[SCCC] Single-band vs. Multi-band Antennas (was Re: Hex beam antenna question)

[Brian Wolf Leverich, WA6I]

Hi all -

I'm sorta riffing off of Warren's observation that the Urban Beam
outperforms a hexbeam, and I note that the Urban Beam is effectively
a single-band antenna resonant right where you're operating while a
hex is usually a 5- or 6-band antenna resonant wherever it's resonant.

Is it generally true that single-band antennas outpeform multi-band
antennas with the same number of elements, or that a spot-on SteppIR
outperforms a similar antenna with a fixed resonant frequency?

As sorta a hypothesis, I'm kinda guessing that the Urban Beam is
acting as a de facto bandpass filter in front of the feedline and
receiver, while the hex is sending along signals from multiple
bands and isn't necessarily a bancpass filter centered where you
want it.  The hex could cause intermod and other issues just by
being what it is.

Anyway, I prolly don't have that right.  Has anyone A/B-ed a
single-band vs. multi-band antenna or a SteppIR vs a fixed-tuned
antenna, and are there any electrical engineers on the list who
actually understand what's going on here?

TU and 73 de Wolf (WA6I)



On Mon, Oct 28, 2024 at 02:43:56PM -0700, WARREN MYERS via SCCC wrote:

> David,
> 
> I have a SteppIR Urban Beam which has slightly more wind load and is
> certainly more expensive than a typical HexBeam.  I also own a BuddyHex and
> 30’ mast.  While the SteppIR is more expensive and requires more maintenance
> than a HexBeam, it easily outperformed the HexBeam in my back yard A/B
> testing.  Parameters I compared in my comparison included signal strength
> and signal/noise rejection.  My wife also much prefers the UrbanBeam for
> aesthetic reasons.  I’ve attached the email address to sign-up for the
> SteppIR groups.io reflector if you wish to learn more about them from many
> long-time SteppIR owners.
>
> ...
> 
> Warren