[TowerTalk] My 3El 40M Experience

[W1JCW John]

I'm a Mosley guy since I was 11 starting with a TA33jr. 

Since then have TA53/40 and CL-33/40. 40m - 10m with warc hard to beat. Have DXCC just on a 40' tower. Now going to 100' tower should offer some exciting contacts even with the low end of the cycle.  

I do have a SteppIR as well picked up a 3E for $300. Haven't had it up yet but one thing after another. Water gets into the housing many ways seizing the motor, spool come apart as they are glued, drive sprockets break, tape gets jammed up. 

Now my TA53 been up for 12yrs in Texas, ice, heat and lots of power from my Acom 2K through it. Not one single issue, even in the big pile ups I'm heard. 

Would love to put up at 67 or 96 from Mosely. That is a big antenna. 

Thanks for the tips on stabilizing the beast. 

73-
W1JCW
John

-----Original Message-----
From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of William J. Nicosia
Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2018 11:35 AM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] My 3El 40M Experience

OK, so I arrived somewhat in the middle of this thread re:  40M yagi construction, but here's my experience since 2009.

I bought a second hand Mosley (criticize the design if you must) PRO 67C3. 
This integrated tri-bander has 3el's on 40. No doubt Mosley's designs are dated and can be improved upon electrically, but mechanically, so far, my experience is that they are nearly indestructible.

Upon receiving the antenna from the seller, I put it through a through clean-up and refurbishment knowing that once hung at 70' I probably would have very limited access to it in the future. This antenna has the benefit of a 3" boom which, rather than truss the elements, I decided to truss the boom to reduce sag and to stabilize the structure when in motion. The 40M elements are conventionally loaded and so are slightly shortened, but they are HEAVY and create a LARGE turning moment when in motion. This has proven, over time, to be the secret to keeping this antenna in service. The elements are well enough double sleeved, strong yet flexible, the boom, even the 3" option, needs stiffening. A mast to boom truss made from coated wire rope, (criticize that choice if you must), really gives this HEAVY antenna the super strength it needs. As a testament to this set up, the PRO67C3 has broken more rotors (ask W2GD) than any parts of the antenna itself.

             Bill, W2ZKX