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Charliebrown
Intermediate Member
Username: Charliebrown

Post Number: 423
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - 9:52 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I have mine on the flat side. I had been told this is best for skip. What do you guy's think is best?
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Sonoma
Intermediate Member
Username: Sonoma

Post Number: 314
Registered: 11-2001


Posted on Thursday, January 22, 2015 - 2:22 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

i have always been able to shoot skip on the flat side better than vertical. ran a moonraker4 and a pdlII for years and on them skip was best for some reason on the flat side.
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Ozfisho
Junior Member
Username: Ozfisho

Post Number: 34
Registered: 4-2012
Posted on Thursday, January 22, 2015 - 5:13 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yep, flat side is best.
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Charliebrown
Intermediate Member
Username: Charliebrown

Post Number: 425
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Friday, January 23, 2015 - 12:37 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks guy's. I just wanted to see what other's had experience with and what you all thought. I never tried mine vertical but I have been told that vertical is mainly good for local. I really like my Maco 103c.beam. This is my first beam. I like it so well I wish now that I had got a little bigger beam. Nothing to big just a 4 element or so.
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Tech237
Moderator
Username: Tech237

Post Number: 1832
Registered: 4-2004


Posted on Saturday, January 24, 2015 - 9:09 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

It really doesn't make much difference. On skip, your signal has been bounced around so much the polarity has changed several times anyway.
Tech237
N7AUS

God made me an athiest, who are you to question his wisdom?
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Scrapiron63
Advanced Member
Username: Scrapiron63

Post Number: 942
Registered: 12-2001
Posted on Saturday, January 24, 2015 - 10:56 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The only difference is that under some conditions it might be less interference on the horizontal side. Therefore you may hear a weaker signal you might not hear on vertical, but it can work the other way also. I've ran dual polarity beams for 40 years, many times when I would lose someone I could flip to the other side and they would come back in again. That might happen several times with the same contact. And lots of times the guy on the other end is mobile or on a ground plane. So like Tech 237 said, the signal is flipping and flopping.

Scrapiron CEF 108
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Dale
Senior Member
Username: Dale

Post Number: 2163
Registered: 12-2002
Posted on Saturday, January 24, 2015 - 5:03 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

flatside is supposedly quieter so ive been told
dale/a.k.a.hotrod
cef426
cvc#64
454 [dx numbers]
38lsb
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Charliebrown
Intermediate Member
Username: Charliebrown

Post Number: 426
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Monday, January 26, 2015 - 9:01 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Good information and good to know. Thanks fellow's.
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Jtinwtn
Junior Member
Username: Jtinwtn

Post Number: 10
Registered: 12-2014
Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2015 - 12:37 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hey Guys Speaking of Beams,,, What do any of think of a Maco V-Quad versus the Maco Y Quad ? any and all comments welcome.
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Dale
Senior Member
Username: Dale

Post Number: 2167
Registered: 12-2002
Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2015 - 8:03 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

well i havent used either but i do know
v quad-elements made of wire .does good for dx
local not so good.
y quad- somewhat similar to pl2 and has verticle
and horizonal [v quad doesnt].
now for performance i dont know .but if ya want
a good small dx antenna with just one coax hook up
the v quad is a great choice for that.if ya want/ need both polarities then the y quad
would be better it requires 2 coax hook ups
hope this helps
dale/a.k.a.hotrod
cef426
cvc#64
454 [dx numbers]
38lsb
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Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833

Post Number: 2319
Registered: 8-2002
Posted on Sunday, February 01, 2015 - 7:32 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The V-quad is a delta quad. Since it only has a reflector (no directors), it's real gain is in the 4-5 dB area.

The Y-quad (Y stands for "yagi") is not a quad at all. It is a dipole with a reflector behind it. Yes, the reflector is a quad type reflector, just like the famous Moonraker series. It also ends up somewhere in the 4-5 dB actual gain area.

If you are looking for a small beam, you would find much better performance by moving up slightly to the 3 element variety. Adding a director to a beam really makes a big difference. A 3 element yagi ends up somewhere in the 8-9 dB area of actual gain. But the front to back ratio goes up dramatically.

Remember this rule of thumb- Doubling the number of directors adds another 3 dB of real gain to a beam. Doubling reflectors adds zero.
Your radio 'Mythbuster' since 1998
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Charliebrown
Intermediate Member
Username: Charliebrown

Post Number: 432
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Sunday, February 01, 2015 - 4:11 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Tech 833, So what is the actual gain of the Maco 103c three element beam antenna? Maco say's 11db.
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Press_man
Advanced Member
Username: Press_man

Post Number: 823
Registered: 5-2008
Posted on Sunday, February 01, 2015 - 8:14 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Howdy all, hey there 833;

I've had a V (Delta) a PDL, even stacked PDLs. Stacking promised 14 db gain and better f/b, problem is the wind load. Had a Radio Shack 3 element and it did have more gain than the single 2 element beams.

On DX the V-quad was a good performer. The PDL was quite open on the back, stations 15 miles away on the back of the beam, thought I was pointed toward them. A manufacturer can claim 25 db f/b all day but the proof is in the s-meter that hears you.

I do think the Astro 3 element Beam was the better of the small beams I had, man what a back door! It put a lot of torg load on the rotor even though it was an AR40.
73 Pressman
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Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833

Post Number: 2320
Registered: 8-2002
Posted on Friday, February 06, 2015 - 12:54 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Charlie- Somewhere around 9 dB.

Press man- I agree. The Astrobeam is a fantastic design.
Your radio 'Mythbuster' since 1998
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Charliebrown
Intermediate Member
Username: Charliebrown

Post Number: 433
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Friday, February 06, 2015 - 10:21 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thank you again 833. This will help me when I use the program I have to calculate the power out of the antenna.

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