[TowerTalk] Short Tower Antenna

[Joe Subich, K4IK]

> From: owner-towertalk@contesting.com 
> [mailto:owner-towertalk@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Pete Smith
> 
> The choice of a tribander is a fairly straight-up tradeoff 
> between cost and performance.  A 36-foot boom antenna like the 
> KT-36XA will require a stronger rotator and perhaps a beefier 
> tower than a smaller one.  Cost of the antenna itself is also 
> a factor.  If it were me, I would look seriously at a more 
> conventional trapless antenna, such as the Force 12 C-3E, before
> investing in the hexbeam.  The new XR-5 from Force 12 
> (www.force12inc.com) extends the same technology to providing 
> gain and pattern on all 5 bands 20-10 on a short boom, but I 
> don't know what the price is.

I agree with Pete ... the KT-34XA was a maintenance headache for 
many people.  The unbalanced 36 foot boom is also a problem for 
many under size towers and rotors.  However, even the short boom 
versions of the newer "trapless" multiband antennas (Force 12 C-3 
series and Bencher "Skyhawk") have shown performance as good or 
better than the larger trapped antennas (the KT-26 is a trapped 
antenna with a unique trap design) in field trials.  

For five band performance (20, 17, 15, 12, 10) the log periodic 
antenna has a very good record and a good compromise in performance. 
It will be interesting to see how Force 12's XR-5 works out (it 
looks to be a C-3e with an added 17 meter reflector, the 10 meter 
reflector adjusted for 12 meters and a re-worked driven element 
cluster (all of which is easier said than done - congratulations 
to Tom).  BTW, the web site now has pricing ... $949 list ... which 
makes it about half again as much as an 18' boom log periodic 
(e.g. Cushcraft ASL-2010 or Tennadyne T8). 

73, 

   ... Joe, K4IK 


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