Homebrew Hex Wire Beam Antenna
A detailed construction guide for building a multi-band Hex Beam antenna for amateur radio.
Description
Presents a comprehensive guide for constructing a broadband Hex Beam antenna, a popular directional array for HF operation. This design offers a compact footprint and excellent gain characteristics, making it suitable for limited space installations while providing significant performance advantages over omnidirectional antennas.
The resource details the specific dimensions for a five-band Hex Beam covering 20, 17, 15, 12, 10, and 6 meters, emphasizing the critical element spacing and wire lengths required for proper resonance and pattern. It outlines the construction of the center post, spreaders, and wire elements, along with the feed point assembly, ensuring proper impedance matching. The project aims for a forward gain of approximately 5.5 dBi on most bands, with a front-to-back ratio often exceeding 20 dB.
Building this antenna requires careful measurement and assembly, but the resulting performance provides a substantial upgrade for DXing and contesting.