Radioddity HF-010 Review A POTA Field Test

Disclosure: This antenna was provided by Radioddity for field review as part of a content partnership. All opinions, test results, and observations are my own. Full activation logs and ADIF data are available on request.

I've been doing POTA activations long enough to know that the antenna is where you either win or lose the day. The radio, the mode, the power — those matter. But the antenna is the difference between a quick qualifier and a frustrating two-hour grind. So when Radioddity reached out about testing their HF-010 portable HF antenna in real field conditions, I said yes and meant it.

Two activations. Same park. Same radio. Same power. Same mode. Real contacts on the air, real data from WSJT-X and PSK Reporter, and a NanoVNA for SWR measurements. Here's everything.

The Setup Context

All testing was done at Sawgrass Lake Park (POTA US-6700) in St. Petersburg, Florida. Radio was the Xiegu X6200 running DigiPi for FT8 digital operation, powered by a DIY 32Ah LiFePO4 battery. Power was 5 watts throughout both activations. Band was 20 meters FT8 exclusively.

I tested the HF-010 across two consecutive days — May 6 and May 7, 2026. I'll cover what happened on each day, including a mistake I made on Day 1 that's worth knowing about before you set yours up.

What's in the Box

The HF-010 arrives in a carry bag with handle and shoulder strap. Everything fits cleanly — antenna base, ground spike, securing nut, two extension rods, tunable loading coil, fixed loading coil for 80m, telescopic whip, three radials on spools, coax, BNC adapter, connecting piece, tripod mount, water bag, and a tape measure. Nothing is loose or rattling around. The bag is compact enough to drop into a backpack alongside your radio and battery without dominating the pack.

The complete contents per the manual (NanoVNA not included):

• Antenna base with SO-239 feed point (6.5cm, M8-1.25 female ground side, 3/8"-24 male antenna side)
• Ground spike (20cm / 7.9") with securing nut
• Two extension rods (45cm / 17.7" each, 3/8"-24 thread)
• Tunable loading coil (45cm / 17.7", covers 5–18 MHz)
• Fixed loading coil for 80m (13cm / 5.1", 3.56 MHz)
• Telescopic stainless steel whip (max 275cm / 9ft)
• Three ground radial wires (4.8m / 15.7ft each, 3mm banana plug, on individual spools)
• 10m RG-58A/U coax with PL-259 on both ends, built-in choke
• BNC-m to SO-239 adapter (for Xiegu and other BNC-f radios)
• Tripod mount (aluminum alloy, 30cm leg length, rubber feet)
• Connecting piece for ground spike to tripod
• Water bag (3 litre capacity)
• Tape measure (max 350cm / 11.5ft)
• User manual

The 10m RG-58A/U coax cable comes wound on a spool with PL-259 connectors on both ends. Worth noting — the coax has 5 turns fixed at 1.5m from the output end, which act as a built-in choke to suppress common-mode currents on the outer shield. This helps keep the radiation pattern aligned with design specs, reduces RFI to nearby equipment, and delivers more stable SWR readings. Radioddity built the choke directly into the cable so you don't need to add ferrite beads separately.

The three ground radial wires are 4.8m (15.7ft) each, wound on individual clear plastic spools. The manual specifies how much to unwind by band — 1m for 6m, 2m for 10/12/15m, 3m for 20m, and full length for 40m and 60m. On 80m no radials are used at all. White markings on each wire indicate 1m intervals so you hit the right length without guessing.

Caption: The three ground radial wire spools — 4.8m (15.7ft) each with white 1m interval markers on the wire

Caption: One radial deployed in the field — wire unwound to the third white marker, plus approximately 5 inches of additional wire, to bring SWR to its lowest reading of 1.053 on 20 meters

The tape measure included in the kit is handy for setting the telescopic whip to the correct extension per band. The manual includes a quick-setup table with exact targets for every band.

Source: Radioddity HF-010 User Manual V1.1

Having this table in the field eliminates guesswork. I used it on both days and hit 1.053 SWR on Day 2 with correct assembly and fine-tuned radial length — better than the manual's rated 1.1 spec for 20m.

Assembly — And the Mistake You Should Not Make

The antenna assembles in sections from the ground up. Here is the correct order, and this matters:

1. Antenna base (mounted to ground spike or tripod)
2. Both extension rods
3. Tunable loading coil (or fixed coil for 80m)
4. Telescopic whip

On Day 1 I installed the loading coil at the base and then put both extensions above it. That is wrong. The coil belongs above both extensions, not below them. I'll show you what the difference looked like in the numbers later.

Source: Radioddity HF-010 User Manual V1.1

Mounting Options

The HF-010 gives you three installation options depending on your surface and conditions:

Option 1 — Ground spike only (hard soil): Drive the ground spike directly into the earth and attach the antenna base to the top of the spike. Fast, minimal footprint, no tripod needed.

Option 2 — Ground spike with tripod(soft soil): Attach the connecting piece to the underside of the tripod, thread the ground spike through it and into the ground until the tripod's rubber feet contact the soil, then mount the antenna base to the top of the tripod. The spike anchors the whole system.

Option 3 — Tripod only(concrete or hard surfaces): Set the tripod on the ground, mount the antenna base to the top, fill the water bag with up to 3 litres and place it over the antenna base so it sits across the tripod legs. The water weight stabilizes the antenna in wind without needing a spike.

I used Option 2 at Sawgrass, which has mixed soft ground and exposed roots. It held solid through both sessions. With radials deployed and the coil set, total setup time from opening the bag to antenna on the air was under 3 minutes on Day 2.

The Coil System

The tunable loading coil is the heart of the HF-010 for most bands. It covers 5–18 MHz and has a numbered scale so you can dial in a repeatable position for each band. The red indicator marks your position. Write down your band position once and return to it every deployment without guessing.

For bands above 18 MHz (17m through 6m) the tunable coil is either removed entirely or its slider moved to the top position (0) — only the whip length is adjusted for those bands. For 80m, a separate fixed loading coil replaces the tunable coil entirely.

Caption: The Radioddity HF-010 fixed 80m loading coil (3.5 MHz) — swaps in place of the tunable coil for 80 meter operation. No adjustment needed — install it, set the whip length per the manual, and you're on 80m.

Per the manual's quick-setup table for 20 meters (14.2 MHz):
Coil slider: position 1
Telescopic whip: 228cm (89.8")
Radials: 3m unwound per wire
Rated VSWR: 1.1

In practice on Day 2 I unwound each radial to the third white marker and added approximately 5 inches of additional wire per radial, fine-tuning until the NanoVNA showed the lowest possible reading. That landed at 1.053 — beating the manual's spec.

SWR and Tuning with the NanoVNA

Caption: NanoVNA SWR measurement at 14.070 MHz — Day 2, correct assembly, radials fine-tuned to 1.053

I brought the NanoVNA to both activations to measure SWR rather than relying on the radio's built-in indicator.

Day 1 results (incorrect assembly — coil at base): SWR on 20m: 1.23

Day 2 results (correct assembly — base, extensions, coil, whip): SWR on 20m: 1.053

Both numbers are workable — anything under 1.5 on a portable field antenna is good. But the difference between correct and incorrect assembly was real and measurable. The Day 2 SWR curve was sharper and better centered on 14.070 MHz, and fine-tuning the radials past the 3m mark by about 5 inches per wire pulled the SWR down to 1.053 — better than the factory-rated 1.1 spec.

Day 1 — May 6, 2026

Arrived at Sawgrass Lake Park, opened the bag, assembled the antenna (incorrectly, as noted), deployed three radials to the 3m mark, and set the coil. First contact at 15:12Z.

The first thing that stood out was what I saw on PSK Reporter. The signal was being heard across a wider geographic area than I typically see. Contacts were coming in from the upper Midwest, the northeast, and Canada in the first session.

Caption: PSK Reporter — May 6, Day 1. Wrong assembly, SWR 1.23. West Coast reception visible early in the session.

This was Day 1 — wrong assembly, 1.23 SWR. Still produced 21 QSOs across 15 unique grid squares in 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Before switching fully to FT8 I tested SSB on 20m. I made a voice contact into Texas on 5 watts and received a 5-7 signal report. That is a result worth noting on 5 watts through a portable field antenna with the wrong assembly.

Caption: WSJT-X active FT8 session mid-contact on May 6 — DigiPi running remotely via tablet

One issue worth noting from Day 1 — I was running my mobile hotspot through T-Mobile and the carrier was blocking the ports that WSJT-X uses to report spots. Switching to my AT&T hotspot resolved it immediately. That is a T-Mobile issue, not an HF-010 issue, but worth flagging if you use T-Mobile for field data.

Day 1 stats:
QSOs: 21
Unique grid squares: 15
RST received average: -7.9 dB
Duration: 2h 30m
Rate: 8.4 QSOs/hr
SWR: 1.23 (incorrect assembly)

Day 2 — May 7, 2026

Correct assembly. Coil above the extensions. Radials fine-tuned to 1.053 SWR. First contact at 12:13Z.

The difference was immediate. The waterfall was more active, the rate picked up, and PSK Reporter showed an even stronger propagation footprint.

Caption: PSK Reporter — May 7, Day 2. Correct assembly, SWR 1.053. Dense northeast, mid-Atlantic, and upper Midwest coverage.

Signal was being heard densely across the northern and northeastern United States with lines reaching into Canada, down into the Gulf Coast, and out across the mid-Atlantic. The coverage pattern was notably more concentrated and consistent compared to Day 1.

Day 2 stats:
QSOs: 32
Unique grid squares: 23
RST received average: -7.0 dB
Duration: 3h 38m
Rate: 8.8 QSOs/hr
SWR: 1.053 (correct assembly, radials fine-tuned)

That is a 52% jump in contacts and a 53% jump in grid squares reached from correcting the assembly order and dialing in the radial length. Notable received reports included WA4VOC at +8 dB, WA2BTR at +6 dB, and AH2O at +2 dB.

Takedown

Takedown on both days matched setup — under 3 minutes. Radials wind back onto their individual spools cleanly. Antenna sections separate without tools. Everything goes back into the bag exactly as it came out. Close the bag and walk.

What I Liked

The carry bag. Compact, organized, shoulder strap included. The two-compartment design keeps the antenna sections separate from the accessories — nothing gets tangled.

The coil scale. Numbered positions mean you find your frequency once and repeat it every deployment. The tape measure in the kit is the right companion for setting the whip length correctly.

The built-in coax choke. Most field antenna kits leave you to sort out common-mode suppression yourself. The HF-010 coax handles it natively with 5 turns built in at 1.5m.

The mounting system. Three installation options covering hard soil, soft soil, and concrete means the antenna works at virtually any POTA site without improvising.

Setup and takedown time. Under 3 minutes each direction. For POTA with limited operating windows or multiple park days, this is a real operational advantage.

Ten bands in one kit. 80m through 6m with a fixed coil swap for 80m and whip-only operation above 17m.

Signal performance. Day 2 with correct assembly and fine-tuned radials hit 1.053 SWR — better than rated spec — and produced my best Sawgrass session in grid squares reached with comparable signal reports to my previous antenna setup.

What to Know

Assembly order matters. Read the instructions. Both extension rods go on first, then the loading coil above them, then the telescopic whip. I learned this on Day 2 and the numbers confirmed it immediately.

Radial length matters too. The manual's 3m starting point for 20m is a solid baseline, but fine-tuning past that marker — in my case about 5 extra inches per radial — brought the SWR from ~1.1 down to 1.053. Use a NanoVNA if you have one and dial it in.

The tunable coil handles 5–18 MHz. Above 18 MHz, remove the coil or set the slider to 0 and tune only with the whip. For 80m, swap in the fixed loading coil.

Three radials work. The ground system is purpose-engineered for this antenna. My SWR measurements and on-air results confirmed it performs as designed.

Bottom Line

The Radioddity HF-010 is a well-built, fast-deploying 10-band portable HF antenna that performs in real field conditions. Across two POTA activations at the same park with the same radio and power level, it delivered solid signal reports, doubled the geographic reach in grid squares worked compared to my previous setup, and with correct assembly and fine-tuned radials hit an SWR of 1.053 — better than the factory 1.1 specification.

The coil design, built-in choke coax, multiple mounting options, and the fact that everything including a tape measure and water bag ships together in one organized bag are all above what you typically find at this price point. If you're activating parks, operating portable, or building a go-bag for field use, the HF-010 earns a spot in the kit.

Full log uploaded to pota.app. 73 de W4GGJ

Technical Specifications

Parameter	Value
Frequency range	3.56 MHz – 50 MHz
Bands	10 (80, 60, 40, 20, 17, 15, 12, 11, 10, 6m)
SWR when tuned	≤ 1.5:1 (achieved 1.053 on 20m in field test)
Impedance	50 ohm
Max power	100W CW / 150W PEP SSB
Max whip length	275cm / 9ft
Max visible height	5.1m / 16.7ft
Coax	RG-58A/U, 10m / 32.8ft, PL-259 both ends, built-in 5-turn choke
Radials	3 × 4.8m / 15.7ft with 1m interval markers
Water bag	3 litre capacity
Total weight	3kg / 6.6 lb
Carrying bag	55cm × 20cm × 9cm

Reprinted From: https://tavaone.com/blogs/gear-reviews/gear-review-radioddity-hf-010-portable-hf-antenna-a-pota-field-test