Triband beam Problem

[WD5DZG]

I'm no antenna expert but I have restored a an old SYS33 antenna, (MACO Memphis TN). got it assembled and mounted on my Hazer. 10 and 15 Meters load up beautifully SWR near 1.0: 1. But 20 meters sucks pond water. Lowest SWR I can get is about 2:1 and that is less than 50 khz wide near 14.140 Mhz. Original test showed the antenna at 1.6:1 at approximately 13.97 Mhz indicating the 20 meter elements needed to be shorter, the farther up the band I have managed to move the near reasonance dip, the worse the SWR becomes. AM I dealing with a shorted trap coil here? Readings taken with a MFJ 259B give a 2.0:1 SWR at 14.144 mhz, Antenna R =38, X=29 while Xc =307Pf and Xl=O.345uL. Am I on the right track or is there some other problem I am over looking, any help is appreciated. Thanks Bill

[WB2WIK]

I never heard of this antenna company. SYS33 reminds me of Wilson (which was in Nevada).

What is this antenna? How high is it, how is it mounted, how is it fed, are you using a balun? Anything else near it that might be resonating near 14 MHz?

[WD5DZG]

It was the Wilson, Maco purchased manufactoring rights from Wilson or from whomever bough them out. Now Maco no longer does high Freq antennas going instead for other markets and they are now owned by someone else in Mo. No there is nothing else nearby to resonate at 20. I am feeding it with a low loss fifty ohm coax (wireman) and using a current balun as instructed in the instructions 6 tns. close wound, on 6 inch form. To me the high capacative and low inductance readings seem out of whack, I suspose there is the possibility of poor connections between traps and rest of the system that would only involve the coil as the sleeve capacitor is well secured to the element.
I am testingit between 25 and thirty feet above average ground. Final mounting will be approximately 55 Feet or so up.

[WB2WIK]

Things will change when it goes up 55 feet. It could now be coupling to almost anything lower, including the rain gutters on your house if they're aluminum as mine are.

However I'd still be concerned that something could be wrong. Sounds like an "old" beam.

The original Wilson SY-33 was a very good antenna, it's a knock-off of a Hy-Gain design.

[WD5DZG]

Yes it is old, It sort of matches me, I bought in in 86,used it for a few years and then it was down and stored outside for several years. For several years I used wires and only getting a tower at this QTH in the past year. I will pull the traps, clean the connections make sure there are no shorts and try it again, thanks for the input. Bill