Hex Beam Dimensions, Better still, by keeping the Classic shape for the driven element we avoid a further increase in size, and the natural feedpoint impedance of the beam becomes a good match to 50 Ohms. 5 lbs, making this one of the most lightweight hex beams available commercially and easy to use with most push-up masts. The cell topology and functionally graded patterns displayed limited impact on the size effects, while the relative density significantly influenced the size effects. The hex beam has become a wildly popular antenna. Also, recommendations for rotors would be appreciated. 1dBI Gain - Broad Bandwidth that Covers Far Above and Below the Traditional CB Channels - SWR Tuning - sells for $203 at walcottradio. 5 dBi, free space, peak F/B >20 dB, peak Turning Radius 11 ft Here are the dimensions I used for my 17 Meter Hex. New Hex Beam from MFJ delivers solid gain and directivity on 20,17,15,12,10, and 6 Meters in a low-profile package that will have your pocketbook and your neighbors smiling! When it comes to lightweight directional HF antennas, the MFJ-1846 Hex Beam tops the list for its low-profile footprint, solid construction, and DX-snagging design -- all for a truly affordable price. X-Beam for 6m 2m and 70cm X-Beam antenna by K0EMT for 50 Mhz and VHF UHF bands Hex Beam for 6 meters The pre-assembled and tested Five Band Stainless Steel/PTFE Rigid Feeder System is also ideal for retrofitting to other, older hexagonal beam designs using the DX Engineering wire element dimensions - or with your own hex antenna with appropriate testing and modifications. Let's learn about Hex Beam Antennas with David from VHQ Hex at HamCation 2024, known for their exceptional quality and performance. Just attach the center point of the 448" inch reflector at the hub, and attach the tips with the correct spacing. It is a directional antenna that provides great performance and does not require a full scale, expensive tower. The direction of the main beam lobe is in the opposite direction. The final step was to put the completed Hex Beam about 10 feet above ground and fine tune each band. Sources for most parts are on line and are provided on the Parts page. Further development yielded a complete 5-band-beam (20-17-15-12-10m), a WARC version (30-17-12m), and several other configurations. This article documents the construction of a 6 band broadband hex beam HF antenna. The hex beam offers a number of features; Gain and front/back comparable to a two element full size Yagi beam Six bands with low SWR without a The direction of the main beam lobe is in the opposite direction. The 4 band Broadband Hex beam 20-17-15-10 meters By KE4NU - Alan Introduction Wanted: HF beam, must be small, light, inexpensive, easy to build, enter the Broadband Hex beam. com/). It does not refer to the Hex-Beam ® manufactured by Traffie Technology of Ashby, MA USA. Abstract and Figures The object of this study is a castellated beam, in which the web openings have the shape of a regular hexagon. One of the Hexbeam enthusiasts Steve G3TXQ discovered that the reason for this is high Q of the reflector, i. Hex Beam by K4KIO This site provides guidelines to build a G3TXQ broad band hex beam RF antenna for the 5 ham radio bands, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 meters. Introduction The Hexbeam is an innovative antenna. A G3TXQ Hexbeam is a full size 2 element Yagi beam with bent wire elements. Describes practical performance measurements on a Hexbeam Classic Hexbeam - Basics 1. I first must point out this antenna is not m… BUDDIHEX™ Buddihex™ Ultra Lightweight 6 band (20m – 6m) Portable Hex Beam. The dimensions were chosen to provide a good compromise between Gain, F/B and SWR. Both of these alternatives are a lot more expensive than my wire antenna. Jun 10, 2012 · New HexBeam from MFJ delivers solid gain and directivity on 40, 30, 20,17, 15, 12, 10, and 6 Meters in a low-profile package that will have yourpocketbook and your neighbors smiling!The MFJ-1848 uses an updated G3TXQ element configuration for excellentgain, improved bandwidth, superior front-to-back ratio and low SWR - Hexbeam is in fact modified 2-element Yagi antenna designed with goal to maximally save the space. So what are the choices for a hex beam mast? Creativity will give you choices all over the map and you can see the diversity of them in our gallery. This construction project involved some scrounging, welding, 3D printing, 4nec2 simulations, some ebay purchases, and a lot of sifting through the junk box. It is very well engineered - N7LVS I am very happy with this product and enthusiastically recommend it to other amateurs with space The price for the compact size of classical Hexbeam is its “narrowbandness”. The approach in this site is to explain five steps for building 40m kit Hexbeam assembly manual A set of 40 - meter putty for six strand hexbeam. A homebrew Hexbeam antenna built in 3 hours. Article Highlights Design of Hex Beam with Dimensions NEC Modelling of 40m/30m Hexbeam On-Air tests and results Spreader Cosntruction Base Plate construction To: hex-beam@ Subject: [hex-beam] Mast size for NA4RR Hexagonal Beam All, What mast size are you using for this antenna? The website says a 1 inch water pipe fit into the bottom. ) Describes practical performance measurements on a Hexbeam Classic Hexbeam - Basics 1. This is not a compromised element antenna like the hexagon or "hex" beam, which uses only 2 elements per band bent into a C or M shape: The only requirement for a hex beam is that the wire elements are supported at the six spreaders and lie in the same plane. This implies a hexagonal geometry for the wire elements, commonly with insulating rope spacers between elements, generating a tension ring that defines the wire elements and is supported at the spreaders. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day. pl www. On received signals on 20 meters, the Hexagonal Beam typically heard signals two to four S-unit better while making the audio sound more full. This is a simple and very workable solution. 5 lbs Wind Load Area: 5. That makes it feasible for you to hang onto your retirement savings and still compete with the big guys with their SteppIR and huge Moseley beams. ” Should You Buy a Hexbeam? Hexagonal beam construction This will depend on how much "bend" you have on the spreaders. I first was introduced to a hex beam back in 2001 at the Huntsville, Alabama Ham fest by a company call Traffie Technology (http://hexbeam. The approach in this site is to explain five steps for building The pre-assembled and tested Five Band Stainless Steel/Teflon® Rigid Feeder System is also ideal for retrofitting to other, older hexagonal beam designs using the DX Engineering wire element dimensions - or with your own hex antenna with appropriate testing and modifications. Spiderbeam® yagis feature full-size elements with individual driven elements for each HF band (fed from single feedline) for monobander-level performance. Specifications of the KIO Hexbeam Bands 20, 17, 15, 12, 10, 6 meters or any combination Antenna elem The integral center insulators with the unique serpentine wire grip assure long, reliable performance. The materials used here are stainless steel or aluminum for longer durability. The SWR doesn't quite cover the 20m, 10m, or 6m bands, but does cover 17m, 15m, and 12m. (and the shorter the centre pole. Traditionally it has been constructed of wire elements strung on Broadband Hex Beam Antenna - 6 Band: Hello fello Hams and anyone else interested ! My name is Dave (call sign G7IYK) and I am based in Bristol south west UK. Single Band This size-dependent behaviour of the hexagonal metamaterial beam is well captured by a nonlocal strain-gradient model. The base plate is the foundation of the hex beam serving as the mounting point for spreader arms, center post and attachment of the beam to the mast. I found it easy to slip the Hex Beam atop an unused 10' section of aluminum tower and work on the elements from the comfort of my back deck. However, if only three bands are desired or five bands, the same approach would apply for the bands you want to equip. You see, some sites tell you how to build the “original” hexagonal beam which is patterned after the design of the HEX-BEAM, a trademarked product of Traffie Technologies. This Hex Beam is fed at the top 20M element with good quality RG-8 Coax. I chose to feed them separately, with two coaxes. As such, strength and stability are of the utmost importance. If your thinking Hex Beam, this is the BEST! -KC9RNK This antenna meets and in most cases exceeds all of the claimed assembly, specifications and performance. The driver element has W shape (or M, depending on viewing perspective), the reflector is mirror image of the driver (Figure 1, original constuction of Hexbeam). The stiffer the arms, the less bend you need. The coax runs to a remote antenna switch at the base of the pole. This antenna will be used as a benchmark as we explore the effect that various dimensions have on Classic Hexbeam performance. The MFJ-1846 uses an Shop Artmore Tile Bower Hex Beams Taupe 12-in x 15-in Matte Porcelain Patterned Floor and Wall Tile (10. the hex beam page by w1gql page a document dedicated to home brewing hex beam antenna with dimensions info on spreaders wires to use spacing tips feed line information mast to use multi band version and antenna height. The step by step guidelines here are for a six band hex beam. How to build your own HEX If you have been to other sites on construction of the hexagonal beam you might be a bit confused. Does a 1-1/4 inch mast fit it? I called the number on their website but no answer. By bending the Driver and Reflector wires into "M" and "W" shapes, respectively, it manages to achieve useful beam performance in a turn radius about one half that of a full-size 2-element Yagi. 51-sq. The G3TXQ hex beam is a new development and actually easier to build than the classic hexbeam. On 17 meters, the Hexagon was even better — signals that wer Lots of my QSO are with folks runnning big beams on towers and a few with hex beams. eu M through 24,8 m Aircell7. Judging from the postings on the Yahoo Hexbeam group, a lot of people want to build 5 band versions covering 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10. The beam is examined to find optimal cross-sectional dimensions. The price for the compact size of classical Hexbeam is its “narrowbandness”. Several full-size monoband beams are interlaced on one boom with negligible interaction. com Toby Gardner Nickajack ARC (Amateur Radio Club) Mike Bailey󰞋Feb 5󰞋󱟠 I'm not sure when this the current Amateur Radio bands, but it I had used up almost all my antenna space and needed a reasonable size antenna for 20m on up. Hexbeam was real Remember that this beam is broad-banded so the SWR will remain quite low across each band – and well within range of most built-in antenna tuners in modern transceivers. This performance potential emerges from a beam with a turning radius of 130”. F. antenna for the six amateur radio bands, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10 and 6 meters. Peak Approx. Our antenna doesn’t require a large expensive tower, many people are using inexpensive push up poles. I undertand I should bet a better S/N in the direction I point the antennna which would be an advantage. In late 2007 Steve Hunt, G3TXQ, conducted extensive testing and modeling of many variations of the classic hex beam seeking to overcome its narrow banded deficiency without sacrificing the simplicity and small size. By modeling of different ratios between driver/reflector Works well sitting on the ground, better elevated Per Dave: “Performance results of MFJ-1846 Six-band hex-beam antenna. 6 Ft Height of Beam: 39 inches from base plate to top of center post Weight: 26. 5. 8 Ft Diameter of Beam: 21. Sets up in 20 minutes. In general, like the X-beam and other beams based upon vee-ing the center parts of the elements, the hex beam shows a quite narrow operating bandwidth relative to gain and front-to-back ratio. From above the driven element resembles the shape of a letter M and the reflector resembles the shape of a letter U. The coax will connect on the back of the center post and can come down through the hole in the back of the base plate. The original spider beam was a full-size lightweight triband yagi for 20-15-10m, made from fiberglass and wire. Listed under the Antennas/HexBeam category that is about HexBeam Antenna. Neither one of the beams seem to provide more gain than what I have now. The pre-assembled and tested Five Band Stainless Steel/Teflon® Rigid Feeder System is also ideal for retrofitting to other, older hexagonal beam designs using the DX Engineering wire element dimensions - or with your own hex antenna with appropriate testing and modifications. The design featured in this G3TXQ broad band hex beam is the result of his efforts in this regard. I first got interested in the Hexbeam after seeing it described on various websites, but I was puzzled by conflicting sets of published dimensions and hearing that some constructors were disappointed by the Front-to-Back performance they were getting. It functions on principle of paracitic 2-element beam (like Moxon antenna). I did a lot of research on the Hex Beam, looked at most of the examples and talked to owners of the K4KIO, NA4RR, DX Engineering, MFJ and another one I forget. Get ready to light up the airwaves! The 4 band Broadband Hex beam 20-17-15-10 meters By KE4NU - Alan Introduction Wanted: HF beam, must be small, light, inexpensive, easy to build, enter the Broadband Hex beam. sp7idx-hexbeam. com 6 Band hexagonal beam antenna covering 6, 10, 12, 15, 17, and 20 meter bands shipped to your door for only $785 ($725 + $60 shipping) The NA4RR Hexagonal Beam (commonly referred to as the hex beam) is a popular antenna based on the G3TXQ design. mi-num 15-meter dipole at 25 feet above ground. Lightweight and portable 6 band (20m - 6m) hex beam perfect for everything from POTA activations to camping trips to small backyards or Field Day, and everything in-between. I plan a rooftop Broadband Hex Beam Antenna - 6 Band - Full 5/8 Wave Antenna - 24' Antenna in Three 8' Easy to Assemble Sections - 5. ft/ Carton) EXT3RD106093 in the Tile department at Lowes. There is a bend on the spreaders so that they will pull on the elements to keep them taut. Total weight with wires for all bands attached is 9. steep change of it’s impedance with frequency. The approach in this site is to explain five steps for building These 109" and 115" leg dimensions pretty much take care of themselves as you build the Hex. Traditionally it has been constructed of wire elements strung on K4KIO Hexagonal Beam Antenna K4KIO Hexagonal Beam Antenna Specifications: Bands: 20, 17, 15, 12, 10 and 6 meters Gain: . - K8BZ This is a very, very , easy antenna to build. . Contact Copyright © 2026. M0OXO | Web Design and Web Hosting McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 700,000 products. Build a Homebrew Hexbeam Antenna by VE7IT Project Description This web page is a journey through my efforts to build a low cost hex beam antenna for the 5 ham bands from 14 to 28 MHz. e. It is featured in the March 2009 edition of QST magazine and is a significant improvement over the classic Hex-Beam design. 1 Sq Ft sp7idx@interia. Performance SWR <2:1 except for high end of 10 and 6 meters Gain 5. 5 dBi (<4 dBd) Front to Back: Peak >20 dB (varies by band) VSWR: Less than 2:1 across nearly all bands Turning Radius: 10. The bend depends on how stiff the spreaders are. The antenna shows great directionality and ample gain. This site features the G3TXQ broad band hex beam R. utfxpv, jgthgd, xidb, zy8cak, pg3sx, d5rlk, y0oag, rpa2a, mcmlw, clszf,