David Casler = Superb, generous, personable teacher. Thank you for all you do. Wonderful!
@hipal22714 жыл бұрын
I am now looking at adding this antenna. Thanks for the video
@pd1dmodanny72Ай бұрын
Great review !
@tixilx3 жыл бұрын
Excellent as always Dave ...... Thank You... Happy Easter
@sincerelyyours75383 жыл бұрын
Thanks for this and your other reviews. To save on international shipping during the Covid era I plan to build my own 20 meter cobweb, and then a loop antenna for 40 meters. They'll probably overlap but between one or the other I should be covered for the middle HF bands.
@dwightanderson58726 жыл бұрын
Hello Dave, great summary. I purchased the MFJ cobweb and also the 40/30 extension some months ago. You cover all the points very well. Mine seems to do very well by the signal reports I've seen, and I've been thinking of getting the WSPR lite to see how well it does. Much Thanks! Dwight (WM5F)
@davecasler6 жыл бұрын
I am quite impressed by the MFJ implementation of the cobweb.
@francismcclaughry37944 жыл бұрын
Dave I like your videos they explain things real well. I know what you mean about the radials sagging. I have a gap. and I can't seem to get a coax soldered on the cord. I have new ones coming. just got to wait amazon
@peterstratikis6 жыл бұрын
As always Dave, a brilliant video which communicates information with perfect timing! Thank you very much. AC4PS.
@davecasler6 жыл бұрын
Thank you.
@radiolinux456 жыл бұрын
Hello, Dave, I have dual call signs here in the UK & USA In my loft I have the original Cobweb aerial. It was invented by a Britsh Radio Amateur a Mr. Steve Web his call sign is G3TPW who lives in North Yorkshire UK. I met Steve at a Radio rally (Hamfest as you call them ? ) at the racecourse York in North Yorkshire UK many years ago. Please give credit to Steve Web, not MFJ when you doing more videos about The Cobwebweb Aerial. the best height for the Cobweb is about 10 Meters (33Feet) above ground and it is small and compact aerial and you do not need a rotator for the original specification for 20 meters.17 meters.15 Meters, 12 meters & 10 Meters. I have thought to add 6 Meters and 4 meters 70MHz feed with a separate coaxial feedline best 73's Laird Nigel (by the way Laird is my title) please reply soon Ps please do your research about the Cobweb by Steve Webb G3TPW
@davecasler6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the info. I don't think MFJ claimed invention. MFJ is the manufacturer of the version I reviewed. I'm not reviewing the fundamental design or making comments about the inventor, but rather the antenna as manufactured by MFJ. Please point me at some websites or original articles that Steve published. I'd like to read them.
@MoTown442406 жыл бұрын
Another great video Dave. Snowing eh? My area has a day and one half heatwave. All the snow and ice has melted. Rain is expected this afternoon. With the plunging temp returning to the teens. Yesterday, last night, the temp rose above freezing. That system giving you snow will soon be here on Saturday giving my area freezing rain. Hope the damage is not too severe. Later. Looking forward to your next video with feet on the ground. 73
@davecasler6 жыл бұрын
We rarely get ice storms here--in fact I can't remember one. So my antennas are pretty safe. It's lightning I have to fear!
@G3PWP3 жыл бұрын
Love this review Dave thanks buddy
@G3PWP3 жыл бұрын
I’ve built my own but with speaker wire they work really well
@KevinModerow6 жыл бұрын
Great job, David
@davecasler6 жыл бұрын
Thank you
@ricktutor84563 жыл бұрын
That's what am thinking about doing iam not shure what wire to use so the small stuff might be just the thing
@zodiac_qld80186 жыл бұрын
Good job.
@thewind-ne8rh Жыл бұрын
how does it do on receiving out side of the bands ( general coverage type) thank you Tim
@SuperAWaC6 жыл бұрын
if they're gonna use locknuts, you simply cannot use phillips bolts, even non-camming JIS/cross head are a pain.. nylocks are a nightmare as is unless they're being put on studs or carriage bolts. i guess it doesn't matter too much if you're never gonna take it down again... but they're only saving less than a penny per bolt using the phillips over hex head cap bolts
@davecasler6 жыл бұрын
Indeed.
@hopefuldad Жыл бұрын
What’s an Augi?
@joecraft44094 жыл бұрын
Are the "ropes" UV resistant?
@RobDTom4 жыл бұрын
Is there another current manufacturer who offers a Cobweb antenna? I'm interested in a Cobweb, but MFJ quality concerns me (and this video did nothing to alleviate my concern!)
@davecasler4 жыл бұрын
Yes, I think there are. I liked my cobweb, but a deer ran it down in the dark and trashed it.
@larryweed125 жыл бұрын
Dave great video and antenna unfortunately my HOA would not appreciate my putting up a cobweb. One question, what happened to the parabolic shape that was in the original video? KI5ACA
@davecasler5 жыл бұрын
Not sure. The cobweb has always been pretty flat. My hex beam is another story.
@ondrejpovalac98116 жыл бұрын
Hi, Dave, thanks for a great review! I am thinking about buying this antenna. I have a flat roof on my house so I would like to install it on top of my house on 10ft mast (max). Is the 10ft mast enough? What mast did you use? And please, can you provide EXACT dimensions of the assembled antenna? On MFJ page, there is mentioned, that the size is 12feet each side. Does it mean that the antenna is a square 12 x 12 feet or does it mean that each of the fibreglass spreaders is 12 feet which means it is 24feet total? Thanks a lot! 73 de Ondrej, OK2TOP
@davecasler6 жыл бұрын
Your suspicions are correct. The antenna is in the form of a square with a diagonal of 24 feet. I went out and measured it myself.
@F41Driver5 жыл бұрын
Hi Dave... I have the 1838 still in the box out in my garage waiting to go up. I'm a bit anxious as I think it will be quite a bit of work to get this big thing 20FT above the house. Have you run much power through this antenna? I use a 700W Collins 30L-1 at the moment, but may upgrade to something that does legal limit in the future. I'm just a bit worried about the balun MFJ uses and if it will honestly be able to handle 1.5KW or perhaps a touch more on peaks. Also, I'll be mounting this on a tripod in my driveway to assemble and tune it, but it will be going up 20FT above my house on a piece of top rail attached to the chimney. Should I tune for the lower edge of the bands to get a tune in the air that's somewhere around the lower side of the SSB portion of each band? Thanks & 73, KD5FHW
@davecasler5 жыл бұрын
Mine tuned fairly easily and is about 20' off the ground. I got the high-powered version. Basically, add a choke balun by coiling some coax before connecting to the antenna. I've run 500W through it with no problem.
@dougtaylor77243 жыл бұрын
What is the longest DX you have achieved?
@redneck68792 жыл бұрын
73!!! RT9TM Sergey
@LukePurdy5 жыл бұрын
Hi Dave, I'm looking at the 1838, but I don't need the high power. Should I save a few bucks and buy the 1836 with the add-on kit, or is there an advantage in going with the high power model even though I don't plan to buy an amp? Thanks for all you have done to help our hobby grow. Luke N5LXN
@davecasler5 жыл бұрын
I think the lower power version will work fine. Just don't go above 250 watts or so or you'll burn out the balun.
@cqc22383 жыл бұрын
Can somebody comment on the survivability of this antenna in snow and ice?
@davecasler3 жыл бұрын
In an ice storm this antenna might have a problem. It certainly did not stand up to the deer who plowed it down one night. The deer ran right up one of the (black) guy ropes and ripped it to shreds. I was sad to see it go as I rather liked it. The antenna was damaged beyond repair.
@myradiovideos6 жыл бұрын
Dave Question.... So you get the antenna tuned for say the middle of the band, say 14200.. And you have a 1.1:1 match.. So now you decide to move off Voice to the 14070 Data portion .. Will most built in antenna tuners tune the antenna back to 1.1:1 ration??? Not sure how fast the SWR rises as you move away from the perfectly tuned spot?? Robert WA6PHN
@davecasler6 жыл бұрын
In general, if the antenna SWR is below 3:1, most radio's internal tuners will tune it fine. Dipoles and verticals often cover the entire band, but some multiband antennas, such as the cobweb, can't cover the entire band.
@myradiovideos6 жыл бұрын
Thanks Dave!!!!
@FernandoDiaz-pj7gd6 жыл бұрын
I have the standard 10-20 mtr MFJ Cobweb mounted in the standard, horizontal plane configuration. Has anyone modeled or try out the Cobweb in a vertical plane mounting configuration? I would like to know experiences or the model outcome. Luis KP4DX
@bubbajeph4 жыл бұрын
Wonder what is the chance MFJ adding 80 meters to the antenna. Would that be too big & heavy?
@davecasler4 жыл бұрын
Yes, it would be huge. Over 30 feet on each side.
@G3PWP4 жыл бұрын
Hi David can you tell me what the balun transformer ratio is im suspecting its 6:1 /300 to 50 ohms
@davecasler4 жыл бұрын
Not sure. I'll have to look.
@dannyfivefifty6 жыл бұрын
Dave I have the original MFJ 1835 cobweb.I would like to know if you installed the high power kit to your antenna,and do you think it was worth the extra cash..
@davecasler6 жыл бұрын
MFJ gave me the high power version to start with. Recently, they gave me the 40/30 upgrade kit. Having not seen the low power version, I can't compare.
@varoujan784 жыл бұрын
how big is this antenna? how long each spreader?How wide each side?How heavy?
@davecasler4 жыл бұрын
You can get the rough dimensions from the MFJ website.
@larryb.69736 жыл бұрын
Recently moved from a home with a big tower out back to a townhome where no external antennas are allowed. Am considering a cobweb antenna for the very large attic I have however am concerned about the comment in your video about it picking up lots of man made noise. I'm guessing you mean electrical interference - can you expand on your comment a bit and help me figure out whether or not a 20-6m cobweb antenna would be a good investment for me? Anything I can try to determine the amount of man made noise I might experience such as, putting up a hamstick dipole or other antenna arrangement to see the noise level I'd be subjected to first?
@davecasler6 жыл бұрын
If you have the room, put up a dipole for 40 or 20 m and see how well it performs.
@tommyd222776 жыл бұрын
What are the benefits of a cobweb antenna over different styles of antennas?
@davecasler6 жыл бұрын
Six of one, half dozen of another. There's no "best" antenna. It's lightweight and performs well with a pretty small footprint.
@tommyd222776 жыл бұрын
Thanks Dave, appreciate you!
@rogerm85575 жыл бұрын
How does the cobweb antenna compare in performance to a hex beam?
@davecasler5 жыл бұрын
The cobweb is a compromise antenna and thus tends to perform a couple dB down from having individual dipoles on each band. The hex beam is a gain antenna with about 6 dB gain over a dipole. Night and day.
@TheOpenAirGarage6 жыл бұрын
How has this antenna held up to wind!!
@davecasler6 жыл бұрын
I think it's fine for the wind. The only issue might be icing, because the antenna materials are pretty lightweight.
@FreemanWithrow5 жыл бұрын
I can’t believe they are charging $400 for some pvc and wire and some nuts bolts and a two metal plates
@davecasler5 жыл бұрын
...what the market will bear... I think the spreaders are actually fiberglass.
@tedder426 жыл бұрын
Did MFJ send you the antenna or did you pay for it?
@davecasler6 жыл бұрын
This one I got gratis from MFJ. In fact, both Martin F. Jue and I were guests on the W5KUB show, and he remembered I had reviewed the 20-10 cobweb, so Martin said on the show that he'd send me the expansion kit.
@tedder426 жыл бұрын
David Casler cool. They make good stuff.
@JosephNievesTech6 жыл бұрын
Cobweb design essentially "folds" a dipole unto itself, so the amount of space taken is compressed. With proper spacing, this allows a dipole wrapped within another dipole multiple times. Even though this is a square design, think of concentric circular rings when viewing this antenna from above. You wind up with a compact design with minimal physical beam width. In addition, you only need one feed line and single center support.
@varoujan784 жыл бұрын
These are not booms Dave these are spreaders
@eurobimmer6353 жыл бұрын
That antenna is pure garbage
@davecasler3 жыл бұрын
I wouldn't say garbage, as I rather enjoyed mine until a deer took it down. It is a compromise limited space antenna, and my rough estimate is that it is about 3dB down from a standard dipole.
@eurobimmer6353 жыл бұрын
@@davecasler mine collapsed like a cheep umbrella (literally) after one snowfall