[TowerTalk] Non-traditional antenna designs

[Kenneth Hirschberg]

Steve and all -
Check out the antennas on the CAL-AV web site, www.cal-av.com/antennas.html
They are fully specified.
73, Ken
President, CAL-AV


----- Original Message -----
From: <K7LXC@aol.com>
To: <W8JI@contesting.com>; <towertalk@contesting.com>; <barryb@i1.net>
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2002 12:47 PM
Subject: [TowerTalk] Non-traditional antenna designs


>
> In a message dated 1/29/02 9:00:21 AM Pacific Standard Time,
w8ji@akorn.net
> writes:
>
> > > stature, to be installed at a later date. I am very insecure about the
> >  > HexBeam and am now carefully considering the Force 12 antennas. I'll
> >  > keep you all posted.
> >
> >  You should be insecure about the Hex beam. There is far too much
> >  hyperbole and far too few facts offered in the claims.
>
>     I'm a huge skeptic of the performance of 'new', non-traditional
antenna
> designs. I went to the Hex website and founds loads of anecodotal
information
> and lots of 'smoke and mirrors' about how it's angles have to do with
> "reflected path performance" and other hyperbole. Also, there's lots of
> technical mumbo jumbo (I'm not an antenna engineer or expert so I can't
> comment authoritatively about the calcs and formulas) about the antenna as
> well as comments about 'tests' that were conducted with no other info
> available.
>
>     In the Hex website was a copy of a CQ magazine review by Lew "I never
met
> an antenna I didn't like" McCoy. Some more interesting anecdotal
information.
>
>     I'm also skeptical about the RAI Beam and others. Let me say that I'm
> sure that these antennas 'radiate.' Whether they live up to their claims
is
> the question. N6BT had some fun using a lightbulb as an HF antenna so it
also
> radiated. In the case of our antenna testing, we found that Force 12 was
the
> only manufacturer whose published antenna specs corroborated our findings.
>
>     I'm hoping to be able to test these and other antennas for a future
> update to our tribander comparison report but need a technical guy who can
> run the test equipment and help interpret and help write-up the results.
> Testing will take place in Washington State later in the year. Let me know
if
> you're interested in co-authoring the third edition.
>
>     In the case of our tests, we have published the protocol so that
anyone
> can repeat our findings. Nothing like that ever appears in any antenna
> advertising (with the exception of Force 12) so ALL antenna manufacturer's
> performance claims are suspect. And some of them are TOTALLY WRONG.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve    K7LXC
> Tower Tech
>
> PS. Our tribander and vertical comparison reports are available from <A
> HREF="http://www.championradio.com">www.championradio.com</A> .
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
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> Order online at http://store.eham.net.
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>
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________________________________________________________________________
Where do you get ICE bandpass filters & beverage matching boxes?  The
same place that pays for the hosting of this list:  The eHam Store.
Order online at http://store.eham.net.
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