Hi Kevin, Bob, K2RET here again. I had the same droopy traps as you described. I added screws on the offset to tighten them, and I had the loose screws, no star washers holding the coils. Then it got real interesting when I went to check for resonance. There was no good swr on 10m. SWR on 10m was 3.0 or greater. Tom at Cushcraft suggested doing a test to see if the 10m traps were in fact working. Connect my analyzer and set it for any freq on 10m. I chose 28.300 for the test. Now touch the driven element between the boom and the 10m trap. Analyzer should move, may get better, or worse, doesn't matter as long as it moves. now touch the element after the trap, Nothing should move if the trap is functioning correctly. I got movement on both sides. I had a set of old A3S "TA" 10m traps and swapped them in for the new ones. SWR came right down and and had a good range freq wise. I took apart my old trap and one of the new ones to compare them. On the old trap, the can was fastened to the stub at the end where the coil was closer to the stub. On the new one, the can was fastened to the farther away stub from the coil. I turned the can around to match the old trap, installed it on the antenna and the SWR was where it should be. I took the rest of the 10m traps apart and they were all assembled backwards. Now I'm trying to get some bandwidth out of the 15m band.
@@loughkb I even went as far as to call Cushcraft and tell them. When I reported the traps being assembled backwards, the tech had a nonchalant reaction saying that was the first time he had heard of that. I have the equivalent of 40+ hours working on this antenna. I think I need to bill them for my time troubleshooting and repairing it. I wonder if I sent Martin an email if anything would happen or if I'd even get a reply. Bob, K2RET
Great video ! 4 years later and nothing has changed in regards to quality… Ordered new A3S received this week and took a good look at the traps after I stumbled upon your video. Here were my findings. On many of the traps (not all) the tube coming out of traps is not parallel to the OD of the 1.625” trap cover (out by 1-1.5”) the elements will not sit horizontal this way! More digging I found the exact problems as in the video, loose screws, all screws on internal connections had no washers and a mixed assortment of different fasteners I guess they use whatever is handy?! WOW zero quality control right there on a simple thing. Also only one screw on the coil former used to secure the wire connection and many of them found loose or stripped , bad connections and A lot of free movement! Many coils also had the wire wrapped wrong direction. Several of the cheap clear spacers are so loose they just flop around. To Canada this was not a “cheap” antenna, I would not recommend buying antenna and if you do be prepared to spend time repairing before you ever put it up. Again thanks for posting this video it was very helpful! 73 Kevin
I bought a A4s this summer and it has all the same problems. $$$ in Canada w/40m and a piece of junk. Has to come off the tower for the 5th time and this time I have starwashers ready. Hope I can fix this thing. 10m works 15 is out to lunch and 20 needs a tuner.
Hopefully anyone else who is having similar issues, will now have the info needed to do a fix, thanks to your work on solving the issues. Great video. Cheers, 73
Thanks for this video. I was considering an A3S, but had reservations when I learned it was an MFJ subordinate. You confirmed my concerns. I want to like MFJ, because they have such a broad selection of ham radio equipment, but every piece of complicated hardware I've purchased from them suffered from horrible QC issues. Now I only buy MFJ or subsidiary products as a last resort.
Hi Kevin, thanks for the informative video. I just finished refurbishing a 30 year old Cushcraft A3. In that process I tested all 12 traps and found one bad one. Took it apart and the problem turned out to be paint covering the connection from the coil to the tubing, actually under the screw. I doubt that trap ever worked. It does now. Anyway, I can say from working on that trap that the fiberglass rod used as the form for the coil was a very tight fit inside the aluminum tubing so that additional rivets or screws was not necessary. Also, you kept referring to the outer aluminum tubing as a cover, which it is, but it is also one half of the capacitor that is electrically in parallel with the coil thus forming the tuned circuit/trap. 73, W9DKB
Good point on the cover playing half a capacitor. All of them had a nearly stripped out single screw at one end. We had to drill a new hole parallel to the old one in each case to get a firm good connection there.
Your video is better quality than the A3S Beam and you were very gracious! Previously, I owned an A3 when it was manufactured by Cushcraft and it was an excellent antenna. Let's hope that the engineers and quality control at MFJ watch this video. W5ABQ
When our club bought one. We had Ant. mounting bracket problem that attaches to the rotor pole. There was a left side and a right side with the U Bolts going through it. Our problem was we had 2 of the same side and it would not work. Also the instructions were so blurry that you could not read the measurements for setting up the Ant. Even trying to down load the instruction was just as bad. After contacting Cushcraft they sent use the correct bracket and sent us a photo from there engineering book that had clear measurements. They took care of us after the sale. The Ant has been working great for us. But next time we put up the Ant. Ill check out the traps! Its been used on a club trailer that has a crank up tower. We use it for Field day and for special events. Thanks for the tip Kevin! 73
It might be worth mentioning that the 'can' that covers the trap isn't just there to add protection, it's there to provide capacitance as well and is part of the LC circuit that makes up the trap. So the end of the can that's electrically connected to the element also needs to have a good electrical connection. Some traps are designed so the can can be moved back and forth a little in order to tune the trap. Nice video, they all seem to be consistently good :)
Just came across this video. Nice work. I actually have the predecessor to the A4, which was sold as the ATB-34. I was curious how those traps looked. They're actually covered with some kind of fiber composite tubing with plastic end caps. They're very thin and light, but over the years they do get damaged. I put some pvc pipe over one, but in actuality, I probably will go back and just use heatshrink, as the pvc one is quite heavier. On this model, the elements actually went inside a fiberglass tube. The wires were wound in the correct direction. This antenna was probably built in the 70's, and other than the trap covers, built very well. Back when Cushcraft was Cushcraft and not MFJ/Cushcraft
I bought one of the early A-3S models. The box still says A-3 but it came with the stainless steel hardware. I used to set it up field day style in Hawaii. It's been in the attic for about 20 years now. The good thing in my junk collecting obsession, I have picked up an extra set of traps for my A-3S. I will check those out for conductivity & rigidity, & modify those. This video is great. Thanks. &3 de Ralph KB3JQJ (formerly NH6QT).
Hi Kevin, I know this is an old video now but you saved me a lot of time as I’ll be putting up one of these devices in the next week or two so all the information gained from you guys is absolutely fantastic thanks hope to catch up with you soon Kevin bye. Paul G1WHP 14:13
Thank you for shown this product. I received a antenna similar to this one you described for the problem you showed. The difference is the ham that gave it to me was running 1500w through the antenna.
He probably welded all the intermittent contacts by doing so. Maybe that's the quick fix if you already have the antenna up. CW at 1500 watts for a few minutes. :-)
Kevin, I have a A4S that seems to behave as you described. Have had mine up and down the tower several times looking it over. I also bought it second hand some years back. It has been intermitant for a long time. I've cleaned the joints. Replaced the driven element traps thinking there may have been a carbon trail across some windings. Didn't help. The problem wasn't alway there but some times. Have replaced the coax, added a toroid balun. Now with your comments I'll put it down again and go thru all the traps. Think I might try some of the liquid copper and dress the joints. When it warms up I'll bring it down. Seems like more tower climbing time then operating time. Thanks for the tips! W7VAN. Jerry.
Thanks for posting this review! Was looking at one awhile back. In my opinion, he was darn lucky it was repairable. Maybe, he should invoice mfj for the time that two men have in it, plus the parts replaced on his newly remanufactured mfj/cusscraft quadband beam.
I’ve got an A3S with the 40 meter kit, I did have to fix some of the traps as well, but after tuning I see 1.2-3 swr on 20 and 40. Don’t use the 15 meter. Had this for about 8 years . So far so good.
While I recognize your joy at resolving the problems with this antenna -- stemming from the no-nonsense workman like problem resolution videos you did back in Indiana -- I would have scorched the phone lines between my QTH and Mississippi and not relented until I got every dime of my money back! $700 for workmanship and Q/A that shoddy is nothing less than larceny! One is tempted to say, "oh well, I guess the MFJ ethic has permeated Cushcraft" and not be too far from wrong. And, if you surmise correctly that this might be typical of other antenna makers as well, then I am sticking to homebrew wire antennas and saving the dough and grief. Tangential thought: I am guessing from your travels that your bud lives close to the gulf. If so, I sure as hell hope his antenna survives the tropical blows and hurricanes that blast through there. Also would like to mention that you look A WHOLE LOT HEALTHIER AND MORE CHEERFUL (Wells Fargo notwithstanding) since you got on the road - especially down South out of the snow and cold. To say that your new lifestyle agrees with you would be an understatement. Persevere..and remember that the ARRL SW Convention eventuates February 16-17 at the Yuma ham fest and they have provisions for you vagabonds to "tailgate" right in the midst of the swap area. You should look into it. 71/72 de k6whp dit dit
I had hoped that they had these issues fixed but I guess not. I bought a A3S this last spring and got it un during the summer. I did not have much time to be on the Air until this winter. When I assembled the antenna and had it 10 feet off the ground I knew the SWR was high but credited it to the proximity to the ground. After having it 60 in the air the SWR was great on 10 and 20 meters but the lowest was at 2:1 on 15 meters. I contacted MFJ and they told me since the SWR was not infinity the problem was not in the driven element but in one of the traps on the director or reflector elements. The antenna works great on 20 meters. I can use it with a tuner on 15 and I can work stations just as well in either direction. Meaning it the antenna is pointed East I can work stations to the West almost the same. Now for 10 meters. Even running through a tuner when I transmit my Kenwood TS 2000 will momentary drop power for a fraction of a second. When I switch to another 10 meter antenna the transmit power is rock solid. So the radio does not like the 10 meter segment on the antenna. It will be summer before I can get a lift in to rework the antenna. So I think Cushcraft still has problems. WD0ARQ
If you read through the comments, you'll find several from people that found that the issues still existed recently and in some cases were worse. So apparently their quality control has not improved and may have even gotten worse.
Great video, thank you. Recently I purchased Chameleon F-Loop 2.0 magnetic loop antenna. Turned out there was a loose peace of metal inside the box with an air capacitor. Fortunatally I discovered this before transmitting anything with this antenna.
Thanks for this very informative video wish I had seen it yesterday just ordered and paid for the same antenna its on it way .but at least I can check everything out before putting it together. Keep the vids coming Kevin. 👍
I’ve never bought a commercially built antenna that I didn’t have to “Beef Up” in one way or another. The old CB days of yesteryear with the Radio Shack 1/2 and 5/8 wave antennas. The cheap sheet metal screws would back out, collapsing the entire vertical section.. Diamond fiberglass radome 2m/70cm verticals. The internal coupling sections would eventually come loose causing a high VSWR. Cushcraft beams, the clamp for the gamma match would never tighten correctly, and would build up corrosion causing again a high VSWR. I’d always look at the design, and then see where I could make improvements for longer life without problems.
This type of problem carries all the hallmarks of "outsourcing" the sub-assemblies. The brand-name "manufacturer" then simply takes the money, collects those parts in a box, and mails it to the customer. Most items that are slow sellers will be JIT (just-in-time) made, to avoid holding expensive stock inventory. Delays in getting replacements are therefore almost certain (e.g. @10:26).
I had to do a similar thing several years ago... and I complained, loudly... at least your connections were flat to the metal, mine were angled, and only touching the element at one point. Also, one trap was mis-labeled, and one trap was un-labeled... so we had to count turns to match the traps. I rebuilt every single trap, as you did... I had to bend the wire so the connection had max surface area to the element. If you buy one of these pieces of Mighty Fine Junk, make sure you open every trap, count the turns, tighten the screws, examine all the connections... after you rebuild your new antenna, it will be great, just as Cushcraft originally designed. Don't put it in the air first, that's a mistake we made too.
Good info! You were very gracious in your comments about the company who made the antenna and, there is value in the product, but with an asterisk. The lower typical cost of these is because the QC is left out and is left up to the buyer. You can do business with them going into the deal knowing right off the bat you will need to inspect it with fine tooth comb and make possible repairs. About 25% of the items I have purchased over the years has required some repair or re-work after which, it worked fine. Just an unlisted part of the kit I guess... The great latin term "Caveat emptor" springs to mind... 73, de K4WRF
Trap repair at 7:42-ish... all those improvements seem great. Didn't you want to turn the other wire-eye around so it also went clockwise around the screw? I agree with you on that point (made earlier when discussing the trap at your desk), and I think I'd have done so... not that I've ever had an HF beam in the first place.
I did think about it, but didn't suggest it. In my mind, the extra stress on the wire in turning it around could weaken it. I didn't want to risk breaking off an end and needing to fix the coil.
When I rebuilt mine I found that the way the wire was wound didn't matter... it's stiff enough that it didn't un-wrap under tightening. The 40m kit might be a different matter... the other bands are aluminum, and pretty stiff.
Although they seemed to respond positively, as shown in the follow up video, I have heard from several who have purchased the same beam recently and seen exactly the same issues.
Thanks, I did find that interesting. I bought one second hand and it only works on 15m so I have to pull all the traps off and fix it before I can put it up so I'm searching to see what others have done. I might even make the 40/30 traps and element extensions while I'm at it. 73, VK4KX
Thanks for the video!! I bought a used A3S with 40m kit and hope to install it soon. But thanks to your video, I'll be sure to correct the issues with the traps before installation. Randy WB0VHB
Typical MFJ (Mighty Fine Junk)! Had a 949E brand new which was DOA! Opened it up only to find the big tapped coil shorted to the top cover when installed.... Have a Genuine Cushcraft A3s which I took down several years ago after 30yrs of reliable service. The center insulator on the driven element was about to fail due to sun exposure in the Az. sun. After this video, will play closer attention during the rebuild process and pull every one apart. All the plastic end caps are also rotted. (no surprise after 30 yrs) This winter's project to get it back up in the air while I can still climb my tower or I should say, while my XYL will still let me... :)
Seems I have had to assemble my antennas from Cush, hygain, Moseley, etc.. I took the responsibility to inspect, assemble, test. Before putting it up. It’s just aluminum tubing, insulators and screws, no matter who sold it. It’s as close to being a ham, insuring a solid assembly of a store bought antenna, as most will get. Enjoy it.
Good info Kevin and good work too. Just imagine the frustration if you didn't have that two man lift to get up there to install that beast. I do hope that they were using safety harnesses while in the basket. You can be launched into the next county in those lifts when they are extended. I spent many hours working in one of them at 65 feet.
nice job kevin. i have to agree with my fellow hams when i say i have indeed seen alot better high quality diy antennas built from hardware store scrap
A friend of mine has just bought the DX-88 vertical and it all went together OK then that night we had some 30-40mph winds and the SWR went all over. all the traps were exactly as you describe. so he replace all the nuts and bolts with new ones and Nyloc nuts to stop them undoing then we spen the best part of a day trying to get the 30m trap to resonate like you say $400 aerials shouldn't fall apart and need modifying to get them to work.
The way the coil is made is typical of cushcraft traps, i have an R9 and went through about 5 RMA's on the traps to finally get a 20 meter trap that wasn't junk.
When I get a beam like this I plan to order metal from DX Engineering and build it. I wonder if plans to copy something like a Mosley beam are out there. Have to look around. 2 ARX-2B Ringos I had up soured me on Cushcraft 20 years ago. Both would not stay together and finally both came down in an ice storm in Atlanta. I shutter to think how these would fair in a real ice storm up north. BTW Gordon West has covered these trap issues about 3 times or more on Ham Nation. I think every time he has found pretty much the same tossed together traps you found.
Thanks for the great informative video. Shame on Crushcraft for poorly assembling those traps. Just adding an SS star washer would have been a big improvement, let alone wrapping the wire properly around the machine screw. Barry, KU3X
Just picked one up, pulled the traps apart and indeed the same issue. It does appear the nylon winding insert was changed, now has grooves for the wire to lay in. Sadly on two of the traps it was not fully inserted on one end into the aluminum tube and if I push it in and try to reset the screw it will wiggle into the same hole. Already put in a help ticket with MFJ, will update comment with results.
Great video !. I guess the question then is what antenna manufacture to trust? All of my stuff is wire strung from poles at present but I had imagined I might hope to get beam at some point.
I bought an A4S from DX Engineering with the 40m kit this spring and it has all these problems with the traps. Still not working correct, has to come down again. MFJ went tits up a month after I bought it and before I could get it in the air. My center insulator broke too. Piece of Crap VY2FU
I had an original Cushcraft A3S about 23 years ago. After a divorce, I was forced to move so I sold the A3S and the fellow I sold it to is still using it all these years later. They used to be well built...till MFJ bought them.
I acquired a vertical antenna Cushcraft R-6000 and ... Problem No. 1: The traps were not of a vertical antenna, they were of a directional antenna (horizontal) with their drainage holes in the trap tube... The distributor in Spain reached the traps for the corresponding ones for the R-6000. Problem No. 2: Soon in the antenna appears the problems you have shown in the video ... intermittence in the traps, wire of aluminum, not copper, and surrounding the screw unlike what would be logical. Complete disassembly and total sanitation in the same way that you have shown it in the video. Never again MFJ or Cushcraft. EA7HJ
Kevin your video was great. I plan to put my 2elm 40m beam back up after being taken down for 8 years. It had been up for about 20 yrs. After watching your video I will definitely be doing a rebuild on that antenna. I was wondering if it might be wise to drop some hot glue over the screws to the element under the trap’s cans? For extra protection and helping with possible vibration in the future. I was just wanting to get your feedback on this as you seem to have a good handle on many things you speak about. Again I was glued to your video and passed it on to 3 fellow hams as well. Thanks so much for posting this.
Sure, anything to keep them from loosening. Those traps are where the elements join and there will be stresses that could cause small movements. Heating and cooling also causes expansion and contraction which can loosen the screws over time.
"but...but....but.. It's gotta be good! It just came from the factory!" (I've heard that before!) Yea, right. Frustrating to find something was messed up at the factory and you have put it in a difficult to access spot! If installing something in a difficult to reach location, test first! LOL
Rohn tower, $600+ antenna, remote powered antenna rotor, hydraulic lift, hiring KB9RLW. That's one decked out Technician. Hope he get's his ticket before he get's on the air because right now his $2500+ antenna system is only good for 27.3-27.5 mhz.
Thanks for sharing, I have been looking for something to compliment my 88' end feed with a multi-band antenna, any input good or bad helps in making a commitment.
how did you take the coils out of the can?i ended up having to drill out the punched parts of the can so i could get the center spacers to slide out.after i just punched new dents to hold the spacer in place.not sure if there was an easier/less destructive way .
Excellent video. And thank you for taking the time to make it. My wife and I just put my Cushcraft A4S with 40-meter add on kit up. We were very meticulous with all the dimensions and making sure all was tight. After seeing it a slight wind it appears to be very loose and flopping around a bit. I examined the traps and noticed they are bending back and forth (play) at the black caps. After seeing your video, I am going to do what you did and also add a short fiberglass tube inside each trap between the two inside coils to remove the play. Since I don’t have the antenna down yet, can you tell me the inside diameter of the trap’s coil form? Thank you and 73 de W3LU
Hi Kevin .. can you do a review about the cushcraft thunder xm240 as well as to how I can possibly bring down the swr (without tuner) from 3 to an ideal 1.2 at 7.095 .. thanks guyz
Having the same issues with the ubolt saddles for the boom to element connection. Customer support is non existent now and I can’t seem to find an alternate part that is concave on the base of the saddle. Anyone here have a suggestion?
Interesting video. Good mechanical practice, however, would have been to put the screws in 90 degrees apart. This provide more robust anti-pivoting strength for the segment.
Well, the nylon inserts were just a tiny bit small and didn't fit quite snug in the tubing. At 90 degrees, they would have been pulled up against one quarter of the tube, leaving the slightest gap around three quarters of the space. I was thinking that by offsetting from the opposite side by a bit, it's a bit more uniform of a squeeze on the tube. Ideally, three anchor points at thirds, like the 40 meter kit had with the rivets would be the way to go. Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20.
Great video, thank you for the excellent pointers there. I've been also investigating adding a mod to the antenna for 12 & 17m, using a separate feeder. I've been looking all over the place if anyone has an EZNEC model of this antenna that they may be willing to share.
For "factory" work on small volume items, I always go back to a guy who worked for AT&T and came up with an accessory product that cost little to make but sold for a tidy sum. No one but this guy could ever get an answer when they called to order more and it turns out he was building them in his garage - he just had a phone number in another state. Maybe the trap "factory" is in someone's garage and they're only made up as ordered?
I must have luck. The 10 or so items I've purchased from MFJ over the past 20 years do not have the flaws that I have heard that other hams experience. You didn't say, but did you rewind the coil ends clockwise?
I had to fix a cushcraft uhf yagi, cushcraft never responded but the distributor did help me get the part, in addition there were holes misdrilled, again the distributor confirmed this and acknowledged thier entire stock was wrong. Needless to say i will never buy cushcraft nor MGJ or have it in my shack..
Good video Kevin. Somehow it doesn't surprise me that the quality is poor. I stopped buying anything that MFJ sells long ago. There are lots of other options. AL7LI
I own the exact same antenna. Im in the same situation. 3 elements with 40 meter kit at 200 dollars. I dont know if you hot a bad one but i know a local ham Extra and he bought his used and it works great thats why i bought one. However its still in the box hihi.
I really enjoyed this video. I just bought a used A3S, with a 8ft Roof tower, and the Yaesu Rotater & Controller for 700 bucks. (used obviously) I'll definitely be going thru the traps prior to installing this. one question if you don't mind. I'll only be about 12' above a metal roof, granted it's got a good pitch and is fairly small (however the antenna will cast a shadow of over the entire roof) Do you think it's worth putting up since it's a so close the metal roof? or should I hold off until I can work out a plan to get it higher. total elevation from the actual ground is probably closer to 45-50' up. But the metal on the roof probably negates that.
The metal roof will certainly have some effect on it. Probably less so with bands above 14 mhz. I don't know how much of an effect though, I'd just be guessing.
I would like to know what Cushcraft (MFJ) has to say? Will there be a change in there production line? Did or would they say thank you for bringing this defect in design to our attention ? My question to you is what is there response ? tks 73 Leo Great find
Since MFJ took over Cushcraft the quality of the A3S is questionable. I had one of those in 2006 and because the tubing is so cheap and thin; the antenna self-destructed itself in some wind and fell to the ground. I had it taken down once to correct some mechanical problems and high SWR on some bands. This video is describing the misery owning this product. It ain't what it used to be.
Great video. Break-break Currently I have a diepole but I just can't it high enough. I'm thinking of an end fed like hi end fed or the something like it. What do you think?
Well, if you have a way of getting just one end of something high up, then an end fed might do well. I haven't tried either of those myself though, so I can't say anything about them. I just have a home made 9:1 in a box and it works well with a tuner and fairly random lengths of wire.
I have had negative experiences with MFJ there support for me was CRAP, good info and certainly check everything before erecting not cheap hiring elevated platforms, Thanks Kevin VK6NJP
What is frustrating is the fact that MFJ has an excellent product line. And good engineering. But they seem to maintain no control over the quality of construction. With some proper quality control they could own this market...
ya``ll probably just solved most problems with all multi band cushcraft beams for the last 10 +++ years sense MFJ took over QC at cushcraft went down hill.
Hi Kevin, Bob, K2RET here again. I had the same droopy traps as you described. I added screws on the offset to tighten them, and I had the loose screws, no star washers holding the coils. Then it got real interesting when I went to check for resonance. There was no good swr on 10m. SWR on 10m was 3.0 or greater. Tom at Cushcraft suggested doing a test to see if the 10m traps were in fact working. Connect my analyzer and set it for any freq on 10m. I chose 28.300 for the test. Now touch the driven element between the boom and the 10m trap. Analyzer should move, may get better, or worse, doesn't matter as long as it moves. now touch the element after the trap, Nothing should move if the trap is functioning correctly. I got movement on both sides. I had a set of old A3S "TA" 10m traps and swapped them in for the new ones. SWR came right down and and had a good range freq wise. I took apart my old trap and one of the new ones to compare them. On the old trap, the can was fastened to the stub at the end where the coil was closer to the stub. On the new one, the can was fastened to the farther away stub from the coil. I turned the can around to match the old trap, installed it on the antenna and the SWR was where it should be. I took the rest of the 10m traps apart and they were all assembled backwards. Now I'm trying to get some bandwidth out of the 15m band.
Yep. The cans become half of a capacitor to complete the tank circuit. Being on backwards would totally screw it up.
@@loughkb I even went as far as to call Cushcraft and tell them. When I reported the traps being assembled backwards, the tech had a nonchalant reaction saying that was the first time he had heard of that. I have the equivalent of 40+ hours working on this antenna. I think I need to bill them for my time troubleshooting and repairing it. I wonder if I sent Martin an email if anything would happen or if I'd even get a reply.
Bob, K2RET
I purchased a Mosley and never looked back.. wonderful antenna.
Great video !
4 years later and nothing has changed in regards to quality… Ordered new A3S received this week and took a good look at the traps after I stumbled upon your video.
Here were my findings.
On many of the traps (not all) the tube coming out of traps is not parallel to the OD of the 1.625” trap cover (out by 1-1.5”) the elements will not sit horizontal this way! More digging I found the exact problems as in the video, loose screws, all screws on internal connections had no washers and a mixed assortment of different fasteners I guess they use whatever is handy?! WOW zero quality control right there on a simple thing. Also only one screw on the coil former used to secure the wire connection and many of them found loose or stripped , bad connections and A lot of free movement!
Many coils also had the wire wrapped wrong direction. Several of the cheap clear spacers are so loose they just flop around.
To Canada this was not a “cheap” antenna, I would not recommend buying antenna and if you do be prepared to spend time repairing before you ever put it up.
Again thanks for posting this video it was very helpful!
73
Kevin
Sounds like things are getting worse instead of better.
I bought a A4s this summer and it has all the same problems. $$$ in Canada w/40m and a piece of junk. Has to come off the tower for the 5th time and this time I have starwashers ready. Hope I can fix this thing. 10m works 15 is out to lunch and 20 needs a tuner.
Hopefully anyone else who is having similar issues, will now have the info needed to do a fix, thanks to your work on solving the issues. Great video. Cheers, 73
Thanks for this video. I was considering an A3S, but had reservations when I learned it was an MFJ subordinate. You confirmed my concerns. I want to like MFJ, because they have such a broad selection of ham radio equipment, but every piece of complicated hardware I've purchased from them suffered from horrible QC issues. Now I only buy MFJ or subsidiary products as a last resort.
I love your excellent no BS method of describing this! Great job showing the meter as well.
Hi Kevin, thanks for the informative video. I just finished refurbishing a 30 year old Cushcraft A3. In that process I tested all 12 traps and found one bad one. Took it apart and the problem turned out to be paint covering the connection from the coil to the tubing, actually under the screw. I doubt that trap ever worked. It does now. Anyway, I can say from working on that trap that the fiberglass rod used as the form for the coil was a very tight fit inside the aluminum tubing so that additional rivets or screws was not necessary. Also, you kept referring to the outer aluminum tubing as a cover, which it is, but it is also one half of the capacitor that is electrically in parallel with the coil thus forming the tuned circuit/trap. 73, W9DKB
Good point on the cover playing half a capacitor. All of them had a nearly stripped out single screw at one end. We had to drill a new hole parallel to the old one in each case to get a firm good connection there.
Your video is better quality than the A3S Beam and you were very gracious! Previously, I owned an A3 when it was manufactured by Cushcraft and it was an excellent antenna. Let's hope that the engineers and quality control at MFJ watch this video. W5ABQ
Kevin I'm still a firm believer of making my own antennas /-)
Well done video. Good investigation into the issue, good fix, and good report.
Thanks Dave.
I installed an A3S last summer. It is perfect in every way. No complaints and happy with the performance.
When our club bought one. We had Ant. mounting bracket problem that attaches to the rotor pole. There was a left side and a right side with the U Bolts going through it. Our problem was we had 2 of the same side and it would not work. Also the instructions were so blurry that you could not read the measurements for setting up the Ant. Even trying to down load the instruction was just as bad. After contacting Cushcraft they sent use the correct bracket and sent us a photo from there engineering book that had clear measurements. They took care of us after the sale. The Ant has been working great for us. But next time we put up the Ant. Ill check out the traps! Its been used on a club trailer that has a crank up tower. We use it for Field day and for special events. Thanks for the tip Kevin! 73
I really don’t know why MFJ engineering and QA shouldn’t be pointedly called out for this. Nice video and fix.
It might be worth mentioning that the 'can' that covers the trap isn't just there to add protection, it's there to provide capacitance as well and is part of the LC circuit that makes up the trap. So the end of the can that's electrically connected to the element also needs to have a good electrical connection. Some traps are designed so the can can be moved back and forth a little in order to tune the trap. Nice video, they all seem to be consistently good :)
And... put the little hole (for drainage) toward the ground, not the sky!
Just came across this video. Nice work. I actually have the predecessor to the A4, which was sold as the ATB-34. I was curious how those traps looked. They're actually covered with some kind of fiber composite tubing with plastic end caps. They're very thin and light, but over the years they do get damaged. I put some pvc pipe over one, but in actuality, I probably will go back and just use heatshrink, as the pvc one is quite heavier. On this model, the elements actually went inside a fiberglass tube. The wires were wound in the correct direction. This antenna was probably built in the 70's, and other than the trap covers, built very well. Back when Cushcraft was Cushcraft and not MFJ/Cushcraft
I bought one of the early A-3S models. The box still says A-3 but it came with the stainless steel hardware. I used to set it up field day style in Hawaii. It's been in the attic for about 20 years now. The good thing in my junk collecting obsession, I have picked up an extra set of traps for my A-3S. I will check those out for conductivity & rigidity, & modify those. This video is great. Thanks. &3 de Ralph KB3JQJ (formerly NH6QT).
Hi Kevin,
Glad to hear that all was resolved. 73 WB3BJU
Hi Kevin, I know this is an old video now but you saved me a lot of time as I’ll be putting up one of these devices in the next week or two so all the information gained from you guys is absolutely fantastic thanks hope to catch up with you soon Kevin bye. Paul G1WHP 14:13
Thank you for shown this product. I received a antenna similar to this one you described for the problem you showed. The difference is the ham that gave it to me was running 1500w through the antenna.
He probably welded all the intermittent contacts by doing so. Maybe that's the quick fix if you already have the antenna up. CW at 1500 watts for a few minutes. :-)
He bought a new antenna from another company.
This is why I bought a Mosely....i would have returned that thing back to MFJ and got my money back...no modifying..
KB8YBG JIM
You got that right, Jim. Absolutely inexcusable!
Mosely is not out of buisness
No problem, u got it all fixed...catch u on the air..73's
Very good Kevin, You are the old tech guy. Great job! Randy.
Kevin, I have a A4S that seems to behave as you described. Have had mine up and down the tower
several times looking it over. I also bought it second hand some years back. It has been intermitant for
a long time. I've cleaned the joints. Replaced the driven element traps thinking there may have been a
carbon trail across some windings. Didn't help. The problem wasn't alway there but some times. Have
replaced the coax, added a toroid balun. Now with your comments I'll put it down again and go thru all
the traps. Think I might try some of the liquid copper and dress the joints. When it warms up I'll bring it
down. Seems like more tower climbing time then operating time. Thanks for the tips!
W7VAN. Jerry.
My A4S was marked " Made in Hurry" ... LOL !!
Thanks for posting this review! Was looking at one awhile back. In my opinion, he was darn lucky it was repairable. Maybe, he should invoice mfj for the time that two men have in it, plus the parts replaced on his newly remanufactured mfj/cusscraft quadband beam.
I’ve got an A3S with the 40 meter kit, I did have to fix some of the traps as well, but after tuning I see 1.2-3 swr on 20 and 40. Don’t use the 15 meter. Had this for about 8 years . So far so good.
While I recognize your joy at resolving the problems with this antenna -- stemming from the no-nonsense workman like problem resolution videos you did back in Indiana -- I would have scorched the phone lines between my QTH and Mississippi and not relented until I got every dime of my money back! $700 for workmanship and Q/A that shoddy is nothing less than larceny! One is tempted to say, "oh well, I guess the MFJ ethic has permeated Cushcraft" and not be too far from wrong. And, if you surmise correctly that this might be typical of other antenna makers as well, then I am sticking to homebrew wire antennas and saving the dough and grief.
Tangential thought: I am guessing from your travels that your bud lives close to the gulf. If so, I sure as hell hope his antenna survives the tropical blows and hurricanes that blast through there.
Also would like to mention that you look A WHOLE LOT HEALTHIER AND MORE CHEERFUL (Wells Fargo notwithstanding) since you got on the road - especially down South out of the snow and cold. To say that your new lifestyle agrees with you would be an understatement.
Persevere..and remember that the ARRL SW Convention eventuates February 16-17 at the Yuma ham fest and they have provisions for you vagabonds to "tailgate" right in the midst of the swap area. You should look into it.
71/72 de k6whp
dit dit
I had hoped that they had these issues fixed but I guess not. I bought a A3S this last spring and got it un during the summer. I did not have much time to be on the Air until this winter. When I assembled the antenna and had it 10 feet off the ground I knew the SWR was high but credited it to the proximity to the ground. After having it 60 in the air the SWR was great on 10 and 20 meters but the lowest was at 2:1 on 15 meters. I contacted MFJ and they told me since the SWR was not infinity the problem was not in the driven element but in one of the traps on the director or reflector elements. The antenna works great on 20 meters. I can use it with a tuner on 15 and I can work stations just as well in either direction. Meaning it the antenna is pointed East I can work stations to the West almost the same. Now for 10 meters. Even running through a tuner when I transmit my Kenwood TS 2000 will momentary drop power for a fraction of a second. When I switch to another 10 meter antenna the transmit power is rock solid. So the radio does not like the 10 meter segment on the antenna. It will be summer before I can get a lift in to rework the antenna.
So I think Cushcraft still has problems.
WD0ARQ
If you read through the comments, you'll find several from people that found that the issues still existed recently and in some cases were worse. So apparently their quality control has not improved and may have even gotten worse.
I had both the A3S and A4S over the years, total JUNK!
Thank you for the information, I will be checking my antenna before installing it.
Great video, thank you. Recently I purchased Chameleon F-Loop 2.0 magnetic loop antenna. Turned out there was a loose peace of metal inside the box with an air capacitor. Fortunatally I discovered this before transmitting anything with this antenna.
Thanks for this very informative video wish I had seen it yesterday just ordered and paid for the same antenna its on it way .but at least I can check everything out before putting it together. Keep the vids coming Kevin. 👍
I’ve never bought a commercially built antenna that I didn’t have to “Beef Up” in one way or another. The old CB days of yesteryear with the Radio Shack 1/2 and 5/8 wave antennas. The cheap sheet metal screws would back out, collapsing the entire vertical section.. Diamond fiberglass radome 2m/70cm verticals. The internal coupling sections would eventually come loose causing a high VSWR. Cushcraft beams, the clamp for the gamma match would never tighten correctly, and would build up corrosion causing again a high VSWR.
I’d always look at the design, and then see where I could make improvements for longer life without problems.
This type of problem carries all the hallmarks of "outsourcing" the sub-assemblies. The brand-name "manufacturer" then simply takes the money, collects those parts in a box, and mails it to the customer. Most items that are slow sellers will be JIT (just-in-time) made, to avoid holding expensive stock inventory. Delays in getting replacements are therefore almost certain (e.g. @10:26).
The antena is probably OK. This is pure sign of a bad worker. Good video.
I agree, a poor worker or lack of training. But there has to be quality inspections as well before shipment.
I had to do a similar thing several years ago... and I complained, loudly... at least your connections were flat to the metal, mine were angled, and only touching the element at one point. Also, one trap was mis-labeled, and one trap was un-labeled... so we had to count turns to match the traps. I rebuilt every single trap, as you did... I had to bend the wire so the connection had max surface area to the element. If you buy one of these pieces of Mighty Fine Junk, make sure you open every trap, count the turns, tighten the screws, examine all the connections... after you rebuild your new antenna, it will be great, just as Cushcraft originally designed. Don't put it in the air first, that's a mistake we made too.
Good info! You were very gracious in your comments about the company who made the antenna and, there is value in the product, but with an asterisk. The lower typical cost of these is because the QC is left out and is left up to the buyer. You can do business with them going into the deal knowing right off the bat you will need to inspect it with fine tooth comb and make possible repairs. About 25% of the items I have purchased over the years has required some repair or re-work after which, it worked fine. Just an unlisted part of the kit I guess... The great latin term "Caveat emptor" springs to mind...
73,
de K4WRF
Awesome diy save, thanks for sharing the knowledge. It will help with bought, and hand made home antennas to get them correct.
Trap repair at 7:42-ish... all those improvements seem great. Didn't you want to turn the other wire-eye around so it also went clockwise around the screw? I agree with you on that point (made earlier when discussing the trap at your desk), and I think I'd have done so... not that I've ever had an HF beam in the first place.
I did think about it, but didn't suggest it. In my mind, the extra stress on the wire in turning it around could weaken it. I didn't want to risk breaking off an end and needing to fix the coil.
When I rebuilt mine I found that the way the wire was wound didn't matter... it's stiff enough that it didn't un-wrap under tightening. The 40m kit might be a different matter... the other bands are aluminum, and pretty stiff.
Thanks for taking the time to post. this really appreciate .
I agree with you on what you found. Quality improvement from MFJ Cushcraft, could learn from this video.
Although they seemed to respond positively, as shown in the follow up video, I have heard from several who have purchased the same beam recently and seen exactly the same issues.
Thanks, I did find that interesting. I bought one second hand and it only works on 15m so I have to pull all the traps off and fix it before I can put it up so I'm searching to see what others have done. I might even make the 40/30 traps and element extensions while I'm at it. 73, VK4KX
Shocking video! I withdrew my order of A3S and went for high quality Fritzel FB-33 instead.
Thanks for the video!! I bought a used A3S with 40m kit and hope to install it soon. But thanks to your video, I'll be sure to correct the issues with the traps before installation. Randy WB0VHB
Typical MFJ (Mighty Fine Junk)! Had a 949E brand new which was DOA! Opened it up only to find the big tapped coil shorted to the top cover when installed.... Have a Genuine Cushcraft A3s which I took down several years ago after 30yrs of reliable service. The center insulator on the driven element was about to fail due to sun exposure in the Az. sun. After this video, will play closer attention during the rebuild process and pull every one apart. All the plastic end caps are also rotted. (no surprise after 30 yrs) This winter's project to get it back up in the air while I can still climb my tower or I should say, while my XYL will still let me... :)
Seems I have had to assemble my antennas from Cush, hygain, Moseley, etc.. I took the responsibility to inspect, assemble, test. Before putting it up. It’s just aluminum tubing, insulators and screws, no matter who sold it. It’s as close to being a ham, insuring a solid assembly of a store bought antenna, as most will get. Enjoy it.
Good info Kevin and good work too. Just imagine the frustration if you didn't have that two man lift to get up there to install that beast. I do hope that they were using safety harnesses while in the basket. You can be launched into the next county in those lifts when they are extended. I spent many hours working in one of them at 65 feet.
I've read in multiple places that this is a common problem with the MFJ version of this antenna and the A4S.
having the same problem (i think) now on my brand new AS4. About Came across this video, might be the key!
nice job kevin. i have to agree with my fellow hams when i say i have indeed seen alot better high quality diy antennas built from hardware store scrap
Thank you. I enjoy your channel; and greetings from South Africa (ZR5CAT).
A friend of mine has just bought the DX-88 vertical and it all went together OK then that night we had some 30-40mph winds and the SWR went all over. all the traps were exactly as you describe. so he replace all the nuts and bolts with new ones and Nyloc nuts to stop them undoing then we spen the best part of a day trying to get the 30m trap to resonate like you say $400 aerials shouldn't fall apart and need modifying to get them to work.
The way the coil is made is typical of cushcraft traps, i have an R9 and went through about 5 RMA's on the traps to finally get a 20 meter trap that wasn't junk.
Great video.
I have the same antenna and with same problems. I will need to open it.
When I get a beam like this I plan to order metal from DX Engineering and build it. I wonder if plans to copy something like a Mosley beam are out there. Have to look around. 2 ARX-2B Ringos I had up soured me on Cushcraft 20 years ago. Both would not stay together and finally both came down in an ice storm in Atlanta. I shutter to think how these would fair in a real ice storm up north. BTW Gordon West has covered these trap issues about 3 times or more on Ham Nation. I think every time he has found pretty much the same tossed together traps you found.
Thanks for the great informative video. Shame on Crushcraft for poorly assembling those traps. Just adding an SS star washer would have been a big improvement, let alone wrapping the wire properly around the machine screw.
Barry, KU3X
Just picked one up, pulled the traps apart and indeed the same issue. It does appear the nylon winding insert was changed, now has grooves for the wire to lay in. Sadly on two of the traps it was not fully inserted on one end into the aluminum tube and if I push it in and try to reset the screw it will wiggle into the same hole. Already put in a help ticket with MFJ, will update comment with results.
Great video !. I guess the question then is what antenna manufacture to trust? All of my stuff is wire strung from poles at present but I had imagined I might hope to get beam at some point.
You were way to nice to Cushcrap. For that kind of money it should be 100% quality.
Bang on spot..
I bought an A4S from DX Engineering with the 40m kit this spring and it has all these problems with the traps. Still not working correct, has to come down again. MFJ went tits up a month after I bought it and before I could get it in the air. My center insulator broke too. Piece of Crap VY2FU
I had an original Cushcraft A3S about 23 years ago. After a divorce, I was forced to move so I sold the A3S and the fellow I sold it to is still using it all these years later. They used to be well built...till MFJ bought them.
I had an A3S back in the early 90's. Worked well, no probs. Should of held onto it!!
Note, the "can" isn't around the coil to protect it but to provide the capacitance to the RC circuit.
Excellent, informative video. Thanks! I noticed one thumbs down. Hmmmmmmm...... I wonder if that individual works for Cushcraft or MFJ?
I acquired a vertical antenna Cushcraft R-6000 and ... Problem No. 1: The traps were not of a vertical antenna, they were of a directional antenna (horizontal) with their drainage holes in the trap tube... The distributor in Spain reached the traps for the corresponding ones for the R-6000. Problem No. 2: Soon in the antenna appears the problems you have shown in the video ... intermittence in the traps, wire of aluminum, not copper, and surrounding the screw unlike what would be logical. Complete disassembly and total sanitation in the same way that you have shown it in the video. Never again MFJ or Cushcraft. EA7HJ
Kevin your video was great. I plan to put my 2elm 40m beam back up after being taken down for 8 years. It had been up for about 20 yrs. After watching your video I will definitely be doing a rebuild on that antenna. I was wondering if it might be wise to drop some hot glue over the screws to the element under the trap’s cans? For extra protection and helping with possible vibration in the future. I was just wanting to get your feedback on this as you seem to have a good handle on many things you speak about. Again I was glued to your video and passed it on to 3 fellow hams as well. Thanks so much for posting this.
Sure, anything to keep them from loosening. Those traps are where the elements join and there will be stresses that could cause small movements. Heating and cooling also causes expansion and contraction which can loosen the screws over time.
"but...but....but.. It's gotta be good! It just came from the factory!" (I've heard that before!)
Yea, right. Frustrating to find something was messed up at the factory and you have put it in a difficult to access spot! If installing something in a difficult to reach location, test first! LOL
Thank you. Enjoyed the video. Glen N0QFT
Should of put DeOx or silicone dielectric grease on all the wire connections and aluminum connections !
I have an a3s.
Parts were missing.Boom clamp and Ubolt.
The hoseclips are crap.
I hope the traps are ok..!!!!
Rohn tower, $600+ antenna, remote powered antenna rotor, hydraulic lift, hiring KB9RLW.
That's one decked out Technician.
Hope he get's his ticket before he get's on the air because right now his $2500+ antenna system is only good for 27.3-27.5 mhz.
No, he can do some of 10 meters also. If the band ever opens! ;-)
The point early on where you said MFJ bought out Cushcraft was a BIG CLUE lol.
Thanks for sharing, I have been looking for something to compliment my 88' end feed with a multi-band antenna, any input good or bad helps in making a commitment.
It's good to see the trolls haven't come by yet and given you a thumbs down... Although I probably jinxed it now. Keep up the good work Kevin.
how did you take the coils out of the can?i ended up having to drill out the punched parts of the can so i could get the center spacers to slide out.after i just punched new dents to hold the spacer in place.not sure if there was an easier/less destructive way .
You left out the cost of renting a lift that's not cheap .
Excellent video. And thank you for taking the time to make it. My wife and I just put my Cushcraft A4S with 40-meter add on kit up. We were very meticulous with all the dimensions and making sure all was tight. After seeing it a slight wind it appears to be very loose and flopping around a bit. I examined the traps and noticed they are bending back and forth (play) at the black caps. After seeing your video, I am going to do what you did and also add a short fiberglass tube inside each trap between the two inside coils to remove the play. Since I don’t have the antenna down yet, can you tell me the inside diameter of the trap’s coil form? Thank you and 73 de W3LU
Sorry, I don't remember. This was years ago. It's not my antenna.
Hello Kevin very interesting and informative video. Just to let you know I have parts of this antenna if you need it
Would have been a good idea to conductive epoxy over the screws
/wires to prevent future corrosion issues!
Hi Kevin .. can you do a review about the cushcraft thunder xm240 as well as to how I can possibly bring down the swr (without tuner) from 3 to an ideal 1.2 at 7.095 .. thanks guyz
Having the same issues with the ubolt saddles for the boom to element connection. Customer support is non existent now and I can’t seem to find an alternate part that is concave on the base of the saddle. Anyone here have a suggestion?
Interesting video. Good mechanical practice, however, would have been to put the screws in 90 degrees apart. This provide more robust anti-pivoting strength for the segment.
Well, the nylon inserts were just a tiny bit small and didn't fit quite snug in the tubing. At 90 degrees, they would have been pulled up against one quarter of the tube, leaving the slightest gap around three quarters of the space. I was thinking that by offsetting from the opposite side by a bit, it's a bit more uniform of a squeeze on the tube. Ideally, three anchor points at thirds, like the 40 meter kit had with the rivets would be the way to go. Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20.
Great video, thank you for the excellent pointers there.
I've been also investigating adding a mod to the antenna for 12 & 17m, using a separate feeder. I've been looking all over the place if anyone has an EZNEC model of this antenna that they may be willing to share.
MFJ: Mighty Effing Joke. Jue doesn't care. He doesn't monitor quality. He relies on a buddy who works there. If he tells Jue it is OK, it's OK.
you should have check each trap prior to reinstalling the antenna on the tower... especially since you rented the bucket, they aren't cheap.
Your assumptions are incorrect.
Point fingers..... its ok! Crap is Crap, no matter who makes it. Great video by the way........ love watching them.
KC3JBR Larrry
For "factory" work on small volume items, I always go back to a guy who worked for AT&T and came up with an accessory product that cost little to make but sold for a tidy sum. No one but this guy could ever get an answer when they called to order more and it turns out he was building them in his garage - he just had a phone number in another state. Maybe the trap "factory" is in someone's garage and they're only made up as ordered?
I must have luck. The 10 or so items I've purchased from MFJ over the past 20 years do not have the flaws that I have heard that other hams experience. You didn't say, but did you rewind the coil ends clockwise?
Disregard. I see down the list that this question has been answered. KB8AMZ
This sure aint the quality Cushcraft was known for, and then to not have available replacement parts sucks! Thanks for the interesting video, 73 K0LC.
MFJ (mighty fine junk). Thanks for the review. Buyer beware!
Well done
I had to fix a cushcraft uhf yagi, cushcraft never responded but the distributor did help me get the part, in addition there were holes misdrilled, again the distributor confirmed this and acknowledged thier entire stock was wrong.
Needless to say i will never buy cushcraft nor MGJ or have it in my shack..
We have 3 of these. Only wine works!
Good video Kevin. Somehow it doesn't surprise me that the quality is poor. I stopped buying anything that MFJ sells long ago. There are lots of other options. AL7LI
بصراحة ، كنت أتوقع الأفضل من هكذا كلفة
ناهيك عن كلفة الرافعة والتأخير
نعم ، أصيب صاحب بخيبة أمل في دفع ذلك بكثير للجودة الرديئة.
I own the exact same antenna. Im in the same situation. 3 elements with 40 meter kit at 200 dollars. I dont know if you hot a bad one but i know a local ham Extra and he bought his used and it works great thats why i bought one. However its still in the box hihi.
I really enjoyed this video. I just bought a used A3S, with a 8ft Roof tower, and the Yaesu Rotater & Controller for 700 bucks. (used obviously) I'll definitely be going thru the traps prior to installing this. one question if you don't mind. I'll only be about 12' above a metal roof, granted it's got a good pitch and is fairly small (however the antenna will cast a shadow of over the entire roof) Do you think it's worth putting up since it's a so close the metal roof? or should I hold off until I can work out a plan to get it higher. total elevation from the actual ground is probably closer to 45-50' up. But the metal on the roof probably negates that.
The metal roof will certainly have some effect on it. Probably less so with bands above 14 mhz. I don't know how much of an effect though, I'd just be guessing.
I would like to know what Cushcraft (MFJ) has to say? Will there be a change in there production line? Did or would they say thank you for bringing this defect in design to our attention ? My question to you is what is there response ? tks 73 Leo Great find
Haven't contacted them.
Since MFJ took over Cushcraft the quality of the A3S is questionable. I had one of those in 2006 and because the tubing is so cheap and thin; the antenna self-destructed itself in some wind and fell to the ground. I had it taken down once to correct some mechanical problems and high SWR on some bands. This video is describing the misery owning this product. It ain't what it used to be.
Great video. Break-break Currently I have a diepole but I just can't it high enough. I'm thinking of an end fed like hi end fed or the something like it. What do you think?
Well, if you have a way of getting just one end of something high up, then an end fed might do well. I haven't tried either of those myself though, so I can't say anything about them. I just have a home made 9:1 in a box and it works well with a tuner and fairly random lengths of wire.
Thanks Kevin. Have a great weekend.
Thank goodness I have a Mosley PRO57B! DE KA9EES
now I know why is call 743... Thank you Kevin ...now where is tha extra alum,,,
I have had negative experiences with MFJ there support for me was CRAP, good info and certainly check everything before erecting not cheap hiring elevated platforms, Thanks Kevin VK6NJP
What is frustrating is the fact that MFJ has an excellent product line. And good engineering. But they seem to maintain no control over the quality of construction. With some proper quality control they could own this market...
ya``ll probably just solved most problems with all multi band cushcraft beams for the last 10 +++ years sense MFJ took over QC at cushcraft went down hill.