‰  NOW 40 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM SEPTEMBER 2012 QST  PAGE 49‰
GENERALLY CAME IN THIRD ALTHOUGH AT CERTAIN TIMES AND IN CERTAIN DIRECTIONS
IT WOULD OUT SHINE EITHER OF THE HIGHER ANTENNAS.  I KEPT THE ANTENNA
SWITCH BUSY.  I FOUND SIGNALS ON THE Q 52 TO BE UP TO AN S UNIT STRONGER ON
THE LOWER BANDS THAN EITHER THE DIPOLE OR VERTICAL.  THE Q 52 PERFORMED
BETTER IN DIRECTIONS WHERE THE DIPOLE PATTERN HAD A NULL ALONG ITS AXIS AND
ON BANDS WHERE THE VERTICALS GAIN APPROACHED 0 DBD.  IT WASNT THAT THE Q 52
HAD ALL THAT MUCH MORE GAIN THAN THE DIP

NEEDED IN A FEW PLACES.  IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO SPECIFY THE USE OF ANTI
OXIDANT COMPOUND WHEN ASSEMBLING ALL OF THE METAL TO METAL JUNCTIONS, TOO.
THE ELECTRICAL ASSEMBLY IS VERY SIMPLE STICK THE CONTROL CABLE THROUGH THE
HOLE AND ATTACH THE WIRES IN A CERTAIN ORDER.  THE ONLY COMPLAINT I HAVE
WITH THIS PART OF THE PROCESS IS THAT THE TERMINAL STRIP ORIENTATION MAKES
IT DIFFICULT TO TIGHTEN THE SCREWS BUT IT IS NOT LIKELY THIS WILL NEED TO
BE DONE ON A REGULAR BASIS.  I ALSO HAD TO TIN THE STRANDED WIRES OF MY
CONTROL CABLE TO CLAMP PROPERLY WITH THE SOLID WIRE OF THE PROVIDED CABLE.
THIS MINOR DIFFICULTY ASIDE, THE CHECKOUT ROUTINE WENT SMOOTHLY.  IT WAS
ROOF TIME.  INSTALLATION AND TUNING THE Q 52 IS LIGHT SO IT WAS NOT HARD TO
CARRY THE ANTENNA UP ONTO THE ROOF THEN HOLD IT IN PLACE WHILE WRESTLING
THE U BOLTS INTO PLACE AROUND THE MAST.  THE ANTENNA WAS EASILY BALANCED
AND MECHANICALLY ALIGNED AT THE MOUNTING POINT, AS WELL.  FOR A PORTABLE OR
TEMPORARY INSTALLATION THIS WOULD BE A BIG PLUS.  FINDING THE BALANCE POINT
FOR THE BOOM TO MAST PLATE IS A STEP THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE GROUND
LEVEL ASSEMBLY SECTION OF THE MANUAL.  AS YOU CAN SEE IN FIGURE 6, THE

FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND ASSEMBLY AS WITH OTHER PRODUCTS IVE PURCHASED FROM
N6BT OVER THE YEARS, THE MECHANICAL PORTION OF THE ANTENNA IS ROBUST AND
WELL BUILT.  HOLES THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO LINE UP DID SO.  U BOLTS AND OTHER
HARDWARE WERE HIGH QUALITY.  WELDS HAD NO GAPS OR BLOBS.  FIGURE 5 SHOWS
THE PARTS READY FOR ASSEMBLY RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX.  THE ELECTRICAL RELAY
ASSEMBLIES APPEARED TO BE SOLDERED WELL AND THE COILS WERE MADE FROM HEAVY
DUTY WIRE.  FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS IS IMPORTANT BUT NOT DIFFICULT.  I
WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PHOTOS AND DRAWINGS INTEGRATED WITH THE ASSEMBLY
CHECKLIST, THOUGH.  TOTAL ASSEMBLY TIME WAS A LITTLE OVER AN HOUR FROM
OPENING THE BOX.  ONE THING I DEFINITELY LIKED WAS THAT THE SWITCHING
ENCLOSURES AND ELEMENT CENTER ASSEMBLIES CAME ALREADY MOUNTED ON THE BOOM.
THIS SAVED A LOT OF TIME AND PROBABLY ELIMINATES NUMEROUS OPPORTUNITIES FOR
ASSEMBLY ERRORS.  ALL I HAD TO DO WAS BOLT THE BOOM TOGETHER, TELESCOPE AND
MOUNT THE TAPERED ELEMENT SECTIONS, AND ATTACH THE CONTROL AND COAXIAL
CABLES.  THIS ANTENNA WOULD BE SIMPLE TO DEPLOY IN THE FIELD.  ONCE I
STARTED THE ASSEMBLY AND TUNING PROCESS, I FOUND SEVERAL NITS THAT ARE
TYPICAL OF NEW PRODUCTS.  IVE GIVEN N6BT A COMPLETE LIST OF THE THINGS I
NOTICED FOR FUTURE MANUAL REVISIONS.  FOR EXAMPLE, THE LIST OF NEEDED TOOLS
IS MISSING A COUPLE OF ITEMS AND SOME ADDITIONAL TEXT OR A DRAWING IS
‰  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ