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[Towertalk] Force 12 vs. Cushcraft who wins?

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [Towertalk] Force 12 vs. Cushcraft who wins?
From: Jerry Plemmons" <jerry@plemmons.net (Jerry Plemmons)
Date: Sun, 1 Dec 2002 18:47:39 -0500
Michael:

I recently erected a US Tower MA-770 with a 10 foot mast in the top.  I
installed a Force 12  XR-5 antenna on the tower.  It works GREAT!  I don't
have a definitive way to measure the F/B or front to side, but my experience
with cutting through pile-ups is impressive.   The antenna went together
with no problems.   All of the elements rivet together.  The fit is
excellent and there is no slop in the elements, even before the NOALOX and
rivets are applied.  I had looked at the antennas that you did, but after I
read K7LXC's book detailing the field comparisons of various yagi antennas
that the group did in Washington state, I thought the XR-5 looked good.

Based on the results of Steve's study, a trapless antenna looked like a
winner.   And you will be amazed when you see the VSWR curves on it.   VERY
low, and VERY flat.

I have pictures of the installation and of the antenna sweep I did using the
VSWR meter in the Icom rig and again using the MFJ antenna analyzer.  The
correlation was very good.    And, hey, the XR-5 has great electrical
characteristics on 2 meters!!  If you would like a copy of the pictures and
report, send me and e-mail and I'll get it right back to you.

Jerry Plemmons, K6JRY
Wickford, Rhode Island
jerry@plemmons.net
====================================

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Hatzakis, Jr" <mikehatzakis@yahoo.com>
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Friday, November 29, 2002 11:09 PM
Subject: [Towertalk] Force 12 vs. Cushcraft who wins?


>
> Just moved to the seattle area and am assembling a new station.  Possibly
an MA-550 55' tubular tower with a 10' mast.  Trying to decide between two
classes of beam, in roughly the same price range are the Cushcrafts and the
Force 12's.
>
> The Cushcraft A3S/A4S 3 and 4 element standard trapped beams claim 6db
gain (3ele) and 7db (4ele) over dipole.  And the Force 12 2 element beams
running around 4.5 db.  The 3ele cushcraft and the force 12 have about the
same dimensions... They have about the same windload, 5sq ft for the
tubular..
>
> Any thoughts on pro's and con's of the two antennas?  experiences?  The
cushcraft is 3db high gain, but is it lost in the traps?
>
> Thanks, Michael  K3MH
>
>
> Michael Hatzakis, Jr MD
> Physiatrist, Treating Individuals with Neuromuscular Disabilities
> Consultant, Information Technology Based Health Care Solutions
>
>
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