Reviews
These are some reviews by recent customers of True Ladder Line:
************ A Must See!!*********
Received Oct 24, 2021 From Tom, KD7VAR (North Eastern Washington State on 75 Meters):
Comparison of a TrueLadderLine Antenna & Double Bazooka Dipole Fed With Coaxial Cable:
Tom, KD7VAR At His Operating Position (Studio A)
KD7VAR Ranch---Studio B
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John KA7TXS
Posted by John on 14th Oct 2023
If you are a wire antenna user, I hope you use a TrueLadderLine 600 ohm open wire product (https://www.trueladderline.com). If not, you are missing out on a great product and the potential for a great antenna system.
With the technical help and guidance of Mr. Gary Baker (K7EMF- owner/operator of TrueLadderLine.com and StepperTune.com), I erected a single wire 220 ft multiband wire dipole that is only 34' (agl) at the apex. The ends of the dipole terminate at 20 ft above ground. The antenna is fed with 34 feet of TrueLadderLine 600 ohm open wire feedline. It is connected to an external "remote controlled" ATU (balanced T-Network tuner also designed by K7EMF) located at the base of my antenna center support mast. The ATU uses stepper motors that individually tune a variable inductor and capacitor. I then ran approximately 160 ft of RG-213 for the radios and CAT6 (ATU controller) cable into my radio room.
Inside the radio room, I use another great K7EMF product, a StepperTune.com controller (https://steppertune.com/steppertune/)
As aforementioned, the CAT6 cable is used to tune the ATU remotely. With this K7EMF-designed system, I can tune my wire dipole effortlessly from 160m through 15m with NO GAPS. My SWR on any of the bands is absolutely nothing, and the efficiency of the antenna system is beyond belief. No high SWR on the feedline and greater efficiency on the antenna - I am in ANTENNA HEAVEN!
Thank you, Gary K7EMF!
73 de John A Schwamm KA7TXS
**See further description of John's operation at QRZ: https://www.qrz.com/db/KA7TXS
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Posted July 2, 2021
Jim W2UM:
THIS ANTENNA WORKS!
After a few days of operating with this antenna, I can say it radiates every watt effectively. As expected, it is not affected by rain, compared to the my prior homebrew inverted V's fed with 300 ohm ladder line. With my TS-830S and it's 60 watts output, I have received many 59+ reports in the US and into Europe even breaking numerous pileups. My antenna system is the 125 ft dipole at 62 ft. in pine tree feed with 144 ft. of 600 ohm W7FG wireline into a DX Engineering surge suppressor: 5KW DX Engineering 1:1 current balun; 10ft. LM400 coax to a 3KW Dentron tuner. The antenna appears to be engineered very well. I'd recommend giving it a look. W2UM
Gary K7EMF:
Thank you Jim for the nice report! I personally have received the same kind of compliments! Just yesterday, I was testing out an old transceiver running 100 watts and I had a station ask me what kind of an antenna was I using as he thought I was running lots of power. Best 73's, Gary K7EMF
Jim W2UM:
Hi Gary,
Glad to give the honest report. We talked on the phone a few months ago and your input convinced me this would be a good setup and it is. I should have tried this combination 56 years ago when I first got my license. After being inactive the past 20 years, it’s nice to be able to be back on the air with a solid signal. I haven’t needed to fire up my “old” SB-220. Thanks again for your help Gary.
Jim
W2UM
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Comment from long term user
Posted by Roland Aug 9 2019
Just wanted you to know I have been running your all band 600 ohm feedline for 10 yrs and has been through a couple of hurricanes. Its up 35ft on a push up pole. I am on 3918 every morning at 5am CST and work some digital up on 20m. Thanks for a really great antenna.
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Outperforms my resonant 40 & 80M dipoles!
Posted by Gary 11th Feb 2017
Thank you Brian for the information. I purchased the MFJ 998 Auto Tuner and after I got it setup it does a fantastic job. A lot better than the LDG AT-1000 pro. Setup on the MFJ was not as easy as the LDG. Instructions were not the greatest but I managed to get it after trial and error. I have a flat match on all bands. I couldn't ask for anything more & thanks again for the help. The 80-10 x 100' antenna out performs my 80&40 dipoles. You are the best! Hey all you Hams out there that think a resonant dipole antenna is better, think again because I'm here to tell you it isn't so!!!
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Boy was I surprised!
Posted by John 24th Aug 2016
Must admit, I was not too impressed when I opened the box and took a look at the contents. Boy was I surprised and amazed. Easy to install and boy does it work! 80-10 just as advertised. Also I really appreciated the various excellent dipole reference documents made available by True Ladder Line.
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Finally my best all band antenna!
Posted by B.L. 3rd Aug 2016
After 60 years of ham radio I finally have my best antenna, the W7FG dipole. With my antenna tuner I can work all bands with excellent results and the price is less than if I had built it myself.
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Quality has not changed
I had the ladder line a few years ago then switched to all coax. Now I am in MARS and need more flexibility so I got the open wire antenna again. The quality is the same as several years ago, excellent. If you like open wire and all band doublet type antenna I highly recommend this antenna. I ordered it with 100 feet of feedline, but did not need all so I trimmed it to 55 feet. Works FB with my T-Match tuner into a Balun Designs 4-1 balun.
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Fantastic antenna!
I've always been a fan of fan dipoles... until I sat down and realized how much power was being lost in the coax on the way to the feedpoint. I researched a little, and decided to buy this doublet with 100' of 600 ohm ladder feedline.
To be honest, I wasn't expecting much. I was stunned. My fan dipole that covered 80-10 meters worked, and in my mind, worked really well. But I was wrong. Within the first few hours of hanging the new doublet, I was stunned by how well it was working for me. Hams that I talk to on 80/75 meters said I was at least 1-2 S-units better than usual (which can be a big deal when dealing with high band noise)... The performance on other bands that I had difficulty with in the past was surprising as well.
The doublet is paired with a Balun Designs 4:1 balun, and is connected to my LDG AT600 autotuner with 12" of LMR400 coax. It tunes everywhere, and works on all bands 80-10. -
Great Product!
I am really enjoying this antenna. The day that I installed the antenna, I still had my other multi-band wire antenna mounted. Both antennas went to my remote switch so I was able to move between the two antennas instantly. The True Ladder Line antenna was consistently 3 S units higher than my older antenna with window line. Some signals that I could hear on the TLL antenna were not there at all on the old antenna. When I started transmitting, I was shocked at how quickly I was able to get through the pileups. I operate mainly with 80 watts. I was making contacts on the first or second try. I never got through that easily before. Yes, running ladder line is a little more difficult than running all coax, but it has been well worth the effort for me. I am unable to bring the ladder line into my shack, but I am getting great performance with with a remote antenna switch and a 15' coax run to the tuner. I am a happy customer!
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If I can hear 'em, I can work 'em...
I have purchased several of the Ladder Line products and am very happy with their performance. Sometimes you just cannot improve on a time-tested product. It just works! I received the product quickly and the owner was extremely helpful and attentive. It's nice to work with a small business owner who really seems to care about pleasing his customer.
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WORKS WELL AT 80 FEET - JUST PUT IT UP
USED DRONE TO GET IT UP IN A COUPLE OF 100 FOOT TREES. DURABILITY NOT YET TESTED BUT SO FAR SO GOOD. LDG 1000PRO TUNER WILL TUNE IT. MY PALSTAR MANUAL TUNER HAS PROBLEMS GETTING IT FLAT ON SWR. USING 4 -1 BALUN WITH ABOUT 10 FEET OF COAX INTO SHACK.
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Great communication
I was very pleased with the attention my order received. It's nice to know that there are still businesses who care about their customers. I received my ladder line before I was ready for it. After receiving several emails telling me that my order was being processed and would soon ship, I thought I still had a few days to get the wire ready to hang. My order arrived safely - got the antenna up - and all is working well. Thanks for the great service.
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Excellent Product
I've used this product for several antenna projects and I have never been disappointed. Quality materials, performance and customer service.
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Works great !
I bought this ladder line because I was experimenting with different wire antennas. When it came in the box I had mixed feelings . When I started to use it, this ladder line worked like a charm. This ladder line hangs and sets nicely. During a recent rain storm I noticed no SWR change. I will buy this again.
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160-10 Meter Dipole is great product!
Had the 160-10 Meter Dipole up since last fall. Is a droopy dipole supported in middle by 40 ft mil surplus mast. Droops to about 25 ft at ends. Has survived our AZ windy season without problem and performance is fantastic. Able to keep regular skeds on 160 with good reports, in addition to working East Coast and Midwest regularly on 75 and 40 Meter AM. On 10 meters, have worked East Coast off the ends getting S9+ reports using Radio Shack HTX-10 on AM and FM simplex. All in all, is great multiband ant. The 120 ft of ladder line is stable, well constructed, and gets my signal all the way out to the antenna with negligible loss. Strongly recommend!
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Good stuff, good price!
Using 200' of it for a 270' per leg Vee Beam. It is hanging free 60' from the center insulator and seems to be working just fine. Wind really catches it very little. Brian was very helpful.
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Works Great!
I ordered a 160-6 dipole to replace a home brew dipole fed with Window line. I figured the only difference would be not having to re-tune when it was raining or snowing. I was very surprised at how much better it worked. No more re-tuning for moisture, tuning is way easier and nowhere near as sharp as before. As for signals, several Hams who know my signal thought I was running my 500 watt amp when i was barefoot. I am very pleased with the overall performance!