I agree...
I do see many love the antenna especially for restricted/limited
installation locations.
Cecil...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gene Story - Earthlink" <gfstory@earthlink.net>
To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, May 28, 2012 12:07 PM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] OT Use of external keyer with Omni
[hexbeam/directional arrays]
> Cecil-
> I completely agree that a well designed (not just any) yagi with three or
> more elements will perform better than a hex beam. But even with some
> trade-off's, I love the hex beam design within it's limitations. For
> Roger / W7RIP; if you can afford a more sophisticated array and
> tower/mast, I'd go with Cecil. But hex beams are not to shabby and can be
> put up with less cost aside from the antenna itself.
>
> Early this morning for example:
>
> Hex Beam pointed eastward, I picked up a station in Alaska fairly well.
> Hex beam "directionality" is weak, compared to 3+ elements on a common
> yagi but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Rather than run the rotor
> around, I sometimes try one of my dipoles to see if signal is good enough.
> It was not. I went from S1 received signal to non indicated and an
> extremely weak copy. I flipped back to the hex beam and ran the $90 TV
> rotator from approx east, to more-or-less north. I say more or less
> because a TV rotor handles the lightweight hex beam just fine but the
> rotor and controller are so light duty, they don't maintain the best
> direction-control but not bad really.
>
> Swinging the hex beam to that more-or-less north direction achieved from
> signal strength perspective, an indicated S3. Since the hex beam is also
> a noise-quiet antenna relative to the dipoles, the signal was armchair
> copy. I had already shut down the Orion at this hour so this event
> occured with my KENWOOD TS-2000 running at 100 watts and extremely good
> SWR match. While it has a decent receiver, it no way compares to the
> Orion/other T-T models. Nonetheless, without all manner of interference
> possibilities at this hour, the hex beam delivered a very good signal into
> this less-capable KNWD receiver. I had a QSO with this Alaska fellow for
> nearly a half hour. He was using a vertical w/ICOM IC-7000 and an
> ELECRAFT KPA 500 amp. An excellent amp with two sensitive radios that do
> well when interference (all types) conditions are low to moderate as was
> the case here.
>
> This is a DX Engineering 5 band hex beam that I recall was something like
> $650. Not cheap but VERY well built. Very light weight, thus the TV
> rotor works but highly recommend a rotor of about $500-ish. Sitting on
> top of a home brew tower up abt 30 ft within a heavily tree'd forest with
> approx 35-45 ft tall trees, it performs admirably on 20 through 10 meters.
> A few of the reasons I chose this antenna was because of the mfg's
> reputation, lightweight, and others have indicated it handles high winds
> and ice situations very well.
>
> Would I like to have a 3 or more element yagi, preferably multi-bander?
> Absolutely. Maybe a 60 foot tower with a log periodic or something like
> that but for now, the budget dictated a solution that handled the weather
> and gave me something better than my verticals or dipoles. This antenna
> absolutely delivers. Takes a while to think it's better due to it's sutle
> gain and rejection capabilities and then you start nailing contacts that
> were either impossible or difficult with non-directional antennas.
> Strange looking. Fun to build. Cost/benefit at least for me has turned
> out to be very good. But someday when funds are available, I'd love to
> put up a higher gain/higher rejection array of some sort.
>
> My Orion is normally the only rig I use. With my Orion, Centaur amp and
> hex beam in N. Idaho, I have been able to join the TEN-TEC net all four
> weeks in a row now with contact directly to K3UR in Atlanta, Ga. under
> less than ideal conditions.
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Gene / K7TXO
>
>
>
>
> On May 28, 2012, at 9:17 AM, chacuff wrote:
>
>> Might want to do the same inquery on the Hex Beam.
>>
>> I've heard it's a great expedition asset but not so much for a permanent
>> station installation. (out performed easily by other basic yagis) No
>> personal experience here....just passing along things heard.
>>
>> Cecil
>> K5DL
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Roger Rippy" <svtincup@yahoo.com>
>> To: <TenTec@contesting.com>
>> Sent: Monday, May 28, 2012 8:03 AM
>> Subject: [TenTec] OT Use of external keyer with Omni
>>
>>
>> This is just a short note to thanks to W2EJG, N4PY, N4ELM,WA9AQN, N4DW,
>> K8JHR, and the other hams
>> who sent me an email offline to let me know of their experiences with
>> different keyers, but in particular
>> the K1EL keyer. I have decided to build the K1EL WKUSB keyer; it was a
>> tough
>> decision over the
>> Idiom Press K-5 and the Begali CW Machine. Later this spring (still
>> snowing
>> occassionaly in SW Montana!), I hope
>> to tackle replacement of the Force 12 40XK vertical dipole with a
>> directional HF antenna; maybe a hex beam.
>> Thanks again and 73s Roger Rippy W7RIP
>> _______________________________________________
>> TenTec mailing list
>> TenTec@contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> TenTec mailing list
>> TenTec@contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
>
> _______________________________________________
> TenTec mailing list
> TenTec@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
_______________________________________________
TenTec mailing list
TenTec@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
|