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Signal Engineering White Lightning 4

SmackDown

Active Member
I bought a White Lightning @ a hamfest (used) and am trying to get the assembly instructions. I've called S.E. numerous times and get a voice mailbox saying that someone will return the call but since April(?) nothing... I've emailed them too, to no avail. Are they still doing business? Does any member here have instructions (exploded view) on assembling this antenna? I think I'm missing 1 piece but can't be sure without a pic of what's supposed to be here.


3's
 

I think I read somewhere that they were shutting down to move locations and then re-open at a later date. You might want to research that though before taking it as gospel.
 
I bought a White Lightning @ a hamfest (used) and am trying to get the assembly instructions. I've called S.E. numerous times and get a voice mailbox saying that someone will return the call but since April(?) nothing... I've emailed them too, to no avail. Are they still doing business? Does any member here have instructions (exploded view) on assembling this antenna? I think I'm missing 1 piece but can't be sure without a pic of what's supposed to be here.

3's

I've tried to contact them for the last 6 months with no response. With the economy like it is, the prices SE charges, and with CB like its been for sometime, I figure they're out of business.

I hope you got it dirt cheap.

They were terribly built and supplied kits even when new. They have a great idea, but they used very cheap materials and parts. For sure if the antenna was installed in anything but the mildest of climate environments, you probably have a problem. You may be able to fix most problems if you're handy, understand the principles for this antenna design, and don't deviate from the stock dimensions at any point.

A friend of mine had one in the Chicago area and almost from the get go, it started to fall apart, rusted hardware, broken screws, wires stretched and broken, and the rod supports wallowed-out the holes where they pass through the boom. He did not pre-measure the wire lengths and they stretched and broke due to the wind and weather and SE would not give him the wire lengths to use. A great quad antenna design idea, but very cheaply built and with lots of little parts. He tried for over a year to get someone to give him the measurements.

IMO, SE has always had a policy for NO antenna construction info, even for their documented customers. The antennas are pictured on their Website, which is still up. Do you have the Lightning 4, or Lightning 4+?

The documentation that they provide has always been very poor and copies of copies that get worse and worse as time goes by. They also use only artist renderings with their instruction manual and on their Website. This distorts the perspectives, and gives little real detail.

I'll try and post the instructions for the L4+ in my profile, but I can't promise what you'll be able to see. If I can't make out what the first page says, I won't bother with the rest.

Signal Engineering L4+ parts list (465x640).jpg

These images do not look very good to me and some of the pages are even worse. There are about 10 pages in all and that is a lot to scan and post in my album to be looking so bad. Why don't you take some good pictures close up and straight on of the parts you have spread out to indicate relationships. Maybe some of the longer items with a good tape measure to indicate scale.

Email @ edromans@comcast.net or PM me and maybe we can get together and get you going.
 

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Thanks Marconi, actually I've narrowed it down to the area where the coaxial cables connect for the flat and verticle sides. It looks like a coil in their ads butthere's no real detail.

That whole H/V deal and the matching network, combined with their reputation of being weakly build is why I bought the Cubex instead of the SE. But if you got for a good price and have the ability to beef it up a bit, it should be a good antenna!
 
I still question why none of these modern quad manufacturers have not simply copied the orbital gamma match on the PDL-II? In 30 years there has still been no more efficient way to obtain dual polarity out of a quad element. The patent has surely expired by now.
 
I still question why none of these modern quad manufacturers have not simply copied the orbital gamma match on the PDL-II? In 30 years there has still been no more efficient way to obtain dual polarity out of a quad element. The patent has surely expired by now.

SW, I can't argue against the PDL 2, it's known to be very effective and is built very sturdy. But for the guys that like power the Signal Engineering L4 is rated for 8KW and the PDL 2 is 2KW.

Smack D, this antenna does not have a coil. Do you have a L4 or a L4+?

BTW, I have posted the instruction manual to my album @ http://www.worldwidedx.com/members/marconi-albums-signal-engineering-white-lightning-4-manual.html

If you will post some pictures of what you have laid out and close up, maybe I can help explain the parts that you don't understand or can't see in the manual.
 
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I'm a guy that likes power too. Of course the gamma can be replaced on the PDL-II for added power. If you want 20 KW handling you could always use a vacuum variable and DIN connectors. Although I suspect the stock plastic hub would fail at this level.

SW, I can't argue against the PDL 2, it's known to be very effective and is built very sturdy. But for the guys that like power the Signal Engineering L4 is rated for 8KW and the PDL 2 is 2KW.

Smack D, this antenna does not have a coil. Do you have a L4 or a L4+?

BTW, I have posted the instruction manual to my album @ http://www.worldwidedx.com/members/marconi-albums-signal-engineering-white-lightning-4-manual.html

If you will post some pictures of what you have laid out and close up, maybe I can explain the parts that you don't understand or can't see in the manual.
 
I have the L4 Marconi...and I did get it for $40 and the only piece missing is where the coax's attach,
I guess it's the feed mechanism. I'll lay it out and take and post pics so you can see what I have.

3's

SD, in the picture on page #7 you'll see an image of the tuner, Fig #13. There are two such tuners, one each for vertical and horizontal. Each copper wire is about 10'-11' feet long and should have a short thicker brass stub attached to one end. Because this is a used antenna the ends of the stubs may be bent a little. The stub size, length and diameter, is critical to the tuning. This is where the coax pig tail shown in Fig #14 on page #8 is attached after locating the point for the best tune. If these brass stubs have been cut off and are missing---you'll have a difficult problem to fix, cause I don't have those dimensions.

Your biggest problem will be the antenna wires. There are 7 wires in the kit. Two are noted above for the tuners, and 5 are used for the 4 radiators. They come color coded in the kit and one wire is short about 1/4 wl that makes up part of the driven element. Do your radiator wires all have end-clips attached to both ends?
 
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yes the wires have end clips at both ends.

Hey that's great.

Would you post the length of the 5 wire elements, so I can add them to my manual? Also if you would, give me the length and diameter for the stub at the end of the tuner wires, and the length of the wire too? I been told the tuner wires are 130" long, but I don't know if that includes the stub length or not.
 
I have the L4 Marconi...and I did get it for $40 and the only piece missing is where the coax's attach,
I guess it's the feed mechanism. I'll lay it out and take and post pics so you can see what I have.

3's

Hey SD, you promised to get some pictures & post here. Whatever happened to your L4 quad?
 
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Signal Engineering White Lightning

SmackDown: I have the build sheet for the White Lightning 6, all you would
have to do is just forget about the last two elements and their spacing. Also
I did a major modification to mine (no longer in use) instead of using the single
strand enameled wire that was included (bought used and had to straighten all
the wires without stretching them straight) wires. So I have the correct lengths
of the original wires, plus the lengths for the 14 gauge 168 strand Flexweave
wire that I bought from Radio Works website (they no longer carry it, but can
be purchased from Davis RF website for .19 a foot; get the polyethylene jacket
-ed wire as it sheds water and helps prevent ice buildup). I have added your
user name on my contact list, if you are still interested and I will photocopy
the build sheet and my additional wire lengths list. Signal Engineering is no
longer in business and they wouldn't help you anyway. I offered to send them
a photocopy of the build sheet so they would send me the wire lengths. NO!
was the answer, so I contacted Cubex Quads and the man that was the
owner answered the phone. He told me to straighten the wires and then multi-
ply it by .975 for using the insulated wire for the proper K-factor of using
insulated wire verses bare wire.
Anthony, at Signal Engineering told me that I would never get the antenna to
work if I modified it, well I can personally say after thousands of contacts from
all over the USA and all over Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand; he doesn't
know diddle squat. I had people accuse me of running power, when all I had
was a good radio and the SE Lightning 6 mounted at 60' over a lot of ground
rods and radials including a 108 wire 35' 4" circular mat between my two main
towers in the backyard. Al - 73s
 

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