[50mhz] Beam purchase

[Carl]

Living within a long walk ( 15 miles or so) of the CC plant Ive been 
familiar with them since the early 60's when Les Cushman ran the place 
on Hayward St in Manchester, NH.

And yes, they have had their share of problems with mechanical and 
electrical designs.

However as long as you dont expect 120 mph wind survival and are willing 
to do a minimum of work on your own the current offerings are mighty 
good.

Material quality is good, problems are often owner induced during 
assembly.

I use only ALL stainless hose clamps for the elements; I believe they 
are now supplied but be sure to check. Tighten with a socket wrench, a 
screwdriver is insufficient unless you are King Kong. Apply a thin 
coating of conductive anti-seize on the joints.

I have two CC 6 el Boomers that I redesigned as 8 el that have been up 
thru ice storms and wind gusts over 90 mph for about 15 years with no 
damage. One at 60' and another at 180' on top of the highest hill in 
almost 20 miles.The high one is wind buffeted 24/7 even with a dead calm 
on the ground.

If you use the stock connector assembly then use the anti-sieze on the 
threads and on the bracket. If you want to take the time then convert to 
an N connector.

Seal the exposed inner ends of the gamma match with your favorite 
method. I use heat shrink tubing with the sealant included on my HF yagi 
gamma matches. The Boomer uses an all metal T match which doesnt use 
anything to allow water into.....except the connectors.

I have no connection to Cushcraft, financial or otherwise.

Carl
KM1H



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "LANCE COLLISTER" <w7gj at q.com>
To: <chacuff at cableone.net>
Cc: <50mhz at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2008 11:10 PM
Subject: Re: [50mhz] Beam purchase



Cecil Acuff wrote:
> Greetings Group,
>
> I am planning a 6 meter beam purchase.  Looking for a 4 to 6 element.
> (maybe as much as 7 el) What is recommended.  I know this is somewhat 
> of
> an open ended question but I think in the long run for me, beneficial 
> to
> tap the experiences of this group.
>
> The beam will be mounted above my HF beam at around 55 ft.
>
> I have looked at M2 and they look nice but kind of light weight.  I 
> live
> in the gulf coastal region and we get some ugly storms at times.  No 
> ice
> to worry with for the most part.  I had just about decided to buy a
> Cushcraft 5 element but have been warned of issues with water entering
> the connector and the gamma match.  Some seem to like the Hy-Gain line
> but I'm not sure if those are still being sold or not outside of the 
> HF
> stuff MFJ is selling.
>
> Not really looking for a 30' boomer just more of a general purpose 
> beam
> that is durable but a good performer.
>
> Any suggestions would be appreciated...
>
> Thanks...
>
> Cecil Acuff
> K5DL
>
> Moderator: Ray Brown, KB0STN
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Hello Cecil,

If you are willing to do a little homebrewing, you can construct as good 
an
antenna (or better) than anything commercially available:

http://www.yu7ef.com/

You can make the antennas as rugged as is required by your local 
weather.  For
detailed example of how one person constructed his YU7EF yagi:

http://www.on4kst.com/10el50/

I have worked a number of YU7EF yagis on 6m EME, and they really work. 
I will
add, though, that I have noticed a significant reduction in ground gain 
when 6m
beams are mounted above HF beams, which tend to look like ground and 
shield the 6m
beams from precious reflections coming up from the ground.  However, if 
you are
aren't looking for the extra dB of ground gain and are happy with an 
all-round
beam for casual use, that type of installation probably will satisfy 
your needs.

GL and VY 73, Lance



-- 
Lance Collister, W7GJ (ex: WN3GPL, WA3GPL, WA1JXN, WA1JXN/C6A, 
ZF2OC/ZF8)
P.O. Box 73
Frenchtown, MT  59834  USA
QTH: DN27UB
TEL: (406) 626-5728   URL: http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj
2m DXCC #11, 6m DXCC #815

Moderator: Ray Brown, KB0STN
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