signal on a dipole will result in S1 or worse on the BB7. I guess it's a matter of if your situation can handle something different or not. I get it.

Walt I appreciate your review, especially the QSOs (if you could them that, sounded like contesting). I also appreciate that you put an analyzer on it and found the SWRs where they should be according to the specs. So many negative reviews with so little practical data to back them up. Hopefully my experience will be close to yours. Thanks again. I too have a g90 and 125b. I use my FT-891 a lot too.

No doubt about it, so many Hams are retiring and moving to antenna-restricted QTHs that these types of antennas are getting to be popular. I think the key to these being effective is simply power, and the XPA125B is needed to give the G90 half a chance. I too have a G90 working barefoot into a basic attic dipole, and it can be heard...but I'll never get into a pile-up with it. If you can control the common-mode back to the radio, they will work OK. Thanks for the video.

I have the Taurus JN-316 got it from a seller in San Jose, California. Was 79.00 with 12.00 shipping. Been working ok for me to. What I did is waterproof the balun on the bottom. 1 year so far so good...thx for video real nicely made 👌

Good Job....I'm from Virginia Beach but now transplanted to Florida. I also have antenna issues due to my HOA...73's N4NNY

I put up a 92' tall vertical using a drone as a skyrocketing to drop a fishing line over the tallest branch of a tree. The antenna was supported at the top by 3' of vinyl tubing tied to a nylon rope which went to the tie point on the ground. The 14awg copper wire was hanging Straight down and connected to porcelain insulator where it connects to the coax. This antenna worked fantastic. Relative to my horizontal longtime, it typi c ally was 3 to 15db higher signal strength on 75 through 20m than the reference horizontal ant. Due to high winds, the antenna came down after 3 days of phenomenal dx. I decided to ruggedize the improved suspension with 5' of guy wire with ptfe tubing over it so it doesn't chafe on the branch and cut the rope. There is 3 feet of vinyl cord etween the vertical wire and the guy wire, which runs horizontal across branches before going down vertical. Only the top 3 feet of wire are parallel to this steel guy wire 3 feet away. However this ruggedized antenna mount has poor performance. I thought my coax switch was wire backwards because rhe reference ant was outperforming the vertical after the update. I am still trying to get my head wrapped around the fact that 3 feet of steel 3 feet away from. The main radiator would drastically degrade antenna se sitivity.

these antenna's are a good all-round starter set, after working on mine i purchased the plus kit which is basically two white hamsticks and a bracket for $80, now after a few years i realized these were a 4:1 unun only 5.4m vertical (10m efhw) not really good for 20-40-80m but the hf80 version is a 9:1 unun at 24.5 ft the minimum arrl length guide, any body who owns these two antennas i have a hack, cut a wire exactly 20.1 metre's solder it to a 2 inch hose clamp and attach to the aluminium base where the plus kit goes, and run it up to a tree, house or fishing pole, then cut a counterpoise exactly 30ft solder a 1 inch hose clamp, and clamp it to the outside of the pl259, this prevents your coax being forced as a radial or worse, a counterpoise, lastly some kind of common ground protection, 5 or 10m away from the antenna, ie: ugly balun, 6 or 9 clamp on ferrite beads (same diameter as coax) or wrapping it around a recommended toroid, then you have probably doubled your signal and reduced your noise floor,

Thank you for the video Walt. I have the GPA 80 version of the antenna 6 M long. I am going to mount-it over my ham Shack with a metal roof. Hopefully that'll give me a great ground plane. It's supposed to handle 400 watts we'll see

Inexpensive versions of this can be constructed using a 20' fiberglass pole, a 9:1 unun, and some heavy gauge wire. For some reason, 18' 6" of wire on a 9:1 provides passable VSWR on 15, 20, and 40 meters most of the time without use of a tuner. Essentially the Sigma Eurocomm or Amazon vertical is just this, a 9:1 unun hooked to a mast of just slightly over 18'. (The 9:1 unun should not be confused with a 49:1 unun, as the 9:1 ratio works best for "random length" antennas that are non-resonant on any of the bands but are intended to be matched or tuned across multiple bands. The 49:1 is best suited for a resonant half wave piece of wire for the lowest intended frequency and is then also usable for higher frequency bands in most cases). While ground radials are not necessarily needed, you will need a good ground connection if you expect to have a passable VSWR.

Thanks for sharing. Seriously considering one of these - it'll keep my house from looking like a commercial FM station. 😎😎👍👍

For some strange reason people (who often have never used them) slate these antennas. I've got the metal version which I mount on a tripod speaker stand for mobile and it works well on SSB, CW and digital. I added the radial kit in June and it made a difference on 15/17/30 and 40m especially 30m and 40m FT8. For the money they are a good value antennas IMO and from the UK I've worked South America and Japan on 5w CW which is good enough for me.

Antennas are a subjective subject, if your happy with what you have up and it works for you, stick with it, some people are convinced that a tower and high performance yagis are needed to DX, work in contests or just to be heard on the bands, thats not the reality, thats advertising bait, you have proved that in this video. You do not need the latest SDR based HF transceiver coupled with a solid-state 1KW amp and yagi/tower setup to ENJOY amateur radio, put up what you can, with what you can afford and have fun making contacts ! After all, is that not the point of Ham radio, making qso's , having fun, learning and enjoying the next few years of Cycle 25 !!! 73 from France. Subscribed and rang the 'bell' keep em coming....

I have the HF-360 with plus kit and I'm very satisfied with the performance, specially on 20M. Has mostly worked FT8 all over the world. The SWR is higher on my setup and I need a good ATU (have the MFJ-993B) to get it to work with lower SWR. The only thing to complain about is the user manual. The assembly descriptions could have been better and with the plus kit there were no explanations at all on how to angle the radials and what to achieve with different angles. But all over, to this price the antenna has worked better than expected. BTW! I have no other antenna so I have nothing to compare it against, but this is the antenna I have room for 😊LB0YI

Nice results. My only suggestion is that you turn your preamp off and you minimize some of the noise. Those signals will still pop up above the zero line. You won't be fatigued by the constant static.

I had the original X80 by SRC and found an addition of 10m of wire to the tip and draped horizontal ( East to West ) into bushes/trees helped no end on SWR and proformance. Used on G6OI callsign JOTA 5/9 Japan from Bewdley, Worcestershire UK. 73's and good DX Andy M6APJ

Great video ! This is great for me as I live in a HOA community. Thank you for sharing ! Subscribed.

Hello Walter, I tried out this kind of antenna system years and years ago already. I bought a K-41 Silver Rod 1/2 Wave CB Radio Antenna for 59.- bucks and built a homebrew 9:1 Balun integrated it to the bottom feeder point. DANNNG..worked great. But, this antenna is far from being effective like other antennas as you already mentioned. It's just a compromize antenna. Thx for the neat Video. 73's de Your Friend Uncle Guenter

Great video and great presentation

Good video! I also run the G90 . Great little HF radio an very affordable. It’s my portable radio hooked to Wolf River Mega Mini 213” whip I to have many contacts on 20 watts across the pond. 73’s KC3PMX

Few people will have the same circumstances that you do.Even with a Poor antenna you have a Big bonus for your antenna location and then the location of where you live.If you had a really good antenna you would see a big difference towards the positive.

The antenna works for you and you are happy with it. That's in the end is what counts.

Mixed thoughts on this antenna. It tunes then it doesn't, then it will again. All connections are good. Good on WSPR (VK) and up to 2,000 mile when SWR is good. The furthest I have reached is 5,000 mile on SSB. I run 10w only. M7EGD

That metal roof is doing a great job for you.

I have the aluminum version, have yet to set up. I'm told don't watch it waving in the wind; it's scary. Otherwise I've heard good reports; about $160 good I hope; investigate real soon.

Great video, fare comments. I have the same antenna with the plus kit ground mounted. Good ears but poor transmit, seems to working more as a NVIS antenna. Will be repositioned mast mounted on the side of the house soon. will update you if it improves.

How did you fix the 1, 35 metre steel whip at the top? How deep inside? There is no mention in the manual of what to do...maybe for SWR adjustment how?

When you put up a dipole and a branch touches the wire, does it through everything out of whack? I am trying to put up a dipole far from my house but rather dense with trees. Thought about a vertical.

The video I was looking for ;)

I got the ebay version and it worked great fresh out the box. for about a year and a half. then now it's all scewy on the tuning. I did move it up. this antenna likes low altitude DO NOT RAISE the antenna above 5 feet.

I have the X80 metal antenna it's been up over three years, I live near Lake Erie and we get some real strong storms here with high winds up too 60 MPH the antenna has held up great. It's ground mounted on a water pipe, if work's great without radials but I had another antenna on the pipe that got tore up during a storm. I have 700 foot of wire for radials so I hooked it up too the radials ( Why not they were already there). I have worked stations all over the place with this antenna. The only band that dosen't work well for me is 80 meters the antenna is too short but all the other bands work great. My friend uses one for P.O.T.A using a tripod and he really likes it. Would I buy another one heck ya I would. I would like too see them come out with a 33 foot model. I also work QRP 5 watts with this antenna with a Mountain Topper and a You Kits HB1B with great success. Sigma Euro Comm keep up the good work.

Great video!!!! I own the X80 version no problema!!!!73 de KM4INA, Newport News

I know its an old video but I can not find any help anywhere I have the Harvest Taurus RO-109 HF6M 3.5-57MHz and can not find the plus kit, could I make my own and the question is how and to what should it attach to? Does it just need to be at the base and can wrap around the fiberglass or does it need to make contact with something other than the fiberglass pole?

thanks for sharing im in hoa area ineed a hf antenna for my kenwood-ts50 i'm going to look at the hf-360 antenna this vide really helped me out 73's KE6CZH

Is there a set distance the thin metal section should go into the last fibreglass section?

Impressive! Thank you so much for sharing. I have been considering the Comet CH250 but wow for the price difference i think I may order the Sigma instead. Thanks for sharing! KO4SZT

Lock washer’s stress the thread’s and in a wind event can snap your antenna at the connecting sections.JohnBoyUtah KJ7TBR 😎🇺🇸📡🎙

Walt have you had any experience with permanent mounts for HF? Such as the diamond HV7A

How much power ya using there? I know ya got a better bounce across the ocean than I would from Oklahoma, but I’m impressed with the antenna performance, to Europe continent.

Happy for you! But in my case, with the Comet CHA250, absolutely no results. In different setups (in one case similar to yours one), in a month, no contact at all. I know the story: someone is delighted, someone else not. Why? Good video.

I have this exact antenna. With QSO's from New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Canada and Italy using my IC 7300 barefooted. Look for pictures on my QRZ page of the antenna. Only recommendation, sand the fiberglass lightly and apply a light clear coat to keep it from splintering. I love this antenna! K6JUN

Thanks for your video. I think you can increase your mic gain on your xiegu g90. My sweet spot is level 10.

I got one today will install it soon, did you ground it at the base mast?

Do you think my FT710 tuner will tune the antenna on 80 meters. Thank you

Awesome review. It is refreshing to see real world reviews like yours. Thank you!!! W9JTC

Ottima prova credo che sia una antenna che svolge egregiamente il suo lavoro iw6 meq italy

Applicando radiali si attenua rumore in frequenza ?

great antenna

I have one of these great antennas and I live in Wales its a fibreglass version very forgiving in the wind and it works very well

I was a squid out there at NAS Oceana for several years. I miss Hampton Roads a lot, and miss the beaches. The antenna is working well for you. Nice job. Can you leave it permanently mounted, or does your landlord make you take it down? Maybe I missed that part in the video. 73 Pat N0SHU

I use to live there

Not pole mounted as yet. I've not been in the best of health. Will update you once its in the air

Great stuff , Id rather have one of these than nothing 👍👍

Been looking at this type of fiberglass anttena to mount on the back of my motorhome . i want something i can put up easily im useing an home made long wire dipole which works well but takes up a lot of room only problem will be earthing its a fibergass body and the mount is the rear ladder thats not earthed

Not bad for 20 watts.

Great antenna , needs couple of coats of polyurethane varnish to stop weathering the fiber glass! Also don’t use lock washers between sections,it’s better to have the sections flush against each other. I useScotch 2224 electricians direct burial tape. It stretches and wrap’s around sections nicely. This tape will weatherproof sections and keep them from separating! JohnBoyUtah KJ7TBR 😎🇺🇸🎙📡

I'm guessing that being high on the roof is helping you. I have a HyGain AV-640 currently on a 10 ft pole. I want to raise it to 30 ft hoping that it's performance will improve.

Hi Walt, is this antenna resonant anywhere without a tuner? Thanks for the video, I am looking at this one for a remote station.

Very good video, I've been running verticals for years working dx, and now iam trying bicycle mobile on 40m, using a vertical with a ground tuning unit, No radials. I have also found with any vertical antenna, putting ferrite clamps on the feedline at the feedpointt reduces noise. Zl3xdj

Nice presentation, but audio needs to improve. Perhaps a wireless lavalier mic will do just fine!

How is the performance on 40 meters phone portion of the General band allocation ?

Great video I have the fibre glass version with the add-on kit. Do you know of anybody who may have experimented with the mounting angles of the 'radials' ? does the angle make any difference?

Can that model tolerate 1 kw ssb?

Hi Walt hope your well. Hey just wondering if you have ever used a vertical ant at the beach with a ground tuning unit instead of the normal type radial situation. I have been experimenting with this set up, but cannot always get it to work correctly, and was thinking that, because of the massive gain we get by simply being near the sea, if we were to use radials, we would not need as many as we would normally use in our backyard to get out. What do you think ? Best wishes: brian zl3xdj

I bougth a Sigma 360 and the Balun melted using FT8 at 80 watts. Three months of use and it had to go in the bin. Never had a voice CQ on it.

hello could you give me more information about this antenna. I would like to use it on the 27 MHz. I wanted to know if it is necessary to use a tuning box on this frequency? thank you

That really was a windy day HAHA

Hi,interesting video, but how does it perform on 80 meters,and other frequencies, would be useful to see,,,thanks from Rotterdam 👍

whats the ATU range needed for this antenna? will the 3:1 7300 work?

I'd rather rag chew... contesting for me doesn't do it.

Lose the dang intro...........................................................its way toooooooo Longggggggg ! Why didn't you include a short clip of the installed antenna?

Thanks for sharing. N0QFT

The bottom line is you're having fun. K8ALM

hello could you give me more information about this antenna. I would like to use it on the 27 MHz. I wanted to know if it is necessary to use a tuning box on this frequency? thank you