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Reviews For: Cushcraft MA5B Mini Beam

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

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Review Summary For : Cushcraft MA5B Mini Beam
Reviews: 155MSRP: 365.00
Description:
Cushcraft's newest multiband HF antenna provides 5 bands
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cushcraftamateur.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001554.6
G6NHU Rating: 2012-04-22
Be very aware of the limitations of this aerial. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Be aware of the limitations of this aerial before you buy it.

I like to operate using both SSB and data and if I want to use my amplifier then that means I have to keep lowering and adjusting the end sections when I switch between SSB and data on 20m.

My rig ATU can cope perfectly but I don't want to be using an amplifier with an SWR of over 4:1 outside of the 100kHz or so that the MA-5B covers on 20m.

On the other bands it's fine, it tunes perfectly over the whole band but not on 20m. The documentation does list this narrow bandwidth on 20m but this is my first HF beam and I hadn't realised what a limitation it would prove to be.

Secondly, don't expect to be able to run QRO for extended periods of time without damaging the aerial. I read many reviews which described traps melting but thought that I'd be OK running 400 watts which is the UK power limit but I was wrong.

I first destroyed one of the coax tails between the matching network (a 1:1 balun) and the 12/17m element, even though I was transmitting on 20m at the time and after I replaced the entire network with a 1:1 balun from Balun Designs and two home made coax tails, I then managed to melt one of the MT1 traps on the 10m/15m/20m element, again running just 400 watts.

Cushcraft were very good and replaced the trap with no charge but all these problems have made me very wary of the aerial and I've already ordered a G3TXQ Hexbeam to replace it with.

Now to the plus points.

It's better than any HF aerial I'd had up before for these bands. I've always used wire aerials so to get a beam with a small amount of gain and some directionability really opened things up for me. The first station I worked was VR2XMT in Hong Kong for a new DXCC and then the next QSO was T32C.

It's easy to put together, the instructions are brief but nicely explanatory. It took me a couple of hours to get it all done.

I've had no problems with windmilling. My MA-5B is around 35ft above the ground and it's been up all through the winter when we had winds up to 50mph. I have it on a medium duty rotator (Yaesu G650C) and it hasn't moved or twisted at all.

Watch out for birds though, Starlings in particular like to perch on it and I resolved that by putting a couple of hundred cable ties over the whole aerial with about a four inch gap between them with the end left pointing upwards. They still sometimes perch on the capacitance hats but nowhere near as much as before.

I've rated the MA-5B as 3/5 because I'm taking into account the poor QRO handling capabilities and the narrow bandwidth on 20m. If I could rate it as 3.5 then that would be more realistic, somewhere between OK and Good. If I'd written this review after two weeks then it would have got 5/5 because the limitations hadn't manifested themselves by then.
KC6ZWH Rating: 2012-04-18
works as advertised Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Assembly was easy and all the correct parts were in the box. I used this for about 5 months and took it down as I wanted something much bigger. I bought the A4S with the 40 meter add on. As a small foot print yagi goes this a good design and works fine. But now what to do with it. It is still assembled but on the ground. Make me a resonable offer and it is yours. Pick up only as I no longer have the box. KC6ZWH
PA7M Rating: 2012-04-11
Good Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Good Antenna already manny DX working good SWR on all bands using 200W no problems whit fitting the parts good so far.

73 Henk PA7M
GM6HGF Rating: 2011-09-15
Element clamp issues Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Reflector element tends to windmill / turnstile in wind.

The issue is still a problem. I don't think it is acceptable to be buying new equipment and having to 'make good' a known issue on a new piece of equipment, when it has been around for sometime and the same issues reported my many operators previously. Is it not time to remedy the problem in production?

Performance wise, small footprint and good performance, which allows access between 20-10m.



AC4ZI Rating: 2011-09-06
Assembly problems Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Very disappointing; you spend $500 for $50 worth of aluminum tubing and hardware, and what do you get? Unfortunately, the quality control of this product is non-existent. While assembling this antenna I discovered that the U bolts that mount the boom to the mast did not fit over the boom and measured them to be about 30 thousands undersize. I also noticed that the element clamps did not sit perpendicular to the boom and were of by some 10 to 15 degrees. I called Cushcraft technical support and they agreed to send me new parts, but the new U bolts they sent me were even smaller than the ones I had, and out of the 6 element clamps I had, 3 were useable. Fortunately for me, I have a machine shop and am a machinist by trade and was able to rework the parts.
Another major problem, not addressed by Cushcraft is the turnstileing of the boom around the mast and elements around the boom. I was able to remedy this problem with the appropriate use of some sheet metal screws and brackets, but that is a lot of extra work. All in all, what should have been an afternoon project took almost 2 weeks to complete. After completion, the antenna seemed to perform well, but unless you have access to a machine shop or have a buddy that is a machinist, I would not recommend this antenna.
N3JON Rating: 2011-08-21
More how to repair a great antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
In addition to my review of how to repair the trap shorting out problem a new problem came up.
I started getting momentary hi SWR reading all bands then yesterday they all went high very high.
It turns out that the matching network box opened up.
The SO-239 female chassis connector takes the cable shield side into the box via a bolt solder lug washer and nut on the inside of the box. Corrosion of the solder lug caused the shield side to open up.
This could have been fixed with cleaning the solder lug which I did but I also soldered to the SS Steel bolt as well.
Easy fix.
It might be worth some preventive maintenance on this if you have the antenna down.
OZ1GCT Rating: 2011-07-30
BIG antenna in a small package Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have worked with this antenna for some years now - and I think it's the best choice I ever done. My garden is very tiny, but I have plenty of space for this antenna. It's mounted on a 30' lightweigt, guided antenna mast, with a Yaesu G-450C rotator.
And I can work all the stations I can hear, and untill now I have worked 179 countries/ enteties.
I has used from 800 watt to qrp with this antenna.If somebody have problems with their antenna check it out, because the design is GREAT and it works GREAT.
W2YM Rating: 2011-07-28
GREAT BEAM Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had this beam for a little over 3 year's and it works great. Never had any trouble with this beam what so ever. I put it together, put it up and works GREAT. If someone is having trouble with this beam you better check things out because it works like it should... :0) Mark W2YM

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Earlier 5-star review posted by W2YM on 2007-11-03

I can't help it I think this little Beam is just GREAT. I talk all over the US and other countries. Hard to believe this is a small antenna with the reports I have been getting from other people. I only have it 25 feet off the ground. Also it survived the Oct. storm of 2006 which looked like a war zone here in Western, NY. I said to myself if this can take that storm it can take anything. Covered with ice and snow bending from the weight of the ice and snow and it survived. UNREAL, I can't say enough about this antenna. Tree's and branches were falling down and the MA5B stayed up. I don't believe the gain it states in the write up on this antenna I think it is way better then what it mentions. I give this Beam a 5+ for everything (performance, strength, etc, I can't say enough about this little antenna. :0) Mark W2YM 73's.
W9FFC Rating: 2011-07-28
Buy a real beam. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had this beam on a 4' tripod on the roof of a 2 story house for over 3 years now and as far as I'm concerned this is nothing more than a rotatable dummy load. I've been over this antenna several times and could find nothing wrong and is built according to spec's.I run an amp at 400 watts and find the increase in signal strength from bare foot 100 watts negligible. I do almost as well with a dipole cut for the band. I didn't expect miracles from a trapped mini beam but I expected more than I got.
K8TS Rating: 2011-05-29
But...... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Works very well, no problem with DX @ 40'. 17m really tops them all. Only concerns were; 1. Windmilling--had placed on tower by professional antenna men, but still have the problem of one element windmilling (loose clamp?) and working with a slingshot is a pain. 2. Orientation. Witch is director (reflector?). Lenghts are very close on each element and took some time to figure out. OE maybe hi hi