Is MACO V/58 OMNI DIRECTIONAL CB ANTENNA Any good

[Simbalage22]

Antenna Installed Pics

Morning ALL! Figured I would snap these. Not going to go up there for just a pic, Will definatly take some closer when I am getting that swr set.. But this is my basic install.. Looks so much bigger in person. Swr reading as pictured above..


New Info: I Read the manual and go to know what the letters and numbers they speak of mean.. Printed it so it was easier to read and look at diagram side by side. They say the hoop needs to be 6 and some odd inches and then the poles need be mesured to the frequency your on. Dude I bought it from said it was already set for cb (rods marked) with perfect swr... Seems he was wrong...............

 

[office888]

Detroit!! (yea It sucks, but getting disabled I lost my home in sterling Heights, And Career) But Yea, we just got it up.. Couldnt wait any longer.. Swr of over 3. Good grey coax! Will take pics in the morning, and if anyone knows how to bring it down feel free to share.. Thank god for having a healthy wife.. My wife said getting into the hobbie at my age is normal that her dad had a cb.. I'm like wtf you mean.. I aint old! just disabled! She said your almost 30!!! Gosh How mind blowing.. See I had no childhood, and waited till marriage to "loose it" so as you can see this is like someone telling you gold you have is fake!!! Anyways back to the antenna.. I am reading this manual (Thanks to poster) and cannot for the life of me understand! Does this mean we have to take that tanker down? also what are the chances of it getting struck by lightning? I ran 6GU wire from antenna to the cold water pipe in basement, the edison is no longer grounded there they had me run a ground rod dedicated for that, again I will post pics.. Not sure if the mounts will hold up either. (Chimney Rachet Strap)
Eitherway plz give positive feedback


PS: Was that via skipp or general? I'd like to use it for when I am out (mobile) to "phone home" ect.. NC is 600 miles from here... Now tha'd Be awsome if it'd reach wifes uncle which does both CB and HAM and uses a biggggggggggg linear on top of a mountain!

EDIT: Added pics of my "beginner station" and the swr reading with the Realistic mobile (30amp 12v Tenma not in pic)

I'm on the southwest side of the state.

SWR of 3 is a little high...are you sure that's 50-ohm coax? Did you follow the instructions in the manual? It might just be an off SWR reading causing by the lack of ground plane radials...Is your SWR higher of Ch1 or CH40?

Another good idea is to form an air choke at the feed point of the antenna. It helps prevent RF energy from radiated backwards into your "shack".

Word of advice, you should ground that outside you home to a dedicated ground rod.. The problem is, if you make use of a common ground that everything else is grounded to in your home, you've got a potential interference problem going on.

890 miles, yeah, it was sporadic-layer atmospheric skip. There's been quite a bit of it lately.

Chances of it getting struck by lightning are pretty low, and it's not a collector for charge like a fiberglass antenna is, but you should still prepare for that situation, hence the OTHER reason why you should ground your antenna outside your home...in case of lightning. Also, be sure to use a lightning arrestor with your coax.

Here's my thread:
http://www.worldwidedx.com/amateur-...ction-antenna-mounting-questions-video-4.html

-Richard-

 

[office888]

New Info: Read the manual and go to know what the letters and numbers they speak of mean.. Printed it so it was easier to read and look at diagram side by side. They say the hoop needs to be 6 and some odd inches and then the poles need be mesured to the frequency your on. Dude I bought it from said it was already set for cb (rods marked) with perfect swr... Seems he was wrong...............

Compare his measurements to the manual's. You may have to adjust it slightly.

SWR changes from mount-to-mount, depending on height / proximity to trees, etc.

Looks good though.

Here's a thing to consider...If you just want to work DX, you really don't need a lot of height. However, if you want to get a good local signal out, you'll want to have the feed point ~one wavelength off the ground, so about 36 feet. I raised mine, and it made +6 s-units of difference for local traffic.

You probably should guy wire it, however, I will vouch, if heavy winds DO blow it over, you can bend it back pretty easily...the ground radials absorb the fall nicely. :tongue:

Maybe I'll see you on the band sometime? I don't spend much time on CB anymore though...

-Richard-

 

[Simbalage22]

I'm on the southwest side of the state.

SWR of 3 is a little high...are you sure that's 50-ohm coax? Did you follow the instructions in the manual? It might just be an off SWR reading causing by the lack of ground plane radials...Is your SWR higher of Ch1 or CH40?

Another good idea is to form an air choke at the feed point of the antenna. It helps prevent RF energy from radiated backwards into your "shack".

Word of advice, you should ground that outside you home to a dedicated ground rod.. The problem is, if you make use of a common ground that everything else is grounded to in your home, you've got a potential interference problem going on.

890 miles, yeah, it was sporadic-layer atmospheric skip. There's been quite a bit of it lately.

Chances of it getting struck by lightning are pretty low, and it's not a collector for charge like a fiberglass antenna is, but you should still prepare for that situation, hence the OTHER reason why you should ground your antenna outside your home...in case of lightning. Also, be sure to use a lightning arrestor with your coax.

Here's my thread:
http://www.worldwidedx.com/amateur-...ction-antenna-mounting-questions-video-4.html

-Richard-

Ok I will definatly put a rod or 2 Outside.. Its pretty much the same on all channels. I went to abel electronics and told him I needed cb coax.. he gave me this grey stuff and said its for cb 50 ohm and will hold upto 1,000w. Its like $0.57 a foot. I thought my ground was the problem, but no difference. Those 4 long rods arent those the ground rails? I think my problem is instructions in the manual. I just aquired it. The guy I bought it from said he marked the poles and just install to the marks he has. Now I see in the manual the lenght has to be specific, as well as the ring the commes off the coax cable needs be so many inches ect.. Will have to look a "lightning arrestor" up Thanks for the incredible feedback

 

[Simbalage22]

Compare his measurements to the manual's. You may have to adjust it slightly.

SWR changes from mount-to-mount, depending on height / proximity to trees, etc.

Looks good though.

Here's a thing to consider...If you just want to work DX, you really don't need a lot of height. However, if you want to get a good local signal out, you'll want to have the feed point ~one wavelength off the ground, so about 36 feet. I raised mine, and it made +6 s-units of difference for local traffic.

You probably should guy wire it, however, I will vouch, if heavy winds DO blow it over, you can bend it back pretty easily...the ground radials absorb the fall nicely. :tongue:

Maybe I'll see you on the band sometime? I don't spend much time on CB anymore though...

-Richard-

I want to communicate to car wherever I may travel. How high can I actually go? and would that be accomplished by adding another pole? Guessing the higher I go thats where the Guy wire would come in correct? Maybe well see ya I go by "BlueCamaro" as this is my first REAL base setup.. Cobra weather band in car with high output final and sweet 16 Texas star was actually first, But It got stolden before I could even learn the hobbie which as you can imagine why its taking me 5 years to get back into it!

PS: What frequency do I lenghth this antenna for? again total noob.. Radio Has hidden channels and stuff too believe its "FreeBanding" or something illegal, but still want to make sure when I do go up there its right according to this manual in front of me the swr is adjusted by length of antenna (W10P) and Clamp C01 on the ring... Just want to confirm

 

[office888]

I needed cb coax.. he gave me this grey stuff and said its for cb 50 ohm and will hold upto 1,000w. Its like $0.57 a foot. I thought my ground was the problem, but no difference. Those 4 long rods arent those the ground rails? I think my problem is instructions in the manual. I just aquired it. The guy I bought it from said he marked the poles and just install to the marks he has. Now I see in the manual the lenght has to be specific, as well as the ring the commes off the coax cable needs be so many inches ect.. Will have to look a "lightning arrestor" up Thanks for the incredible feedback

Sounds like RG58, or RG8X. It's a little lossy around 30 mhz, but you should do okay. Those 4 long aluminum tubes are the ground radials. They shouldn't have much effect on your SWR.

You measure the overall length of the antenna..the bottom of the clamp, to the tip. The middle of the CB band is about 27.185 mhz, so put it somewhere between 27-28 mhz for length, as listed in the manual. I think that's about ~248 inches overall if memory serves me?

I want to communicate to car wherever I may travel. How high can I actually go? and would that be accomplished by adding another pole? Guessing the higher I go thats where the Guy wire would come in correct? Maybe well see ya I go by "BlueCamaro" as this is my first REAL base setup.. Cobra weather band in car with high output final and sweet 16 Texas star was actually first, But It got stolden before I could even learn the hobbie which as you can imagine why its taking me 5 years to get back into it!

I wouldn't exceed 100 feet in height, you start reaaalllyy changing the radiation pattern past that. I doubt that's a problem anyways, towers that tall are pricey. :tongue:

Ideally, you want the feed point about 36 feet off the ground. This is pretty much the most ideal solution. It gives you an excellent radiation pattern for both local and DX performance. I actually just got off 28.360 USB...talked to a fellow about 25 miles away from me, S9+10 dB.

Keep it AWAY from powerlines, we don't need a dead radio operator. Keep in mind which way it'll fall, if it does fall.

With your current mount, I would HIGHLY advise guywires. You should be able to lean some of your weight against the mast, without breaking the mount, or the antenna falling over. I use 3/16 aircraft cable for my guy wires, which is good for about 300 lbs. For a single guy wire, you want the guywire between 1/2 and 2/3 of the way up. For a double guy wire setup, you'll want about 1/2 to 1/3, and one almost at the top.

My 2m VHF mast is in a cheap chimney mount. With properly tensioned double guy wires, attached to it's 15 feet of mast, I can PUSH all 150 lbs of me against it, and the mast doesn't move. It survived the severe storm winds we had...actually, I was more worried about the antenna breaking, than I was about the mast coming down. That fiberglass Diamond F23A was bent over about 75 degrees from the amount of wind gusts we had.

Good luck, stay safe.

-Richard-

 

[Simbalage22]

.I think that's about ~248 inches overall if memory serves me?
-Richard-

Yes 26 is 248" and 27 is 240"

.I wouldn't exceed 100 feet in height, you start reaaalllyy changing the radiation pattern past that. I doubt that's a problem anyways, towers that tall are pricey. :tongue:

Ideally, you want the feed point about 36 feet off the ground. This is pretty much the most ideal solution. It gives you an excellent radiation pattern for both local and DX performance. I actually just got off 28.360 USB...talked to a fellow about 25 miles away from me, S9+10 dB.
-Richard-

I dont know how tall mine is. Was going to mount it on top of my flag pole, but seems impossible and there IS power lines near.. Only power lines near are way in the back of my house of the opposing side.. Could I use fence poles to raise it?

.
Keep it AWAY from powerlines, we don't need a dead radio operator. Keep in mind which way it'll fall, if it does fall.
-Richard-

I used to work with these type (110X2) so even if it fell on It I would properly know how to move it without getting killed. (Unless it hit a transformer or something) Used to run lines 6X that LIVE... LOL.. but really do appreciate people out here Pushing safety like you...Very good for someone who wouldnt think about it, and the antennas lengthy mass. I learned tag out lock out saftey when I used to work (WOW so long ago) but one thing I never learned it never rush on a ladder to impress your boss.. That yeilded me legally disabled at 22 and has destroyed my life (15Ft drop) and came down streight on my knee. Years later a tumor developed and 3 sergeries and lots of muscle and tissue loss I am alive and skipped cancer!!!!But have a knee that caves when it feels like it, and chronic pain!! But I try to have fun with this hobbie, cant do much of this which is why my poor wife does the hard jobs LOL.. but wow this is cool..Really cool people one here.. Who'd have know

.
With your current mount, I would HIGHLY advise guywires. You should be able to lean some of your weight against the mast, without breaking the mount, or the antenna falling over. I use 3/16 aircraft cable for my guy wires, which is good for about 300 lbs. For a single guy wire, you want the guywire between 1/2 and 2/3 of the way up. For a double guy wire setup, you'll want about 1/2 to 1/3, and one almost at the top.
-Richard-

I will do some research on this subject.. I was actually thinking about making a metal bracket to stretch from side to side, So at least I was thinking in the right direction LOL

 

[Simbalage22]

Can you post a pick of the hole your talking about? you can order the parts for it here http://www.macoantennas.net/downloads/MaCo_Parts List_012110FS.pdf and if you need the instructions down load them here MACO Antennas

Hope this works for you.
AP

Just came back to page one, and realized when I utilized the manual you were left out Big Thanks.... From A new operator to you

 

[airplane1]

Your welcome, Always willing to help when I can. Good luck and have fun.

AP

 

[Simbalage22]

SWR is lower, but not perfect

Well I got the swr as follows

Channel 40 = Its perfect.. Possibly 1:1
Channel 19 = Its a little bit above 1.5
Channel 1 = Highest slightly before 2

Appearently he used a second metal hose clamp and soon as I got it up, the pole slid back down. (Musta lost the original) So I used vice grips around the screw nut to tighten and its better, but I'd like to get the max out of this antenna

Whats WEIRD!! is when I lay the antenna on the roof, the swr is near perfect and at the lowest that way.. Raise it and it jumps... Ahh too soar to play with it anymore today.. Took me 2 days to recover just helping my wife the day i got it.. I cant wait till its working and I can just enjoy the thing already my wife kept saying its @ 3.. turns out shee was reading the .3 @ the top of the dosy... She is learning too i guess LOL
Crappy pics attached

 

[office888]

Ch40 - 27.405
Ch1 - 26.965

Higher frequency = shorter antenna.

In other words, it's just a TAD too short. If you move the tip UP 8", that'll drop the tuned frequency 1 mhz. However, that's much too far. You only want to move it down about 250 khz, so it's centered on about ~28.155 instead of 28.405. To achieve this, I'd move the tip UP about 2". That should put you close. Your mileage may vary due to terrain / trees / etc!

Hopefully that'd achieve a near perfect match for ya'.

I'll vouch too, putting up verticals like that is a lot of work...but the benefits are well worth it! Have fun.

-Richard-

 

[Simbalage22]

Ch40 - 27.405
Ch1 - 26.965

Higher frequency = shorter antenna.

In other words, it's just a TAD too short. If you move the tip UP 8", that'll drop the tuned frequency 1 mhz. However, that's much too far. You only want to move it down about 250 khz, so it's centered on about ~28.155 instead of 28.405. To achieve this, I'd move the tip UP about 2". That should put you close. Your mileage may vary due to terrain / trees / etc!

Hopefully that'd achieve a near perfect match for ya'.

I'll vouch too, putting up verticals like that is a lot of work...but the benefits are well worth it! Have fun.

-Richard-

Thanks for the info. So your saying to move to top pole of the anntenna up 2"? or just move it up in tiny increments to see if there is a change. Your probably right because its only up there with a mast from a 2 meter ringo, so its probably not tall enought. But being on the roof I'd think its still up (could be higher) and the swr should be lower. I have no way to check the entire length as this tape measure is small. I got it close to 240 by going 100' and holding my finger there, and adding ect... So if I could get a longer tape measure then it just be too long or too short..

 

[office888]

Thanks for the info. So your saying to move to top pole of the anntenna up 2"? or just move it up in tiny increments to see if there is a change. Your probably right because its only up there with a mast from a 2 meter ringo, so its probably not tall enought. But being on the roof I'd think its still up (could be higher) and the swr should be lower. I have no way to check the entire length as this tape measure is small. I got it close to 240 by going 100' and holding my finger there, and adding ect... So if I could get a longer tape measure then it just be too long or too short..

Yes, just move the top section up 2 inches, that should put Ch1-40 between 1:1.1-1.5. Your SWR probably won't be too affected by raising it, as it's already past the point where it would be "too low". As long as you keep it away from objects, it really shouldn't be affected.

I need to purchase an all-band HF SWR meter...my Maco is a little close to our silver maple tree for my liking, I'm curious to see if it's affecting my SWR at all. It probably is, I'm having to load my tubes a little bit more than before.

A 25 ft tape measure if a good investment! :laugh:

Work any DX yet? There's been a few more openings on 10m band to Florida in the past few days.

-Richard-

 

[Simbalage22]

Yes, just move the top section up 2 inches, that should put Ch1-40 between 1:1.1-1.5. Your SWR probably won't be too affected by raising it, as it's already past the point where it would be "too low". As long as you keep it away from objects, it really shouldn't be affected.

I need to purchase an all-band HF SWR meter...my Maco is a little close to our silver maple tree for my liking, I'm curious to see if it's affecting my SWR at all. It probably is, I'm having to load my tubes a little bit more than before.

A 25 ft tape measure if a good investment! :laugh:

Work any DX yet? There's been a few more openings on 10m band to Florida in the past few days.

-Richard-

Hey, Cool Will be getting a measuring tape and trying that soon. Will post results. I have nothing but clear sky near mine.. I havent done any DX yet, Not quite sure how that works.. I am running 11 Meters.. Just getting back into it.. Dont think I could afford a ham rig.. Just sold that 2M Ringo.. Sounds like it would be fun, and If I knew were to start and the exact concept maybe I could get into it..

 

[1342]

first of all what kind of coax are you running?second 238 inches is perfect for the middle of cb band!third the tap point is the major tuning adjustment for this antenna.and last make sure the radiator has not slid down to close or touching that nut and bolt holding the pl-259 connector.