Hexbeam Antenna

After I first heard about the Hexbeam I did quite a bit of research into this antenna. Based on what I learned about this antenna, I decided to build my own. For further information, please see the Additional Sources section near the bottom of this page.

My Situation
I live on a fairly small residential lot. The idea of putting up a large tower and antenna seemed a bit out of the question. This is one of the main reasons I found the Hexbeam an attractive option for me. By design, the Hexbeam is lightweight and has a smaller radius than typical two-element yagi antennas. The performance looked to be satisfactory. It would also be possible to construct the antenna from available materials. Finally, due to the smaller footprint of this antenna, it would be possible to attach it to the chimney near the back of my house.

Construction Begins
Version one of my Hexbeam was a five-band 10 to 20 meter antenna. I generally followed the plans on Leo Shoemaker's site. He has photographs and detailed information on each step. It didn't take too long to assemble the necessary items.

I first used crappie fishing rods purchased from an online sporting goods supplier. The rest of the parts were purchased locally. After construction, I erected the antenna without a rotator just to see how it worked. Well, I wasn't disappointed. Pointed towards Europe, I started making contacts with stations previously unheard on the dipole. Even with propagation conditions nearing the bottom of the solar cycle, results were encouraging.

Next Steps
Now that I had achieved satisfactory results, a small rotator was purchased and installed. This allowed for more contacts from greater distances. However, knowing that winter weather was just around the corner, I decided to replace the original crappie rods with stronger fiberglass spreaders from MaxGain. Due to the mounting location of my antenna, it would have been nearly impossible to repair the antenna should anything happen during the winter months. (It may be worth noting the original antenna had survived winds in excess of 50 MPH.) The spreaders arrived and the sections were assembled using the tips on MaxGain's web site. MaxGain suggests several options for joining the sections. I chose to use the 3M Marine adhesive. I laid the sections out on an extension ladder, covered with cardboard. The sections were cemented together and the 24 hour curing process began. After a few hours, I was able to start the painting. In order to paint the other side of the spreaders, I simply rotated them with minimal flexing so as to not disturb the adhesive before it had fully cured.

I used a paint formulated specifically for plastics (including fiberglass). When dry, the paint had a rough "sandpaper" finish for a very non-reflective surface. The texture also provided the wire attachments points additional "bite". (This paint should not be confused with "hammer tone", which probably contains metal particles.) Several coats of paint were applied and the spreaders were ready for the upcoming weekend.

The antenna was returned to the backyard and each spreader was replaced one at a time. This method was far more manageable than removing all of the original spreaders. At this time, I also secured the center support mast with an aluminum rail flange. This was also far sturdier than the original "L" shelf brackets.

Broadband Version
Only about a week after I completed refitting my spreaders, information on the "broadband" version of the antenna began to emerge. Steve Hunter, G3TXQ, had been conducting experiments with many Hexbeam configurations in an effort to improved the qualities of the "classic" design. This new design not only exhibits greater bandwidth, but improved F/B ratios. Steve also includes some .mp3 files on his site to demonstrate the improved performance. With better weather on the horizon, I'll likely convert my existing antenna to the broadband design. Leo Shoemaker, K4KIO, provides detailed instructions on converting existing homebrew Hexbeams.

In Conclusion
When it comes to HF antennas, I'm doubt there will ever be a single "perfect" antenna. Space, finances, local ordinances, owner associations and other factors, of necessity, need to be considered in the selection process. Many hams have multiple antennas in order to maximize communications. The Hexbeam may be a good choice for you. It has worked well for me and I would recommend giving one a try. Then, perhaps one day we may have a QSO "hex to hex".

Additional Sources
There is a lot of great information about the Hexbeam available. Here are my personal favorites and I highly recommend them.