Tram Dual Band Base Antenna Review - an antenna from unlikely sources

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Tram Dual Band Base Antenna Review - an antenna from unlikely sources

Рет қаралды 25,936

3 жыл бұрын

NOTICE: In July 2021 the channel name changed from HamCuredSmoke
To Ham Radio A2Z. All of the earlier videos (like this one) are still available.
This is a review of the Tram 1480 Dual Band base antenna. I was surprised to find this antenna on the Home Depot website while searching for a TV antenna mast. This peaked my curiosity and after a little more searching I found it available from Walmart and Amazon as well.
Unfortunately, after shooting this video I learned that this particular model has been discontinued. There are 2 other Tram models that are still in production. The 1477 is a shorter (44 inch) version and the model 1481 is a higher gain, 17 foot tall version. Links to the current and discontinued models are listed below.
Be sure to check out the reference web site for Ham Cured Smoke at:
a-2-z.tech/
Below are Amazon links to the 2 Tram antennas that are still in production.
These ARE affiliate links:
Tram 1477 white fiberglass (Assembled height: 44"): amzn.to/347ZEiZ
Tram 1477-B black fiberglass: amzn.to/35egwEp
Tram 1481 (Note: assembled height is 17ft.): amzn.to/3jdZH18
The links below are to the discontinued model (1480). The sellers were listing limited stock as of October 2020. There are 2 versions of this antenna. The 1480 model is white. The 1480-b model is black.
These are NOT affiliate links, they're just what I found when searching:
As of Oct 18, 2020, Home Depot is now showing the model 1480 as out of stock.
www.walmart.co...
www.amazon.com...

Пікірлер: 100

@stephenkellar8886 2 жыл бұрын

As a 70 y/o rookie, having punched my Technician ticket last July, I learned and appreciated this video. I received a 1480 last week from a friend who moved up to the 1481 17' model. Will be going up tomorrow (I hope). Can't wait to get it up and compare it to my Ed Fong antenna (My first antenna). thanks.

@georgemoomaw9437 3 жыл бұрын

As a 74 year old newbie, and just passing my technician’s class test last week, this video was a lot of help.

@Mo_feezy 2 жыл бұрын

Picked one of these up off amazon when they were being discontinued for 20 bucks! Have had it up at about 25 feet for nearly 2 years now and it's been great. 73 from KS

@kumasu Жыл бұрын

I purchased this antenna from Home Depot and will be putting it up this week because of your very informative video. I also find your A to Z on the Icom 7300 to be invaluable for new owners of that transceiver. Thank you!

@tomkeady1750 3 жыл бұрын

Tom, thanks for the review. I have the same antenna which has been up for the past 3 years and have had zero problems. I'm able to get into a repeater 65 miles away. It survived our 75 mph winds the other night. Thanks for your continuing tutorial on the 7100.

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Tom!

@Ben--David 2 жыл бұрын

Hahaha, nice y'all have such MILD winds. That is a typical summer day here. Yes Corpus Christi is TRULY the windy city, only reason Chicago with their mild winds got that title had nothing to do with the weather, but rather blow hard politicians.

@DronePsyche 2 жыл бұрын

Just got this antenna myself and I’ve gotten similar,if not same, results. Good quality and performance and doesn’t break the bank.

@kenhosey4804 3 жыл бұрын

Great video, Tom. I just ordered this antenna a few days ago and it will arrive in 2 more days. From your video, it looks like I made a good choice. Can't wait to get this one up and running, and I'm looking forward to more of your videos. 73's Sir.

@anduril328 Жыл бұрын

I use chain link top rails fixed to a fence post for my temporary mast. 3 sections go up just fine. I do put sheet metal self tappers at each joint

@philparrish6914 10 ай бұрын

A correct reading of the SWR meter shows 1.5:1 instead of 1:1. Still acceptable readings, but not 1:1 which would be a perfect match.

@lauraclifton2853 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this video. I just received my new Tram 1480-b antenna and I wanted to know how to put it together. I can't wait to get it in the air, the coax doesn't arrive for another three days.

@HamRadioA2Z 2 жыл бұрын

I'm glad it was useful. Thanks for the kind words and thanks for watching.

@aldimore 3 жыл бұрын

I have a Tram WSP 1481 17 foot version. Perfectly happy with it. I used glue lined heat shrink for each of the joints to help keep moisture out. I have super low swr across the bands, but 2m and 70cm. Got mine from Staples. Ordered one day and it showed up the next day. Free shipping.

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info Aldi. I'm thinking about trying that one out myself. I have a shop building near the house. So, I will want to put an antenna on that for monitoring local repeaters when I'm out there.

@otrdriver6767 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much for your time with this video. It was very helpful.

@robertbeda959 2 жыл бұрын

I just got mine, in black. Instructions are not that great IMO. Could not locate the set screw, either. Peeled off that thin band of tape a few inches up from the bottom of the top element thinking it was under it. Finally figured it out. Then proceeded to slide the top element ALL the way into the bottom. ....Later figured out my error, hope I didn't mess it up. Also, how are people measuring the length of this? SO 230 to tip is about 7 1/2 feet. Figure they must be including the mounting pole, too. Haven't set it up yet and still trying to program my radio.

@jfrphoto01 2 жыл бұрын

My TRAM 1480 is 8'4" tall and has been up since 2010 without any problems. TRAM 1480 Specifications: Dual band UHF/VHF fiberglass base antenna 8'4" (2.54m) tall Two sections 5/8 wave 2 elements (2m) and 5/8 wave 4 elements (70cm) 20.5" (52cm) radial length 144-148MHz (VHF) 430-450MHz (UHF) 4MHz bandwidth (VHF) 20MHz bandwidth (UHF) 6 dBd gain (VHF) 8 dBd gain (UHF) Radiator and coil are hermetically sealed in fiberglass tubing for low SWR in all weather DC ground construction allows static dissipation for low noise ratio and maximum lightning protection Mast diameter accepted is 1 3/16" to 2 7/16" (30-62mm) UHF Female (SO-239) connector Max power 200 watts 50 ohms Maximum wind 110mph (50 m/sec)

@luisdj-intecnogy407 3 жыл бұрын

Tom, Great vídeo. We just purchased 3 of them, and are performing very well!

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Luis. Glad to hear that. Thanks for commenting. 73, Tom

@davidvaughn7752 3 жыл бұрын

I have the 1481 (the 17.5 ft one). It must be weather-proofed as the hardware (interconnectors) are not as waterproof as they should be. I used dielectric grease in the threads. I then covered the interconnectors with silicon tape. I also took the step of putting auto polish on the fiberglass so it would repel water. Many who have this antenna (1481) have complained that their VSWR's go up over time... that is because there is water incursion into the radome. I would imagine that the 1480 has the same hardware and it looks like it does to me. If you do this then these antennas are great. Mine is flat over most of 2 Meters and almost as good on 70cm.

@oldpreach 3 жыл бұрын

Hi. Good video. First time I've run into your channel. Cant say that I've ever tested an antenna with flat SWR across both 2 and 440 on the entirety of both....hmmm. At the very least, 440 has a spot where its 1.4 or something.

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

Hi. First of all, thanks for watching. I hope you enjoy the channel. I agree with your hmmm. In my experience, the only thing I've found that is absolutely flat across multiple bands is a dummy load. Well matched, but they don't radiate well. However, this antenna seems to perform pretty well. I managed to work several repeaters that are a good bit away from me. I plan to try some simplex contacts with it and we'll see how that goes.

@oldpreach 3 жыл бұрын

@@HamRadioA2Z Hi. Exactly. I cant remember how much coax you have running to the antenna, but I dont think that it was much. Perhaps if you took an analyzer up to the feed point? Probably not worth it, as the Tram's have a good reputation on their put of the box readings. What you could do is key it up with 5 watts on 440 especially and see if the radio heats up quickly. The 7100 has a temp gauge built in. That would give you a strong clue.

@tjalessi 3 жыл бұрын

You might want to check the band plan before ID'ing. 144.0-144.100 is CW only.

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

Yep. You're right Tom. There really isn't any good reason that I couldn't have started at 144.200 and stayed out of the weak signal and EME area too. Was thinking more about the video and testing the antenna than what frequency I was on. I'll try to be more careful in the future.

@MARKETMAGICSMS 3 жыл бұрын

should have watched this first...took me just about the same amount of time to figure out how to get to the upper element set screw.

@joecraft4409 3 жыл бұрын

I get chain link fence top rail from Home Depot. 10' sections ans swaged on one end so you can stack them and guy them if needed depending on the height youre looking for. I have the Tram 1480 on the 2m/70cm. I found it had a better SWR when i poined the three radials downward. About 10 - 15 degrees i'm guessing. I also have the Tram 1481 (26' bigger brother) in the 2m/70cm in my house office. Need to pull the 1481 down and bring the end of the radials downward to see if it has an SWR improvement like the 1480 did. They are both up about 25' - 30', about 70' apart. Well, a new tower goimg up in a couple of weeks so i will move things around then. See what i end uo with. Thx for the video series on the ICOM 7100. They help me a lot. 👍

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words Joe and for the report on the antennas. Great suggestion on the chain link top rail. I think I may try that for a semi-permanent mount for this one. I'm thinking about trying the 1481 also. Although, I also enjoy building antennas. So maybe I'll home brew something. We'll see. 73, Tom

@joecraft4409 3 жыл бұрын

Im building a "Slinky" type antenna for field work, hoping to get it together by the end of the month. I like homebrew anything, jack of all trades lol. I also watch your videis for the Icom 7300 i just got for my shack. Thx and 73. Joe

@ericlessard6653 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this video. amazing! i found this video after purchasing this exact antenna. im planning on running 100 watts into mine! sometimes not always. its to bad the vhf uhf bands are so dead. i also have a 13 element going onto my 17 meter tall tower maybe we can work each other sometime depending on propagation! 73's

@jdsnapp 3 жыл бұрын

Hello Tom enjoyed your viedo. I wonder how this compares to a J pole antenna made from copper pipes. I made one last year. 73.

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

Hi John-- If you see 2 replies to this, I apologize. I thought I had replied, but I may have forgot to click the REPLY button. I made a copper cactus J-Pole a number of years ago and used for quite a while with good success. Unfortunately I don't have it anymore so I can't do a direct comparison. I suspect the performance on 2-meters would be similar. My J-pole would load up okay on 440, but it definitely didn't have a 1:1 flat SWR across the whole band. So I suspect that the Tram may be better on 440. If I end up building another J-Pole, I may do a comparison video. 73, Tom WA2IVD

@LabRat1511 3 жыл бұрын

Great video Tom. I just realized you are just down the street from me. 73's

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Thanks for watching and commenting, neighbor. I hope we get a chance for an eyeball QSO one of these days. Feel free to stop by.

@LabRat1511 3 жыл бұрын

@@HamRadioA2Z Yeah for sure. I’m just past Bucyrus. KD0TQF

@careybledsoe 9 ай бұрын

Hi Tom. Thx for the video. I am a new Ham Technician and am trying to learn how to connect my Yaesu ft-70D HT to an antenna outside my house. I have direct line of sight to a repeater. But I must go outside into the elements in order to transmit. The antenna guru at my club recommended the Tram 1480 to me as well. I can tx & RX to the repeater with my “rubber duckie” that came with my radio but obviously only from outside the house. If I went with the shorter Tram 1477 would it work? What is the benefit to a longer antenna if I am only contacting the repeater on 2M &70cm frequencies?

@HamRadioA2Z 9 ай бұрын

Hi. Welcome to the hobby! If you can get into the repeater with a rubber duck, then I’m sure the shorter antenna will be fine. Also, remember that you might be getting into the repeater, but you may be scratchy or noisy instead of full quieting. Adding any outside antenna should help a lot. Do a search on “2 meter coat hanger quarter wave”.

@eliekadi_OD5KU_KU5OD 3 жыл бұрын

Great video as usual, but would put some graphite grease on all the threads especially on the couterpoise ones

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

Great tip! Thanks.

@holydaman6952 3 жыл бұрын

thanks for the video I have a buddy having trouble with his antenna and I'm pretty sure this video will get it fixed... I'll edit this post with an update when we find out

@scottsmart6222 3 жыл бұрын

It did fix the problem thank you

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

So, I’m curious. What exactly was the problem? Since I didn’t really fix anything in this video.

@holydaman6952 3 жыл бұрын

@@HamRadioA2Z problem caused by not being assembled correctly

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

Got it. Glad the video helped.

@cliffbarrimore 3 жыл бұрын

just to point out at 18:03 when you tx, you have a minus shift in and dropped down 5 mhz

@DD-gd3fr 3 жыл бұрын

I've got a tram from Walmart w👍orks fine for about 2 years

@ed-jf3xh Жыл бұрын

Looks like it was reading 1.5:1 to me. Maybe I don't understand your display.

@SuAmigoElilegal 3 жыл бұрын

Is it recommend pvc or wood as a pole or metal? as a pole for the antenna mount to get it hight

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

The small metal tube that is part of the mount at the bottom is connected to ground/the coax shield. So, either an insulated or metal pole should be fine.

@caroleemoreno8086 22 күн бұрын

What kind of swr are you getting on 70cm?? I bought this and my swr is high 2's on 70 cm. Great on 2m though. Is there anyway to tune this pre-tuned antenna?

@HamRadioA2Z 22 күн бұрын

My SWR looked good on both 2M and 70cm when I first put it up. After it was up for a while, my 2M SWR started going up. I took the antenna apart and found a little moisture, but I don’t think that was the issue. There is a small capacitor and coil in the base. The capacitor had a hairline crack and I suspect is bad. I put up this antenna mostly for some testing. So, I never worked on fixing it or putting it back up. It’s in my box of “some day” projects.

@rafkend1422 3 жыл бұрын

I wonder if this antenna is adaptable to my vintage IC-24A...

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

Should work just fine with it.

@davidgee2460 3 жыл бұрын

Just bought this from Home Depot and would love to see how you mounted it.

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

Hi David, I'm sorry to say that it's still mounted on the collapsible aluminum pole zip tied to the railing on my deck. Things got busy and the cold weather set in. So I never got around to any permanent mount. I'll be doing something with it this spring. I will do my best to remember to let you know. Maybe I'll even do a quick video of it. 73, Tom

@srice257 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video Tom, just wondering if the length of radials is critical? I noticed that on mine they screw all the way in to the fully retracted nuts, would adjusting these make a difference on SWR? I am placing my in attic, so weather won't be an issue.

@HamRadioA2Z 2 жыл бұрын

Hi. I don't recall anything in the instructions about adjusting the radials. Although the instructions are pretty sparse. The amount of adjustment is pretty small and I don't believe their exact position will make much difference in the SWR.

@808pathfinder 5 ай бұрын

What kind of coax and how long is it exactly

@tcathunder 2 жыл бұрын

I use it for my GRMS and it works great

@forgetyourlife 3 жыл бұрын

Why would they discontinue this? I must know 40 people that have this up or as a spare in the garage. The 17 footer is to shaky.

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

I wish I knew. I just checked again and they are still available from Amazon, Home Depot and Walmart. On the Amazon product information the “Is discontinued by the manufacturer” still shows “Yes”. It seems like it would be a popular size. Maybe the Amazon information is wrong. Or, maybe Tram is going to introduce a slightly different version of it. The other odd thing is that the prices seem to be all over the map. When I ordered mine, they were all around $60. When I just checked, all 3 sites had multiple, separate listings for the 1480 with prices ranging from around $60 up to $150.

@citizenwarriqr331 3 жыл бұрын

Good job very informative

@aaronyukonjackmcgee7381 2 жыл бұрын

Do I need to ground this type of set up? Also, my house doesn’t have a common 3 prong ground outlet. Is my next best decision installation of a GFCI for my power supply?

@HamRadioA2Z 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Aaron. Your antenna and station should always be grounded. A GFCI outlet can help prevent shocks. However, it does not provide a ground to bond your station to. If you have an older house that doesn’t have a safety ground (also called a green wire ground) wired to each outlet, your station should be bonded to the house electrical ground at the circuit breaker panel or at the main grounding connection coming into the panel. (Actually, your station should ideally be bonded to the main electrical panel ground regardless of how new or old it is). There are a number of ways to do this, but you may need to get an electrician to help if you aren’t familiar with residential wiring. The ARRL has an excellent book on bonding and grounding. This link has information about the book along with links to other resources with information about grounding: www.arrl.org/grounding-and-bonding-for-the-amateur. Hope this helps. 73, Tom

@normantomalin 2 жыл бұрын

Pre-Tuned 144MHz148MHz VHF/430MHz460MHz UHF Amateur Dual-Band Base Antenna (White Fiberglass) $55.59 at Home Depot (2021/10/14)

@AvocaSingleTrack 2 жыл бұрын

Everything looks the same as a Comet antenna . Likely built by the same outsource factory . You mentioned Taiwan . In my experience, anything made in Taiwan is comparable to made in Japan ...far superior to anything that says made in china or made in india

@wg6h1 3 жыл бұрын

You may want to learn the vhf and uhf band plans. FM voice in the CW band is not legal.

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Bill. Yes, you are correct. Definitely my bad. I got an email on this as well. I got caught up in wanting to check the antenna performance across the band and wasn't even thinking.

@DronePsyche 2 жыл бұрын

Oh for gods sakes settle down and don’t apologize to sad ham twerps like this bozo. There are worse “crimes” going on in this world than trespassing on an archaic method of communication. Oh and let’s make sure you get arrested the next time you go 1 MPH over the speed limit.

@mooandal391 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this video. His voice disappeared because, he is a ghost.

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

That's possible. He didn't say his name was Casper, though. 😉

@mooandal391 3 жыл бұрын

@@HamRadioA2Z haaaa looooool 😂😂😂😂👍

@10rninjariderzx Жыл бұрын

Auuuuuuuudddddddddiiiooooo

@marksanchez9702 5 ай бұрын

Where's the ground on the antenna

@HamRadioA2Z 4 ай бұрын

This antenna uses the 3 small radials as the counterpoise/ground. Of course, the mast it is mounted to should be grounded for safety.

@mikemorris5944 2 жыл бұрын

What kind of cable or wire connects from the attena to radio I have Baofeng UV5R and UV82

@HamRadioA2Z 2 жыл бұрын

Hi. You need to use a good quality 50 Ohm coax cable. How good depends on how far you need to go. If you will need less than about 25 feet of wire between the radio and the antenna, then something like RG-8X is probably fine. RG-58 is probably even okay. If you need more than 25 feet of wire, for VHF and UHF you want to look at a cable with lower loss. Something like RG-213 or LMR-400. If you Google search all those cable numbers, you’ll find lots of information and sources.

@mikemorris5944 2 жыл бұрын

@@HamRadioA2Z thank you so much very helpful. 👍

@HamRadioA2Z 2 жыл бұрын

Oh- one more thing. If you’re ordering the cable with pre-installed connectors, the Tram antenna needs a PL-259 connector. The Chinese radios use an oddball reverse-SMA connector. If you use a heavy cable, like LMR-400 then you’ll want a short jumper cable so the thick coax doesn’t put too much stress on the connector on the HT. Search on “reverse SMA to SO-239 jumper” and you’ll find some options.

@mikemorris5944 2 жыл бұрын

@@HamRadioA2Z Awesome thanks again 👍

@martinva2wf718 3 жыл бұрын

GOOD antenna for the price, havé thé same one work fine ! 73´

@HamRadioA2Z 3 жыл бұрын

Glad to know. Thanks for the comment.

@fernandopenaloza920 3 жыл бұрын

Thank !!!

@regybar2553 Жыл бұрын

Bon Choix, Je Suit Ve2skr Du Canada Québec Pres De Granby Moi J'ai Une Tram 1481 , Merci Pour Ton Vidéo 73' 👍

@HamRadioA2Z Жыл бұрын

Merci beaucoup pour vos aimables paroles et merci d'avoir regardé

@sleeve8651 2 жыл бұрын

My gut feeling when I heard the name, " Tram ", made me wonder if this wasn't a Citizens Band manufacturer, spreading their wing's, and entering the Amateur Radio ranks ? My first thoughts were they were likely a cheap Chinese knockoff ? A fellow that sold these, said that there were maybe only One manufacture in China, that made all these type antennas. Just different grades ! Kinda a " The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly " kinda thing ? Where Tram fits in, is anyone's guess. The three or four I heard of in my area, all became Rain gauges of sorts ! All holding water ! I believe some opted to try and seal them, with varying degrees of success ! Caveat emptor ! ¯\_🥴_/¯ JUST Say'n !

@thewildbunch2782 7 ай бұрын

How many watts are you running?

@HamRadioA2Z 7 ай бұрын

I ran about 40 watts with that antenna. I didn't end up using it a lot.

@carlosguataquira1 3 жыл бұрын

Greetings from Colombia 73.HK3CJJ

@mountainskyaerialphotograp3921 2 жыл бұрын

This might be a dummy load antenna...Check out: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gbqPrc-DmL7MqYE.html (He explains that having a flat line across all bandwidths is a problem). Just trying to help..

@HamRadioA2Z Жыл бұрын

I had the same concerns. I agree, a flat SWR across multiple bands for an antenna is not typical. However, the antenna was performing really well. So, doesn’t seem likely that it was just a dummy load. Since I did that video, the SWR of the antenna degraded substantially over time, especially on the 70cm band. I have taken the antenna apart. I thought maybe it got water in it. It was dry, but there are a couple of small capacitors at the base that I believe may have failed. Right now, the antenna is still disassembled on my shelf. I have not made the time to find replacement caps and try fixing it yet.