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Maco Y quad, SuperHawk, PDL-2, Jo Gunn smokin II, Maco V quad?

R

Red Ranger

Active Member
Aug 16, 2008
150
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Finding a good PDL-2 is like finding a mint Browning Golden Eagle! :mad: It's even worse that I see daily *unused* good PDL's still in the air, and the people won't sell!:eek:

So I am looking for a small Beam with PDL's legendary performance, quad like performance, the PDL's were not a true quad, but something like a folded dipole with a "eggbeater" funky matching section.

I looked at the Maco Y quad, but are they just not a two element beam?:confused:

I like the looks of the Jo Gunn's smokin 2, but it IS priced high, and there seems to be some hype associated with this antenna?(true?)

There is the Signal Engineering's SuperHawk, seems to be real similar to the PDL,but the matching network is different.

Maco V quad has got some negative comments from the locals, and is the smallest of the antennas.

The Maco Shooting Star is too big for my setup(guided push up mast) and I would like a decent antenna that I can boast and gloat over on the radio.:p...and be turned with a T.V. rotor.

I basically live 25 miles N.E. of a large city in this area, and there is allot of CB locals in that town, I live on the fringe and they can barely hear me using 40 watts and a 102" whip 20 feet in the air.

I'll be using a Texas Star 350 as the driver, so I'm not running super amounts of power.
 

What are your restrictions to use a 3 element beam? Cost, weight, or space restrictions? Most TV rotors will work up to a 3 element/20 lbs. If you want to use a beam locally; then a vertical beam would be best. The Sirio SY27-4 is $140 @ Copper Electronics can can be set up vertically or horizontally - a 4 element beam that weighs only 14 lbs and has a 13 ft boom length too. Cheapest/best deal I've seen . . .
 
Space restrictions, the tower is mounted to my Trailer and if I have just a plain jane vertical beam, compared to a quad, the lower elements will be close to the metal trailer roof.
 
Sounds like it is too low to me.
Why so low?!?

How about 30 ft to the beam?
It would work much better even higher; 20 ft or lower wont cut it anyway. If that is where you've been running your 1/4 wave whip; no small wonder why you aren't getting out very well locally . . .
 
. . .Or a Sirio "Gain Master'. . .
A Imax 2000 may throw off a bunch of TVI/'interference'; and the 'Gain Master' supposedly doesn't. Cost for the Gain Master is about $30 more than the Imax; but worth it - IMO.
 
Red Ranger said:
Finding a good PDL-2 is like finding a mint Browning Golden Eagle! :mad: It's even worse that I see daily *unused* good PDL's still in the air, and the people won't sell!:eek:

So I am looking for a small Beam with PDL's legendary performance, quad like performance, the PDL's were not a true quad, but something like a folded dipole with a "eggbeater" funky matching section.

I looked at the Maco Y quad, but are they just not a two element beam?:confused:

I like the looks of the Jo Gunn's smokin 2, but it IS priced high, and there seems to be some hype associated with this antenna?(true?)

There is the Signal Engineering's SuperHawk, seems to be real similar to the PDL,but the matching network is different.

Maco V quad has got some negative comments from the locals, and is the smallest of the antennas.

The Maco Shooting Star is too big for my setup(guided push up mast) and I would like a decent antenna that I can boast and gloat over on the radio.:p...and be turned with a T.V. rotor.

I basically live 25 miles N.E. of a large city in this area, and there is allot of CB locals in that town, I live on the fringe and they can barely hear me using 40 watts and a 102" whip 20 feet in the air.

I'll be using a Texas Star 350 as the driver, so I'm not running super amounts of power.
Click to expand...

You might check out this CD on EBAY it says it has plans for building your own PDL2.

101 Easy CB Projects on CD ROM - eBay (item 320447438207 end time Jan-04-11 17:38:41 PST)

Good luck.
 
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Reactions: windycitykid
id try the super hawk from ones ya listed
but in all honesty if ya dont have any height restrictions
id opt for a maco5/8 or maybe even the new sirio gain master
and key is get it up 30-40 feet at bottom of antenna [minumin]
higher would even be better.height is might so it could be possiblie
to mount a stick antenna up high and have better results than a
low mounted small beam.
 
Just FYI, I used to have stacked Wilson V Quads and at that time they out performed stacked PDL 2's. But that was a long time ago and I don't know if they changed after Wilson folded.

Now I have an IMax 2000. It did play hell with the touch lamps in my house and the people around me in my 55+ community where the houses are very close. I added a balun/coil at the feed point and that fixed the problem with the lamps. I haven't been able to use it much yet but I did get a strong signal report from 30 miles away. Take that with a grain of salt thought because the land around here in Florida is as flat as a pancake!

Terry

Added: the IMax is setting on 30' of tower then 10' of pipe.
 
Last edited:
A beam will help, but not much.

The height is making your signal hard to hear.

Height is Might on HF.

A good antenna 5/8 at 30 to 40 feet is good for local and DX.

Get your antenna higher, for go the cost of a beam and try the IMAX with an RF choke at the feed point or the Gain master.

Scrounge around and get 30 foot of used tower so you have a good stable platform and then another 10 feet of pipe to mount that 5/8 wl ground plane, the locals will hear you then no problem.

Remember that rf choke at the feed point.

Google ugly balun, easy to make and they work well.
 
When talking about height, it that to the BASE of the antenna or the TIP?
Would a 10' mast on a 20' high house be ok for an A99?

D
 
StahlMaster said:
When talking about height, it that to the BASE of the antenna or the TIP?
Would a 10' mast on a 20' high house be ok for an A99?

D
Click to expand...

usually the base of antenna or bottom. no 10 feet piope wouldnt be enough
id try to get the base of antenna at LEAST above the peak of roof .
the 10 ft will work however performance will suffer and probaly get
bad tvi
 
hotrod said:
usually the base of antenna or bottom. no 10 feet piope wouldnt be enough
id try to get the base of antenna at LEAST above the peak of roof .
the 10 ft will work however performance will suffer and probaly get
bad tvi
Click to expand...

My mistake. I ment a 10' mast ON TOP of a 20' house. I'm limited by power lines, cable TV and phone lines to put up a tower.

Am I to assume that we are talking FEET ABOVE GROUND and not FEET ABOVE STRUCTURE? I'd like to mount the Antron without guy wires.

My "mast" is 2" fence rail.
 

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