[TowerTalk] Yet again the Cushcraft A4S

[Tom Wylie]

Am almost ready to saw this antenna up for scrap this is a kindof last 
throw of the dice.

I know the subject of Cushcraft traps has been talked about for years 
and I have read copiously about them, but I still cannot solve my problem.

I have had my A4S for almost 20 years.  It has worked well, flawlessly 
even.  On 15m if I can hear it I could work it even on 100 watts.   For 
reasons I wont go into I have to take the antenna down each year and 
around this time I reassemble it and re-install it.   It has never been 
a problem.   My tower is crank up - tilt over.  I am the problem now at 
74 the urge to keep winding the tower up and down is getting weaker.

Anyway the last time the antenna was stored I was unwell and it was 
stored less than favourably resulting in most of the traps being filled 
with snails - yes snails.   Last year I had to open virtually all of the 
traps to remove the snails.  I took the opportunity of cleaning the 
traps up.   However, the Cushcraft marking have worn off most of the 
traps.   I thought I have labelled them correctly, but it seems not.

Anyway, when erected my beam work fine, but its like its back to front.
I am in Scotland.   I beam Japan - nothing, turn 180 to South America, I 
can work JA no problem.    Beam east I can work USA, beam west - I am 
working 9M2 and VU etc.....

I have been at this game since 1975 so a bit long in the tooth, but 
always willing to learn. The antenna is correctly orientated on the 
tower.  It is fed by a Radioworks 2kW 1:1 choke balun.  Coax is Aircell 
10.   I have spoken with K1WHS who has given me a few pointers.   As a 
result I visited a local friend who ran his analyser over my 10m traps 
and we discovered that I had transposed the 10m traps between DE and 
DIR.   On the DIR the 15m traps are still labelled TB - so they are in 
the correct place.   I felt sure this would solve my problem.

However, yeaterday I spent the day carefully relabelling all the traps 
and reassembling the antenna.    At 60 feet result - no difference.   It 
is still working back to front.

The 10m traps are labelled TD and TE they have slightly different 
resonant frequencies.

My question is fairly simple.    The 15m DE traps and REF traps 
according to the diagram are all TC marked.   There is nothing in the 
assembly instructions to say that there is any difference between the 
traps.  Therefore I assume they are interchangeable.

All my element lengths are correct, spacing is as per the assembly 
instructions, SWR is less than 1.7:1 at the parts of the band which 
holds my interest, so why is the dammed thing working back to front??

I work from the edge of a city lot.  I cannot put anything larger than 
the A4S up.   The tips of the antenna are already over my neighbour's 
property on either side.

With the A4S I am No 1 Honor Roll, 4 needed on CW, 2 on SSB and 14 
needed on Digi.

Tom
GM4FDM