Thank you...so the two folded dipoles are separated by insulators...can I use like a falcon dipole for the director?
-
You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.
Best beam for low height
- Thread starter Bearcat
- Start date
Thank you...so the two folded dipoles are separated by insulators...can I use like a falcon dipole for the director?
ya you could or just 2 pieces of wire, and a so-239 connector or just connected right to the coax, center to one side of the feed and shield to the other side of the feed point,, no need by buy something fancy for the feed point side
A Quad for certain!!!
- Will provide the lowest TOA of any directional especially at a low elevation above ground.
It acts like 2 Yagis in parallel, one above the other, keeping the TOA lower than any single directional, except maybe a V-Quad (Delta Loop) style, but that design doesn't allow for switchable Vert/Horiz polarity.
As a closed (shorted) loop it also has the characteristics of both shunting static to ground & cancelling unwanted noise due to the phase angle of the other 1/2 of the element being 180 degrees out of phase compared to the angle at which the static & noise energy hit the opposite side of the element.
It's no secret nor fallacy that Quads "Open & Close the Band" because they hear the DX first and are the last to lose it as it fades.
"You might disagree, but you'd be wrong." - Jeremy Clarkson
- Will provide the lowest TOA of any directional especially at a low elevation above ground.
It acts like 2 Yagis in parallel, one above the other, keeping the TOA lower than any single directional, except maybe a V-Quad (Delta Loop) style, but that design doesn't allow for switchable Vert/Horiz polarity.
As a closed (shorted) loop it also has the characteristics of both shunting static to ground & cancelling unwanted noise due to the phase angle of the other 1/2 of the element being 180 degrees out of phase compared to the angle at which the static & noise energy hit the opposite side of the element.
It's no secret nor fallacy that Quads "Open & Close the Band" because they hear the DX first and are the last to lose it as it fades.
"You might disagree, but you'd be wrong." - Jeremy Clarkson
Last edited:
Not quite, but if you ask me, they are underrated. Inexpensive, light, and they work really well. The design of it would allow you to get more height off the top of your tower. I had a friend back in the 70's that ran a stacked set, and he swore they outperformed his Moonraker IV.
Nice write up here:
http://www.cbradiomagazine.com/Antenna Reviews/Maco V-Quad/Maco V-Quad Antenna Review.htm
73,
Brett
Ya I have read the review but I have heard they are junk too? I think everytime I hear junk" the antenna wasn't set up right
Quads and V quads have their advantages.
They are full wave driven elements and tend to be less susceptible to atmospheric noise.
They DO NOT outperform a typical yagi uda.
They DO have a lot of wind loading.
When you install a Quad you engineer it from the ground up, everything has to be bigger and stronger.
It is not IF a quad will come down but WHEN.
All that being said I do like a cubical quad, I have had four element, three element, and my favorite for ease of installation is the tried and true two element, spaced 7 feet, between director and reflector, build light weight, small rotor to turn it and GREAT performance.
Can buy driveway markers at Home Depot made out of fiberglass and perfect for the spreaders for an 11 meter quad.
Build it and have fun. Somewhere on this site is a thread on a tilt over crank up two element quad install all homebrew. Good reading
They are full wave driven elements and tend to be less susceptible to atmospheric noise.
They DO NOT outperform a typical yagi uda.
They DO have a lot of wind loading.
When you install a Quad you engineer it from the ground up, everything has to be bigger and stronger.
It is not IF a quad will come down but WHEN.
All that being said I do like a cubical quad, I have had four element, three element, and my favorite for ease of installation is the tried and true two element, spaced 7 feet, between director and reflector, build light weight, small rotor to turn it and GREAT performance.
Can buy driveway markers at Home Depot made out of fiberglass and perfect for the spreaders for an 11 meter quad.
Build it and have fun. Somewhere on this site is a thread on a tilt over crank up two element quad install all homebrew. Good reading
yeah, I know what the modeling programs say, but, in the real world, a quad is not inferior to a YAGI, if you compare apples to apples.
in fact at low height as the OP asked, the QUAD is definitely superior.
the REAL advantage lies in the SNR numbers, not the forward gain/Front to Back figures.
YMMV
25ft is not a low height for the 11m band. Its almost 3/4 wavelength high which isn't really considered a low height. Heights below half a wavelength high are usually classed as low height.
For what it is worth, I attached a 4 element horizontal yagi at 20' feet vs. a 4 element horizontal Quad, and the patterns overlay below shows these two are very close in all aspects. The quad shows a 1* degree lower maximum gain angle, rejection is notably better, and the gain difference looks to be so small as to be insignificant.
So, again it looks like what we hear in the CB world indicates big differences, but in fact the differences look to be minor.
We just can't depend on the truth in advertising.
Just my opinion.
So, again it looks like what we hear in the CB world indicates big differences, but in fact the differences look to be minor.
We just can't depend on the truth in advertising.
Just my opinion.
Last edited:
Just looked at your youtube site, man you got some good info and tests on products
What I see with the Maco antennas is the locking mechanism for the element joints is what I would call a weak link. Lots of guys use stainless steel hose clamps in place of them, and they seem to hold up just fine.
73,
Brett
I am enjoying this thread..I have allways liked quads and v Delta loops...they are interesting antennas and you guys have explained a lot..I think the V Quad or a reg Quad would be a blast at low to modest height! I have allways wanted to stack V quads and let her sing!