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Reviews For: Mosley Classic 33

Category: Antennas: HF: Yagi, Quad, Rotary dipole, LPDA

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Review Summary For : Mosley Classic 33
Reviews: 33MSRP: 620
Description:
Heavy Duty 3 Element Tri-bander 1 Kw. Yagi
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mosley-electronics.com/amateur.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00335
K2VI Rating: 2007-01-20
the last antenna you will ever buy Time Owned: more than 12 months.
A fellow ham 18 miles from my qth has a mosley classic and i had a force 12 c4,we were both up at around 45-50 feet,also we were both at around 25 feet above sea level.So the only real difference was the antennas and what a difference it was.mike would alway get 1 to 2 s units over me,it was very rare for me to get the better signal report.Sometimes we were even but mostly he buried me.Another big issue is the front to back on 20 meters is fantastic on the classic.The best part of this wonderful design is it WILL be the last antenna you will buy.They literally last forever.The story is i took the c4 down 2 years ago and the mosely has been up ever since breaking pile-ups.Very simple to put together(color coded elements)and full bandwidth on 10-20.
K1XT Rating: 2007-01-13
A few suggestions Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I also had a CL-33 for several years and worked over 300 countries from a city lot with it mounted at 45 feet.The first 275 were with 100 watts and the rest with an amp. One of the best things I did was add a bead balun at the feed point. I made it with a short run of RG303 and pl-259's on each end then placed it in line. This balanced the feed to the driver and made a noticeable improvement on the f/b pattern. Better f/b afterward overall. You can also tweak the swr for 20 by adjusting only the tips of the driven element. The antenna does tend to be narrow banded and lacks a bit of f/b on 15 and 10, but all that is within the specs of the antenna. It was designed for gain. And that it does as I used to work JA's long path on 10 meters during the high sunspot cyles. Calling CQ LP in the morning on 10 would bring back about 10 to 15 JA's. As for the construction: Mosley was using stainless long before the other guys as well as 6061-T6 aluminum. The antenna will last forever. Don't worry about cracked coil forms. They tend to produce hairline cracks at times, but it will not affect performance in my experience. Just keep them clean of bugs and wasp nests.

Bill K1XT
KC9CS Rating: 2007-01-13
A simply great antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
34 years as a ham operator in both the extremes of 9 land with its icy, snowy, cold winters and then in west central Florida, with wind, salt air, even a possible direct hit by lightning to the tower, yet the Mosley Classic 33 is still working FB. I bought the antenna used for $100 dollars as my first 'real' ham yagi. I had a fine Hustler 5BTV antenna (still have THAT antenna too!), but when it came to running QRO power and wanting the directivity of a yagi I bought the Mosley. I don't know how long the guy I bought it from had it, but I've had it in the air for 30 full years with zero, zip, nada, problems. I've replaced the rubber type blocks that standoff the radiating element from the boom attachment, but that's been it as far as replacements go. One split, so I replaced the set of them. What's great is that parts are available if needed. In today's world of planned obsolescence, it is nice to get a piece of radio gear that simply continues to work year after year after year. I get great reports, usually work any stations with a call or two so I know the antenna gets out great. And I hear well with it too. It has been a workhorse and continues to perform. There needs to be a special check box below for Time Owned for the Classic 33 -- several decades!!
AL7QQ Rating: 2004-12-23
Great Golden Oldie! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This is the second Mosley CL-33 I've owned, and would own another if I have to sell this one now. The first one I had was when I lived in Kansas and sold it because of a move I had to make, relocating to Iowa. But I love the Mosley CL-33 I had in Kansas. It out performed my Hy-gain TH6-DXX that I had up before it was installed by a long shot. Almost cried when I sold that Old Mosley CL-33. Then after moving to Iowa I took about a four year break from HAM Radio and this past Summer got pumped back up. So I started looking for another Mosley CL-33 and found one in great shape from a Gentleman in Nevada who shipped it to me. Had no problems with assembly, but as I tested it I got delayed by some tuning problems on 20 and 10 Meters. Only to find out I had a metal garden post to close to the antenna. Once I resolved that issue my sons and I hoisted aloft a 56 ft. tower and tested it with great results. Since putting it up I've had the chance to work all over the world on 15 Meters, a band I had always had trouble with in the past. It works well on 20 and not to terribly bad on 10. But like one of the other people in the reviews said "It takes a lick'n and keeps on tick'n". I am also in an area where I have very strong NW winds all the time and the Old Mosley soars like an Eagle a top of the tower in the back yard. It planes very well in high winds. Thanks for reading my review. 73's all Jeff AL7QQ
KM5VI Rating: 2004-11-11
Time-tested Time Owned: more than 12 months.
A few years ago I acquired a Mosley from a retired ham who was kind enough to include it gratis with the purchase of his tower. The antenna, Model TA-33 had been stored behind his house and required some rework to get it back into working condition. Based on the appearance of the original instruction sheet I estimate its age to be about 20-25 years.

The traps were cleaned and upon inspection one of the coil forms on the driven element was found to be cracked so it was interchanged with one from a patristic element that had the same number of turns. The tuning of both was confirmed before and after the substitution. The corroded aluminum was cleaned up using automotive mag wheel cleaner (be sure to rinse it well afterwards) and light sandpaper. Some of the telescoping elements had become mechanically fused together so these were subsequently bonded to ensure RF continuity. The remaining telescoping elements were reassembled with a light coating of oxidation inhibitor. There was no hardware supplied with the antenna so all was replaced with new stainless steel. The original standoffs for the driven element were in bad shape and there were no mounting blocks for any elements so replacements were obtained from Mosley. The original plastic trap caps were intact so they were retained and reused.

Despite its initial condition this antenna has performed great…. generous bandwidth and stable resonance. It is a time tested, sturdy design and well-built. It handles legal limit without a hiccup. Replacement parts as well as several upgrade options are readily available from Mosley. Mosley's are relatively low maintenance antennas – clean the traps and feed point connections periodically, keep some anti-oxidation compound on the telescoping elements, and don’t over tighten the fasteners.
WA8ADH Rating: 2004-04-04
great antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought my classic 33 35 years ago and it has been up on 2 towers since then.Installed at 85 feet with a hygain 205 below it I see no difference in performance between the two.It has withstood 105 mph winds and several ice storms no problem.It has just been trouble free.
AL7B Rating: 2003-08-31
Solid Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had my CL-33-WARC at 40 feet for 10 years. Still performing great and survived several 100+MPH wind storms. Hope to move the antenna to a 60 foot tower soon and will probably check the antenna over, but don't see any obvious decrease in performance to date.
W2MSK Rating: 2003-08-26
Great Performance! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Purchased this antenna used about ten years ago. The original owner had a couple of years use before he sold it to me. I have had it up at about 45' for the last ten years and it has performed very well indeed. The SWR is almost flat on all 3 bands and anything I can hear I can work. I'm amazed that from my suburban QTH I can work the world and only about 75' above sea level. Rugged, reliable and a reasonable size. If you can find one used, grab it, you wouldn't be disappointed
AC5ZO Rating: 2003-06-26
Great Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought my TA33 over twenty five years ago. It was not new then, so I don't know its total age.
I have moved this antenna many times over the years. Four years ago, I decided to check it out and clean it up.

For the rebuild I took all of the traps and tubing apart. Some of the plastic insulators inside the traps that are used as a coil form were cracked. This seems to have happened during mishandling during some of the moving. The elements are spaced by these plastic insulators. If any of your elements feel springy at the trap section, then these forms may be broken. Repair of the forms was simple and was done with cyanoacrylate glue. One coil needed to be rewound because the wire was a little loose. There were a lot of dead insects that needed to be removed, but the only new parts that I ordered were driven element insulators.

After the rebuild the antenna was like new. SWR is good on all bands. There is a nice broad lobe off the front of the antenna and F/B is good. I worked quite a bit of 10M DX during the sunspot peak. The antenna was mounted at 26 ft due to restrictions. Performance at that height was predictable and not as good on 20M. I think that this was 100% due to the low mounting height, because the antenna has performed very well on 20M before.

So now I am moving again to a place where I can put up a better tower and the 30+ year old TA33 is going right back on the new tower. I can very highly recommend this antenna and if you find a used one, you probably won't be disappointed.
N9CYS Rating: 2003-05-14
Love Mine! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought mine 31 years ago ($149 I think!) and getting ready to put it back up after a 10 year hiatus.

Very rugged construction - 20+ years of Chicago winds, snow and ice. Good perfromance too!

Just assembled the CL33 on the patio to check out before I top off the tower - I can't wait to get it up!

Say whats the secret to removing trap covers without damage?

73
Jim