This week we put the Radioddity HF-009 Vertical Antenna on the air. The HF-009 is a portable, center loaded, antenna that is ideal for POTA and SOTA activations. Frequency range is variable between 5 and 50 Mhz and power handling capability is 150 watts sideband and 100 watts CW. The entire antenna is stored in its own carrying case.
You can watch this week’s video, Is this the ULTIMATE HF Vertical Kit? Radioddity HF-009 Antenna here: https://youtu.be/MLJhdk15vr0
Correction: In the video I stated that the antenna sections had M8 metric screws and sockets. This is what the manufacturer states on the antenna specification sheet and that is the information I used in the review. Upon closer inspection, after I produced the video, it appears that the screws are all 3/8×24. I apologize for the confusion.
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Radioddity HF-009 Portable HF Antenna
Antenna reviews
I recently watched a video from a well known ham radio content producer that said that said people who accept a free product in exchange for a review are “biased and have no integrity.” In order to eliminate that bias, the product must be purchased by the reviewer.
While I appreciate the sentiment, I believe they are wrong and that an online reviewer can minimize bias when doing a product review.
I will freely admit that I do receive free product samples in exchange for a review. I have also reviewed products that I paid for, and made reviews with products that were on loan. In each and every case I am upfront with the viewer on how I came about the product, whether it was purchased or provided and I also state that there is no outside influence on my opinions from the manufacturer.
That second part is what’s important. As product reviewers we need to stay independent and resist the urge of manufacturers wanting to have editorial control. I will lean on manufacturers to provide technical data and clarifications. But that’s it. When I write the script and produce the video, those are my words and not the manufacturer’s.
If you haven’t already noticed, my videos are broken into four parts. The first is the marketing fluff. That’s all information describing the product direct from marketing material. The second is technical information. These are specifications derived from tech sheets, personal measurement, and instructions. The third is setup and operation, or the real world test of the product. The fourth part finished with my impressions and analysis of the product.
All of my reviews are structured in this format. It’s my way of minimizing the bias in the review. The viewer gets all the pertinent facts, sees it in operation, and receives my opinion.
But you may ask, why don’t you give a bad review to a product? Two reasons. First, I’m not going to pan an item for sake of giving a bad review. Everything has its good and bad qualities and the hallmark of a good reviewer is figuring out where the item fits within the spectrum of usability and let the end user decide if its right for them.
Second, bad products seldom make it onto the channel. I have a very stringent vetting process and many items don’t make it past that point. I don’t review inexpensive handheld radios, I won’t review items that don’t fit the channel’s mission. And I won’t review an item if the manufacturer wishes to assert editorial control.
What I believe is beneficial is that if it wasn’t for a product sample in exchange for a review, there would be less reviews out there, giving the consumer less information in making a purchase decision. I don’t have the budget to buy everything that I review and it is time consuming and costly to review items. If I had a big foundation like Consumer Reports I could stay fiercely independent, but I don’t. So consideration in exchange for a review helps cover my costs.
My integrity means a lot and I’ve built it up over years of producing high quality content. If you believe I’ve given up a piece of that for a free product, let me know. I’d love to have that discussion with you.
Finishing up
Big things are happening this weekend.
First off our monthly livestream is Thursday June 5 at 7:00pm CDT (0000 UTC June 6). Join Joe and I as we talk about the upcoming ARRL Field Day and answer your questions. Here’s the link to get on with us: https://youtube.com/live/XjfYsaWV9ns?feature=share
This weekend we are camping on the shores of Lake Michigan in Point Beach State Forest US-4354. Listen for me to be on the air at various times during the weekend.
But the exciting thing is that this is Museum Ships weekend and I will operating from the USS Cobia, a WWII Gato Class Submarine, berthed at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in nearby Manitowoc. I will be on the air from 11am-12pm CDT on 20 meters (1600-1700 UTC) Callsign is NB9QV.
I hope to catch you on the air
MIchael
KB9VBR
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