The Cushcraft 2 el 40 does interact with the 15 meter portion of almost any
tri-bander (the KT34XA etc) although N4KG is correct that
it works well on 17 (18mhz). I feel much of the interaction comes from the
23' boom. I find that at least 7 feet is necessary (10' is better)
to avoid interaction. With the KT34XA, 15 meters is the worst compromise
band so its takes a hit with any antenna nearby that runs on 12, 15, or 17
meters.
I have heard the XM version has more interaction although its exactly the
same antenna electrically. Regarding performance, the Cushcraft was head
and shoulders better than the Mosley S402 I had up and the TET 3 el 40 on a
46' boom. I compete well with guys using the 3 el Telrex on a 29' boom and
the 4 el KLM. Even losing one of the top hats on the reflector has not
changed the results although the SWR moved up from mid band to nearly 7.2.
Now I can work the stations tuning 7295 without losing several hundred watts
to SWR! I do need a tuner to work 7005 but it plays well there and seems
to have 10 or 12 db front to back.
It is the best 40 meter antenna I have used (outside of the big ones at
N4RJ) and makes me competitive on my small 1/2 acre lot. Wish I could find
a single antenna on 80 and 160 that worked as well!
73 Dave K4JRB
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