Small Yagi?

[Moleculo]

Has anyone used one of the Mosley TA-33Jr. antennas?
http://www.mosley-electronics.com/spec files/amateur/ta33jr.htm

I've been looking for a small 3 element beam that I could put up on a push up pole, 20 feet or so (I live on a hill so I don't need that much height), with a small rotor. That looks like it might work?

 

[W5LZ]

Mole',
There are a lot of them around, not bad but also nothing extraordinary. Probably work fine, although 20 feet is kind'a low for any beam. Since it's a loaded antenna you might want to add or subtract a 'fudge factor' from the power ratings, sort of, just to be safe. Same sort of 'fudge factor' with rotors, bigger than what you really need is always better than not big enough.
Wasn't a 'TS-33-jr' but had a 3 element tri-bander up about that height doing 'MARS' stuff several years ago. Hate to say it but an 80 meter full wave horizontal loop did just as well if not better (a few other reasons for that, but was still disapointed by the beam). Oh well... Good luck.
- 'Doc

 

[Moleculo]

Doc, I realize that 20' directly above ground isn't much for an antenna, but my street has about 100' rise to my place within about 2 blocks, and about 400' above the valley floor within about a mile Wouldn't that be some help?

 

[W5LZ]

Mole',
The antenna's distance above the ground around it, it's own environment, is what's going to make the biggest difference. That 'difference' being the antenna's electrical characteristics. And those 'characteristics' range from input impedance, to the shape of it's radiation pattern (and everything else that can be affected by how close to the ground something is).
So, being 400 feet above the valley floor doesn't really pertain to things unless you only intend to use the antenna for stations on the valley floor. And if your home was on the top of Mount Everest, but the antenna only twenty feet above dirt, the same electrical characteristics of the antenna would be affected the same way as where you live now.
It works the same for any antenna, not just the 'TA-33-jr'. And all this doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with that antenna, or that it's gonna be all ~that~ hard to tune and make it 'act' right. So please understand that I'm not trying to talk you out of getting/using it. It's performance at 20 feet just isn't gonna be what it would be at a higher point above ground The ground (or 'dirt') which affects an antenna is that stuff close to the antenna.
- 'Doc

 

[Master Chief]

Want to play with one before you buy? I have a couple of those I believe.....

 

[Moleculo]

Sure, why not?


Doc' I guess I knew that was the answer, but somehow was trying to convince myself it was still worth doing.... :roll: