Has anyone heard anything about Hawkins Radio? They make the Thunderbolt and Viper Antennas and usually trade on eBay. On their Facebook page, They said they were going on holiday (about 15 weeks ago) and haven’t been heard from since. No products on eBay and enquiries on the Facebook page are not being replied to. Shame because their products are really good for portable
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Don’t be off put by a short delay in getting a reply but 15 weeks!
I believe he’s a one-man-band and has been selling antennas for years. I’ve bought Viper and Thunderbolt antennas from him and was happy with the performance and quality of construction. Most recently I bought this Thunderbolt 6m flowerpot which did a great job on Red Screes in June 2022.
I haven’t used it much but that’s more to do with my being available and getting to a SOTA summit whilst 6m is open.
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I have the 6M one which is good. I made the mistake of buying the 2M 7/8 wave and intended on getting the 5/8 wave version, Looks like he has packed up for good. I’m looking for a decent portable 70 cm antenna as well
It seems for whatever reason Hawkins Radio is no more. This is a shame as I was also after a 2M 5/8 wave and a 4M version. I know someone is bound to say try making one yourself but I would never be able to replicate the build quality and finish. I will have to make do with the 2M 7/8 wave.
Practice makes perfect.
there is a massive difference between HB and something that has been made commercially
Yes, HB is much more satisfying and rewarding. And probably cheaper.
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HB will probably fall apart on an activation, nothing satisfying about that!
You have to give these things a go. The whole point of the hobby is experimentation. Don’t be so negative about your abilities.
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There’s a huge variation in the quailty of soldering in the commercial market, I’ve seen some shocking examples.
There’s a good chance that home brew can be better than bought.
I put the video on to show the quality of Nigel’s work
You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Spectrum Communications do a 4m version of their Slim-G.
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