| LA4UOA |
Rating:      |
2022-03-18 | |
| Love it. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Have had the 4 element 5 band quad up 12 years now, it been in big snow storms, but no big problem, best antenna i have had. |
|
| WB5HAK |
Rating:      |
2022-01-28 | |
| 4 Element 5 Band - Great Antenna! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Here it is 2022 already, so my review of the Mk IV 5 Band Cubex Quad is WAY out of date! I initially put the quad up in 2003/2004 and had great success with it. Unfortunately, in Southwest Oklahoma where I live, we experienced one of those 100 year ice storms in 2010, and when the quad got well iced up (my dipole #10 wire that came down had ice so thick it looked the size of a Coke can!!), and this icing was followed by 50 - 70mph winds! Needless to say, the quad didn't survive that, nor did my electrical power for over 10 days and it shouldn't have, that was a freak storm, so we thought. I then bought a Skymaster IV kit to rebuild the quad, I think from Roger who had bought the business by then and did another total rebuild of the Mk IV. It also performed VERY well until 2013, when an IDENTICAL 100 year ice storm/high wind event. No fault of the quad at all, but fickle Oklahoma weather sent me to a Hygain TH-11DX to finish that Sunspot Cycle. After several more antenna changes, this year being 8 years with no bad ice storms, I decided that it was time to resurrect the old quad ONE more time, as it always performed well for me and the bands are re-opening.
Fast forward to the present, this week, I called Cubex and was delighted to learn that Cubex and Tennadyne are nearly neighbors to me now, being in Collinsville, OK (near Tulsa). I met Mark, K5YAC right there on the phone and quickly learned that he had known a ham friend of mine (now SK) living in the same area and grew to like Mark and his way of doing business. He was very friendly, helpful and took down all my information correctly so the ordering process was a breeze. He has only owned the two antenna firms since last October, so has had the normal moving from a far state issues, re-tooling issues, and like all of us, supply chain issues. He had all the parts I needed, but when you look at the site, realize that Roger, the former owner hadn't changed prices in a LONG time, so the prices there are NOT current. Call Mark at (918) 237-0844 or email him at mark@cubexquads.com and he will give you the current prices to help you make your decision. He is in the process of rewriting the manuals, one of the weak spots you will see in the reviews below, so give him time. He seems VERY knowledgeable about antennas and will help you through the process of quad building. Also, he answered me after only a couple of rings and I know he was busily preparing antennas for shipping on both sides of the business. My parts arrived today, VERY well packaged, well identified and very quickly packed and shipped. I'll post later after the rebuild and tell you about the WB5HAK 4 element quad, version 3.0, HI. 73, Don, WB5HAK |
|
| KB7TT |
Rating:      |
2019-08-27 | |
| Fantastic Product and performance |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I built quads from scratch back in the 70's and bought the 3EL five band in May.
1. Design and packaging is top notch. All wires are pre-cut, hardware including spreaders, boom and spreaders are perfect. Everything inculding spreaders are pre-drilled and marked. Assembly is easy but takes time. Matching cables are perfect.
2. We took about a week to build the elements and mount the boom. My tower tilts over so no problem getting elements on the boom.
3. I got the matching cables for independent feed on five bands using an Ameritron remote switch on the mast. One feedline, perfect.
4. In the air the antenna really performs. I work anything I can hear barefoot with 200W on 20M. When 15 is open its great. Good gain and excellent front/back. Yes, quads open the band before yagis and hang on after other antennas can't hear squat.
Cubex is a cottage industry. Roger is a great guy but you need to understand he is IT... Email works better to contact him but then he calls you and will work with you on any problem...
The design of this antenna is excellent, the kit is easy to sort out and goes together like a snap.
I couldn't ask for more.
This is the antenna of my dreams, thanks Roger!!!
|
|
| NN4ZZ |
Rating:      |
2017-04-07 | |
| Cubex 3 el 5 band w/QuadLocks |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Installed my 3 el Cubex quad in 2011. Very happy with the performance, and quality of the product. While some may not agree, the quad really does seem quieter and opens the bands sooner. Pictures here:
http://www.nn4zz.com/antennas_and_towers.htm
Scroll down to the Cubex pictues....
Regards, Al / NN4ZZ
|
|
| WA2OOO |
Rating:      |
2017-04-06 | |
| Pile Up Destroyer |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Let me start off by saying I have built many Cubical Quads over the years, and Cubex makes a very good product. This review will be for their 4 element 5 bander and Quads in general. The Cubex materials and hardware supplied are top notch, Boom is 3” and the hubs and spreaders are robust, wires are labeled and premeasured. The SWR will come in as advertised and I recommend buying the version using separate coax’s to feed each band. There’s not much to it, as for the performance. Despite what any “internet expert” has said about Cubical Quads, they simply are the best performing antenna you could own. And Cubex make a fine product, their 4 element 5 bander will out talk most any other single antenna on 10-20 meters period. I have owned 3 Cubex Quads and various other brands and made several of my own, and have a few Yagi’s as well. I do not partake in the Quads versus Yagi conversations because the proof is plain to see. Cubical Quads, give you more gain, and hear better than any comparable boom length Yagi.
Unfortunately for Quads, most people perceive them as to difficult to assemble, and mechanically THIS IS a big antenna, you most likely need a tower, The other worry is usually about ice storms and wind. The Cubex company has done a good job addressing those concerns with their excellent products. Unless you are stacking monobander Yagi’s on a 125+ foot tower… Then by all means knock yourself out. But if you want only a single antenna as a monobander or a multibander, The Cubical Quad is very tough to beat. There are no shortage of old school Yagi guys who will come up with some arcane nonsense as to why a Quad isn’t that good, and that would be because they never had one. Any Cubical Quad owner who has ever put one up properly and tuned it, Never would complain about its performance. All Cubex products are quality made Cubical Quads.
|
|
| AB0DV |
Rating:      |
2014-10-26 | |
| Best in Class |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Starts with delivery: Package would stand world delivery
Construction. Parts are best in class. Stainless metal, excellent pvc
Erection: Ease of construction is unbelievable. Everything is color coded and marked.
Setting. It is a quad. I had to use a crane service.
Performance: Had a chance to use it in CQ contest, unbelievable exceeds all specs.
Price really reasonable.
You can not go wrong if you desire a Quad. |
|
| W7RJR |
Rating:      |
2014-05-07 | |
| Killer Bee 6M Quad |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
This may be a new antenna for Tennadyne, both Rog and Norm I have been dealing with for over a decade. This is a 6 element single band quad for 6 meters. It weighs in at about 34 pounds. Arrived very well packed. Rog puts these together as orders come in so be patient about shipping. All of the parts and hardware are well marked. The instructions are clear. The boom is all aluminum construction with fiberglass supports for the arms. Everything is color coded, pre-drilled and the wire pre-measured for each element. Use two step ladders to support the boom when assembling. It took me about 3 hours to put the entire quad together on the ground. Getting the elements aligned so they are all straight and looking good takes a little bit of time. Construction was straight-forward (plenty of extra hardware was a nice touch!)
As designed the impedance of the driven element closely approaches 50 ohms and should be a good match for LMR 400/RG213 etc. Neither of these are very flexible though so if you are going to use a short length of more flexible cable for the loop to the rotator be careful of what you use as the wrong length can create a mismatch and high SWR. Generally make it a multiple of a half wavelength taking the velocity factor of the coax into consideration. You will have to play around with the driven element size, position of the cable mount, etc., in order to fine tune the SWR where you want it. The directors and reflector are connected together using crimp on connectors after tightening up the wire elements. I used a propane torch to solder them afterward.
Tests with local stations have thus far been very good experiencing at least 20 dB and possibly more Front to Back ratio. Side rejection was considerable and probably around 50 dB. I have mine mounted in the diamond configuration with the feedpoint at the bottom for horizontal polarization. Only one eSkip contact with this new antenna so far but he was 20 dB over S9 on a band barely open.
I also made several meteor scatter contacts with no problem the same evening. I'm looking forward to years of trouble free performance. By the way, Roger won't leave you hanging if you have questions or need help. He responds promptly to emails! |
|
| K0XD |
Rating:      |
2014-03-18 | |
| BOUGHT (2) 5 BAND 2 ELEMENT QUADS |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| PURCHASED ONE WHOLE NEW 5B 2 ELEMENT UNIT AND REPAIRED A 17 YR.OLD SKYBOLT THAT THE WIRES FINALLY BROKE AND REPLACED WITH CUBEX QUAD HARDWARE. WITH ROGER'S HELP, BOTH WENT UP AND WORK BEAUTIFULLY. |
|
| AJ4RW |
Rating:      |
2012-09-05 | |
| Fantastic antenna and more |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
This is an update to a previous review about the Skymaster III 5 band Cubex quad. The performance of this antenna has been superb to say the least. Continues to amaze me and out performs any antenna I have. The technical support behind the antenna is excellent. Roger is great to work with and his expertise is second to none. I had an accident while transferring to another tower and broke an aluminum spider hub and had a replacement with 4 days. Thanks Cubex Quad for a great antenna!!!
Randy AJ4RW |
|
| VE2XB |
Rating:      |
2011-12-30 | |
| 2 el Cubex quad!! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have had my 2 el Cubex quad for 2 yrs now and I am now a big fan of quads. It is light and has a small boom, 9 ft and small turning radius that fits most city lots. I have been astounded at the performance with it at 35 ft--I can work anything I can hear on 10, 15, 12, 17 and 20m. I use a remote coax switch mounted on the tower and it performs flawlessly on all bands with 70w and I even use 7w at times. Roger, the owner of CUBEX, is a friendly and helpful fellow who I ask questions by phone and email. He is amazing if you need advice or have some technical issues to discuss.
Roger, thanx for making a great quad! Bravo!
mike, ve2xb
----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by VE2XB on 2011-07-02
I have had my Cubex Quad since Sept/2010 and it has performed very well despite a very nasty winter here in the North east with lots of snow, ice and hvy winds. It works flawlessly and handles the strong winds here easily. SWR is close to flat.
I only wish it also covered 6m...maybe next model will.
I have worked so much dx it isn't funny. Usually with one call and 70w!
Roger at Cubex is a decent guy and has been very supportive with questions, etc.
Many neighbours have commented that the structure in back on the tower looks like a work of modern art! I have it hidden just above a small tower. You have to look very closely to even see it. I do think it too, looks lovely in the sun and very much like a piece of modern/contemporary art!
73, dx
Mike, ve2xb |
|