Moonraker 4 just for flatside

[sparkplug549]

I have a moonraker 4 on the ground, wanting to put it back up. I had some hub problems but some of you kind folks out there gave me the info that I needed and I am grateful. Ok here's the deal I will be using the moonrakers 99.9% of the time just for friends who have horizonal beams and to talk skip. For Vertical I will be using a great omni antenna about 60ft.up. This is my question I want to do away with the vertical part of the beams all together. It will be like the flat 6's or the flat 8 made by Maco. with the reflector elements remaining just as the moonraker was designed. Maco uses additional copper wire but i won't do that just 1 strand. I am going to set it up as specs. call for for moonraker, element length, element spacing on boom all the same. Does any one think i will have a problem with performance,swr,etc. Thanks in advance>

Sparkplug549


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[Jay in the Mojave]

Hello Sparkplug549::



I am gonna make a guess here that the Moonraker 4 Beam Antennas spacings and element lengths are designed to compensate for both Vertical and Horizontal Elements. To some extent.



But I havn't measured such a thing.



As Marconi said, he had problems with the matching, a neat thing to know ahead of time.



It may not be a big deal weight wise, but installing the vertical elements on the Moonraker 4 is not a bad call since thats how it was designed.



I have been asked to rebuild a few Moonraker 4 beam antennas. But as already discussed everyone has a few broken Hubs in their collection that make the Moonraker 4 beam antenna useless.



I get some pretty high winds at times out here in the Mojave Desert, and the stock Boom on the Moonraker 4 looks like it could use the next stronger size, and a little internal reinforcing to handle the antenna load.



Many Amature and Commercial Antennas use 2 inch diameter Booms as it seems to be able to handle a lot of stress and loads.



With new 2 inch Billet CNC Machined Hubs, and a new stronger heavy duty 2 inch and 1 7/8 Boom, replacing the original 1 3/4 and 1 5/8 inch Boom, the Moonraker 4 could very easily be rebuilt. The original elements would simply bolt in place with the same spacings and element lengths. Using the upgraded Boom and Hubs this could easily be done. Giving the Moonraker 4 another 50 years of operation.



www.a1antennas.com/r&d2.html



Even a modification removing the Gamma Match's and installing a Hairpin Matching System could also be done.



Jay in the Mojave


</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p067.ezboard.com/bworldwidecbradioclub.showUserPublicProfile?gid=jayinthemojave>Jay in the Mojave</A> at: 9/10/04 10:35 am