Rebuilding a 6 element quad

[GnG8d]

Mine has been up since last June and although it's only been through one ice storm this winter, we've had some really gusty winds and it isn't showing the slightest sign of sagging or stretching.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GnG8d]

Some people are satisfied with horseshoes, others need a .243 into the bullseye at 300 meters.

What does that have to do with an antenna?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GnG8d]

I certainly wouldn't build it for one frequency, in hopes that it stretches to the desired frequency.

If I have one complaint about the Cubex, it would be the way they packaged the wire. Instead of coiling it, they folded it back on itself in half, then half again etc etc. so I did pre stretch it some.

Here is going to be a key. You will have to have a way to rotate the boom freely. I hung mine from my front end loader. But you can't pull the elements tight and call it good, that'll just bow the spreaders. I worked each element cw-ccw-cw etc etc, probably 6-10 times, up to a dozen times for each element. The first round you'll be working out small kinks and gaining maybe 6" of slack. The last go round you'll be working out slight bows and only gaining a fraction of an inch. It's time consuming and tedious, but you can't pull it taught without bowing the spreaders.


I'm at work, so I hope that made sense, if not I will add to it later.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Needle Bender]

Really, why not, if it does?
I guess it depends on how tight you want yours. Some people are satisfied with horseshoes, others need a .243 into the bullseye at 300 meters.

What does that have to do with an antenna?

Well, when you're done BSing on the radio using your antennas, you can go play horseshoes or maybe go Target shooting,
...especially if you prefer Wallmart.

 

[Needle Bender]

I certainly wouldn't build it for one frequency, in hopes that it stretches to the desired frequency.

You know copper is going to stretch, and who knows exactly how much without a couple years of testing, but I imagine 5-10 channels high would bring it down about right in a year or three, but what if it doesn't, it's only 5-10 channels from flat and most people use their antenna systems a lot farther away from center than that so no biggie either way.
I'll just do mine that way when I build another Quad this year.

 

[GnG8d]

You know copper is going to stretch, and who knows exactly how much without a couple years of testing, but I imagine 5-10 channels high would bring it down about right in a year or three, but what if it doesn't, it's only 5-10 channels from flat and most people use their antenna systems a lot farther away from center than that so no biggie either way.
I'll just do mine that way when I build another Quad this year.

5 to 10 channels is quite a bit on a narrow banded antenna. Why not take the time to work all the waves out of it before putting it in the air? Your not going to put enough tension on the element wire to stretch it, but over time I can see all the little waves working themselves out causing a saggy element. Hell, the spreaders can't handle enough tension to stretch copper.

It's a slow and tedious process, but well worth it to me. Work the wire back and forth until you can't get anymore slack, center it where you want it, and put it in the air. Here is what mine looked like last June, and I just swept it again and it hasn't changed a bit.

Now who's playing horse shoes?

 

[6.0 Liter]

Ok here is the exsisting element spacing.

Reflector to driven = 84.344"
Driven to D1 =56"
D1 to D2 = 72.188"
D2 to D3 = same
D3 to D4 = same

This is as close as my Fatmax 25' can get!
Guess this spacing is what I have to work with unless I start all over from scratch with differant hubs........................

 

[hookedon6]

You know copper is going to stretch, and who knows exactly how much ....

SOFT DRAWN copper wire will stretch,................... ANNEALED copper wire will exceed its tensile breaking point before it stretches.

 

[Henry HPSD]

Hello Guys,

Copper will indeed stretch. The question would be ...how much...is it enough to notice ?

That comes down to several things like: The thickness, the tension on the wire, the climate where the antenna is standing etc.

We know one thing. From time to time we do hear stories about breaking wires.
As soon as the wire "stretches" it becomes thin. That will lead to more stretching...thinner wire...etc with the end result of breaking.

I can imagine this to happen to 40/20 meter band quads.
Say we are using rather thin wire...in some artic climate we have ice building up, the wire becomes heavy etc.

However on 11 meter, a wire of roughly 30 feet, and if we dont bring it under real tension with a reasonable diameter...well i can imagine it will last a very very long time.

Another question which we migth ask...If you see the "gain" and front to back of a antenna it is often not at its "peak" where the SWR is.
So a small change in freq migth be a positive thing, this while the SWR is trying to tell you it is not...people focus way to much on SWR, understandable as it is often the only thing one can measure.
And, well if it does "shift" and it shifts actually a couple hunderd Khz in Frequency.
Will the "change" in gain and Front to back etc. will be that much it is noticable ?
I guess not
Though i do understand the mind set for heaving an extra 0.2 dB.

All together...
Yes it can stretch, but if you use a reasonable wire...i wont worrie about it too much.
.
Kind regards,

Henry HPSD
All about antennas

 

[Marconi]

Ok here is the exsisting element spacing.

Reflector to driven = 84.344"
Driven to D1 =56"
D1 to D2 = 72.188"
D2 to D3 = same
D3 to D4 = same

This is as close as my Fatmax 25' can get!
Guess this spacing is what I have to work with unless I start all over from scratch with differant hubs........................

Thanks 6.0 Liter, this is good to know. It re-confirms that my spacing measurements and assumptions for the add-on elements are about right.