Band Hopper III - Three-band (20m, 30m, 40m) portable dipole antenna system

£69.95
(Inc. Tax)
£58.29
(Ex. Tax)

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SKU:
PDAS-300
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Band Hopper III Multiband Portable HF Dipole Antenna System

***IMPORTANT NOTE: if you are using a Band Hopper with our 10m Compact Travel Mast, attach the antenna with a cable tie to the top of section 11 (counted from the bottom). This is about 6 metres (20ft) up and is the perfect height for the antenna centre. Any higher and the antenna may not work properly and your Compact Travel Mast could be damaged.***

"The perfect match for your LNR MTR Mountain Topper"

At a glance

Bands: 20m, 30m, 40m - the most popular portable bands! (covers 15 m using 40 m settings and ATU)

Weight: less than 500 g = 18 ounces (antenna+feeder+guying system+winders+pegs+bag)

Balun: Yes - current balun

Power: 125 Watts

ATU needed? No. Connects direct to your radio - pretuned.

SSB, CW, data? Yes. Fine for all modes

Length: About 28 metres end to end.

Mast A lightweight telescopic pole (6 - 8 metres pole length recommended for Band Hopper III).

What do you get? 

Band Hoppers are a complete system including:

  • A resonant multi-band dipole antenna with Perspex link hardware
  • A 10m feeder - high quality RG174 terminated in a BNC plug
  • A high performance current balun
  • A guying system for a lightweight telescopic pole (6 - 8 metres length recommended)
  • Three Wire Winders to ensure tangle-free operating
  • Three lightweight aluminium alloy pegs
  • A nylon carry bag with peg pocket

Download Instructions

How to erect your BandHopper video
Band Hoppers work out of the packet - no messing, just fun!

Not sure which Band Hopper to choose? Click here for some ideas.

___________________________________________________

 

The secret of most successful HF portable operators is not hard to find: it's an efficient antenna! No wonder that the linked dipole is the most popular portable HF antenna type used in Europe. The Band Hopper III is designed for the lightweight portable specialist; it also makes a great holiday antenna to have in your suitcase! Not sure what a linked dipole is? Click here.

The Band Hopper III covers three HF bands with a high efficiency full-size halfwave dipole on each band. It's not a compromise loaded antenna. It's also designed to allow you to get the feedpoint high - that's important for good performance. Band selection is by easy-to-use jumpers; quick to change!

Using the Band Hopper III could not be easier. The custom designed centrepiece fits on an tapered pole (such as our famous SOTA pole). It slides down to the optimum height (usually the junction between the top and second sections of the mast). If you don't have a tapering mast dont worry, the centrepiece has slots for cable ties too so you can attach it to most anything. Don't like masts? The centrepiece has an attachment point for a throwing line to use in the forest.

Unrolling the dipole elements is a breeze using the Wirewinders supplied. When you unroll the elements you will notice that the Wirewinders are attached to 4m (13ft) nylon braided extension cords. This not only means that you cannot lose them but also that in rocky areas you can guy your pole by putting the Wirewinder in a crack in the rocks or just by putting it under a rock. The Wirewinders also make great snow anchors too so guying your pole in the snow has never been easier! We also provide pegging loops for use with our high-quality pegs. See our Wirewinder video for more information about using the wirewinders

The feeder is a 10m (33ft) length of RG174 preterminated in a BNC plug. This is wound on a third Wirewinder. Also on the third Winder is a 10m (33ft) back guy for your mast. No need for any additional guys and the two dipole elements plus the back guy are all you need for a stable and robust system. The back guy is attached to the Wirewinder to give you the flexible guying options above.

This is super-light too! The whole package consisting of the antenna, the Wirewinders, the feeder and the back guy weighs in at 390g (20m/30/40m version); that's just 14oz! Just add a mast or use a nearby tree and you're good to go!

No need to adjust the Band Hopper III, it is supplied pre-tuned. We do the tricky stuff leaving you to have the fun. This is a fully assembled product that works out of the packet.

Each Band Hopper is supplied with a stylish antenna bag and three pegs.

Balun

All Band Hopper antennas are supplied with a balun. This is a high performance ferrite-core balun; not just a few turns of co-axial cable! It's a real plus for using your antenna on;

  • datamodes; or for
  • power levels of 100 Watts (especially on SSB). 

 

 

The Band Hopper III is a truly amazing package for a bargain price.

 

Also available from our international agent(s): 
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59 Reviews Hide Reviews Show Reviews

  • 5
    Excellent antenna !

    Posted by F5PGP on 25th Feb 2024

    I own the BAND HOPPER III since 2 years now. I'm using this antenna for portable and POTA. Now it's time to write a comment here and share my experience. I was active in portable last week-end for the French contest. I tried a 38m inverted L end fed antenna and removed it 2 hours later. With the Band Hopper III in NVIS configuration , my signal was 15dB stronger. Running 100w I had no problem to hold my frequency on 40m, in the middle of powerful stations. I couldn't imagine that a thin wire would produce such a big signal on 40m..I always thought that a thick wire was required. I was wrong. As I'm running from 20 to100w, I will never bring anymore heavy antennas on the field... all what I need is a band hopper !

  • 5
    My Go To Antenna

    Posted by David Dietrich on 11th Jul 2023

    This antenna is my immediate go to for field portable use. It covers 40 & 20, plus 30 for good measure. The best part is that you don't need a tuner, so that's one less thing you have to take with you. With the way I have my Tactical 7000HDX and Tactical Mini masts set up, I can have The whole thing set up within 7 or 8 minutes.

  • 5
    An outstanding product in every way

    Posted by Robert Scott on 2nd Aug 2020

    Thoughtfully designed, effective, lightweight, easy to use... one of my favorite ham purchase to date! I love it.

  • 5
    BAND HOPPER III

    Posted by Janez S51J on 14th May 2020

    No comment! Antenna works as adwertized! Easy to put it up, almost no SWR on CW part of bands! Last time I used it, there was strong wind blowing, but no problem for this antenna!

  • 5
    Great portable antenna

    Posted by Ron Gould on 23rd Mar 2020

    Great portable antenna. Very well designed with high quality components. Have used on several SOTA activations and camping trips. No tuner required . Like the high visibility core to avoid walking into the antenna.

  • 5
    Band hopper III

    Posted by Greg McGann on 27th Feb 2020

    Really pleased with the quality of construction. It performs like a full size dipole, so no surprise there. It's all about the execution and delivery of a great product. It's well thought out and all the minor details make this a suberb antenna. Take Richard's advice when it comes to field antennas: don't compromise, go large! (I always like the sweets that come with it too).

  • 4
    Good antenna, a bit fiddly but good.

    Posted by Chris Rae on 10th Feb 2020

    It does what it says on the tin really, a solid performer on all 3 bands. I've only done 2 alpine SOTA activations with it so far so it's still brand new, though I have done 6 general "field" deployments. Some people love the winders, I personally find them a little slow and cumbersome to use compared with just hand coiling a homebrew dipole which gets an antenna deployed quicker (at least for me). I also find the system is prone to tangles (specifically the feed line and stablilizing line, they tend to tangle up easily) I also find the alligator clips a big old pain in the backside to use, the sheathing is incredibly slippery and its far harder than it should be to use the alligator clips. I generally depress the clip and then slip off a few times. It might seem like a weird complaint, but with cold hands in the middle of nowhere I do find them very fiddly. As the system ages I expect the plastic will become rougher and easier to operate so after it wears in it will likely come right! The center connector design allowing the mast to stand tall without bending over is really quite nice indeed. A few minor complaints there but nothing egregious - I would buy again and I'm sure the product will serve you well.

  • 5
    High hopper = high performance

    Posted by Michael Cox on 28th Nov 2019

    I purchased the high hopper to cover some of the bands not covered by my magnetic loop and it was a great choice. It is only up about 6m at the centre sloping down to about 3m at the wire ends. On 17m one of the first contacts was Australia using the FT8 digital mode. This was made using my Yaesu Ft DX1200 and about 70w. I’ve also managed ft8 contacts in North and South America. It is light weight and simple to put up using a fishing pole or one of the Sotabeams masts. A great antenna.

  • 4
    Band Hopper III

    Posted by Geoff Craddock on 30th Oct 2019

    Performs well, easy to erect and ideal for portable use. Having left it up in my garden for a couple of weeks now my only criticism is the link clips rust quickly and a more durable method of band selection would make it a more permanent antenna. [Admin: thank you for your review. I am pleased to hear that the antenna works well. All our antennas are primarily designed for portable use and not for permanent installation. The requirements for these two roles are different - as you have noticed.]

  • 5
    SOTAbeams Bandhopper

    Posted by Lloyd K3ESE on 28th Aug 2019

    I've made my own antennas for decades. My home antennas are very successful, but my attempts to construct a portable antenna that gave reasonably reliable performance over multiple bands proved elusive. Recently getting involved in WWFF-KFF, I sought a solution, and looked at what others were using. It was this. Just as pretty much all the reviews, and the maker, say, this antenna is practically perfect for this application. It's organized in a way that allows simple deployment in minutes, and is beautifully resonant, "right out of the packet." It has reliably outperformed other popular portable antennas, in my head-to-head tests. Coupled with a light, telescoping fiberglass pole (I am using the SOTAbeams Tactical Mini), you can be on the air in minutes, virtually anywhere. Simple and elegant; highly recommended.