Hi all! I have a pair of moonraker 4's and wanted your thoughts on staking them . I have located a staking kit for them and i have all the plans on haw to do it. Here is the twist as i posted about running 1 Horizontall and vertical and what would need done to do this. Would this be something one could do with stacking them? This may be a new can of worms to be opened . Is this something that can be done or is it worth the time or trouble. Thanks ---silvereakle1.
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Staking a pair of moonraker 4's +
- Thread starter silvereagle1
- Start date
I would suggest you follow the factory directions. Actually, I am somewhat confused by what it is, that you're actually wanting to do.
Watching....
Watching....
Because each antenna is dual polarity what you should do is phase the verticals together and phase the horizontals together and switch them. You will get max gain that way and the phsig lines are not that complex. Phasing two V together witn two H is going to be a nightmare.
Better be thinking about the Rotator and how to prevent twisting of the top tower section in windy conditions.
BJ radionut
Supporting Member and 6m addict
Phasing the extra antenna (M4 + M4) will give a nice "tight" pattern....
However when you consider the extra strain on the Tower/Mast and most certainly the Rotor System....and You'll effectively only be "gaining" 3db... 1/2 "S" unit....I would save it for parts....
Moonraker's IMHO were pretty flimsy construction wise in they're original design....nice antennas but the original hardware and tubing left much to be changed....
I see "what's left of them" all the time at yard sales for $15-$20...Here in the Midwest
GL
All the Best
BJ
However when you consider the extra strain on the Tower/Mast and most certainly the Rotor System....and You'll effectively only be "gaining" 3db... 1/2 "S" unit....I would save it for parts....
Moonraker's IMHO were pretty flimsy construction wise in they're original design....nice antennas but the original hardware and tubing left much to be changed....
I see "what's left of them" all the time at yard sales for $15-$20...Here in the Midwest
GL
All the Best
BJ
There's a fella north of Fort Worth that had them stacked. Sweet setup until some high winds caught it and twisted the pole and whole top section of his tower up.
73,
RT307
Stacking a pair of Moonraker 4's is not for someone that decides just to do it "because". There needs to be a lot of thought and foreknowledge put into it as well as a THOROUGH understanding of the physical properties of wind action on an antenna and support structure. You do not just bolt something together and go for it. A stacking boom needs to be made up nearly a full wavelength long and will involve having braces welded in addition to installing overhead and lateral cable stays.The rotator will have to be a minimum of a Tailtwister and maybe even a Yaesu 2800 for the torque required as well as holding against the wind. The tower is either going to have to be a BIG unit or have torque arrestor arms on it to keep it from twisting. Back in the 70's a lot of people stacked Moonrakers and even some Moonraker 6's. There is a reason you never see it done anymore. If you have the money (it ain't cheap to do right) and the gumption to actually do it then fine but just be aware of what is all involved in doing it so that they will stay up in the air.
This is why i posted this because i know that there are year's of learning here on this forum. I am not sure a ham II rotor would be big enough to do the job. At this point I am just getting INFO on it. The wind and tower are in my thought's bit time and' I know that you just cant toss it up in the air and hope for the best. This is why i ask you all I dont want to do something to mess my tower or my moonraker's up.
The HAM II rotor will not even come close for your situation.
You can Stack them..
You had better do your homework (really good )
I like and agree..you should keep 2ed one for parts
You can Stack them..
You had better do your homework (really good )
I like and agree..you should keep 2ed one for parts
Do not even think about using just a Ham II rotator. It is only rated for 15 sq. feet of surface area and that is if the antennas were well centered and within a foot or so of the tower top. Each Moonraker is about 5 sq.ft for a total of 10 sq. ft plus the stacking booms etc which will add another several sq. ft never minding the rotational torque that will strip the gears the first time the wind blows. See my recommendation above for a rotator. You cannot just go by sq. footage when dealing with antennas like this. Boom length, or in this case stacking boom, and overall antenna weight come into play. It takes a lot to start and stop an array of that size and weight. When completely finished my antenna rebuild project will support 20 sq ft of antennas including stacked 13B2 for 2m. They are build on an H frame with 13 foot booms while the antennas themselves have 15 foot booms. This adds considerably to the rotational torque even though the antennas are just for 2m. The Explorer 14 tribander has the 40m dipole kit installed making the driver element 42 feet long and that too adds to the rotational torque. The minimum size recommended for my install is the Yaesu 2800DXA which is rated for 32 sq. ft. Windload area is NOT the only consideration you need to deal with. If it were I could have saved some big $ and went with a Hy-gain Tail-twister.
All the scrap metal scroungers will be watching your installation very closely and will cruise by your house after every little breeze. 
Yep' staking is out not going to happen. It sounded good on paper but after some study i think i will pass Just the thought of the junk man driving by is enough to stop me LOL! Thank you all for your help I new someone would know. God Bless .
Just the thought of the junk man driving by is enough to stop me LOL! Thank you all for your help I new someone would know. God Bless .That it for sure and most likely works as good as it looks. Thanks for taking time to post the photos . I will be useing mine as a singal moonraker for now.
Your best bet is to get a longer boom and make either a moon raker 6 or shooting star 8