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hi all,

never owned a beam before, and im considering picking up a maco m103c to play with.

my question relates to the width of the beam pattern created by this antenna.

i will be running it vertically for now, with the boom about 35ft. off the ground.

i will not be using a rotor for a while.

ok, until the DX picks up, i will be doing mostly local talking, so thats what i want to set the antenna up for.

i live in the northwest corner of my city, and im not worried about hearing people behind me, or directly off the sides, but i would like the beam pattern to be wide enough to cover about a 10-20 mile width, 10-15 miles out from my location.

am i in dreamland?

what is the typical "capture area" of a maco 3 element beam?

also, has anyone done any optimizing for the maco 103c using the software available?
what configuration has given the best gain?

one more,

is the MFJ 1:1 balun the right thing to use on this antenna?
should i be making a "choke balun"?
what about 3-4 type 31 snap on ferrite beads?

thanks for any answers/advice you can give to a first time beam owner.
LC

<blockquote data-quote="loosecannon" data-source="post: 111485" data-attributes="member: 1368">hi all,never owned a beam before, and im considering picking up a maco m103c to play with.my question relates to the width of the beam pattern created by this antenna.i will be running it vertically for now, with the boom about 35ft. off the ground.i will not be using a rotor for a while.ok, until the DX picks up, i will be doing mostly local talking, so thats what i want to set the antenna up for.i live in the northwest corner of my city, and im not worried about hearing people behind me, or directly off the sides, but i would like the beam pattern to be wide enough to cover about a 10-20 mile width, 10-15 miles out from my location.am i in dreamland?what is the typical &quot;capture area&quot; of a maco 3 element beam?also, has anyone done any optimizing for the maco 103c using the software available?what configuration has given the best gain?one more,is the MFJ 1:1 balun the right thing to use on this antenna?should i be making a &quot;choke balun&quot;?what about 3-4 type 31 snap on ferrite beads?thanks for any answers/advice you can give to a first time beam owner.LC</blockquote>

[QUOTE="loosecannon, post: 111485, member: 1368"] hi all, never owned a beam before, and im considering picking up a maco m103c to play with. my question relates to the width of the beam pattern created by this antenna. i will be running it vertically for now, with the boom about 35ft. off the ground. i will not be using a rotor for a while. ok, until the DX picks up, i will be doing mostly local talking, so thats what i want to set the antenna up for. i live in the northwest corner of my city, and im not worried about hearing people behind me, or directly off the sides, but i would like the beam pattern to be wide enough to cover about a 10-20 mile width, 10-15 miles out from my location. am i in dreamland? what is the typical "capture area" of a maco 3 element beam? also, has anyone done any optimizing for the maco 103c using the software available? what configuration has given the best gain? one more, is the MFJ 1:1 balun the right thing to use on this antenna? should i be making a "choke balun"? what about 3-4 type 31 snap on ferrite beads? thanks for any answers/advice you can give to a first time beam owner. LC [/QUOTE]

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