MACO VQ3

[lonestarbandit]

I have. And wont get much better than than the RG8 ones (thanks @NightThumper ) hooked up now. But it MUST be the length thing fooling the meters slightly. I'll keep playing with the configuration in shack.

 

[lonestarbandit]

So tentative report... Seems to be working I swung it to HI and Jamiaca and busted the pileups BUT until conditions permit and I get someone that isnt contesting but has a minute to compare antennas I wont know whats what. Also wife bent one of the element of the reflector last time down she lifted by it smh. Hasnt affected enough for me to risk taking it down again to try to straighten aluminum but looks a little off to my OCD personality lol

 

[lonestarbandit]

Sad news. The VQ3 is no more. We had a small tornado just now and it bent the steel push up pole greater than 90deg and hammered the VQ3 into my backyard.
Elements are snapped off surprisingly the rotor held. I'll get pictures in the morning.
Sad days. Never even got a chance to really use it.
Another rebuilding project I didn't need.
Please note the Chinesium rotor did NOT fail or snap! Shocking actually.
Spoke to Tom at Maco and he will sell me all the replacement parts I need so that's a blessing but an unwelcome expense for sure. Wife isnt too pleased either landed on her plants.

 

[Slowmover]

Sorry to read this after all your work. Better luck is coming

 

[NightThumper]

Holy @#$% LoneStarBandit! Very bad news…after all that work. Better luck is coming as Slow said. I suspect you’re going to have to put up something more stout than the push up pole or else guy it down.

 

[Crawdad]

Very sorry to hear about that LSB. Glad to hear you're not throwing in the towel. Best of luck with the rebuild.

73 sir

 

[lonestarbandit]

I'm not entirely sure if it was a tornado or a light plane hit it we are near an airport and weather was storming the way it bent into the backyard makes no sense.
Almost as though a force hit it and pushed it that way .... We heard a roaring and thought was tornado but maybe a low plane idk...

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

I'm not entirely sure if it was a tornado or a light plane hit it we are near an airport and weather was storming the way it bent into the backyard makes no sense.
Almost as though a force hit it and pushed it that way .... We heard a roaring and thought was tornado but maybe a low plane idk...

Wow! Glad nobody got hurt.

 

[lonestarbandit]

We're near a small regional and municipal airport and that bend direction is exactly the flight path for landing their small aircraft.
Could be someone in a Cessna clobbered me.

 

[Eldorado828]

Man, sorry to see that as I'm familiar with that type of incident. Give her hell there my friend, put up another and keep the fire in the wire!

I've lost a few to the panhandle winds so I know that feeling of disgust when you saw it mangled up.

If it was aircraft, might have to put the blinking light up there next round.

 

[Crawdad]

Everything's bigger in Texas, right? Maybe it was a Texas barn owl.

 

[lonestarbandit]

It was possibly though I've never heard a barn owl roar like that. Lucky it didn't take out my IMAX on the other corner of the house.

 

[lonestarbandit]

So just the lower half 6 pieces of aluminum tubing for the elements were 100 bucks.
Nice lady said do you need any more parts I said I certainly hope not or I'll have paid for this thing twice!

 

[lonestarbandit]

The antenna may be smashed in the backyard but I took this opportunity to get the coax through the brick and concrete wall of house and the rotor wire. Wife's unimpressed but I thought I did well. Drilled an existing faceplate for unused sat line. I did NOT drill the center hole that was preexisting and had a tv coax fitting I removed. My holes are actually the correct size lol.

 

[The20poundhammer]

Might not be a bad idea to see if you could pick up a couple sections of tower to replace the pole with. Usually can find a couple fairly cheap.