just wanted some expert opinion on which antenna would you experts put up on a 90ft tower i am spilt between buying one or the other so i need help on making a desition thanks for your help!!!!!!!!to me it seems the quad has better gain and antenna trajectuary let see what you think!!!!!!!!!!!
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laser400 vs. se lightning 6 quad
- Thread starter excavator701
- Start date
701, I think you are probably right about the advantages of the SE Quad, but it has it drawbacks in the quality of stuff in the kit.
If you have pretty mild winters with very little or no snow, ice, or steady and heavy winds, then maybe; if you are willing to fix some weaknesses like the hardware. One thing for sure, measure each wire when you get it and record the lengths of each. The wire elements are supposed to be pre-stretched at the factory, but some tell me that that is not so. No advice here, just something to think about, because the length of these wires is critical.
The Maco should perform just about as well and I doubt really that you could really tell a difference except maybe in weight. The SE quad feeder design is an amazing feature, that leaves little to be desired if setup properly.
The big problem with the SE is the metal spreaders as they pass thru the boom. They are not fitted well nor are they secured well at the points of contact. The winds on the antenna may cause considerable wear it these areas unless modified somehow, again no advice here either, but one guy I know tiged his elements to the boom and another used some light weight body type filler to secure them better. It is the sharp edges of the tubing that are the problem.
If you have pretty mild winters with very little or no snow, ice, or steady and heavy winds, then maybe; if you are willing to fix some weaknesses like the hardware. One thing for sure, measure each wire when you get it and record the lengths of each. The wire elements are supposed to be pre-stretched at the factory, but some tell me that that is not so. No advice here, just something to think about, because the length of these wires is critical.
The Maco should perform just about as well and I doubt really that you could really tell a difference except maybe in weight. The SE quad feeder design is an amazing feature, that leaves little to be desired if setup properly.
The big problem with the SE is the metal spreaders as they pass thru the boom. They are not fitted well nor are they secured well at the points of contact. The winds on the antenna may cause considerable wear it these areas unless modified somehow, again no advice here either, but one guy I know tiged his elements to the boom and another used some light weight body type filler to secure them better. It is the sharp edges of the tubing that are the problem.
s/e quad
701, Marconi has a vey good read here I have assembled four of the s/e quads.If you take your time with the antenna, make sure the wire elements are the correct length, change out all of the hardware to stainless steel.You will have trouble with the metal elements that pass threw the boom unless you tig them or you are in a area with hardly no wind.It won't happen right away but it will happen.Marconi touched on the feeder design and it really is a pretty decent way to feed the quad, but here again it needs some work.It has stand offs, that must be the correct length from the boom,they are made out of a polycarb material that will become brittle over time.I replace them with delrin.Did I say take your time,if you do you will have antenna that I feel will out talk the maco and you will here stations that the maco can't here.I see tony has raised his price quite abit, maybe he has changed out his hardware, that would be something to ask before you bought.I really like the design, just bad hardware.I have also built a big cubix for a friend and we adapted the s/e quad feeder system to it.The cubix quad has all of the good hardware already in the package.One thing you should take into account is the quad will have more maintance to it over the years.Hope this helps some what :roll:
701, Marconi has a vey good read here I have assembled four of the s/e quads.If you take your time with the antenna, make sure the wire elements are the correct length, change out all of the hardware to stainless steel.You will have trouble with the metal elements that pass threw the boom unless you tig them or you are in a area with hardly no wind.It won't happen right away but it will happen.Marconi touched on the feeder design and it really is a pretty decent way to feed the quad, but here again it needs some work.It has stand offs, that must be the correct length from the boom,they are made out of a polycarb material that will become brittle over time.I replace them with delrin.Did I say take your time,if you do you will have antenna that I feel will out talk the maco and you will here stations that the maco can't here.I see tony has raised his price quite abit, maybe he has changed out his hardware, that would be something to ask before you bought.I really like the design, just bad hardware.I have also built a big cubix for a friend and we adapted the s/e quad feeder system to it.The cubix quad has all of the good hardware already in the package.One thing you should take into account is the quad will have more maintance to it over the years.Hope this helps some what :roll:
I'd go with the Maco. If you decide you want a SE and are looking for a 4-element White Lightning, I have one.
I've had two people on here flake out already so its still up for grabs. It's new although the boom has some slight oxidation due to being stored outside in a shed. The rest of the antenna was never assembled.
$250.00 INCLUDES shipping. Post a note here, PM or e-mail me via this forum.
I've had two people on here flake out already so its still up for grabs. It's new although the boom has some slight oxidation due to being stored outside in a shed. The rest of the antenna was never assembled.
$250.00 INCLUDES shipping. Post a note here, PM or e-mail me via this forum.
Quad
701, Another antenna you might want to look at is a wolf wy6l-11m It's a six element on a 40 ft. boom.I have never ran one of his but I think marconi has one of his groundplanes.You can go to wolfradio.com for pictures.Looks like it's really put together well
701, Another antenna you might want to look at is a wolf wy6l-11m It's a six element on a 40 ft. boom.I have never ran one of his but I think marconi has one of his groundplanes.You can go to wolfradio.com for pictures.Looks like it's really put together well
i would say..
Although the quad is nice..
it is to easily damaged in harsh weather..
even in easy weather areas..it is not as strongly built as a yagi type beam..
wolf's wy6l-11m It's a six element on a 40 ft.
i would say it is the best idea offered so far..
Personally i perfer a Steppir beam that is on a 32 foot boom
the MonstrIr
besides it's advantage in swr over a vast range (40 to 6 meters)
when not in use..it closes it's elements into itself to give it lower profile and even better bad weather surviviblity
www.steppir.com
although very pricy
it is indeed exellent antenna
Later
Although the quad is nice..
it is to easily damaged in harsh weather..
even in easy weather areas..it is not as strongly built as a yagi type beam..
wolf's wy6l-11m It's a six element on a 40 ft.
i would say it is the best idea offered so far..
Personally i perfer a Steppir beam that is on a 32 foot boom
the MonstrIr
besides it's advantage in swr over a vast range (40 to 6 meters)
when not in use..it closes it's elements into itself to give it lower profile and even better bad weather surviviblity
www.steppir.com
although very pricy
it is indeed exellent antenna
Later
Toll_Free
Well-Known Member
Marconi said:
I've got some "JB Weld" type epoxy here that someone gave me as a tip once for a tow job I did for them.
They used this stuff to fix the transmissions in the rock crushers at a lime or cement plant. When one of the gears would chip a tooth, it would take weeks to get that part ordered, forged, shipped, etc. In the meantime they would use this epoxy to put the chipped tooth back on.
The guy told me that they used the new part as a spare. Rarely would this stuff give way... I wonder how it would hold those spreaders in?
--Toll_Free
howdy
I would go to the quad my self i have run both the laser and the quad. The quad will out do the laser in dx hands down verytime.
Mind you there are both great antenna's. The laser takes alot of time to build right thats running rope thur the elements for vibration and so on thus making a heavy ant. the quad is lighter and more broad banded.
just my 2cent's
good luck on the choice you make 73's
I would go to the quad my self i have run both the laser and the quad. The quad will out do the laser in dx hands down verytime.
Mind you there are both great antenna's. The laser takes alot of time to build right thats running rope thur the elements for vibration and so on thus making a heavy ant. the quad is lighter and more broad banded.
just my 2cent's
good luck on the choice you make 73's
Mechanically, the yagi is better and requires much less maintenence.
I am a fan of quads however! The look great, they work great, and one of the less known advantages of a quad is it's a "terminated loop" which makes it a quieter antenna!
So, put up the quad, but expect to give it more attention over its lifetime!
I am a fan of quads however! The look great, they work great, and one of the less known advantages of a quad is it's a "terminated loop" which makes it a quieter antenna!
So, put up the quad, but expect to give it more attention over its lifetime!
Nope. It has the same windload whether the elements are retracted or not.KingCobra_CDX882 said:
Quad vs Yagi
My M105c seems to do just as well as my 4 element quad. With the Quad I had to do alot of maintenance as we have strong winds here in NM. My Yagi is holding up well but the windy season is not here yet. I switched my tower to a fold down so I can do maintenance alot easier. Wish I would have had the fold down with the Quad.
My M105c seems to do just as well as my 4 element quad. With the Quad I had to do alot of maintenance as we have strong winds here in NM. My Yagi is holding up well but the windy season is not here yet. I switched my tower to a fold down so I can do maintenance alot easier. Wish I would have had the fold down with the Quad.