Original (edited) post by: Steve Zettel KJ7CH kj7ch@libby.org Libby, MT USA Why does every contesting ham in the known universe use a Cushcraft 40-2CD 40M Yagi? Have you had any experience with commercial 40M Yagis besides the Cushcraft? I am looking for a reasonable-size/weight 40M Yagi to put on a mast with either a TH7 or a KT34XA at the top of my (soon to be completed) 45G tower. ------------- The responses: CUSHCRAFT: I have used the 40-2CD a lot. It has good gain and directivity is what you would expect with a 2 el yagi. It is lightweight and very easy to install. I never did any mods other than pinning the boom. It stayed up in a lot of wind (my tower didn't). There is a good message that everyone (almost) is using the 40-2CD. Don't even bother trying to figure out why. They work!! (I worked over 60 countries in a 'test with the beam at 90 feet.) I am in New England which is a big advantage and I am on a hill. Hope you are still enjoying the "Battle of the Hams". * * * I am gonna put up (wx permitting) my 402CD this weekend. I guess I'm just following the crowd, but there must be good reasons. Some of which are: broad-banded, "easy" to handle, efficient, etc. K7ABV here in Great Falls has a 2 ele Hy-gain and he does real well with it at 65' on his crank-up. One of the draw backs I've heard (not from him) is that it is narrower-banded than the cushcraft. It uses linear loading and the cush uses traps. BTW, I did the W6QHS mods on the 402cd, I probably have another $100 into it than I bought it for. I am using the Hy-Gain boom to mast clamp which I ordered from hy-gain for $30 plus all the extra tubing which I got from Texas Towers. I bolted the element plates to the boom and used wood dowel for the boom ends/center, etc. I also extended the boom 6.5" on the reflector end to compensate for the balun. Read chapters 6 and 11 of Physical Design of Yagi Antennas by W6QHS if you haven't already. He talks alot about the 402cd. Matt--AA7BG * * * Simple....its the best value...ie performace/price I just built and put up a pair of full size 3el 40's on 48ft booms....300lbs+ each and I'm not sure yet if they do much btr than my 2el cush at 115"...the three's are at 82 and 162'.....the aluiminum alone for these 2 big three's cost $2600......I think the 2el cush's sell for abt $400 each.... * * * Steve, ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do and not TRY.....others. I just put up my 2nd 40-2CD. This one is the lower stack of two 402-CDs. One is at 134 ft the other is @ 67ft. I've read the literature, talked to W6QHS many times, talked to W1JR, and many many others. Put up the 40-2CD, it's proven..Or, talk to the very few who have the Force12 monobander 3 ele on 30 ft boom. 'lil better performance, but only a couiple stations have actually had it up in the winter (Here in Maryland, we get one ice storm per winter. Ice with 1/2 in radial ice on elements, that is.) I'd like to know if Force 12 antenna will survive in that routinely at numerous stations in the east before I buy one for nearly $1K . Buy the 40-2CD and add the W6QHS ++ modifications. * * * I have the Cushcraft 40-2CD like everyone else. Love it. Put it up in Dallas and dropped it straight down via broken crankup motor. Bent boom and last end element pieces. Replaced center boom insert, rotated elements so new droop was up instead of down and re-installed. Now same beam is here in Fla. Works great. I have a partial box of HyGain three element forty. Did you know that it has a set of rats nest alumn. wires that mount on standoffs parallel to the elements? !!! They don't show that in the adverts!!! Stick to the Cushcraft. de K4VUD * * * I have played/used/installed all the above except the Force12 stuff. As a matter of fact, I have never seen one. (I have been out of contesting for college and getting the career going) You want to have a stack with a tribander. Absolutely do not use the KLM 40s. I have an KT-34XA and a 4 element 40 KLM on a 100ft rohn 25 tower. They have been up for 7 years or so. The XA has NO pattern on 15. The KLM 40 has a tuning thangy of some sort on 15 that makes the pattern on the XA equivalent to a dummy load. I have to say that KLM 40 has stood up pretty well. I beefed the boom up, etc, etc. I finally lost an element 2 years ago and I have not fixed it. Also, a stack like the above eats rotators like they are going out of style. I would like to use a Telerex rotator but they won't fit in Rohn 25. I tried Diawa, HDR-300, etc, etc and built a homebrew double worm, etc. It snapped the gear box in a tornado! So, what am I going to do? Leave the XA, pull the 40 down and stick it behind the barn until I feel like messing with it again. Put a HDR-300 that I have up. Buy a new 40-2CD Cushcraft. Take it up and down the tower a couple of times to get everything right. Then...don't worry about anything. It will be a reliable installation and the only thing I have to worry about is rebuilding the HDR-300 every couple of years. Hy-gain 40s. They don't have the bandwidth of the Cushcraft. The construction doesn't do much for me. I have had the insulators toast on the 402BA. Moseley 3 element 40. It looks like an after thought. The coils in the middle of the elements ALWAYS have problems. The antenna is too heavy for what you get. Telerex 40 - Big mother. If you get one, you need to tune the elements a tad or they will break off about 18 inches from the end. No kidding, we tested and have proved it many times by having to work on them. Get a big rotator. Home Brew 40's - I have worked on a number of full size 3 element 40s. You might want to look up N5RM's 40 in CQ mag about 10 years ago. We call it the Flame Thrower. Steve Taylor, K5MR has it now. GET A SERIOUS ROTATOR. Summary: If you have big rotator and want to fix them atleast once a year, put up a 3 element full size. The KLM 4 element 40 is much lighter than the full sizes but works just about as well and doesn't eat rotators as bad as the full sizes. I am going to put up a pair of Cushcrafts for reliability. WHen I have some time to waste, I am going to rebuilt the KLM and eliminate those damn mounts/ insulators. I will put it on it's own tower at 120 ft (so I can work on it!). Don't even think of putting a 15 mtr antenna near a KLM 40. I didn't listen and I wish I had. I am in Japan for another 18 hours and taking the 40 down when I get back is close to the top of my list. Do yourself a favor, buy the Cushcraft. I have to say thumbs up to the Cushcraft. BTW: It has better bandwidth than the Hy-Gain. My KLM 40 has been a good antenna. I am just sick of fixing all kinds of junk. I want reliable. Repairs suck. 73, Darin Davinia * * * The sense that I get from the various comments on 40m antennas is that performance wise it's not bad (big step up from a dipole, small step down from full size 3 elt), but the strong point is that is very small and rugged so it stays up with low maintenance. Force 12 is still new enough to lack a long record of durability (though the possibilities certainly seem good). More than two elements on any 40m antenna pushes the envelope on towers and rotators (and even hauling it up) as mass, wind load and turning radius go up fast. There's a lot of $ in those next couple of dBs! I wish I had as much as a 40-2CD up! All I've got is the 40m add on to the A3 (at least I can rotate to null out noise). Darrel KI6VY * * * >Why does every contesting ham in the known universe use a Cushcraft >40-2CD 40M Yagi? Because (1) K1GQ designed it (and he edited the W2PV book); (2) K1GW builds it (and he's a nice guy); (3) K1AR used one early on, fixed on EU at 70', and blew away everyone else; (4) They stay up in the winter in New England; and (5) the rest of the world follows the lead of the YCCC. It's a marketing phenomenon. Get the opinion leaders to buy into your product and the rest of the world will follow. Fred Hopengarten, K1VR * * * I too followed much the same path to enlightenment as you are traveling. Feel the sincerity of my words as I say to you that unless you live on the east coast or California or know where that secret place all good beams go to die is (for spare parts), stick with the 40-2CD. It's cheap, it's sturdy, it works. It's not as good as a full sized 3 or 4 element ether ripper, but you'll sleep better at night. I base this on the experience I had this summer. I built a 4 element 66 foot boom monster out of irrigation pipe. It didn't last through the first windstorm. Yeah I know....irrigation pipe is a no-no...but it was free....and it was only 30' up. I took it down and took it over to the scrap dealer. Gary K7FR * * * >Why does every contesting ham in the known universe use a Cushcraft 40-2CD >40M Yagi? Because for the money, performance, windload, bandwidth and size the 40-2CD is a great antenna. >Have you had any experience with commercial 40M Yagis besides the >Cushcraft? I have used the old hy-gain 2 ele yagi - good antenna except that it had poorer bandwidth than the cushcraft and the insulators for the driven element were known to die often. I think that hy-gain has a bad rep. as a result of this 40m antenna and it is my guess that that keeps folks away from their current 40m antennas. I have used a 3ele telerex on a 46' boom - great antenna but it is HUGE/BIG/HEAVY/NEEDS A REAL ROTATOR ETC. I know that the 40-2cd is not as loud as a fullsized 3 ele yagi - but two of them almost get you that signal. I dont find it worth the extra hassle for the signal gain. George Fremin III WB5VZL * * * I have the big 3 element Telrex 400-3-46 yagi (3 el on a 46 foot boom) at 120 feet. It works great-really great. However it took me three months work and a crew of six guys 8 hours on a Saturday to erect it. I worried about it, and it presents a large load on the 120 foot 45G tower. The Cushcraft 402CD seems to give about 80% of the results of the 40-3-46 with a lot less weight and size. One can stack them easily. They don't present the huge burden of worry to erect. Cushcraft seems to have been able to get a high percentage of the performance with a lot less pain and strain. Jim George N3BB/5 * * * Pretty simple -- the 402CD gives the most performance for the buck on 40M. It's also pretty reliable and you can turn it with a Ham IV or T2X. Yes, the KLM's are fragile and the Hy-Gain's don't perform very well. Hey, not every Hy-gain antenna is a classic. The Force 12 antennas have lots of mechanical and electrical advantages. They are relatively lightweight so you don't need the heavy duty rotator, tower, rigging gear, etc. to install one. It's the only 3L 40M beam that I've been able to pick up myself. Building a 2L 40 is pretty simple; it's when you go to 3 elements that everything ratchets up a notch. 73, Steve K7LXC * * * The Cushcraft 40 mtr ant is the defacto standard because: 1. they work well... 2. by fixing the common problems, i.e Boom ends, trap pop rivets and cap hat clamps, they will stay up and work a long time... As for the Hy-Gain Discoverer 1, 2, and 3 el 40 mtr ant's I am not sure why this ant never became popular. I have had the 2 element and now the three element for 8 yrs.. I had one mechanical failure -- ICE storm day B-4 the CQ CW test in 93. I lost 7 yagi ant's and all the wires.. the radial ice on the ants was 3 inches in dia on a 2 inch boom and 3/4 inches dia on a 7/16 element end with 40 to 50 mile an hour wind gusts.... The SWR at feed point of my 3 element @ 100 ft on it's own tower has a 2:1 point at 6.750mhz and 7.200mhz... not too bad for a shortened yagi.. The ant works well, can live with a Tailtwister rotor... Other hams who I know who own Hy-gain's are WT3Q,W8FJ,W2REH.. One reason IMHO the HY-GAIN 40mtr ant isn't popular has to do with the BAD ,VERY BAD reputation of the old 402BA. With the burning out of driven element insulators during the heat of battle or misqued switch 15 mtr or 20mtr rf.. You became very efficent at replacing them on the tower.... As far as the KLM they work well electrialy...How to overcome the problem of KEEPING them up and running....... plus the 4 element job is a rotor croker. You need BIG class rotor or prop pitch to keep it turning... 73' Wayne KY3N.. * * * It is VERY SIMPLE... The 40-2CD works real good. No, I mean REAL #$%^& GOOD. In dollars per pound per ease of installation per db per performance it is absolutely the best there is. I have done the W6QHS mods to mine and I recommend them highly. I have used KLM 4-el, Telrex 3-el full size, and also homebrew monsters. Yes, all of these are better than a 40-2CD, but you gotta have a big tower and a big rotator and a big installation crew and a bigger wallet. If you can have anything you want, use a full size 3-ele on a 46' boom. If you must be frugal, try a 40-2CD (or better, 2 in a stack). Good luck! Randy Thompson, K5ZD * * * I'm using a Cushcraft 2 el 40 10 feet above a TH7 on my Rohn 25 tower.... Top 2 ele 40 is at 112 ft and TH7 is at 102 ft.....Last through almost 8 years of Major winds here ( 90+ MPH at least 2-3 times a year!). * * * I love my Cushcraft because it plays and has survived 90 mph tornado winds (with reinforced first sections in each element). I sold a KLM 4L40 for the very reasons you cited. I simply could not motivate myself to rebuild it with the prospect of annual maintenance and expensive rotor requirement. W8FJ uses a 3 element Hy-gain with good results. The old HY-gain 40M beams had both electrical and mechanical deficiencies which may account for their lack of popularity...and the fact that Hy-Gain does not really push this antenna. * * * Steve, my only comment is that the 40-2CD is a good antenna. I had one up in YB for almost 4 years, with no "strengthening" and it did very well, in spite of a direct lighting strike which made the coil look like some of the females current hairdo's (combed with an egg beater). This was was repaired by a local by rewinding the same numbe rof turns of the same size wire and measured only with a DVM to get allmost exact resistance. When reinstalled worked great The 40-2CD has a good band width 7.000-7.250 w/o need for a tuner and I managed over 100 countries on 17 meters, and many on 12 meters with it. It will do this without a tuner if you will accept SWR of about 1.8:1 on 17 and 2:1 on 12. Why did I replace the KT34 XA and 40-2CD ?? Well I wanted better 80 meter antenna than my qtr wave slopers. (I had a TH7DXX in YB under the 40-2cd). With about 115 worked and confirmed on 80/75, I now have a Force 12 C4XL and a rotatable Force 12 80 meter dipole. The 40 meter portion does not have the band width of the 40-2CD, nor will it perform on 12/17, although the C4XL does, albeit with a tuner. Another season will tell if this was a good decision HI. So far the 80 dipole is quieter than the slopers and I get better reports with it on distances of 900 and 2000 miles - will see about more this winter I hope. 73 Bob W7TSQ * * * HYGAIN: I've been using a hy-gain db240 for the past 20 years. It's a linear loaded 2el 40m beam...the reflector just short of 50 feet...and a full size 3el 20m beam, all on the same boom. At the present time it is on the ground for maintenance and I hope to have it back up fot the cq cw test. It has an added bonus in that it works better than a full sized 4 el on 12m! The Qth is on top of a hill and the summer winds here are often stronger than 60 knots. Its a great antenna! 40m score 335 confirmed. 73 es dx de Mike VK6HD@msn.com * * * GI0KOW uses a Hy-Gain 402BA (yes it's old, but it works). This thing is at 100 feet stacked above a homebrew 20M yagi (40 ft boom) which is at 92 feet. These are on a 90 foot freestanding mast, again homebrew (with a homebrew rotator). The base of the mast is seven feet square. There is about nine cubic yards of concrete in the base !!! The 402BA works very well. I made over 1000 QSO's with it in last years CQWW CW, in the SOAB HP unassisted category to lift 2nd in EU. It gets quite windy in GI-land.... regularly every year we get 70+ mph wind, but NO (or very little) ice loading. So far NO problems with the 40M yagi. I wouldn't be so trusting of a Cushcraft 40-2CD. Eventually the 402BA will be taken down and a full size 3 element will be put up (homebrew, of course), but for the time being the 2 element is doing just fine. 73's Andrew Williamson, GI0NWG/AC6WI * * * Contrary to popular belief, there DOES exist some amateurs using the HyGain 40m yagis. Jack, W9KDX, has a 2el Discoverer on a 70' crankup. He does very well with it. I have used it many times during the past two ARRL DX CW multiops that he has hosted. I can say that this antenna does indeed work very well, and has held up to Midwest winter wx without a peep. 73, Charlie KD5PJ/9 kd5pj@chasind.com * * * I am a great lover of Hy-gain antennas and presently use a TH6DXX. I think that the 204BA is the finest lightweight 20m monobander available. I have used it as the reference for a large 20m monobander that I built... of the ultra rugged variety. I have to tell you this because otherwise you might think that I had an ulterior motive for what follows! The Discoverer 7-3 is a mechanical nightmare. When it is working it works fine BUT the problem is to keep it working. If you wanted to design an antenna that was sure to fail, this is how you would go about it. The linear loading 'wires' are an abomination. They come in many pieces, I've forgotten how many, and the wires are bent and then bolted together. Different metals all over the place. The construction is also quite flimsy and the first big wind will take it out. It was used as a 7-2 at the 8P qth and just one year ago was rebuilt as a 7-3. It's about 100 feet above ground on Rohn 25 and works well when it works but........... It's such a great pity since those of us who are old enough remember that Hy-gain used to make what they called DX-Long-John antennas (and I don't mean the present crop) which were truly great. As I remember the 40m 3 element had a 46 foot boom which was 4 inches diameter and all the fittings were absolutely fantastic. The elements were maximum 2.5 inches diameter and the total weight was 250 lbs. There were five antennas in the series, the 204B, 205B, 403B, 106B and the 155B; the numbers are pretty self explanatory. The shipping weight for thr 403B was 300lb and the shipping volume 21.9 cu. ft. I've just found the Jan 1967 catalogue which lists the antennas. The 403B cost $1150 at that time! 73, Chris Pedder G3VBL/8P9EM * * * We have a Hygain 3 el 40M at 90 ft in Barbados at our 8P9Z site and it works very well. We previously had it in the 2 el version and bought the upgrade kit. Physically, it is not strong and the linear load wires are a problem. I would not replace it with another one of its type. The cushcraft 40M droops alot, and, unless reinforced with the QHS fix, would not be my next choice. Actually, we are interested in the Force 12 40M beam as a future replacement antenna, but I know zip about it, so far. If you should opt for a Hygain 40M, you should look for ways to beef it up before placing it on the tower, and that would not be easy. * * * I have used a Hy-gain Discoverer 7-3 since 1989. It is tuned for CW and it really works well at the bottom of the band. But it may be "overtuned;" it seems to perform much worse up on phone. I would also recommend the Force 12 40m beam if you don't have a tower or rotator that can handle the Hy-gain 3 element model. The Cushcraft 2-ele 40m beam is not a good performer. 3 elements on 40 always seems to work much better than any 2 element beam. * * * Well Steve, now you know a ham using a 2el Hygain Discoverer. I love it. Used to be the 3el but with its 35' boom it tore up my poor HAM IV and got caught up in a tree thru part of its rotation so I converted it back to a 2el and stacked a 5el 10M yagi above it on 56' of Rohn 25. It was a bit narrowbanded. 73, Mark K0EJ * * * Though I am not very active in operating contests anymore, I have a 3 element HyGain Discoverer up. I has been up at 115 feet for about 10 years now and I have never taken it down for maintenance. It still works like it did the day I put it up. It replaced an older HyGain 402BA which I used for about 20 years and was used when I got it. (I still have it in storage!) Like all short 40 meter beams, it is narrow banded and you have to decide whether to optimize it on cw or phone. I chose cw and it acts like a dipole on phone. I am not disappointed when I consider the alternative (full size beam). Right now, it does need a little work. It seems one of the boom bolts is working its way out and has about 1/4 inch to go. Of course I can't reach it from the tower and will have to at least take the beam loose from the mast and bring it in where I can reach it. I used the standard HyGain hardware. Next time I will used locking nuts or double nut the boom bolts. There does not seem to be any way to use a bolt, lock washer, and single nut and get the whole thing tight enough to stay put without crushing the boom. So, bottom line, I like the 3 element version of the HyGain Discoverer and I have no idea why it isn't more popular. Stan w7ni@teleport.com * * * I guess I don't know why you haven't heard from some of my fellow HyGain Discover 7-1, 7-2, or 7-3 owners/users. I purchased the 7-3 model eleven years ago, put it together without difficulty, and mounted it on the top of 80 feet of Rohn 25G. The antenna is actually 85 feet above the ground. It took alot of care putting it together making sure that all connections were tight and weather sealed. Getting it up on the tower was no mean task. It's a "shortened" antenna, but with three 45-foot elements on a 35-foot boom it is a monster. I did manage to get it up there though with only one ground person to help me. How do I like it??? I love it ! I modified the element lengths a bit to make it resonate on 7015 rather than 7050 since I'm a cw man. Since putting it up I've worked 316 countries on 40M. 40M is much like 20M with the antenna. I hear things lots of people don't hear, and I work everything I hear. I consistently beat out kilowatts running my exciter bearfoot (100 watts). Long path propagation on 40M is nothing short of phenominal. It's a facet of 40M you can't begin to appreciate without a yagi. The antenna has been up without a single problem for eleven years. It's not as straight as it was when it first went up, but it's been through one hurricane and numerous summertime squall lines/thunderstorms. I'm planning on taking it down next spring, rebuilding it with new hardware and insulator materials, adding 20 feet of Rohn 25G, and reinstalling it at the new height. If I had to do it all over again, I'd buy another one! I am the 40M operator at KY3N, one of the Frankford Radio Clubs big multi-multi stations. Wayne has the Discover 7-3 at 100 feet for his 40M antenna. It plays very well at his QTH. We compete very well with the other FRC multi-multi stations even though they have full-sized 40M monsters. Wayne did have a problem with a break in one of the linear loading hairpins two years ago, but that's been his only difficulty with the antenna. His is tuned for 7050 and performs better than mine does up in the ssb portion of the band. I guess it's only drawback might be its compressed band width. I think the reason why so many of the good contest ops use the Cushcraft 2el yagi is because it's a proven performer, and it's smaller and more manageable than the HyGain antenna. It's also less expensive. How the Discover 7-2 compares with the Cushcraft I don't know. Now at least you have some info on something besides the Cushcraft. I'm sure you can tell that I love my Discover 7-3! 73/dx de John, W8FJ * * * I formerly used a 2-el Hygain (Discoverer Series, I think it's called) tuned for cw. Farther up the band, it acted like a dipole. I don't want to give away that much performance this time. * * * KLM: Guess everybody in the free world doesn't use the Crushcraft - as you doubtless have heard. Knock on aluminum (or more precisely, Lexan) but my 2-el 40m KLM has been up in VA since 1981 with essentially zero maintenance. I took it down in '88 when I put up a KT-34XA with it, and at that time, I changed the old matching network/balun to a transmission line transformer but, other than that, it still has it's original black plastic insulators (and so does the 34XA for that matter). I'm on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge mountains and we rarely get super-high winds, but we do get ice during the winter. The antenna has survived ice that just about had the element tips vertical and has also survived a thunderstorm-related microburst that was in excess of 100 mph - that one took out perhaps 100-200 trees in a 1/4 mile wide swath that was about three miles in length. That one was first thought to be a tornado, but all the trees were laid out the same direction (including a large oak in my back yard) - hi! Don't know what the KLMs would do with radial ice AND high wind. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I don't seem to have the mechanical problems with KLM antennas that others have reported. And they play great. That said, I just broke ground on the new house just outside of town on 75+ acres, and we expect to be moved in by next spring. And I have not one, but two, Telrex, full-size, 3-el 40 meter yagis in the barn that will eventually be stacked on a 145 foot stick. So I reckon I'll fall into the 300#, quasi-military camp that your e-mail mentioned. Wanna' good deal on a 2-el 40 KLM? geo - n4ua * * * I used a KLM 2el 40m beam mounted about 7' above a KLM 6el 20m for about 5.5 years (when I was DA2ER). It worked very well. I was on a ridge and got some big, confused winds at times. The elements flexed quite a bit (2' or more at the ends) but were never damaged. When I finally took it all down, I saw that one of the spacers had cracked and one had migrated along the element. I think if one does as KLM suggests in the manual and makes sure the spacers are real loose on the elements and linear loading elements and "fixes" the spacer position (I used tape and this didn't work too well. I would suggest a couple of element clamps on either side of the spacer), things should hold together well. I never did any maintenance on the antenna. Can't say the same thing about the HDR-300! Hope this helps. Bob, W9UI * * * No problems with my KLM after two years. We don't have any ice problems here, though. I really like its performance. 73 de John, WA5TWL * * * My friend Jerry WM2V and I have just completed the construction of a KLM 40M4 (4 el). I'm a true KLM fan, and have had a few kt34's (two xa's). I like the way they look, and I like putting them together (must be some genetic flaw). I especially like the dual driven elements which create more gain than other 4-element, single driven antennas (according to KLM). I like the open air design of the linear loaded elements, and appreciate the excellent construction manuals, and steady customer support. KLM's PERFORM. Since I have replaced EVERYTHING I had up with this installation (which, wx permitting, will be up in the air this wknd) due to an aluminum tower failure, I am quite excited abt the prospects of pumping up on 40. I am quite familiar with the many stories and cautionaries accorded the big KLM. Not being tower climbers we decided to make sure it wouldn't shake itself apart, as reputed. What we did was rivet every splicing strap and most of the element sections with 1/8 rivets. Feels good (looks great, too). Then we added a side truss to prevent it from dancing the polka in the wind (I've watched my xa do this and it is a bit scary, but it NEVER suffered any failure as a result). Frankly, we expect it to stay up as long as the tower does. And we expect it to perform VERY well. But that remains to be seen. Good luck, CU in the pileups next month. PS: My xa and 402CD all came tumbling down last winter during a wind storm here on Long Island, NY. 73 de Jeff WA2SYN * * * I have had my 4l klm up 5 years now.... 1st two years it needed mainetenance, element broke off at boom to element clamp, elements teneded to work their way out and fall out of first elemtn section..... took it down 3 years ago and reinforced the element joints with a single self-tapping screw at each joint, it has been fb since. It is VERY loud at 100 feet..... my rotor wore out, but KLM still working. Insulate the X feeding system with garden hose. * * * I have used a KLM 3 ele 40 mtr yagi for 12 years. And it was used when I put it up. It's on a Rohn 45 at the 120' level. We don't have extrememly high winds here, but it does get a bit nasty at times. So far, I haven't experienced any mechanical trouble. By the way, the boom length is 32'. I have it centered at the bottom of the CW band at approx 7125. The VSWR in the phone band is not good. Above 7180, the VSWR rises above 2to 1, so I don't run any high power to it there. When I first put it up, I had a problem with the match which turned out to be a bad cap in the matching at the driven element. I ordered a new one (door knob type) from KLM, replaced it, and have not had a problem with that since. The antenna appears to play very well. I usually don't have any problem breaking pile ups and signals are very strong and impressive when compared to a full size vertical which has 100 radials. I also have an 'XA above it at 130'. It also works well even tho the two have the booms in alignment. KLM advised me to put them at right angles when I put them up, but I couldn't stand to see them crossed. The VSWR pattern on both antennas is right on the money. I'm a satisfied customer with this antenna. I only wish it was the 4 ele version which would give me coverage of the phone band. I have a good friend that uses the HyGain 2 ele 40 mtr yagi. His is located at 70' on a Rohn 25 with a TH6DX below it at 60'. It has been up approx 8 years with no mechanical problems. This antenna works well too, and he is very happy with it. Good luck with your project. 73, Rod W7ZRC * * * M2: I have a M2 3el 40m beam that I like very much however I have noticed that when the wind blows, the swr starts looking like an AC signwave. I sent a fax to K6MYC but never received a reply. Anyone have any suggestions on how to keep the tuning rods from moving around so much? Mike says thats the problem but didn't have a solution when I talked to him last year in Visalia. This year I'd like to get this problem solved before winter is here. * * * I did much the same as you, for a year of agonizing.... Even talked with John, ON4UN on the phone for half an hour... Decided I didn't have the time and energy to build my own... I purchased the M2 (4 element)... It is a bit pricey, but built like the proverbial brick outhouse... all machined fittings from bar stock, no tin stampings, stainless hardware... It has been through a michigan winter with an inch of ice and a recorded 76mph night, that actually bent the wind recording tower at the local airport... It was inspected this summer and looks exactly as it did when put up last summer, without any sign of stress or damage... Electrically it covers the entire band at less than 1.6:1... my contesting crew refers to it as "The Cannon", because they say it blows holes in every pileup they point it at... You could do a lot worse than an M2.. * * * TELREX: I would be interested in your responses. I have also noticed the Cushcraft seems to be somewhat dominent in popularity. I have never used a 40m Cushcraft. I've used one of the old Mosley 2 element center loaded yagis, a linear loaded KLM 40M-3, and now a full sized 2 element Telrex. Both the Mosley and KLM had to be tuned for phone or CW part of the band, but the Telrex works fine for both modes. Actually, I tuned the KLM for phone and had element tips that I added for CW contest. Now that I have used the full sized 2 element Telrex, I don't think I'll ever go back to the shortened elements. I think the performance between the KLM and the Telrex are very similar. Or, at least, not noticible in the pileups. The maintenance is much lower on the Telrex here on the coast. * * * Have never had a Cushcraft 40, or any other Cushcraft monobanders. Do have three 2-el Telrex forties and a Hy-Gain Discover 7-2. Also have several homebrew 3-el 40 yagis. Only ones I've had up so far are a single 3-el 40 at 70' and 2/2 Telrexes at 170/80'. All are currently down, the 3-el because I increased that tower to 160', the 2/2 for maintenance and installation of a ringrotator for the bottom one. The Hy-Gain I took down at another guy's place. It seemed to work well for him. I listened on it some. A couple locals that I know of who have Hy-Gains are K3SA and KA4RRU. 73 - Rich Boyd, KE3Q * * * FORCE 12: I had the 2L Hy-Gain Discoverer up for several years in Phoenix. The Bandwidth was OK, but I thought the insulators supporting the linear loading wires were flimsy. I had a problem with the insulators that grasp the inner ends of the driven element; the insulator clamps that held the insulators didn't hold them tightly enough, and one started to come out. I replaced it with a 3L Force 12 when I moved to New Mexico. It looks flimsy, but it's survived so far this monsoon season. I bought the "D," model, which is rated for 100 mph. The bandwidth is great (1.8 at 7000, 0W reflected at 7145, and 1.75 at 7250). The smaller windloading appealed to me, as I didn't want to overload the tower. It seems to have very good F/B and F/S. I'm happy. I did tape the exposed fiberglass with electrical tape to miminize UV degradation. * * * I have Force 12 EF420/240 and 4BA antennas in box in my garage waiting on a new HDX555 crank up tower. The F12 antennas sure look top notch mechanically. I hope they perform half as good as they look! This gives me 3 el on 10, 12, 15, 17; 4 on 20 and 2 on 40. You may want to consider the same config. Both together weigh only 115 pounds and I have not heard anything negative about them so far. Good luck and DX, Dave in WV K8MBH * * * DX ENGINEERING: I would recommend the DX Engineering 3 element. It is rugged and full size, yet weighs less than the KLMs. Bill has cut back his antenna making, but I think he still makes 40s. Have used them at KC7EM (stack of two) and N7AVK, as well as a four element at AA6TT (He won't build another one!) and they are really fabulous antennas. Drop Bill a line, his email is bills@halsey.com. * * * You have been doing all the correct gyrations, perusing, computing and cogitating necessary to become appropriately confused regarding antennae. in this case your object is the 40M band. My mystery was solved by installing a DX Engineering 40M 3 element full size beam. A peer installed one at the same time (KC7EM). I could wax eloquently about what it does.. but you might consult most any of the results of recent DX Contests. The recent CQWW SSB results for '95 is a fine example. See who took top in Zone 3 S/O,A/B, or 40M single band. KC7EM now has a couple of the beams. A lot of the successful stations use DX Engineering antennae. Info may be obtained from N0XX/7 at bills@halsey.com No..I don't own the company, but I like the product. Its sold mostly now word of mouth. To turn a full size 3 element 40 + a significant tri-bander would require a Create RC5B-3, HDR-300, Yaesu 2800 or the large Emoto. A Create RC5A-3 might turn it...but would it would be a stress. The only mast I'd use would be chrome-Moly. Tommy Taormina, K5RC sells them. i have 3 or 4 of them up now...they'll last longer than I will! He has an ad on the NCJ or I'll send you his address if you want. If you want to anonymously paraphrase my initial response That would be OK...Something like n7avk and kc7em use the DXE beam and they win a lot. Anywaybe glad to answer any questions. I've made almost all of the mistakes already..!! 73 and I remain, Lew Sayre N7AVK (with Lew's approval, I paraphased the above as follows; PLEASE direct all comments to Lew!): >"N7AVK, who wished to be identified simply as "Emporer of the Ether and > Imperial Master of the Airwaves", attributes his receiver-crushing signal > and astronomical scores on 40M to his DX Engineering antenna. "Lesser > mortals may use other antennas, but only DX Engineering radiates a signal > worthy of my stature as 'Master of the Known and Unknown Reaches of the > Ionosphere'", said the Imperial Master N7AVK." Steve...Thats perfect! I wish I had written that..!!! As Superman's Boss once said to Jimmy, "Thats a wrap... print it!!" I'll have to now change my signature file to reflect my newly recognized position as "Exalted Master of the Vapors" as you have so adroitly denoted. Eagerly awaiting the 40M Beam summary, I remain, Lew Lew Sayre N7AVK lew@teleport.com * * * WILSON: The only experience I have is with a 2 element full size Wilson. Its about 90# and 12 ft^2. I was 13 years old when I got it and I put it up myself. 24 years later I still have the antenna...Not much to go wrong with a full size antenna. I recently got permits for 2 crank-up towers so will be putting it back up again... My observations are that: 1. it covers the entire band -- no 3:1 nonsense 2. it blows away the shortened antennas. If you can, go full size...Your tower can easily take it. The performance difference is well worth it. As short 40m beams go, don't forget about the Mosley the M2. For full size, DXE would be a good start or do it yourself... Kindest Regards & Good Luck -Mike (AK6N) * * * QUAD: >Why does every contesting ham in the known universe use a Cushcraft 40-2CD >40M Yagi? There can be only two possible answers: 1. The QRK is extremely competitive. 2. They haven't heard of Quads! Seriously though, it's amazing how many guys spend a fortune on commercial yagis when a Quad can but put together virtually from junk - and beat the pants of a yagi twice the size. I know.... there are loads of places in the US where WX conditions totally rule out Quads (several guys have lashed me about that) but, given a reasonably sheltered spot, I'd go for a Quad any day. A friend of mine a mile away runs a 4-el KT34 at over 100ft. My 2-el Quad at 60 ft beats him any day on most paths. I'm NOT a technician and threw my Quad together largely with more luck than judgement. If a complete moron can produce a really effective antenna, imagine how it would perform if some switched-on guy tweaked it up on an antenna range! Vy 73 de Bren (First G4+3 to reach #1 Slot - thanks to the Quad!) * * * END