New CB Radio Beam Antenna, 5 Element Long John replaces old MACO Comet

[@BLACKHEAT1028]

Damn, one man crew 👷🏻‍♂️

[@tazironworker6019]

Had oen in 1986 great antenna !

[@miguelsalami]

Remember the ole saying "They don't make em like they use too"

[@markhill9912]

I've thought about breaking out the TIG welder and ending the movement of joined parts, lol. As for the boom to mast mount, I'd go to my neighbor who's a metalargist that has all the equipment and materials to make me a nice strong and sturdy bracket. That's a very important part holding all that aluminum up in the air through wind, rain, snow and ice! Although, I always lower my antennas to the ground at the first threat of a winter storm.

[@orange70383]

I remember in the late 1960's my Dad putting a set of stacked Mosley beams on his rohn tower. I recall it was quite a process installing everything and getting it up in the air. He talked on a set of Browning's and occasionally shot skip using a Knight T-175 amplifier.

[@390WagonMaster]

Your Dad must of had a big signal! Wow what a setup.

[@UDX-3030]

Jut curious, how long did it last Mike ? 😊

[@390WagonMaster]

It was up 3-4 years if memory serves, worked great, just cheap azz parts.

[@indianachrisUDX1313]

Running Antenna Playlist! Cheers!

[@anamerican481]

The old nascopie 4 element beam had a square main boom, it took 2 of us to pick it up

[@420productions-j5o]

I have a 5-element long john with a 17' boom. do you have any element lengths you could give me?

[@390WagonMaster]

You betcha..... Here is a link to the owners manual. weird address but legit......... cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0289/7782/3843/files/LJ-115_manual.pdf?v=1586534157

[@cbradioghosttalk1986]

Very nice setup. I bet that really does work well. Thanks for sharing as always. Waiting for more. 73s NY202

[@390WagonMaster]

More to come!

[@earnieb5318]

I've a new Comet, still in box, waiting one to install What SWR did you have on it and did you run Vertical, Horizontal, of harness for for both polarities?? I bought the harness but still haven't decided on how to polarize antenna.

[@390WagonMaster]

I have used both Vert/Horz and each takes it own run of coax. I liked having both and used a switch box to go back and forth. One of my vertical elements fell off in a bad storm, and already using a ground plane I didn't feel the need to keep the vertical section going as I had locals all around me. The omni was less of a PITA. Swr was around 1:1 and 1:3 in the CB Band. That Comet is a great antenna. Enjoy

[@earnieb5318]

@@390WagonMaster Macon makes a polarization harness using 50 and 75 ohm coax. One freed from transmitter to Tee connector at antenna end which feeds both vertical and horizontal elements simultaneously....they call it CIRCULAR polarization. I bought the Maco harness for that. Wondering if you had ran that and how satisfied?

[@390WagonMaster]

I would NOT suggest that. You should stay true V or H. Did that back in the early 80s It hurts your overall performance. IMHO. Cheers

[@chrishorst6993]

How tall is your tower

[@390WagonMaster]

38ft cranked up 42 to 45 ft from the ground to the boom

[@almartiniii1541]

@@390WagonMaster when you want to upgrade, let me know. That tower is exactly what I'm looking for!! 😉

[@gogeorge7]

Hey is your Hygain still up and running? Performing? Thinking about buying the same one.

[@390WagonMaster]

I took the tower and beam down on July 4th 2019 I moved to another state, I now live in a high canyon wind location, not sue the beam will live long if I put back up without extra support. Was thinking of trussing the boom. I also get lots of snow at this location so between the wind and snow I'm thinking of going back to a Maco 3-4 element. Performance wise the antenna was a slight improvement over my old Maco Comet.

[@imken2392]

the bracket is meant to capture the head of the bolt to keep it from turning...too bad they used some cheep china steel.

[@Arnold7221]

Hello 390 What model Hy-Gain Beam Antenna is that? Is that a older CB Beam Antenna? Jay in the Mojave

[@390WagonMaster]

The 3 element is an old Maco I bought new back in the mid 80s. The Hy Gain I bought new around spring 2017. Thanks for watching .... 390 SLC

[@Arnold7221]

Yeah good call dumping the Maco with Gamma Match, and going to Hy-Gain type antenna using the Hairpin matching system. I have rebuilt Maco and the Hy-Gain type antennas with bullet proof brackets and such. Hope that new beam works out for you. Good luck.

[@390WagonMaster]

Yes, I like the Hy Gain match system.... However, the Maco build quality is far better than the Hy Gain.

[@rocklickranch2804]

Rerun or not I still enjoyed it. What kind of match and were you happy with the performance over the Comet?

[@390WagonMaster]

The 5 does a bit better than the comet, but if one lives in a high wind location, best to get a Maco. IMHO

[@arildoaparecidocosta5729]

A melhor do mundo tenho uma Brasil bazuka Foz do Iguaçu pr Brasil

[@390WagonMaster]

A Antena funciona muito bem, mas não bons materiais. Você vive em uma bela parte do mundo dos anos 73

[@UDX-21]

Do they still do Maco's like that now? I just built a flat 6 from a Lazer 500, and it didn't have those nipples. Don't get me wrong , I like nipples- LOL., but haven't ones like those in a while. Thanks for the video as usual, very professional, and over the top on presentation. I like to watch and learn from you. Your friend 21

[@390WagonMaster]

Apparently they no longer use the nipples, sad because this setup worked well. I gave that beam to Catbox, I hope he is enjoying the nipples Hahaha. Thanks for your kind words my friend. Take care.

[@Dallas-Rife-UDX-347-Tennessee]

I’ve always said the people that engineer brackets and other things similar to that , never actually put it together , just on a computer , and are too dump to account for tools fitting in the angles where fasteners are needed to be secured . It makes no sense , which most engineers lack common sense and hands on skills anyway . Hope it holds up well and talks good , it looks like a great antenna for 300 bucks !! I think that’s what you said the price was

[@390WagonMaster]

We call those guys, IMAGINEngineers

[@Dallas-Rife-UDX-347-Tennessee]

@@390WagonMaster I just laughed really hard , never heard that one but I'm gonna use it in the future !

[@Dallas-Rife-UDX-347-Tennessee]

@@390WagonMaster I just revisited this video from 8 months ago or so , at the time I was still toying with the idea of a beam setup but wasn’t decided on what brand . How are they performing? It looks great . I can tell you from my recent install I finished in December , Maco imagineering isn’t much better today . I had saddle clamps that would not secure elements no matter how tight you torqued on the bolts , so I drilled and put self tapping stainless steel screws in , holes weren’t lined up, I had 3 or 4 missing key bolts and nuts and a bracket , and extra of others , I had to buff out burrs and hillbilly engineer my boom flange areas to get them to slide into each other . Absolutely terrible . If not for my experienced friend and antenna/radio enthusiast , several trips to Home Depot and the autoparts for self tapping screws , muffler clamps , sandpaper , drill bits , etc and etc ,, it woulda been a disaster . Also I paid an extra 150 bucks for the 5K watt gamma match and they sent the standard 2K .. I ended up going direct fed via a balun like you but I didn’t have to use a hairpin match . I’ll email you some pics of the genius idea my buddy made if you want . My SWR’s are 1.1- - 1.2 on 11 meter . And 1.4 or better from 26.000 up to 28.600 . Almost unbelievable. 73’s

[@ScottsRadios]

I've wanted to put up a Maco Shooting Star for many years. It looks really good I hope you make a lot of good contacts on it.

[@ScottsRadios]

I have a Sirio Sy27-4. It does pretty well for me for a small boom 4 element antenna.

[@chazwozza67]

Or you use your ring spanner from the other side or you bolt from the other side lol

[@irishhandyman2009]

Maco is junk. Just built a Y quad. Thin aluminum boom that crushes even you tighten the driven end elements. They drop 2" from center of boom to ends. $280 for something that I doubt will survive a mudwest rain storm, much less high wind, sleet or plain ole ice storm. Wish I had the ole PDL 2 my Dad had back in the 70s- late 80s. Performed well and took all the weather the midwest could throw at it.

[@neutralobservation9418]

Order a Hy Gain soild Aluminum boom to mast bracket. Problem solved.

[@390WagonMaster]

I will check that out.

[@TAKEONEURBANPRODUCTION]

Should of got ma5b

[@390WagonMaster]

Agreed. Oh well... lesson learned. I thought I would pass the word. Cheers

[@drumminsonlive9199]

Should’ve called Maco...

[@390WagonMaster]

Hahaha, that's a good one. Cheers

[@lizzyfan1986]

Mighty Fine Junk

[@sleeve8651]

Funny you can just wish Two antennas don't interact with one another, and they don't ! Wonder what else we can wish away ? Maybe if we all try hard enough, maybe that'll work with Biden ?

[@rondellschuyler7074]

Maco is head and shoulders in quality above Hygain. Imo

[@390WagonMaster]

100% spot on.

[@boxingday11]

MFJ is just so poor quality.

[@390WagonMaster]

Yes, Very sad.