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Maco V58 Assembly Review

I might be a little late here but i just bought a new Maco V58. I have it 90% assembled and also changed out that exposed wire that attaches to the ring with an insulated wire of thicker gauge. Silicone was also applied to where the wire comes out the back of the so239 connector. I live in San Francisco by the Ocean and we get lots of fog and Moisture and The rains. I applied a good amount of Marine silicone on all the crimped parts of the ring so water does not migrate inside. Special silicone that wont corrode Aluminum. Also on the vertical radiator except on the bottom part for final adjustment and groundplanes. The antenna comes Slotted. Not De burred which I did. Easy task. I'm Planning on putting her up next week using my MFJ259B Analyzer into LMR400. Bottom section not tapered Definitely straight.
This antenna is well constructed and thick walled. I will try and post my measurements as soon as i put her up. I have been very Ill and I'm recovering. Best regards and Wishes to all from LightFoot off the Coast Of San Francisco........;)
 
I might be a little late here but i just bought a new Maco V58. I have it 90% assembled and also changed out that exposed wire that attaches to the ring with an insulated wire of thicker gauge. Silicone was also applied to where the wire comes out the back of the so239 connector. I live in San Francisco by the Ocean and we get lots of fog and Moisture and The rains. I applied a good amount of Marine silicone on all the crimped parts of the ring so water does not migrate inside. Special silicone that wont corrode Aluminum. Also on the vertical radiator except on the bottom part for final adjustment and groundplanes. The antenna comes Slotted. Not De burred which I did. Easy task. I'm Planning on putting her up next week using my MFJ259B Analyzer into LMR400. Bottom section not tapered Definitely straight.
This antenna is well constructed and thick walled. I will try and post my measurements as soon as i put her up. I have been very Ill and I'm recovering. Best regards and Wishes to all from LightFoot off the Coast Of San Francisco........;)

Good luck Thundir. Don't forget we have a question about the new manual---whether the 248" overall length for 27 mhz is correct or a mis-print. 248" inches just does not seen to fit with the other frequencies around 27 mhz and the number use to be 240" inches, right or wrong. It's too close to the 26 mhz number and too far away from 28 mhz.

Let us know what you find out and what points you use to measure your overall. I think after this discussion that I agree the measurement is likely the very bottom of BA1P, just like it shows in the new manual with an arrow pointing to the bottom.

Some tips!!! It has been my experience with several other antennas, that when I get close to resonance and my SWR is good, 1/4 inch moves may be too much, and you might go right past your sweet spot. You just have to be careful at that point if you want to try and get the best bandwidth and match.

BTW, if you look real close at the SO239, where you've told us you caulked around the outside of the bottom, you might notice that the 239, being prone to leaking water into the coax can easily leak water in from the top. This is where the center pin goes thru the insulator. On some connectors you can actually twist the center pin inside the connector, it's that loose. You may want to consider putting some of that caulk on the top where the wire connects also. I use epoxy up there and last pretty good.

I use a product inside of my connectors called Stuff, which I get from AES on the Internet. It is designed to shield water from getting into the connectors and it does not harden or damage the connectors or the coax.

When you start sealing your antenna it might be wise to consider that you could seal it up to well which might present a problem for water getting out as well as getting in. Personally, I've always elected to leave my tubing open, except for the top element, so if I get condensation inside the tubing---it has a way to get out as well.

Condensation can occur inside of tubing that is otherwise sealed up---which is simply due to changes in temperature and not just rain. Also, if a tube is sealed up well on the bottom side of the joint and a small hole exists in the upper side---then rain water can get inside and then not get out easily.

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't overdue caulking a vertical antenna. Only the radials and the coil, which might lay horizontally, can and will collect and hold water. I never cap my horizontal radials for this reason. I mainly worry about rain water getting in the coax thru the connectors, which are not water tight, and the V58 is very prone to this problem if the connector is not well sealed inside and out.

Another point is, I have found non stainless steel hardware that I seal up before and the seal did not keep the water out, it held the water in, all around the hardware and destroyed it in quick fashion. I like the clamps that Maco uses except the nuts and bolts will not hold up. Maybe "all" stainless steel hose clamps are better since the tubing is slotted and that would be a good investment if the antenna stays up for a long while.

Good luck and I wish you well in health too. Keep us posted.
 
Hi Marconi. You have a point about over sealing stuff. Moisture does find its way in and can cause a problem if not being able to properly vent to dry. The pin on my so239 was actually really snug. Ive used shrink wrap there prior to soldering the insulated wire and also applied silicone on top as well. Will be using rubberized tape for the pl259 cable.
I called Kay at Maco. She is a sweetheart. She did say that the measurements are for 27.000 at 248 inches and not 240 inches. It was a typo error. And the bottom measurement of the maco is is just like you said Marconi where the Aluminum part of the antenna ends.Top to the way bottom..
I think 248 is too long but should get me close enough to be able to adjust from the bottom . And then play with the tap on the ring to balance her out on both ends. Hopefully this Wednesday. I just got over Pneumonia. It was rough. Thought I was gone at such a young age. Hahaha. Best wishes and stay tuned for my follow up. Regards from the rainy coast of San Francisco.............LightFoot with the wave.............(y)
 
Well,
I guess I'm not going to be able to offer any help here. My good buddies were kind enough to come over yesterday after work while I was sick in bed up the roof they went to put up my Maco V58. The Wife didn't want me on the roof. Bless her Heart. Anyway I was under the assumption that after the final tune they would measure the total on the Vertical Radiator and the tap on the ring. Antenna was too long so shorter it went.On the ring the tap was adjusted past the mark i marked from the instructions.Totally forgot they did.:oops: The Antenna dialed at 1.3 on the band edges and 1.2 on center. Best regards and wishes......................LightFoot with the wave.
 
you have some good friends I tell ya that much!! I help everyone and when I need to find help its like trying to pull teeth with no novocaine!!!
 
I'd like to know the correct number of inches the radial hub should be installed below the SO-239 connector bracket.

I used Liquid electrical tape when I built Darrin's, Mark's, Ron's & Mike's to seal it from the rain. I simply painted it on the top side of the connector where the wire is soldered on. It also seals the connector from water getting through it and down into the coax
 
What kind of wind speeds can this thing stand up to? It's certain that I'll get a couple of days a year with sustained 100mph winds.
 
To seal the SO 239 on my V58, I just didn't feel confident only using silicone. Since I was replacing the cheap wire that Maco supplied anyway, I also added a PVC cap to cover the SO-239, which I will seal with a small amount of silicone sealant.

th_008.jpg
 
To seal the SO 239 on my V58, I just didn't feel confident only using silicone. Since I was replacing the cheap wire that Maco supplied anyway, I also added a PVC cap to cover the SO-239, which I will seal with a small amount of silicone sealant.

th_008.jpg

(y)(y)(y)
 
i know this is an old thread but these are still popular antennas so ill share what dave and i found by tuning his with his mfj analizer.
246 inches total from the bottom of the mounting brackert to the tip of the main verticle element for 27.2 and the wire was also changed by him to heavy duty insulated wire. his got down to 1.1 to 1 swr and the reactence was 2-3, almost zero when he decided that was close enough and tightened down the wire clamp on the ring then drilled it and put a sheet metal screw through it
 

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