[TenTec] OT Use of external keyer with Omni [hex beam/directional arrays]

[Gene Story - Earthlink]

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 at yahoo.com>
> To: <TenTec at 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
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