This is a kick-butt antenna. I put mine up (45 ft.) Saturday with the help
of a number of friends (N8BR, KF8J, and WD8C) and family members. Based on
a day and a half of part-time playing with it, I can say that it appears to
more than meet the data specified in Steve's and Ward's study of triband
antennas. Bencher's own specs are very conservative. The front to back is
excellent; the front to side is, for the lack of a better word, awesome.
Assembly time was about 8 hours, included in which were several small
reversals of assembly mistakes that had turned up with the first set of
instructions. I was very favorably impressed with the quality of the
workmanship and the attention to detail as well as with customer service
from Bencher. I called Bencher earlier in the week to inquire about a part,
the insulator for the driven element, that had not come predrilled, and
received a replacement plus a new and greatly enhanced set of instructions
two days later. Included with the new instruction pages was a separate one
calling attention to two minor mistakes in the original assembly. This
entailed drilling out 8 rivets, switching two sets of end-tip elements, and
riveting them back together. This mistake happened only with the very first
beams shipped.
The new instruction pages contained more detailed drawings of the balun
assembly and attachment, plus overall lengths for the boom and elements.
The only odd thing here is that the lengths are given in inches instead of
feet and inches as is found on a typical tape measure. I would still love
to see a photograph of an assembled beam included (1) as part of the
instructions and (2) on the Bencher home page, where many of us have gone
for information--perhaps in anticipation of making a purchase--only to find
none.
On the air results on CW, SSB, and RTTY, with and without Mr. Alphy, were
most gratifying to say the least. Yea, I know that this is not stacked
monobanders, but given the restrictions I have to live with, this is going
to provide a lot of fun over the years of the current cycle. The beam I
took down was a KT34A, which had given me 11 years of super service. I had
first considered rebuilding it and adding on to make it an XA, but then had
second thoughts when considering how I'd be able to explain a twofold
increase in antenna size. I was particularly attracted to the Skyhawk by
it's lineage, the people involved in its design and manufacture. I also
wanted to take a look at what the application of computer design technology
might be able to bring to the triband beam.
Disclaimer: I have no ties whatsoever to Bencher. I'm just sharing my
appreciation for a well designed and manufactured product.
73,
Joe, N8JF
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