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New MACO BA1 Balcony Antenna

They are around $100.00 A1 Telecom has them but they are a wholesaler that sells to other businesses they are the only distributer that I use that actually has them listed on their site. I actually put mine up on the tower today so its finally up alot higher than it was and I now have it turned and mounted vertical. Its only up about 25 - 30 feet and I could have put it up higher if I was gonna leave it up there but Im just testing it and will be taking it back down and packing it back up for portable use.



I am going to assemble the new one and mark it aswell for fast and easy setup for field day. I have been talking on mine tonight and it hears great and gets out good to and Ill be 10 meter talking with it hopefully tomorrow or over the weekend so Ill give it a good testing on that band aswell. I am amazed at how it works the way it is and for what it is. Its a simple portable solution to those who cant have that permanent antenna on the roof or at that apartment, Duplex or rental property.
 
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It maybe simular but made by 2 different companies one in the US and I believe the other is in Italy. I cant say Ive tried the otherone but wont have to seeings how the american made BA1 performs flawlessly for me on 10 - 11 meters and is well built. Maco did a great job once again with the BA1 portable antenna.

We just had a 2 day ice storm with very high winds and I left the BA1 up bolted to the tower seeings how I have a brandnew one here still in the box. I had large trees come down literally!!! My property is a complete mess and Ill be busy this weekend sawing and picking all the mess up over a few acres.

The BA1 made it through unscaved I thought forsure it was gonna be a not so good experience for the BA1 and I couldnt climb an icey tower even with a double lanyard climbing harness. I now know the antenna works great on 10 - 11 meters and also withstands mother natures abuse.

I know the thicker walled aluminum really helps but all the same this dang BA1 Balcony Antenna just amazes me. If anyone happens to have the "Sirio SD-27" I would like to hear your thoughts and input on it the build level of complication or eas of build along with construction and if it also is rotatable from vertical to horizontal along with power handling.
 
Yeah I had laughed at that aswell after thinking about it but it does work pretty good for what it is and is a great option for those that cannot have a permanent antenna. I suppose we could pick apart every radio product that there is but I for one have other real life and important things to worry about but I know some have nothing better to do but troll and look for things to pick apart and get upset about I just shrug it off.


The most importnat thing is that the antenna works, is built good and is an option for someone in this type of antenna market. In no way is this the master plan for anyone that CAN have a standard antenna put up its merely a simple compromise but most of us already know this and this type of antennas purpose.


I have several antennas up and more put away so my Maco BA1 is for PORTABLE use as is the multiband G5RV I own that we can pick apart but that to is a compromise and serves its purpose for a portable. Would I run my BA1 Balcont antenna over my Beam antenna on 10 - 11 meter s ahhhh NOPE!! Would I run my G5RV over my antennas or wires cut for specific frequencies ahhh NOPE again.


Although I cant take all these antennas with me to field day, Camping or on vacation nope BUT..... I can however take the Maco BA1 and G5RV along and with any of my HF rigs that sport a tuner or 1 of my several outboard tuners and Ill be on the air which is all I or most people want to do and they will work because they have been tested and used with good and acceptable results.


This post was not to say this is the best antenna and this is what we all should run it was to give an opinion on a nice option for those in this type of an antenna market but again most of us know this and the differences in particular antennas.
 
I got mine yesterday.
1. First impressions are, it is light weight.
2. The whole box is 8 pounds, easily carried in one hand.
3. It has way too many staples holding it closed where tape would have done the job.
4. It is filled with puff peanuts that blow all over the yard if you open this thing outside.
5. It doesn't look like much in the box, but it was all there. The tubing ends are sharp and within two minutes I had two cuts that needed bandaids. Use light gloves.
6. It has a couple bags of small parts, most of which I never used and the little nuts and bolts are about a 3 out of 10 in machine quality. Go to the hardware store and buy stainless ones to replace them.
7. The element extenders are not of a consistent diameter. One was a good slip fit, the other needed a block of wood and a hammer to get it to go the last 6 inches, and it will never come out again.
8. The instruction were written by someone who has made a hundred of these and knows it inside and out by part number. And since you and I don't have this experience, it's pot luck when trying to figure out what part BE1P or W58P are. A couple more pics would have helped a lot.
9. While it does work near the ground, say 7 feet to 12 feet, it is in no way directional or a radio wave super magnet. It works, but no better than a $20 wire dipole from E-bay.
10. Takeoff angle is vertical at that low height and my first contact was a local in a mobile roughly 15 miles away with a huge row of hills between us and RST was 5+9. My next contact was the next morning and I was able to talk to Belize with another 5+9 and a nice QSO.

At present, skip is just about non-existent at my location. I hear some morons with their noise toys on 425lsb and a few termites on 385lsb. SWR with my tuner is an easy 1:1.

Don't get the impression I am dissatisfied with the thing yet, it's only been about 26 hours. Just telling you my first take on it. I am hoping it ends up being a real signal getter in my very bad location. I need the vertical takeoff angle and am not allowed any kind of tower or even push up pole here. The best thing about it is, from 20 feet away, looking back at it against the light blue siding, this thing is hard to see. My brother did not see it when he came over this morning, till he was almost on it.

Some pics. Go here and click on the maco folder.

Index of /cb/images
 
Mine went right together with no issues or problems no owies either but anytime Im working with metals or glass I know that there is chances that there are sharp edges reguardless but Ive worked with metal for years.

I had 2 of the first units off the line and had expected a glitch or 2 but mine was no problem and the 2nd I setup for our county Amateur Radio group went together easier yet but due to knowing assmbly after the first one ofcourse it helped. Mine worked better on 10 and 11 meters than my dipole I often played with as a portable all the same the couice of vertical or horizontal in losening a few nuts is nice if need be.

Mine was up 15 or 20 feet on my tower its actually stiil up there and I have to run a coax to it again as I took the one that was there to use as I needed a feedline for my portable inverted V last fall when I was out of town. I just looked up at that antenna yesterday and said when the rain and thunderstorms stop here in central Wi I will crawl up and connect that antenna again and play with it some more.

It is what it is and for the price of what they are and they do work I guess I couldnt complain myself or Ide make or buy something better. Its a convenience thing for the most part and isnt gonna out do my beams or vertcals A99 Imax 2000 aluminum 5/8 waves but my point was when you cant havethe biggger better permanent antennas then the Maco Balcony antenna was the way to go.

I will however pass this post on and your concerns about the sharp edges along with the instructions issue and the factory can look into that. Im sorry you had a hard time with yours. Im not sure theres much they can do with the packing peanuts and staples in the box for shipping. Im thinking there was a reason they didnt just use tape as they been doing this antenna building and sales along time and may have thought about or tried it but Ill as them about it.
 
Where are you in Wisconsin. I am over here in La Crosse.

I was thinking paper would be a good packing for this long box. I have recently been getting other stuff with what looks like long narrow butchers brown paper. It's stiff and would work very well in these boxes, better than the peanuts, more environmentally friendly.

You can add one more contact this evening to 518 New Orleans. Not clear, but we got the numbers swapped. I guess this confirms that conditions have switched from E/W to N/S in the last day or two.
 
I am in Princeton kinda South Central area Im in Green Lake County Im 45 minutes straight West of Fondulac off HWY 23. I am 1 hour NorthEast of Madison.
 
w9cll said:
Why do you need to use a tuner?
Click to expand...

My Kenwood has no SWR metering function built into the radio. I already had the tuner in-line with all my wiring and antenna switches. Direct off the antenna into my cross type meter, it was a 1:1.3. I did not want to go out and fiddle with it any more and by the time I had the energy to do it, it was raining.
 
Yankee said:
My Kenwood has no SWR metering function built into the radio. I already had the tuner in-line with all my wiring and antenna switches. Direct off the antenna into my cross type meter, it was a 1:1.3. I did not want to go out and fiddle with it any more and by the time I had the energy to do it, it was raining.
Click to expand...
1:1.3 is way good enough, you don't need the tuner. Anything under 2:1 is fine and lower than that you will never notice. It need to fiddling so don't worry about it.
 
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