Moonraker 4

[pointer]

I've aquired this antenna - free standing tower older model rohn type ( has rust ) and a medium to heavy duty rotor and controller box and all that for fairly cheap and I'm wanting to put it up but I don't have any idea how I'm going to do it.

I've pretty much got the beam together again with all measurements to a T but getting that big ole thing up in the air seems like its going to be a daunting task for me.

Getting someone to help me is going to be probably as difficult as getting it up.

Please help.

Also I've heard a Gin Pole will make it easier for me.. I plan on starting to dig my 4 foot deep hole and start putting the tower on..... I wanna get this thing up before it starts getting really cold here in KY...

All suggestions will help.

 

[FL Native]

done all my antenns by myself it is not easy.
never done a beam though. but i know a few that have definatley find that gin pole, and a harness to keep you up there.

good luck, your gona really like that antenna.
great find there. 8)

 

[King Mudduck]

Look around for someone who has a boom truck like a tree trimer.

 

[pointer]

Moonraker

Thanks,

Yes I've measured and measured and made sure all element lengths are correct and the wire is good and tight but not bending..... Uhm I am putting this on an older model Rohn - Free standing type tower where its large at the bottom but gets smaller going up... The tower has rust on it but this guy has had this tower up a long time and I really don't feel like going thru all the angush of getting all the rust off that tower.

The tower will be about 35' feet with a 10 ft mast coming out of it... It will be in about 4 feet of concrete with it bolted to the house. It is being turned with I think a Ham M rotor I think ( I know its one big rotor ) with a 8 wire CDE Controller with Brake.

I know one thing I think its going to be a b**** to put this thing up. I would like to use the tractor method but I don't have enough property. I only own 3/4 acre property so things get kinda tight.

 

[musky1963]

They are not that hard to put up. Get the tower up with the mast so it is just sticking out of the tower top by a foot or so. Have someone hold the beam or across a few tall step ladders, climb tower w/ rope attached to middle of boom. Be sure to use climbing/safety belt! Pull the beam up, which is easy to do at 24 lbs. Set it on the mast and tighten. Attach coax and align elements/boom so they are straight if needed. Slide up mast and put it in the rotor. If I were closer, I would give you a hand. As far as the tower itself, get some help. 3 or 4 guys. They are fairly easy to pull up with 2 guys on the roof w/ rope and 2 guys on the ground with muscle.

 

[pointer]

Oh come on Kentucky isn't that far..... LOL good road trip and you would do something that you enjoy lol...

I;ve thougth abotu this put all the tower pieces together then slide the mast with the beam on it on the house enough to where the elements will be not dragging the house then have 1 guy at the top of the house and then one or 2 guys slowly moving the the bottom of the tower towards the house.

Thats how me and the first owner did it. Of course have the whole dug about 4 feet deep then have the bottom of the tower go in the hole - fasten the tower to the house and pour concrete and let it get hard. Be done w/ it lol

 

[pointer]

OK Guys Update........

OK Guys Update........

I spent the whole day putting this antenna together and I made sure once again measurements was exactly how it should have been. So I get it up in the air and some of the vertical elements become unaligned like reflector isn't and one of the director elements isn't aligned up like the others are. SWR is fairly good on the regular channel 40 and stays good up above the 40 channels but on towards the lower channels it gets kinda high with a 2.5 on Lower channel 40... ( I do all my skip and SSB work on upper channels and regular so no biggie there)

So tonight I am on the ground plane talking to the locals ( Maco V5/8 GP ) at about 30 feet. So I'm talking to this guy and I am throwing a S6 signal to this guy so I tell him to hold on and I switched to the beam... The guy was throwing the same signal on my RX but I was now throwing him a S7 signal.

I would think I would have better performance on this beam then I would on the GP... One S Unit Signal isn't that much of a difference in my opinion. I can tell that the rejection element is rejecting as I can point the beam west and it knocks them out really good. There is very little bow in the rejection element.

I am looking for some insight on if you all think this is working like it should or if it needs some help.... I do know that the elements needs to be straighted and lined back up like they should but other than that.

 

[musky1963]

You have got to align them up. I would get them straight and dab some JB Weld on the hub/boom to keep them from turning. Some drill a hole and put a screw, but I did not like that idea with the fragile hubs. You need to get the swr down alot lower. Mine is nearly flat to 1:2 on channel 1-40. You should see atleast a 2-3 s-unit improvement on both receive and transmit.