I have quickly realised that amateur radio is a phenomenal community of people who share opinions thoughts and experiences at many levels. It is a lifeline for some and you may be the only person that someone talks to that day. Talking is the foundation for many therapies which is something we all do all be it remotely through are radios.Its really simple to make a difference to someone’s day by simply asking questions and showing an interest in someone else’s life etc. These channels like Cals are great as they also show radio hams are not an elite force or people who are superior. It’s really just a bunch of people who share a common interest and ultimately want to communicate with each other regardless of gender race or ability. 73s M7 F LL
2 years ago I was drooling on the sofa, terrified to go out of the house let alone work. I have complex PTSD, mainly the result of 25 years working as a paramedic. Getting into amateur radio, in addition to professional and family support, has transformed me back into an uber-nerd with not enough hours in the day to work on wacky projects and learning about complex science and engineering. Oh and I was like a hysterical schoolgirl (I’m 64) after having a quick QSO with Callum on the 3rd day after I got my radio back in April! Just thought I’d share that - this video quite moved me. Thanks Callum.
Good to see your face on my screen again Cal, I found the song very thought-provoking, which made me realise how blessed I am. I like yourself have a Wendy, well she's a Julie, actually, chortle chortle . to quote Annie Lennox , behind every great man, there's a great woman.🙂
The end of this video really touched me. Although I have great support from colleagues and family, having a stroke in the middle of the Corona crisis, now exactly three years ago, being on discord and support from the ham community (and not in the last place of yourself, given the opportunity to do something with manuals while still recovering) made that dark part of my life alot brighter. The speak with the words of KM9G: Thanks for being awesome! 73
You're the best Callum! This video just absolutely made my day. I'm also very very lucky to have a "Wendy" in my life. I love the drone footage of Bude - what a beautiful looking place. Thanks for everything mate.
thankyou for sharing and having the confidence to show your feelings. im sure a lot of viewers of your channel that don't have the that level of confidence will appreciate how open you are. never loose that, its so valuable.
Back in my cb days, cubicle quad was huuuge ! Front element was a long wire in a square with an X lead, the rear element was only the long wire .I just mounted and connected rg 58 and I was walkin talkin..hihi. The square was close to 7 feet x 7 feet is all I can remember.. Good to see you back, my friend. Many months I searched for your content..even my saved list was gone..my rug ripped out from under my feet..
Interesting video and poigniant end sir. As I've stated several times before, you're an inspiring as well as a thoroughly decent chap. May I offer something from Nick Drake. Take care out there Callum and everyone and take care of each other. "Time has told me You're a rare, rare find A troubled cure For a troubled mind And time has told me Not to ask for more For some day our ocean Will find its shore". On a lighter note I tried calling CQ on HF (40m) for the first time last night and when eventually I got a response I rather ballsed it up and lost it again before I even heard their callsign. 🤣 Les H
Thank you Callum, Your kindness and concern for others is inspirational and a refreshing breath of air in this day and age. Wishing you and yours all the best, Mark WY4NN
Never made a quad for HF, but my first directional antenna I made for 2m, way back when I was 17 or 18 years old, was a cubical quad. I used to drive up on top of the local mountain, and I had this quad antenna on a piece of pipe sticking out of the sunroof of my father's Ford Orion. It worked quite well. A few years ago I built, using the same build technique, water pipe and dowel spreaders, a 5 element quad, which is in my attic in Wales, pointing down the valley, for 2m. Funny thing, it works even better on 70cm than it does on 2m.
I was introduced to Bude by my wife. We holidayed there every year just the 2 of us, then with our 2 children, in laws and dogs. It is an amazing, beautiful part of the world. I can remember being on the beach at Northcott Mouth long before I passed my licence trying work out what the 3 mast array was for. Little did I know I would be following you on YT years later. Keep up the great content. 73
Hi Cal, Nice to see you back refreshed and starting on new projects, well done that man👍 Back in the early 1980’s I built various quads from the book All About Cubical Quads by W6SAI. The final one I built was a two element extended (X-Q )version for 10m which had two wavelength loops ( check out his book its out there as a pdf), plus I added a couple of switches to short out the insulator ( see book) so I could use it on 20m as one wavelength loops, spacing was too small on 20m but did give some gain and front to back, it was great antenna on 10m🤓 Always fed quads at the corner to avoid the feeder strain on the wire loop and erected them as a diamond, just loved the look‼️🤪 Stephen GØDKM
Cal, Look at the MFJ-1836H for the 6Meter section. Think page 7. They use band clamps with bolt passed through. Drill press to take out the "Thread slots" on the band to give room for the bolt works. The head of the bolt is under the band clamp but works. Just another idea and much cheaper than the other options you were showing.
Welcome back from holiday. What a great video you put together with the drone footage. Thank you for what you do for the hobby, the great videos and for being my friend.
Thank you for this, Callum, it's really very touching. I do very much miss having someone to share life's moments with. At the same time, I'm sincerely happy for you and all those who do have someone they love, respect, and truly appreciate. There is nothing quite like it. Cheers, mate! 🙂
Really nice to hear you sharing your ideas and questions on the channel for input. Thanks for your openness and understanding of how people are doing in life as well. 73 Ed.
Dont ignore that lonely distant voice pick up the microphone and say hello and how are you, you never know what's going on in that person's life and just being able to talk to another human being will make their day and yours.
Good to see you again Cal! and to know you are all good. I've heard hams using the Cubical quad antennas scrubbing the bands and I think it's true of what they say about them creating an extraordinary strong signal with almost no path noise because of the two 1/4 wave verticals along with the two 1/4 wave horizontals sending RF carriers propagating through the ionospheres.
Yes.. I have read some very cool info about the RX noise floor too. There are some things you can't prove with a model and a computer.. You just need to build them.
I built a 4 element cubical quad for 10 meters back in 1988 that was the bomb. Think diamond shape elements attached to a 16 foot aluminum boom. 4 elements - 2 directors, 1 driven, 1 reflector. The old quad book from William Ohr and ARRL Compendium say gain is greater from directors, not reflectors. Elements were copper wire. Boom was only 16 feet long. My sig in Britain was 20 - 40 db over 9. I worked Australia between 6 and 8 pm and was 5/9 +. Worked Japan long path from Atlanta over South Africa in the mornings easy peasy. I can’t tell you how much fun I have with a quad, and how easy it was to hear anything and bust a pileup. Returning to Amateur radio after a hiatus from 1996. Retired now and want to build it again. Good luck & have fun.
G'Day Callum, As someone who is relatively new starting out in the hobby, I'm inspired by your passion for learning, experimenting, sharing but mostly the support you give to the community. Hope you & Wendy had a most rejuvenating holiday & look forward to seeing what you are working on next. Best Regards, David - VK3DMA
I always enjoy these chats. I come away with big antenna plans sometimes, but mostly just have fun. Community is worth a lot, no matter how you slice it. We have a couple of local hams here who might not still be with us had folks not noticed that they sounded a bit "off" on the air. Cheers.
Blimey, Cal, you had me filling up at the end there. I'm very lucky to have my Loren, as you have your Wendy. Bless you both. Cheers and all the best. Josh M0DIT
For whatever reason, probably just life in general, i haven’t been bothered about quite a few things lately. Literally just got back from a week away ourselves and what a refresh. As for building a Quad you definitely won’t regret it. Brilliant feel good video, Thanks for that Callum.
@@DXCommanderHQ Yeah i suppose i have it easy with my build as it is only a Mono bander for 11m with occasional 10m use so relatively small. I have just used alloy box section for the boom and bolted in the spreaders. Still needs finishing but i think it should hold fairly well, looking forward to your build as i bet that is going to be huge lol
Welcome back sir. We have missed you and you have new projects to work on. That clamp with stud is being sold as a tone clamp at Balun Designs at $16.95 each, max order 3. Part # SSC2 - Mounting Clamp for Balun or Unun. Black country is likely the place to go. Good luck, stay strong. Best.
I am so glad to have found your channel as a new ham. You have inspired me to experiment with antennas, which is a great way to improve my skills in building and operating amateur radio equipment. I am especially interested in the Cubical Quad Antennas, and I have watched your video on this topic more than once. I really appreciate the clear and concise way you explain complex technical topics.
Dear Commander Callum, it is GREAT to see you back. So glad you took a good vacation! We’re just finishing tuning our DX Commander Classic - such excellent DX capabilities, compared to my OCF dipole we get out much better! Ready for a new antenna project - Project X? Best, KQ4IXD
"Silent Key". I haven't heard that since I was active on HF several decades ago. Made me smile remembering a mentor already ~80 years old, me a teenager. Of course, I recently started SWLing again. And of course, drawn back to CW down in the US Extra class band segments. C'est la vie.
Hi Cal, Couldn't put my finger on what was missing until notification of your video. Glad you had a nice holiday and that was some great drone video at the end. You and the family stay safe. 73 WJ3U
You're a good man. I appreciate your talking from the heart. Now, in the way back machine (1970s before I was a ham) I was working on making a 3 element quad for CB. I didn't have access to nice aluminum (or aluminium heh) tube stock so I resolved that I was going to make it using a 2x4 for the boom and 2 foot square pieces of plywood for the hubs and big thick bamboo for the spreaders. I started putting it together and realized it was going to be just far too heavy for the telescoping TV mast I was planning on using and overall, just too heavy anyway. I never did complete that quad and I'm kind of glad I never did. I could just see it falling on my parents' roof and damaging it. Yikes. Not too many years after that I became a ham and found that even simple wire antennas could work wonders with the right bands and conditions.
Great video again. I love watching your content as it keeps it basic whilst giving enough detail for those that like to understand a bit more - you achieve a perfect balance. It is refreshing to hear someone just come out and say they have or have had problems. It is too easy to assume that everyone else is getting on just fine and its only you with pressures and issues. Top work Callum.
Wonderful video Cal! Thank you for sharing. I used to have a commercial quad for 20 and up and it was a great antenna. I have emailed you a photo of the element clamp for holding the elements to the spreader. The other difference was that the central piece came in three sections, a short boom with a boom to mast plate and two aluminium hubs that fasted onto the ends of the boom and held the speaders. It was fed with a single coax through a 2:1 balun that was also supplied by the manufacturer. The only downfall (pun intended) was the horrific windload from the five elements that created so much torque it destroyed a Ham IV rotor and twisted the top section of tower. If anyone is considering a cubical quad I recommend using the heaviest hardware you can afford. Hope your experiment has a good result.
Best video you ever made. With about 2 in every 20 young people feeling sad and alone, more motivational type videos from influential people like you are needed, as we see with Bob and Paul whitehouse gone fishing. Loops are great ants on tx and rx, I helped put up a 2 ele 40m quad, don't need a amp with these things, it was incredible. Verticals out of fashion, I hope not hi, you will say my bell bottoms are no good next hi. Radio on the back burner here, had huge mental breakdown , but big shout out to Drew g0cze who keeps calling me on 20m cw everyday. Let's look after each other, just simply ask now and again, how are you doing mate 😊
I have lived in Bude most of my life, I am away at the moment, opportunities taken and enjoyed. Your video and music was fantastic and thanks for sharing. I took a rough built 10MHz dipole and built a 6m two element quad slung loosely in my loft, best guess on spacing and shape…still a thing of beauty and it worked a treat pointing SW from Bude, lots of 6m fun summer 2021 to the USA and SA
You continue to amaze me with your warm videos like this one! BTW your MMANA-GAL videos has started many of us to improve our antenna situations and spawned many amateur club hamfest forum presentations! We're doing follow-up workshops after the intro presentation. Thanks for getting many of us going on modeling!! Lee N4WYE
Glad your back! Looking forward to learning from your experiments! Holiday is always best to recharge the physical, emotional, and mental batteries! 73's KI5ZMB (Oklahoma U.S.A.)
Missed you Cal! I'm 80 years old so I didn't want you to disappear for too long, if you get my drift.. Looking forward to hearing and seeing you on the air soon.. Take care and best wishes to you and yours..73..John
Laird Callum sir. It's been nearly as bad as waiting for the new Bond actor to be announced 😂 It feels longer than 3 weeks 🤔 Good to have you back sir 👍🏻 73s M7GTX
Great to see you Cal and what a great video at the end. If you’re just looking to secure element wires and feed cables to the X boom arms, why not use a couple of P clamps (also called Adel clamps) joined back to back by a single bolt, washer and nut. That way you can line things up what ever direction they need to go. You can get them plain (without cushion on the inside) or cushioned (various types of cushion material) to prevent chafing of wires and they come in stainless, aluminum or cadmium plated steel. We use them in the aviation industry all the time. If you don’t have a friend in aviation, go to your local airport and talk to the aircraft maintainers as they can show you different types and who the major suppliers are in the UK. I can help you spec them out depending on the outside diameter of things you need to attach to. Cheers from Moose Jaw. Tim VE5THF
Actually, that's not a bad idea.. I did originally consider it and for "home brew" I LOVE it.. Not sure I could go that route with a production version.. I will check out some stainless ones.
Welcome back! Lovely message and thank you for sharing it with us I came across DX Commander a few weeks ago and had some interest. Then I found this channel filled with an amazing combination of great information, excellent explanations, lots of fun and above all your infectious personality. Now I can't wait to get my first DX Commander on order!
Typing and listening still at the same time. It's been a few decades since I played in a foundry. You need at least a minimum of 2 degrees of draft to remove the pattern from the mold. If I recall, expect 4 percent shrinkage from cast aluminum. (aluminium? :P ) Depending on tolerances, you may or may not be able to use the original as the pattern, considering the aforementioned requirements. Nice close. Have a good day.
Lovely words Cal/Wendy just like me and my wife, she as been a rock and is also my best mate, after mum passed away last month helping me deal with everything and sorting dad out. 30 years together married for 27 and still going strong. Also as Cal said any problems jump on the Discord theres plenty of good lads on there to have a chat with and have the crack pity most are Yanks LoL but its a real good feeling and very random stuff too not only ham radio.
Coincidentally i have set up a Two Element Monoband Cubical Quad from Bigsignal just last weak. And as far as i can see now, i would say your assumption is right. It is by far the clearest reception i have ever had. On my verticals i have at least always S2-3 QRM. And on the Quad it's gone completely. I mean S0! So i was able to finish some QSOs with no signal strengh whatsoever, but still good reception. As i put on the radio first, i thought something is wrong, but the reception is really so clear that there is no sign at oll on the sectre of my IC7300.
I'd love to see either a two or three element light weight spider quad that supports 10-20 and would be mounted on a tilt over 2x4 wooden tower. I had one of these 20 years ago and used bamboo for the spreaders. The bamboo spreaders worked well, but some small diameter fiberglass with proper element supports would be much better. I used a remote switch for the three bands. Looking forward to project X. PS: I used a small boat winch to raise and lower the tower. When lowering I supported the end on a step ladder. Very safe and easy to maintain from ground level. I loved my quad. Great f/b ratio. I used a cheap tv antenna rotator.
From 1978-1987 I had a 2 Element 10-15-20 Meter Quad by Cubex. Had their “heavy duty” fiberglass spreaders. It was fed with individual feedlines with 75 ohm 1/4 wave coaxial matching transformers to 50 ohm coax. It was pretty darn good. If I could hear it I could work it. Unfortunately a very severe storm took down tower and all antennas. It was the best antenna I had. Later I had a 7 element triband yagi. It was large and worked best on 10 meters but Hurricane Ida took that tower and Yagi down as well. I made more contacts with the Quad than the yagi. For me, my location, and all things considered the Quad was better. I think the reception with the Quad into a Kenwood 520s was better than the Yagi into an Icom 751A which had a better receiver than the 520s.
@@DXCommanderHQ as always, you mileage may vary. My friend Jim SK, had the same Cubex Quad but it was up at 75 feet. He ran a Collins S-Line. As a Radio Technician Jim “souped up” his Collins Receiver. It was super hot. Jim worked CW almost exclusively @ 40+ wpm and his DXing contacts were “off the charts”. Jim toyed with the idea of getting a more modern rig but realized that what he had and how his receiver was modified meant he probably had the best gear because he knew how he could mod and maintain his S-Line where he would lose that ability. Back to his Quad. At 75 feet the Quad performed spectacularly. I was always amazed at what I was able to hear. Barefoot Jim worked the World. He’s the reason I went with the Quad.
Eeeh Call you are putting me in a dead end position. Kar. I can't decide whether I like the left part of your glasses or the right one. hmm🤔 Loveyou men😂 And now . Expedetione new for pota,sota..
I use a 2 element 5 band cubical quad that was made by Lightning Bolt. It has a 8 foot boom between elements. I use a 2:1 balun from Palomar Electronics. Using my AT-4K, I can tune to 1.08:1 SWR. I can now run 1kw or more to it. If I can hear the them, I can work them.
I have played with cubical quads, the contest group I was with made one for CW HF Field Day. We wrestled this HUGE antenna onto a mast (in the p*ss*ng rain) but it was really difficult. Its' a 3D object and not easy to work with. The sort of thing you do because you can, not because it has any advantage over other options. Spot weld bolts onto clips, should be quite straightforward... Some people are critical of this channel, and I wonder why, what's their problem? Mental health is a serious problem, ham radio helps me with my mental health, it keeps me busy, and keeps my brain active. Thanks Callum.
Spot Welding.. Yes I'll search that. Critical people the world over.. The old RSGB guard probably don't like me! Quad fitting. There has to be a "method". I'll work it up. I do believe there is a benefit to RX though.
Love the quad,I've got an old GEM quad an absolute monster 2 elements. 7 element home made quad for 2 meters that thing breaths fire rated 14.1dbi and just finished a 7 element for 70cms unbelievable gain when compared with a 10 element yagi and is half the length. It shall be interesting seeing how you get on with the build, 73 M0AGY Mark (st austell)
There he goes. I thought you'd buggered off to work for Elon Musk or something like that 😆 Good to see you back Lord Callum. I've missed your Friday lives. 🙏🥃
It was in another lifetime, one of toil and blood When blackness was a virtue the road was full of mud I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form "Come in," she said "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
for those hose clamps, I swear I’ve seen a really cheap solution somewhere, but I’ve been struggling to think what they’re called. A small piece of sheet steel stamped into a U shape, with a hole at the top to slip a bolt through, and horizontal slots in the top to thread a hose clamp through. I think I’ve seen them as a way to attach road signs to posts? Being a small punched/pressed sheet steel part, they’ve got to be peanuts compared to spot welding a stud directly to the hose clamp… I just wish I could tickle Google into giving me a picture!
Where are you my ❤ Iafter a "few" years i can buy your expeditione staff🙂🙂 i'm happy to see you aftera fewmonts..and i see you you made a good things allsow. 73 call from S5
Separate feed for each band direct fed with 50 ohm and 2:1 ... This will.work amazing ...or just mono band it ..build each antenna for direct band and frequency feeding with 50 ohm and 2:1... I run the LFAQ with 2:1 and 50 ohm feed I have perfect match ... These are big antenna for the bands I run ... 10-12 ssb
![일상 속 기분 좋음 [Proto disco meme]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DwmEIaZ7XGQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I have no words to tell you how proud I am of you - my soul-mate, my rock and my best friend all in one! Thank you for just being "you" x
Thank you for sharing Callum with us! He's a gem!
The best girl!
I have quickly realised that amateur radio is a phenomenal community of people who share opinions thoughts and experiences at many levels. It is a lifeline for some and you may be the only person that someone talks to that day. Talking is the foundation for many therapies which is something we all do all be it remotely through are radios.Its really simple to make a difference to someone’s day by simply asking questions and showing an interest in someone else’s life etc. These channels like Cals are great as they also show radio hams are not an elite force or people who are superior. It’s really just a bunch of people who share a common interest and ultimately want to communicate with each other regardless of gender race or ability. 73s M7 F LL
Welcome back from your break Cal. Thanks for the words of support.
Well said Sir!! My thoughts exactly..I just needed someone to put my thoughts into words😅
73..Thank you..
2 years ago I was drooling on the sofa, terrified to go out of the house let alone work. I have complex PTSD, mainly the result of 25 years working as a paramedic. Getting into amateur radio, in addition to professional and family support, has transformed me back into an uber-nerd with not enough hours in the day to work on wacky projects and learning about complex science and engineering. Oh and I was like a hysterical schoolgirl (I’m 64) after having a quick QSO with Callum on the 3rd day after I got my radio back in April! Just thought I’d share that - this video quite moved me. Thanks Callum.
Roger. Lovely story. Good luck.
@@M7XOM Hey Kevin, great share fella. Tnx.
Holy it's a miracle, found the channel yesterday and he's back. What a goldmine of a channel for someone just starting out
Woo-Hoo!
That was lovely Cal. I shall be humming 'Weather Any Storm' for the rest of the day (and probably driving Belle nuts in the process!)
Yep, been humming it all week!
Good to see your face on my screen again Cal,
I found the song very thought-provoking, which made me realise how blessed I am.
I like yourself have a Wendy, well she's a Julie, actually, chortle chortle .
to quote Annie Lennox , behind every great man, there's a great woman.🙂
The end of this video really touched me.
Although I have great support from colleagues and family, having a stroke in the middle of the Corona crisis, now exactly three years ago, being on discord and support from the ham community (and not in the last place of yourself, given the opportunity to do something with manuals while still recovering) made that dark part of my life alot brighter.
The speak with the words of KM9G: Thanks for being awesome!
73
Hey Anton, always a pleasure to hear from you.
Good to see you again Callum. Hope your vacation was great.
It was! Thanks.
You're the best Callum! This video just absolutely made my day. I'm also very very lucky to have a "Wendy" in my life. I love the drone footage of Bude - what a beautiful looking place. Thanks for everything mate.
Awe.. That's so lovely!
thankyou for sharing and having the confidence to show your feelings. im sure a lot of viewers of your channel that don't have the that level of confidence will appreciate how open you are. never loose that, its so valuable.
I appreciate that!
good to see you back Cal
Yo!
Back in my cb days, cubicle quad was huuuge ! Front element was a long wire in a square with an X lead, the rear element was only the long wire .I just mounted and connected rg 58 and I was walkin talkin..hihi.
The square was close to 7 feet x 7 feet is all I can remember..
Good to see you back, my friend. Many months I searched for your content..even my saved list was gone..my rug ripped out from under my feet..
Ah.. I recognise you Gary.. Nice to hook up again.
Interesting video and poigniant end sir. As I've stated several times before, you're an inspiring as well as a thoroughly decent chap. May I offer something from Nick Drake. Take care out there Callum and everyone and take care of each other.
"Time has told me
You're a rare, rare find
A troubled cure
For a troubled mind
And time has told me
Not to ask for more
For some day our ocean
Will find its shore".
On a lighter note I tried calling CQ on HF (40m) for the first time last night and when eventually I got a response I rather ballsed it up and lost it again before I even heard their callsign. 🤣 Les H
Bals up is good. That's one less you need to make. You have about 10 more then you'll be away! The more you cock up early, the better!
Great twist at that boring video.. ha.. thanks for that video, it's great to be on a holiday at that beach.
Thank you Callum, Your kindness and concern for others is inspirational and a refreshing breath of air in this day and age. Wishing you and yours all the best, Mark WY4NN
Bless you Mark! (what we say in UK!)
Good Morning Callum! Nice to see you again 😁.
You too!
Never made a quad for HF, but my first directional antenna I made for 2m, way back when I was 17 or 18 years old, was a cubical quad. I used to drive up on top of the local mountain, and I had this quad antenna on a piece of pipe sticking out of the sunroof of my father's Ford Orion. It worked quite well. A few years ago I built, using the same build technique, water pipe and dowel spreaders, a 5 element quad, which is in my attic in Wales, pointing down the valley, for 2m. Funny thing, it works even better on 70cm than it does on 2m.
Great memories!!
@@DXCommanderHQ It was the first time I came across the term, "Armstrong rotator" as I just turned it by hand...
I was introduced to Bude by my wife. We holidayed there every year just the 2 of us, then with our 2 children, in laws and dogs. It is an amazing, beautiful part of the world. I can remember being on the beach at Northcott Mouth long before I passed my licence trying work out what the 3 mast array was for. Little did I know I would be following you on YT years later.
Keep up the great content.
73
OMG! You actually saw my 3-element array at "The Nook"? That's quite amazing!! dxcommander.com/wp-content/uploads/3-element-array-evening.jpg
Hi Cal,
Nice to see you back refreshed and starting on new projects, well done that man👍
Back in the early 1980’s I built various quads from the book All About Cubical Quads by W6SAI.
The final one I built was a two element extended (X-Q )version for 10m which had two wavelength loops ( check out his book its out there as a pdf), plus I added a couple of switches to short out the insulator ( see book) so I could use it on 20m as one wavelength loops, spacing was too small on 20m but did give some gain and front to back, it was great antenna on 10m🤓
Always fed quads at the corner to avoid the feeder strain on the wire loop and erected them as a diamond, just loved the look‼️🤪
Stephen GØDKM
Some good tips!
Cal, Look at the MFJ-1836H for the 6Meter section. Think page 7. They use band clamps with bolt passed through. Drill press to take out the "Thread slots" on the band to give room for the bolt works. The head of the bolt is under the band clamp but works. Just another idea and much cheaper than the other options you were showing.
i really like Callum style 😀 glad to see you back.
Welcome back from holiday. What a great video you put together with the drone footage. Thank you for what you do for the hobby, the great videos and for being my friend.
Hey Jack. Nice one.
Thank you for this, Callum, it's really very touching. I do very much miss having someone to share life's moments with. At the same time, I'm sincerely happy for you and all those who do have someone they love, respect, and truly appreciate. There is nothing quite like it. Cheers, mate! 🙂
Very kind words, thanks.
Outstanding Callum. Very touching 2W0IEP 73 And thank you.
Many thanks!
Hi Callum and I hope you had a nice holidays! Great combination video of good "old" antennas & life wisdom.👍 Stay well & 73, S51X.
Thanks, you too!
Loved that Cal. Good to see you back. Hope you both had a good break. Paul GW0GPQ.
Hey Paul.. Yes.. Catch you soon!
Really nice to hear you sharing your ideas and questions on the channel for input.
Thanks for your openness and understanding of how people are doing in life as well.
73 Ed.
I appreciate that!
Dont ignore that lonely distant voice pick up the microphone and say hello and how are you, you never know what's going on in that person's life and just being able to talk to another human being will make their day and yours.
Oh yes!
Good to see you again Cal! and to know you are all good. I've heard hams using the Cubical quad antennas scrubbing the bands and I think it's true of what they say about them creating an extraordinary strong signal with almost no path noise because of the two 1/4 wave verticals along with the two 1/4 wave horizontals sending RF carriers propagating through the ionospheres.
Yes.. I have read some very cool info about the RX noise floor too. There are some things you can't prove with a model and a computer.. You just need to build them.
A Cubical Quad is the very best antenna one could ever have. Once you have a Quad, you will never use another antenna. God Bless
Thanks for sharing!
thats just not true, god bless
I built a 4 element cubical quad for 10 meters back in 1988 that was the bomb. Think diamond shape elements attached to a 16 foot aluminum boom. 4 elements - 2 directors, 1 driven, 1 reflector. The old quad book from William Ohr and ARRL Compendium say gain is greater from directors, not reflectors. Elements were copper wire. Boom was only 16 feet long. My sig in Britain was 20 - 40 db over 9. I worked Australia between 6 and 8 pm and was 5/9 +. Worked Japan long path from Atlanta over South Africa in the mornings easy peasy. I can’t tell you how much fun I have with a quad, and how easy it was to hear anything and bust a pileup. Returning to Amateur radio after a hiatus from 1996. Retired now and want to build it again. Good luck & have fun.
Encouraging!
I just built that same quad in the last few weeks. Waiting to launch it today or tomorrow when the wind drops. de ON8EI
@@ON8EI Oh wow!
G'Day Callum,
As someone who is relatively new starting out in the hobby, I'm inspired by your passion for learning, experimenting, sharing but mostly the support you give to the community.
Hope you & Wendy had a most rejuvenating holiday & look forward to seeing what you are working on next.
Best Regards,
David - VK3DMA
Hey David.. Nice comment mate. Bless you.
I always enjoy these chats. I come away with big antenna plans sometimes, but mostly just have fun. Community is worth a lot, no matter how you slice it. We have a couple of local hams here who might not still be with us had folks not noticed that they sounded a bit "off" on the air. Cheers.
Nice.
Bloomin eck Cal you had me crying with that video and music stay safe n sane M7AUC
Awe Simon!
WOW that video with Callum and Wendy with the 2 dogs was very good. looking forward to some great projects to come. CHEERS from NY !!
Yo Robert!
Blimey, Cal, you had me filling up at the end there. I'm very lucky to have my Loren, as you have your Wendy. Bless you both. Cheers and all the best. Josh M0DIT
Josh, give Loren a hug!
That was deep callum nice keep up the good work I have just found TH-cam page can't get enough thanks
Much appreciated.. And good luck.
What a wonderful video that was! Thanks. Mark (2E0MSR).
Glad you enjoyed it!
For whatever reason, probably just life in general, i haven’t been bothered about quite a few things lately. Literally just got back from a week away ourselves and what a refresh. As for building a Quad you definitely won’t regret it. Brilliant feel good video, Thanks for that Callum.
I think this quad is going to be a challenge! LOL
@@DXCommanderHQ Yeah i suppose i have it easy with my build as it is only a Mono bander for 11m with occasional 10m use so relatively small. I have just used alloy box section for the boom and bolted in the spreaders. Still needs finishing but i think it should hold fairly well, looking forward to your build as i bet that is going to be huge lol
@@gtretroworld Ah.. OK, box section for home-brew should be ideal.
Welcome back sir. We have missed you and you have new projects to work on. That clamp with stud is being sold as a tone clamp at Balun Designs at $16.95 each, max order 3. Part # SSC2 - Mounting Clamp for Balun or Unun. Black country is likely the place to go. Good luck, stay strong. Best.
I need 40 of these per quad! Gulp :) Yeah, I think I'll get them made!
I get kinda phased after certain beverages! 🤪🤪 Awesome Callum!! 👍👍👍
Me too!
I am so glad to have found your channel as a new ham. You have inspired me to experiment with antennas, which is a great way to improve my skills in building and operating amateur radio equipment. I am especially interested in the Cubical Quad Antennas, and I have watched your video on this topic more than once. I really appreciate the clear and concise way you explain complex technical topics.
Welcome aboard!
Dear Commander Callum, it is GREAT to see you back. So glad you took a good vacation! We’re just finishing tuning our DX Commander Classic - such excellent DX capabilities, compared to my OCF dipole we get out much better! Ready for a new antenna project - Project X? Best, KQ4IXD
Brilliant!
The Quad seems a brilliant idea
"Silent Key". I haven't heard that since I was active on HF several decades ago. Made me smile remembering a mentor already ~80 years old, me a teenager. Of course, I recently started SWLing again. And of course, drawn back to CW down in the US Extra class band segments. C'est la vie.
Perfect
Hi Cal,
Couldn't put my finger on what was missing until notification of your video. Glad you had a nice holiday and that was some great drone video at the end. You and the family stay safe. 73 WJ3U
Haha Don.. Always a pleasure to see you in the comments!
You're a good man. I appreciate your talking from the heart.
Now, in the way back machine (1970s before I was a ham) I was working on making a 3 element quad for CB. I didn't have access to nice aluminum (or aluminium heh) tube stock so I resolved that I was going to make it using a 2x4 for the boom and 2 foot square pieces of plywood for the hubs and big thick bamboo for the spreaders. I started putting it together and realized it was going to be just far too heavy for the telescoping TV mast I was planning on using and overall, just too heavy anyway. I never did complete that quad and I'm kind of glad I never did. I could just see it falling on my parents' roof and damaging it. Yikes. Not too many years after that I became a ham and found that even simple wire antennas could work wonders with the right bands and conditions.
Great video again. I love watching your content as it keeps it basic whilst giving enough detail for those that like to understand a bit more - you achieve a perfect balance. It is refreshing to hear someone just come out and say they have or have had problems. It is too easy to assume that everyone else is getting on just fine and its only you with pressures and issues. Top work Callum.
♥
Hey tnx Jon!
Wonderful video Cal! Thank you for sharing. I used to have a commercial quad for 20 and up and it was a great antenna. I have emailed you a photo of the element clamp for holding the elements to the spreader. The other difference was that the central piece came in three sections, a short boom with a boom to mast plate and two aluminium hubs that fasted onto the ends of the boom and held the speaders. It was fed with a single coax through a 2:1 balun that was also supplied by the manufacturer. The only downfall (pun intended) was the horrific windload from the five elements that created so much torque it destroyed a Ham IV rotor and twisted the top section of tower. If anyone is considering a cubical quad I recommend using the heaviest hardware you can afford. Hope your experiment has a good result.
Heavy hardware.. Copied.
Best video you ever made. With about 2 in every 20 young people feeling sad and alone, more motivational type videos from influential people like you are needed, as we see with Bob and Paul whitehouse gone fishing.
Loops are great ants on tx and rx, I helped put up a 2 ele 40m quad, don't need a amp with these things, it was incredible.
Verticals out of fashion, I hope not hi, you will say my bell bottoms are no good next hi.
Radio on the back burner here, had huge mental breakdown , but big shout out to Drew g0cze who keeps calling me on 20m cw everyday.
Let's look after each other, just simply ask now and again, how are you doing mate 😊
What's wrong with Bell Bottoms?!
It's great to see you back. You seem totally re-energized. I'm excited to see what projects you come up with. Take care Cal.
Thanks! You too!
I have lived in Bude most of my life, I am away at the moment, opportunities taken and enjoyed. Your video and music was fantastic and thanks for sharing.
I took a rough built 10MHz dipole and built a 6m two element quad slung loosely in my loft, best guess on spacing and shape…still a thing of beauty and it worked a treat pointing SW from Bude, lots of 6m fun summer 2021 to the USA and SA
Oh wow!
You continue to amaze me with your warm videos like this one! BTW your MMANA-GAL videos has started many of us to improve our antenna situations and spawned many amateur club hamfest forum presentations! We're doing follow-up workshops after the intro presentation. Thanks for getting many of us going on modeling!! Lee N4WYE
Woo-Hoo!
Hi Callum.....just a quick note to tell you how much I enjoy your antenna videos. 73, Bruce, VE3EAR
Tnx Bruce!
Glad your back! Looking forward to learning from your experiments! Holiday is always best to recharge the physical, emotional, and mental batteries!
73's KI5ZMB (Oklahoma U.S.A.)
Good answer!
Thank you, Callum, for sharing your video and that song.
Missed you Cal! I'm 80 years old so I didn't want you to disappear for too long, if you get my drift..
Looking forward to hearing and seeing you on the air soon.. Take care and best wishes to you and yours..73..John
Hey John! Bless you fella. Have a good weekend.
Hello Callum , I hope that you enjoyed your well deserved holiday & thank you for sharing all this brilliant information as always .
Glad you enjoyed it. You are welcome.
Thank you for your efforts in sharing and helping fellow radio newbies!
Laird Callum sir. It's been nearly as bad as waiting for the new Bond actor to be announced 😂 It feels longer than 3 weeks 🤔
Good to have you back sir 👍🏻
73s M7GTX
Yeah.. it's been a while!
Great to see you Cal and what a great video at the end. If you’re just looking to secure element wires and feed cables to the X boom arms, why not use a couple of P clamps (also called Adel clamps) joined back to back by a single bolt, washer and nut. That way you can line things up what ever direction they need to go. You can get them plain (without cushion on the inside) or cushioned (various types of cushion material) to prevent chafing of wires and they come in stainless, aluminum or cadmium plated steel. We use them in the aviation industry all the time. If you don’t have a friend in aviation, go to your local airport and talk to the aircraft maintainers as they can show you different types and who the major suppliers are in the UK. I can help you spec them out depending on the outside diameter of things you need to attach to. Cheers from Moose Jaw. Tim VE5THF
Cal, the general specification is MS21919 and then there’s an additional suffix depending on band and cushion material.
Actually, that's not a bad idea.. I did originally consider it and for "home brew" I LOVE it.. Not sure I could go that route with a production version.. I will check out some stainless ones.
Welcome back! Lovely message and thank you for sharing it with us
I came across DX Commander a few weeks ago and had some interest. Then I found this channel filled with an amazing combination of great information, excellent explanations, lots of fun and above all your infectious personality. Now I can't wait to get my first DX Commander on order!
Yeah! Thanks. And welcome aboard!
Typing and listening still at the same time. It's been a few decades since I played in a foundry. You need at least a minimum of 2 degrees of draft to remove the pattern from the mold. If I recall, expect 4 percent shrinkage from cast aluminum. (aluminium? :P ) Depending on tolerances, you may or may not be able to use the original as the pattern, considering the aforementioned requirements.
Nice close. Have a good day.
Well done sir! I'm glad you came through the other side.
Indeed. Thank you!
Great story cal great to have a soul mate your vids pick me up so much thanks my friend
Awe. Nice.
Up by the pepper pot at sunset is bliss👍
Yes! Great name for it.. I only found out from the builder next door that's what I'm supposed to use!
Interesting show and great to see you back on air🎉
Thanks Bjorn!
Your a "Big Old Softie" really. Nice to see you back Bud :-)
Yes I am!
Lovely words Cal/Wendy just like me and my wife, she as been a rock and is also my best mate, after mum passed away last month helping me deal with everything and sorting dad out. 30 years together married for 27 and still going strong. Also as Cal said any problems jump on the Discord theres plenty of good lads on there to have a chat with and have the crack pity most are Yanks LoL but its a real good feeling and very random stuff too not only ham radio.
Lovely comment. ANd good advice.
Hey cal,glad u had great holiday n loved the video m8.going through very tough time right now so thankyou 😊
OK Andy.. Thinking of you fella.
@DXCommanderHQ thanks cal ,take care m8
Coincidentally i have set up a Two Element Monoband Cubical Quad from Bigsignal just last weak. And as far as i can see now, i would say your assumption is right. It is by far the clearest reception i have ever had. On my verticals i have at least always S2-3 QRM. And on the Quad it's gone completely. I mean S0! So i was able to finish some QSOs with no signal strengh whatsoever, but still good reception. As i put on the radio first, i thought something is wrong, but the reception is really so clear that there is no sign at oll on the sectre of my IC7300.
Ah-ha!" Maybe we're on to something! :)
I'd love to see either a two or three element light weight spider quad that supports 10-20 and would be mounted on a tilt over 2x4 wooden tower. I had one of these 20 years ago and used bamboo for the spreaders. The bamboo spreaders worked well, but some small diameter fiberglass with proper element supports would be much better. I used a remote switch for the three bands. Looking forward to project X. PS: I used a small boat winch to raise and lower the tower. When lowering I supported the end on a step ladder. Very safe and easy to maintain from ground level. I loved my quad. Great f/b ratio. I used a cheap tv antenna rotator.
Yes.. I think a step ladder is a must.
Awesome video cal great droneography music very special great vhoice
Choice
And vhoice too!
Thanks OM 👍
From 1978-1987 I had a 2 Element 10-15-20 Meter Quad by Cubex. Had their “heavy duty” fiberglass spreaders. It was fed with individual feedlines with 75 ohm 1/4 wave coaxial matching transformers to 50 ohm coax. It was pretty darn good. If I could hear it I could work it. Unfortunately a very severe storm took down tower and all antennas. It was the best antenna I had. Later I had a 7 element triband yagi. It was large and worked best on 10 meters but Hurricane Ida took that tower and Yagi down as well. I made more contacts with the Quad than the yagi. For me, my location, and all things considered the Quad was better. I think the reception with the Quad into a Kenwood 520s was better than the Yagi into an Icom 751A which had a better receiver than the 520s.
Very interesting!
@@DXCommanderHQ as always, you mileage may vary. My friend Jim SK, had the same Cubex Quad but it was up at 75 feet. He ran a Collins S-Line. As a Radio Technician Jim “souped up” his Collins Receiver. It was super hot. Jim worked CW almost exclusively @ 40+ wpm and his DXing contacts were “off the charts”. Jim toyed with the idea of getting a more modern rig but realized that what he had and how his receiver was modified meant he probably had the best gear because he knew how he could mod and maintain his S-Line where he would lose that ability. Back to his Quad. At 75 feet the Quad performed spectacularly. I was always amazed at what I was able to hear. Barefoot Jim worked the World. He’s the reason I went with the Quad.
@@Aswaguespack Great story!
Glad you had a great holiday a great video thanks for sharing de miotlg william
Yes William. Nice to see you in the comments!
Excellent.
Many thanks!
About talking menthal health, your really a good guy.......
And you! Welcome.
Happy to see you hope you had a great time
Hi Cal and all, i use a deltaloop here, transmitting and receiving good, horisontal mount between tree tres
Eeeh Call you are putting me in a dead end position. Kar. I can't decide whether I like the left part of your glasses or the right one. hmm🤔 Loveyou men😂 And now .
Expedetione new for pota,sota..
I use a 2 element 5 band cubical quad that was made by Lightning Bolt. It has a 8 foot boom between elements. I use a 2:1 balun from Palomar Electronics. Using my AT-4K, I can tune to 1.08:1 SWR. I can now run 1kw or more to it. If I can hear the them, I can work them.
Fabulous! I wonder why you need the AT-4K though (I happen to have one of those).
Welcome back Callum, ! Everything ok ?
All good!
I have played with cubical quads, the contest group I was with made one for CW HF Field Day. We wrestled this HUGE antenna onto a mast (in the p*ss*ng rain) but it was really difficult. Its' a 3D object and not easy to work with. The sort of thing you do because you can, not because it has any advantage over other options.
Spot weld bolts onto clips, should be quite straightforward...
Some people are critical of this channel, and I wonder why, what's their problem? Mental health is a serious problem, ham radio helps me with my mental health, it keeps me busy, and keeps my brain active. Thanks Callum.
Spot Welding.. Yes I'll search that. Critical people the world over.. The old RSGB guard probably don't like me! Quad fitting. There has to be a "method". I'll work it up. I do believe there is a benefit to RX though.
you're a sweetheart cal!
hope you had a good Holiday
Try tool station, rubber lined clips of different sizes, will except a short threaded stud ie 50mm or cut rod to required size. Cheers de G6NBF.
Awesome video.
Thanks!
Love the quad,I've got an old GEM quad an absolute monster 2 elements.
7 element home made quad for 2 meters that thing breaths fire rated 14.1dbi and just finished a 7 element for 70cms unbelievable gain when compared with a 10 element yagi and is half the length.
It shall be interesting seeing how you get on with the build,
73 M0AGY Mark (st austell)
Yes OK Mark.. If you see me making videos about this topic, please chip in..
Thanks Callum
Mike!!
Thanks for sharing and caring, 73, Bill, KF0NNQ.
There he goes. I thought you'd buggered off to work for Elon Musk or something like that 😆 Good to see you back Lord Callum. I've missed your Friday lives. 🙏🥃
I would only work for Wendy!
@DXCommanderHQ Wise choice sir.
It was in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form
"Come in," she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm"
Awe!
God bless Cal
You could have bolts with slots for the bands in the head instead of welding them to the bands.
for those hose clamps, I swear I’ve seen a really cheap solution somewhere, but I’ve been struggling to think what they’re called.
A small piece of sheet steel stamped into a U shape, with a hole at the top to slip a bolt through, and horizontal slots in the top to thread a hose clamp through.
I think I’ve seen them as a way to attach road signs to posts?
Being a small punched/pressed sheet steel part, they’ve got to be peanuts compared to spot welding a stud directly to the hose clamp… I just wish I could tickle Google into giving me a picture!
One of those “tops” should be a “bottom” - depending on which way up the U is… I can draw the thing I’m picturing, I just can’t easily describe it!
Where are you my ❤ Iafter a "few" years i can buy your expeditione staff🙂🙂 i'm happy to see you aftera fewmonts..and i see you you made a good things allsow. 73 call from S5
Thanks❤️
You're welcome 😊
Callum, and for the wire, probably a screw and then a Rubber Lined R Shaped Zinc Plated Pipe Clips Hose Tube Clamp
I was thinking I sent this link before but I don’t see it o well you get it
Separate feed for each band direct fed with 50 ohm and 2:1 ... This will.work amazing ...or just mono band it ..build each antenna for direct band and frequency feeding with 50 ohm and 2:1... I run the LFAQ with 2:1 and 50 ohm feed I have perfect match ... These are big antenna for the bands I run ... 10-12 ssb