| K3MD |
Rating:     |
2020-11-01 | |
| Very well built, practical beam |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Have had this antenna up 10 years 2 feet above my Skyhawk and below yagis for 432, 222, 2, and 1296.
Initially there was some interaction with driven element on the Skyhawk, corrected by moving the CC 6M yagi back 1foot (i.e., toward the back of the beams).
A very sturdy beam, with more sturdy driven element than the 6M M2 beams. I have had 0 problems with RF in the shack, "due to the gamma match(?)".
With 700 to 1300W out from King Conversion SB-221 linear, commands the band. FT8 at 500W works FB, easy to work Eu. Got 175 endorsement on my 6M VUCC.
My tower will not support a 20 to 30 foot boom 6M yagi.
However, this small beam works FB.
It has survived 60-65 MPH winds (Sandy) with no problem.
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| KX2T |
Rating:     |
2020-06-04 | |
| Good for parts for building a 4 element version |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Had ordered this antenna so I could either assemble it as is or use it for parts to build a different configuration. Ended up making a 4 element six meter beam instead of the 5 as stock, once I modeled it on YagiCad I ended up doing 4 elements on a slightly smaller boom (10' instead of 12') giving better F/B and about equal forward gain but the end results was better gain between 50.0 to 51Mhz with almost ruler flat swr. Parts used are ok kinda like plumbers delight but at least SS hardware, gamma match is ok but for the sell price of $200 I didn't expect M2 quality. Final install was about 26' and haven't secured a rotor yet so arm-strong is the style thus far but the beam has brought lots of fun on six. When I first modeled and set it up on a 12' mast roped to a 6' fence post I worked station up and down the east coast as far as Maine and Canada on some of the openings plus its super quiet and allows me to use pre amp 2 on the 7610 to pull weak signals out with ease. The finished antenna on the 10' boom with 4 elements is a little over 8 pounds plus allot less wind load. Again its great for parts if you like to experiment, model and build VHF antennas. BTW I did try and use the 12' boom for 4 elements, the gain was slightly higher but the F/B went down over 10db, the 10' boom resulted with a overall better pattern. |
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| N3IBX |
Rating:      |
2014-08-02 | |
| Good DX Getter |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Hello, I am writing this to describe my experiences with the five element Cushcraft yagi after having the three element version up for a year. Firstly, the 5 element beam is more directional then the 3 element antenna so you'll be on your rotator more than the somewhat broad 3 element antenna. It more than makes up for this by getting more power into the airwaves. I haven't worked any Europeans from my FN20nh location yet, but am hoping to one day during a good E opening. I've noticed that some DX that used to take a lot more time to work in the pileups now only takes one or two calls for them to come back to me. Ground wave "line of sight" seems to be a little over 100 miles where on the 3 element it was approaching 100 miles. This of course depends on conditions, but I can reliably work around 100 miles every day.
Overall, for the money ($189.95) as of this writing, it is a good value. I would recommend this antenna tas a move up from a smaller antenna or as a excellent starter antenna for 6M work.
Did I mention that it can be turned with a small TV type rotor obtainable for $100 or less?
Hope to work you on six meters! |
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| W1FV |
Rating:   |
2012-06-18 | |
| Quality has gone downhill |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
This is a tale of two A50-5S beams.
One was purchased over ten years ago. That one has been mechanically solid but, as noted elsewhere, Cushcraft's element dimensions are pretty far off the mark for the low end of the band (50.0 to 50.5 MHz). Gain and especially F/B can be improved by modifying the parasitic element dimensions.
I bought a second A50-5S a year ago to stack with the first. The new one is one step above junk mechanically. The quality of the boom-to-element brackets is poor. Not one element lines up perpendicular to the boom when you tighten down the brackets. The elements are all skewed and it is impossible to get them parallel in one plane. It's quite obvious visually when it's up in the air. Sorry to say Cushcraft quality has really gone downhill. |
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| W3HKK |
Rating:     |
2011-07-14 | |
| Good job at 5-15 ft! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
This is my 2nd review of the same antenna, but now I have 1 yrs experience with it. No repairs/damage to date. Just added a rotator so no more Armstrong!
In one year on 6m cw and ssb running 100w with this antenna between 5 and 15 ft high ( just raised it to 15 ft yesterday!) Ive found the antenna to perform very well stateside and with DX. SWR runs around 1.5:1 on the cw-ssb parts of the band. And it easily works CA, OR, NV, WA, BC, ID, MT, ND, SD, AZ, NM, as well as the closer in stuff in TX, FL and New England plus the Canadian Maritimes. Have worked C6, KP4, HH, HP, HK, 9Y4, and LU (via TE skip) Have worked EA8, CT1, EA, F, ON5, IS0, 9H1,EA6. Not bad for hts of 5, 10 and 15 ft above the ground plus having to beam thru the house's roof to work anything west of me.
You dont need a tower to work 6M and have fun. that said, 15 ft is better than 10 ft and 10 ft was better than 5 ft. But they all work all over the US and enough DX to keep you interested.
6M is the "Undiscovered Band". |
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| W9RAS |
Rating:      |
2010-12-26 | |
| Good Antenna |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I bought my A50-5S back in 1986 and it is a good performing antenna and ruggedly built...In 2001 we were hit by an F3 tornado this took out 18 of 23 LARGE trees in and around our lot some over 3 ft. thick ,my tower all antennas ,our lawn shed, parts of the roof of the house and put me in the hospital for two days ...After getting home I picked up the parts of the A50-5S in the yard straightened them out ,replaced one broken element and put it back on the air it worked fine ...Recently this fall the SWR was really getting high and I was putting up a new tower so I decided to re-work the old 5 element cushcraft... I came across the W5WVO modification lengthening the boom by 6 feet ...SO I did that and also made a new gamma match ...The new gamma match and a better coax connector on the beam cured the high SWR problems the old aluminum coax connector was corroded ...The W5WVO Mod works GREAT ! I right away noticed the beam width was tighter I was now sometimes able to turn the antenna and null out some nasty line noise that we get occasionally and signal reports from stations who I had worked before said my signal was definitely stronger than the stock beam was when it was working properly ...I highly recommend the 5 element cushcraft antenna AND the W5WVO mod ...Watch the SWR if it goes up after several years it may be time to replace the gamma match tubing and the trouble some aluminum coax connector ...I used some teflon shrink tube I had for the gamma match 3 layers it works great but I only had one small piece and I have no idea where to buy it ( Ebay ? Maybe ? ) other types of tube should work or order a new plastic gamma match tube from MFJ for it ... just my 2 cents worth ...HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL ! BOB W9RAS
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| K3ROJ |
Rating:      |
2010-09-05 | |
| My only 6 meter beam |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I bought this antenna in a hurry from HRO in New Castle, Delaware for our local club to use on Field Day a few years ago. It worked very well and no doubt it is directional with gain. I now use it at home using a miltary portable crankup mast used at one time for lighting purposes. I crank it up about 20 feet and listen for beacons and leave it pointed south usually. Just a few weeks ago I worked many stations in the Caribean and the Lesser Antilles, then worked many in the USA. It is a hot antenna for being 12 feet and well worth the investment. The trick to making many contacts on 6 meter DX is to use CW since some stations come and go so quickly making it impossible to use voice. |
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| KC2HZW |
Rating:      |
2009-07-21 | |
| Solid Performer |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
Reading through some of the other reviews it seems to me that people miss the point. The A505-S is not an M2 antenna. No one said it was. To review the antenna, I think we should look at the manufacturers specs and see if the antenna performs as Cushcraft claims. In my experience, it does. The basic antenna is a decent design and works as it was designed. Carefully assembled, the SWR was perfect and the band width as specified. For me, it is an improvement over the 3 element home brew I was using before. It is more selective and hears ground wave quite well.
Can it be improved? Sure. As others have pointed out the gamma match is a weak spot. The beauty of amateur radio is that you can experiment. Modify the gamma match or make a T match. KI6LO took the time to model the antenna and changing the element length and spacing on the existing boom got a much more desirable antenna for DX. He was kind enough to share the results with me and it is a different antenna.
Want to use the elements and lengthen the boom? Try this article and make a 23 foot boomer out of it. http://www.dxzone.com/cgi-bin/dir/jump2.cgi?ID=6582
I plan to do that over the winter for the 2010 Es season. Then I will see how it compares to the long boom M2. (Which has some problems of its own in the rain.) Make contacts and have fun! |
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| WY3X |
Rating:     |
2008-07-17 | |
| Working great since 1995 |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I guess I have an "older" model, the A50-5 (no "S"). It weighs a lot considering the band it's cut for! (Maybe dirt daubers have built nests in the ends of the elements?) Almost double the weight of an M2 6M5 I have (that won't tune above 49MHz for squat). It would be a 5 were it not for the coax connector setup being flimsy, but otherwise, it's a great antenna! My score in the 2008 ARRL June VHF contest will attest to it- over 80,000 points (quite good for being in a virtual black hole of VHF operations)! -KR4WM |
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| WB3ILM |
Rating:      |
2008-07-17 | |
| Best there is |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I have had an A50-5 for more than 20 yrs. Has worked for me and as for junk , no way put up and only had it down 4 times to clean and adjust. #1 for me! |
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