Lightening L2 Quad

[Mudfoot]

Got this Quad today. The manual leaves a lot to the imagination. Very poor print quality with dark grainy pictures.

This ought to be fun. I need an actual picture. The matching sections look really busy. Instructions as is, are little help.

 

[Marconi]

Mudfoot, I missed your old post where you talked about getting an L2 Quad, else I would have mentioned that you would likely be disappointed.

Over time, I've talked to 3 or more CB acquaintances that bought a Superhawk, and as best I can recall...none ever got their SE Quad antennas to working right.

Phil501, was a long time member on this forum and he had one that gave him trouble, but he is long gone now. He was a big talker when we had Contests back then, but I can't recall him using his Superhawk.

Do a search. Enter Superhawk and click Search. You might find some old posts here on the forum where we fussed and discussed this antenna.

I have the old manual, but it is of little help and is very poorly written. As best I recall, the images don't show, which end is which, and that has to be right in this complicated setup. I once studied these old Quads and asked lots of questions, but I just don't remember all the details anymore.

There are very few if any part dimensions to check or verify. You might want to measure, record, and secure all the length and diameter dimensions for all the metal, wire, and FG parts before you get started. If anything is color coded, make sure to make notes of that too. All the guys I talked to, complained that the original owner was of little help if you have a problem after the sale.

I had a couple of occasions to talk to a guy there that said he was the design engineer. He was helpful. His name is Larry. If you call try asking for him if he's still around.

You have one 1/4 wave short wire with eyelets on both ends, make sure it goes precisely in the right place, relative to the front and back. If you can figure that out, that will be important.

IMO, I would slot the 8 metal supports that go thru the boom by 1" - 2" inches. Use this to support and secure the fiberglass rods using good SS hose clamps, instead of those cheap sheet metal screws on a slant...used to secure the FG rods. If you do this, then make your cuts so they remove the screw holes.

This will also help if you ever have to undo these screws to adjust the wire tension. This also can help prevent the FG rods and the screw holes from being all buggered up, coming loose, and maybe shattering the FGRs...as the antenna is bending and twisting in the wind.

 

[Mudfoot]

Thanks for your input Marconi.

I researched it a good bit. I read where some didn't like it. The front is determined by which ever end you put the longer spreaders on. they say it's essential that both element wires are positioned the same on each element, pointing to to back. I noticed the angled screws in the manual. I wasn't excited about that, so will likely slot the tube as u mentioned. They emailed some pictures of the matching system, which will be a great help. It will be some time before I start assembly on this quad, but will be up before snow flies.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

That matching system looks like a nightmare. I liked the old Hygain two element quad which simply had two driven loops spaced about 5 or 6 inches apart with a reflector element. Each driven element had an air core choke balun right at the feedpoint and that was it. It worked quite well and had good polarity isolation.

 

[Mudfoot]

Yeah...That's why I needed some pics. The manual was hard to understand all that.

 

[Mudfoot]

Here's the manual.

 

[Mudfoot]

Copied from Dr_DX's post.

Quote from earlier post:

Lightning Antenna's Quads use the same matching system that SE called the
SFS FEED SYSTEM. It allows the SWR adjustment close to the point where the
antenna mounts to the mast.
It consist of flexible wires (not coaxes) running along the boom and also brass rod stubs,
which are included with our set of wires. The SFS System allows the use of much more
power than a Gamma Match and results in very low SWR over all forty channels.

Take a look at the Patent here:

Patente US4236160 - Loop driven element antenna system and voltage feed system - Google Patentes

SFS provides two independent feed points, one pure vertical
polarization, the other purely horizontal. Two coaxial lines
then run to the operating position as usual and are selected by
the operator through a coax switch. (Neither the antenna switch
nor these coaxial lines are included with the antenna.)

In a nut shell the antenna is voltage fed and NOT current
fed like a traditional quad. That what allows this
antenna to be dual polarity.

I hope this answer your questions.

Thank You for interest in our antennas.
George.

Lightning Antennas
Manufactured in CA by INNOVA
Tecate, CA 95117
(408) 625-7717 Phone
(408) 457-9440 Fax
george@lightningantennas.com

 

[oldtymer]

Good luck,hope you get it up & working right.
Quads are nice, quieter than yagis.
Wish the old PDL2 was still around, I would put one up in a heartbeat

 

[Road Squawker]

Copied from Dr_DX's post... edit...
In a nut shell the antenna is voltage fed and NOT current
fed like a traditional quad. That what allows this
antenna to be dual polarity..."

Changing from current fed to voltage fed , in and of itself, does not make an antenna "dual" polarity. (I'm kind surprised he didn't say "Circular")

Feeding from an odd 1/4 wl will change the phase, but, it will still be "single" polarity.

more smoke & mirrors

Anyway, the QUAD is a great design and has advantages over a Yagi , particularly at lower heights.

 

[Marconi]

The pictures sure help to understand the L2 construction a lot better than the manual. Your manual is also much better than the one I have for the older Superhawk.

Dr_DX (Lee) raised some very good points that are important to consider and understand about the L2. This matching setup is different compared to a regular current fed Quad. Lee and I go way back in our radio work here in Texas, and he knows this stuff.

Don't let the vertical and horizontal feed point locations confuse you. They are 90* degrees different in their locations. This detail is not a mistake in the notations for the manual.

The short 1/4 wavelength wire I mentioned earlier establishes the 2 high voltage feed points. It also secures and maintains this important dimension (length) for the matching devices.

I think there are other operators on this forum that have talked about their versions and tips for this design. Their posts might also be informative. I recall some were trying, desperately, to get the dimensions for a wire that broke or was stretched on their beam.

Mudfoot, I said earlier you might be disappointed, but if you get this antenna right and it works like touted...then it might be a pretty good antenna.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Mudfoot]

Well, I'm storing this antenna in my attic. Gonna wait to put it up when I get a place in the country. I just ordered the 2 element quad from Cubex. Lol, it's going to be less of a headache to assemble it. I won't have dual polarity, but my intentions are only to use it locally anyways, so no need for horizontal. Said it will ship out in a week.

One thing rattling in my brain.... Wonder about cutting the L2 for 6 meters.

 

[jessejamesdallas]

I wouldn't give up on the L2...The L4 I had tuned pretty good, under 1.5 SWR anyway...As for those sheet metal screws that hold the spreaders together, what I did was just drill a small hole right threw the spreader and installed nuts and bolts to hold everything together...(using hose clamps didn't enter my brain at the time or I may have gone that route, but the screws and nuts worked out just fine anyway)

My one and only bitch about the antenna was the solid core wire used...always breaking at the eyelets after wind storms...My MaCo shooting star has wire running around the reflector elements and after being up for over 5 years now, not once has that wire broke.

 

[Mudfoot]

I haven't given up on it. Just saving it for later. I don't want to fool with two coax runs at my current location. I can't lie though, that matching network looks irritating. I know I can assemble it, I just don't have much patience lately.

I was going to ask you how you did the screws. I certainly don't like how they recommend. The slot and hose clamp sounds like the plan.

 

[jessejamesdallas]

I haven't given up on it. Just saving it for later. I don't want to fool with two coax runs at my current location. I can't lie though, that matching network looks irritating. I know I can assemble it, I just don't have much patience lately.

I was going to ask you how you did the screws. I certainly don't like how they recommend. The slot and hose clamp sounds like the plan.

Well...you don't have to do the dual polarity thing if you don't want to...just instal the vertical wire and tuning rod and leave the horizontal parts off... might even be easier to tune doing it that way...

 

[Mudfoot]

That's true. Did you ever try to swap the solid wire for stretched stranded?