Mosley MP-33-NW SWR Tests and Install at WX0V
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- Опубліковано 24 лис 2024
- Part 2 of the Mosley MP-33-NW yagi antenna. This video shows the SWR tests and some of the installation at my station. It is intended for those interested in this antenna; might be a little dry for others. Also see the build video:
• Mosley MP-33-NW yagi a...
#MosleyElectronics
#MP33NW
#TA33JRWARC
OMG!! Seeing a Coleco Quarterback for the first time in 40+ years was worth watching the video alone!! The hours I spent! What a blast from the past! When was that, the early 80’s?
Anyway…thanks for the video. I enjoyed the “ride along” for the antenna build. Very interesting. 73
Glad you enjoyed the flashback...was tempted to sample some audio from some You Tube videos on the CQ but held back...felt that was too much. I just realized the initials are "CQ"...can't make this stuff up...73! de WX0V
One thing I noticed after installing this yesterday was that the mast pipe was touching the phasing bar when built to instructions. We were baffled and brought the instruction manual up on the boom. Everything was correct. Had to slide the boom over 1 inch while up at 60 ft. Good times. VE3WF
There is not much clearance there to be sure. That must have been a real task doing that at height, but, at least the MP-33-NW doesn't weight that much, as opposed to other beams. Your install (via your emailed image) looks great! Have fun and 73! de WX0V
Super entertaining video.....I purchased a TA-33 JR Mosley from a friend in 2014 and in putting it up I lost control of her and it went to the ground... that aluminum shattered all over hell and it was out at the curb for trash pick up the next day....yes I was a rookie back then....
Sorry about your 2014 experience...these antennas are lightweight, but that makes it easy to lose control of them. Kinda surprised that didn't happen to me to a greater exent during this install. I gave you a ❤ for your comment, and here's an extra ❤ for the Bichon in your avatar (at least I *think* it's a Bichon)...73! de WX0V
That fried trap! Nor gonna lie. I've pushed the limits on mine on several occasions. Enjoyed the video! Happy DX to you and 73!
Just be careful how hard and how many times you push your traps...could end up like mine...and no, they are NOT covered under warranty! 😀 Thank you and 73! de WX0V
You can use a rope to suspend it from the tree, and use plastic twine to keep it level. You'd likely need a longer coax...
Interesting suggestion...there wasn't a branch that I could have easily accessed in this case, but I have considered supporting a 6m beam via your method...just have not tried it. 73! de WX0V
Good WX0V, my antenna also have SWR Out of the band, i regulated in coils (increasing or decrasing turns) and now all bands have the swr in center of bands. Very labourious but the antenna works very very great after this adjustments. Congrats for the video, PY2DS
Hello and thanks for your comment. Another viewer of this video sent me an email directly and he had a similar issue with 15m, and he felt it was a stray metal fragment in one of the traps. He saw this when he opened the trap in question. I may have had a similar situation as my 15m SWR is now perfect. I noted this while transmitting one day as the SWR shifted. My guess a metal fragment broke loose (perhaps it heated up...not sure) during that TX cycle. It has been perfect ever since. Probably not a bad idea for those purchasing this antenna to inspect the traps before installing it. Glad to hear you got your antenna working with the trap-re-work you did. 73! de WX0V
Hello! I have similar situation, I'm using CODE II and only 10m has the SWR correct, 20 and 15 have the lowest of the SWR below the band, I tried to move the driven element but it will move up 10m and that's something I don't want. My last option would be to decrease turns from the coil, something I don't like. Quick question, did you cut the rest of the wire when you found the right turns number? how did you keep the coil without losing tension, it seems hard? did you change only coils from the Driven element? How is the F/B of the antenna after you change the coils?
PY2DS, can you answer the question from @adriansaldana7127 ...I never changed the coils of my traps...thanks and 73!
@@adriansaldana7127 Another thing to check for is metal fragments in the traps. That happened to another who contacted me and I think I may have had a similar issue. My 15m SWR dip mysteriously changed and is now in a respectable part of the band. I think a metal fragment shook loose or was burned off during TX. Either way, it's good now. Since I did not modify my traps, I asked PY2DS to answer your question. Hope you get it resolved....73! de WX0V
@adriansaldana7127 yes, if you just change the codes it will change all the bands. As you have already set the SWR to 10 meters using the codes, and 15 and 20 are below the band, all that remains is to change the coil turns. The first thing to do is to be careful because an error in the coils and you will have to request another one from Mosley. The easiest way is to wrap insulating tape around the entire coil (except where it ends and you have to move it) and then the aluminum coils will stay firmly attached. You must remove the rivet and decrease it 1 CM by 1 CM until you find the resonance point on the band. Remember that the coil is divided into 2 internal parts, the part on the side of the boom is the 10 meter band that you already hit the element and the outside part (towards the end of the element) is the 15 meters.
I suggest that you only tune the coil of the radiating element as the difference is minimal and it is not worth changing the others. When reaching 15 meters, the 20 meter band will also rise, so measure by 20 if it is necessary to shorten it, if necessary, shorten the tip of the aluminum element at the end of the radiating element (cut 1 or 2 cm) so that the SWR increases better in the middle of the band. This is how I adjusted mine and now I have 1:1 on the 3 bands in the center of the band which gives me sensational performance. 73 de PY2DS
5 turns, 6in. Diameter. That's what I needed.
Plus one more other thing. Thanks for the fantastic video. I'm putting an old one together that was previously used, but Documented well. There are no more colors on the elements, so it has been a little difficult. Tnx again Sir. De KF5PV
In case you still need this, if you remove the trap covers, the color coding is likely still intact inside the traps. That was the case for my old TA-33-JR/WARC. 73! de WX0V
@@SuburbanDXing wow, tnx again. I have the reflector out to the last screw, but I need to move the "green" reflector out to the longest stetting.
@@paulkf5pv ...and don't be afraid to drill your own holes and adjust the lengths as you see fit. You can always go back to the stock ones. Just make sure to drill them facing downward...73! de WX0V
@@SuburbanDXing That's a good idea. I wish I was retired. if I was I bet I wouldn't own 6, 1kw+ tuners hihi I'm trying to do this on a 7 day work week.
@@paulkf5pv I understand...I also work full time...73! de WX0V
I’ve been testing my moe with a reference dipole. 15m is a real compromise on these yagis due to being the 3rd element. Barely edges out the wire dipole in all directions on 15. 20 and 10 is another story. I didn’t expect that on 15. Damn things work extremely well on 20m though
That's interesting because the forward gain on yagi antennas generally increases as you go higher in frequency (that is the case with Mosley). Why 20m would perform better than 15m makes no sense, unless there is some other factor in play. In the end, use what works best for you, however...73! de WX0V
New guy question. On roof mounted antenna like yours, what is being used for a ground radial? Thank You! WX0ST
Yagi antennas are similar to a dipole, with the driven element playing that role. So in this case, there is technically no "ground" radial (it's elevated). In a ground-mounted scenario, the ground radial is the other half of the dipole. 73! de WX0V
Did your anylizer agree with your reflected power? I guess you have to decide if want the system tuned or just the antenna.
There was an increase of bandwidth on 10m, which are likely feedline/system losses, but otherwise, the SWR curves to my radio and amp are very similar to what the AA-55 Zoom was saying. I ran some full legal limit tests and the SWR was well within range. Good question...73! de WX0V
Now, enjoy,👍🏻🇬🇧
Absolutely! Gosh, these things are a bunch of work...to be sure...73! de WX0V
Hi there i have a TA 33M series WARC, and that looks exactly the same as your MP 33, so whats the difference?, i put mine up in 2001 the vswr on that is pretty good on all bands, its mounted on a tower about 40 feet up, its set for the phone portion of the bands, i checked mine with and MFJ analizer, and use a Weltz meter in line and it always very low on all bands...i use RG213 coax, and have a coax wound choke like yours...mine performs really well on all bands...73 from Fred g4vvq in England..
Hello Fred, I seem to recall that the difference in the 2 antennas is the MP-33-NW is a lighter duty version of yours, with a weight of only 29 pounds. It uses the same traps as your antenna and has the same power handling.
My 15m SWR curve shifted in 2023 to a more favorable pattern. Mosley had some traps that may have had some metal fragments, which possibly caused an unintended curve, and I believe I had one of those and the metal fragment either fell off or burned off with heat. Either way, the antenna is operating well especially given the low height. Thank you for your comment and 73! de WX0V
@@SuburbanDXing Ok thanks, i hadn't actually heard of your model before, i am pleased with mine, had it up there a few years, it seems to match well, on 10mts its a bit low down towards the cb band but i can use the atu in the radio if i have to, it's good that Mosley say they can supply any parts for any of their antennas ever made..i had the d/e traps apart once but they seem ok inside, i normally only run 100 watts but do have an 800 watt amplifier, still withing the power limits..only use ssb anyway..have a good day from Fred in Uk.
Hello Fred...for some reason, You Tube blocked your comment. No idea why. I just set you to be approved for all comments. Anyway, sorry for the delayed response. 73! de WX0V
Scott, why did you decide on an antenna such as this, instead of a hexbeam?
73 de VE3GKT
Excellent question! I wanted a lightweight antenna, similar to the existing TA-33-JR-WARC, that had better power handling, and a reasonable boom length. Boom length is a very important component to a directional antenna, and that is an area where a Hex beam is lacking (where element spacing is measured in inches, not feet). Also, in my climate, I had concerns about the strength of a Hex beam (snow and ice build-up), and, with a large tree nearby, twigs and branches would certainly get caught in the web of it, versus just deflecting off an aluminum Yagi. I am rather certain a Hex beam would work better at the low height, but the disadvantages as noted above overruled that.
I also looked at other options, such as the Cushcraft MA6B, but the capacity hats bothered me, and the boom length is only 7 feet. The SteppIR Urbanbeam weighs way more than the MP-33-NW, and the boom length is 4 feet. The Cushcraft A3S fell short because of not having 17m and 12m, otherwise that would have been a consideration.
I actually stumbled upon the MP-33-NW; didn't even know it was there. Glad I found it, as for me, it was an ideal solution (despite not quite getting the SWR curve on 15m where I want it).
That said, I do NOT want to be a salesperson for Mosley...that is NOT what these videos are about (see any affiliate links?...nope)...they are there to show my build, install, and results of my particular install. This install may or may not work for others. If one is trying something similar, this video might assist them.
Again, excellent question...thank you and 73! de WX0V
@@SuburbanDXing I guess that makes sense, especially the bit about tree branches!
@@JosephVE3GKT In this video you can see the big Maple tree (at least 80 feet high; it supports my 80m WARE) behind the garage/antenna...if I put a Hex beam there, I'd be taking it down at least once every few months to clear branches, so no, not a viable solution. Still, your question was valid, so there you go...73! de WX0V
I think 2 element hex beams are overrated but you do get the warc bands
@Mike R Yes...and some Hex beams give you 6 meters as well, so they are a good solution for some, but not for me. 73! de WX0V
do you think you could hook this antenna to a eave mount?
I don't think so. The boom is 12 foot across and the elements are up to 27 feet long. That is asking a lot from an eave mount unless it is really beefed up. If you try it, I would at least keep the mast height real low. 73! de WX0V
@@SuburbanDXing thank you!
@@thomashenderson603 You might want to look into the "Mini" series from Mosley...those might work with an eave mount. 73! de WX0V
@@SuburbanDXing Thank you I will..
The tower is too short and 6m or 20ft is minimum for HF Opetation
Agreed, as you want your HF or 6m antennas as high as possible for them to be the most efficient. That said, my current DXCC Challenge score is 2,642 (1,528 of that total was worked using this tower), and my DXCC Mixed is 329, so if a tower is not possible, antennas at lower heights can work. 73 de WX0V
Frustrating or what! I had the same issue with my mini mosley, spends hours on end trying to tune, I find it crazy that mosley cannot provide an antenna that you put together and it is tunes.
So you are on day two of tuning? that is nuts! I will never buy a mosley again..
By the way your roof is coupling with antenna, so technically you are a few feet off the ground and not 20ft!
I would return that antenna, swr are no where , where they should
Thanks for your input. The reason for multiple days of tuning is I did this after work with limited daylight. The time to change from Code I to Code II was minimal. Experimenting with 17m and 12m took more time, of course.
Regarding where the MP-33-NW ended up, SWR-wise, which I do show in this video, works for me. Yes, I wish 15m was more centered but I am getting 1.7:1 or better on the business part of the band without an antenna match.
Nothing I can do about the roof coupling...it's a suburban compromise. However, as I show in the video, the TA-33-JR/WARC netted me over 1,400 DXCC Challenge slots, and most of those were before my first amplifier.
Thanks for your spirited comments...I appreciate the passion...73! de WX0V
Thanks for putting up the video, personally I'd be a bit disappointed with the SWR on 12 and I'd have to get 17 in the dip but that would make 12 worse, have to love the Rig Expert Zoom they are great aren't they, being able to see the dip makes tuning a lot easier, the old MFJ's are a joke compared to the Rig Expert, 73 and enjoy your new antenna,
@@fatboymotorsport Yeah, I would like to see the 15m and 12m dips centered, but when I am working J28MD on 12m CW and 15m CW with no antenna matching, I cannot complain. I would also like to see what this antenna would do at 50 feet, but oh well. I wanted a lightweight beam with higher power and a reasonable boom length, and the MP-33-NW is the one. Thanks for your comment and 73! de WX0V
@@SuburbanDXing Hi Scott, definitely not have a pop at you, but the amount of time and effort it takes to tune an antenna that is seemingly designed for 20-10M, yet there are so many discrepancies in your swr sweeps. Why aren't these antennas tested prior to leaving the factory. This is the main point I make and mostly directed to mostly than your station.
Good luck with antenna, and always like the content on your channel de Ei2iP/KD2ZZJ Robbie
No worries, Robbie. We're all good here. You are not going after me, you're going after the antenna, which is fair game. However, to be fair to Mosley, we are not seeing this antenna at the proper height. If this was at 50 feet and I was getting the SWR curves on 15m that I am seeing, yes, then there is a problem (and there might be...no way for me to know without getting a real tower). The SWR on 12m and 17m works just fine as it is...my adjustment cured that issue. Anyway, you take care, and 73! de WX0V