Base PDL II

[357]

no biggie I just got to time it right and someone offered the cash so why keep it and maybe not use it?
the tower and the hd73 are staying though

 

[Klondike Mike]

I have a PDLII as well and someday I'll need the wire too. I sent them this email to find out why their shipping is out of order;

"This item is showing as $25 shipping to Canada. You should be able to ship it USPS First Class for approx. $10. Is this an error in your listing?"

 

[Klondike Mike]

I sent them this email to find out why their shipping is out of order;

I guess they are not concerned with getting any business from Canada. The excuse of lost mail between Canada and the US is a farce. I have had extremely good delivery rates of non tracked packages between our countries (Australia not so). Here is the response I got.

"Right now we only ship via USPS Priority Internationally. We have shipped Internationally in the past via USPS First Class however packages end up getting lost. This includes Canada. If you want multiple items we can ship up to 4 lbs for the same $25 shipping charge."

 

[Joe Mac]

Yo 357: Looks like a modified Avanti AV-122 PDL-II, that came out in and around 1972 I believe. Or is the antenna called a Golden Nugget in your photos? Hard to tell a lot from your photos.

The white insulator or the other Hubs doesn't look like anything I've seen before on a PLD-II Quad Antenna. They look like that have been modified or replaced as the Hubs were and are the weak link to the PDL-II, Moonraker 4 and 6 beam antennas, and the AV-190 and AV-170 ground plane antennas.

The elements being flattened to be bolted on the replaced Hub look like a home brew job, not a factory issue. This PLD-II antenna can be reassembled, the assembly instructions are on:
http://www.cbtricks.com/ant_manuals/avanti/av122/index.htm

The Avanti Aluminum Hubs were a cast Aluminum material that some times broke during assembly new out of the box. The bolt that tightens the Hub to the mast would crack and break the Aluminum Hub. Avanti when in business would replace them free as they knew the design was terrible. Someone's pipe dream of making cheap parts for cheap for mass production that made the noted antennas become obsolete and scrapped before there time.

New Metal Hubs can be easily machined from billet aluminum at a cost of about 40 to 60 dollars a pair, plus machine set up. The Insulator Hub can be made from Teflon or Dilrin or even Phenolic materials.

The PDL-II Quad Beam Antennas worked pretty good, and would take a fair amount of bad weather.

Jay in the Great Mojave Desert

Question. The wire used for the quad elements from the factory is solid copper wire right? And if so what gauge. I found one and need to restore it but in the manual I cannot find any information about the wire, is it solid or stranded and what gauge.

 

[DainBramage]

use just about any Ga wire you have,... 14 Ga solid will work fine.

Just be sure to stretch it prior to measuring it.

 

[Joe Mac]

OK thanks very much, much appreciated. Are they other similar two element quads on the market right not to purchase new??

Tim

 

[Dr_DX]

https://www.lightningantennas.com/l2-quad
http://www.cubexquads.com/CB.htm

 

[1KT001]

Questi QUAD moderni hanno la possibilità di variare dalla baracca la polarità ? Hanno 2 cavi coassiali di discesa?

 

[S&W357]

Good questions! Someone will come along soon with the answers!

 

[Marconi]

Questi QUAD moderni hanno la possibilità di variare dalla baracca la polarità ? Hanno 2 cavi coassiali di discesa?

Do these modern QUADs have the possibility to vary the polarity from the cabin? Do they have 2 coaxial drop cables?

Welcome to the forum.

The PDL 2 is not a modern antenna, but it does have two coaxes and is dual-polarity. Friends use to tell me they worked very well for them.

 

[PeterD]

I see the last post on this thread was posted in September last year, even though the post was started in May 2018 . I read with interest all the posts - as I am very interested in the PDL2.
I was hoping to maybe purchase a used PDL2, But as I live in Europe the chances of finding one this side of the pond, are very slim.
I see that Dr_DX has posted a link to two alternatives antennas - and I would be interested to learn how either of these compare to the PDL2 ?.
Here's hoping somebody is still following this tread ? ..
Best Regards to all.
Peter

 

[Dr_DX]

Do these modern QUADs have the possibility to vary the polarity from the cabin? Do they have 2 coaxial drop cables?

The PDL 2 is not a modern antenna, but it does have two coaxes and is dual-polarity. Friends use to tell me they worked very well for them.

Lightning Antennas - Dual Switchable Polarization – All our Quad’s features exclusive “SFS” (Signal Feed System, patented) matching system gives maximum directional performance and dual polarity to allow switching between Horizontal and Vertical polarization from the operating position with up to 30 db separation. 2 drop coaxes.

Cubex - Is a single polarity and the only way to change the polarity from the cabin is to rotate the boom 90 degrees using an azimuth rotor. The cubex quad uses a 75ohm matching stub and directly connects to the driven element. 1 drop coax.

 

[Dr_DX]

I see the last post on this thread was posted in September last year, even though the post was started in May 2018 . I read with interest all the posts - as I am very interested in the PDL2.
I was hoping to maybe purchase a used PDL2, But as I live in Europe the chances of finding one this side of the pond, are very slim.
I see that Dr_DX has posted a link to two alternatives antennas - and I would be interested to learn how either of these compare to the PDL2 ?.
Here's hoping somebody is still following this tread ? ..
Best Regards to all.
Peter

All 3 use different matching systems. The PDL-II uses an "Orbital" match, the L2 uses a patented SFS system, and the Cubex uses a direct feed w/ 75ohm matching stub. All 3 are in a diamond configuration. The PDL-II and L2 are dual Polarity and the Cubex is single polarity. The PDL-II is good for about 1.5KW, the L2 is good for 8KW, and the Cubex is good for whatever your 75 and 50 ohm coax is rated at. The L2 looks best on paper, but I wouldn't put much faith in published specs.

 

[murdog]

Hey 357
I do realize this is an old posting but ended up getting a couple home brew pdl's from a ham on the island that look exactly like the pics you posted . They are cut too 10 meter so it looks like someone was reproducing them and not doing a bad job at it .
Murray