[PVRCNC] [PVRC] Hex/Spiderbeam advice?

Mon Jul 27 13:31:40 EDT 2015

Will,
I purchased a Spiderbeam (three bands, 20-15-10) this spring and I'm very happy with it. Initial assembly took me about 12 hours but once assembled and labeled it can be put together rather quickly (KL9A reports 2 hours). 
It is a very light antenna. The five-band model (non heavy duty) weighs 16 pounds. The spec for the DXengineering Hex Beam is 24.9 pounds. The booms are 33 feet long on the Spiderbeam, so that is something to consider.
I raised my SpiderBeam on a 30 foot mast (less rotor) with no issues at all. Currently it sits at 35 feet with a simple TV style rotor. It has good front-to-back and forward gain as well.
I'm not familiar with the other similar antennas, but I think you would be happy with the Spiderbeam.
I believe it can collapse into a 4 foot back pretty easily. The shipping cartoon was 4 feet long and about 6-8 inches wide.
73,
Nate/N4YDU
      From: Robert Katz <rob.katz at thelegacycenter.com>
 To: "Roberts, Will" <Will.Roberts at duke-energy.com> 
Cc: PVRC <pvrc at mailman.qth.net>; PVRCNC <pvrcnc at mailman.qth.net> 
 Sent: Monday, July 27, 2015 12:51 PM
 Subject: Re: [PVRC] Hex/Spiderbeam advice?

Hi Will,

I brought a home-brewed SpiderBeam to C6 for portable operation in ARRL DX this March.  I considered both a HexBeam and the SpiderBeam, and I finally decided on the SB because it has a bit more gain and, mechanically, it is a 2D antenna rather than 3D (except for some truss supports on the spreaders).  The downside is that the gain comes from being bigger, with 32+' wingspan, and I think it's a few pounds heavier.

I was very pleased with the performance.  I think we may have placed 1st in M/S LP.  Running LP, we were loud on every band and had few problems holding our run frequencies.  We were also right on the edge of the ocean, only a couple hundred miles from FL, so I can't say how much of that was our location and how much was the beam.

Mechanically, the SB takes some work to assemble the first time.  After that, re-assembly is straight-forward and pretty simple.  I home-brewed all the pieces, including using "Crappie" fishing poles for the spreaders.  They were much too flexible, and the tips of the spreaders pulled up almost like a hex beam.  Until they flipped down in the breeze, like an umbrella.  The good news is that the SB is a yagi (with bent elements), which means that it is very forgiving of bends and droops.  I am going to replace the fishing poles with more sturdy fiberglass spreaders.  The official SB beam (and the kit of parts) looks well engineered with light-weight but sturdy components.  You're welcome to come over to take a look at it all, if that would be helpful.

Do I think I made a good choice?  For me, absolutely.

GL es 73,
  Rob  K4OV

On Jul 27, 2015, at 9:20 AM, Roberts, Will wrote:

> I need to purchase a hex/spiderbeam type antenna for portable use. I am considering the pros/cons of several different models and wanted to get input from owners and users.
> 
> Primary consideration is for portability. It must be able to be configured in a nylon bag as checked baggage on airlines. It must cover 6 bands - 20m through 6m. Secondary consideration is ease and speed of construction. It doesn't have to be super rugged, as I intend to use it only for portable operations, so hopefully it will not be subjected to high winds/ice, etc.
> 
> I would appreciate any feedback from the club.
> 
> 73,
> 
> Will AA4NC
> 
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--
Dr. Rob Katz, Director
Legacy Center, Inc.
919-678-6000
rob.katz at theLegacyCenter.com

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