Hex Beam Mounting Question

[W9DEC]

I am trying to find the most stealth location to mount a hex beam. My roof slopes downward from a high in the middle of about 25' to the lowest point at the back of about 10'. I'm thinking about mounting at the lowest point and elevating the beam to the minimum level that will allow it to rotate. This means that the beam shouldn't be visible from the street BUT it also means that the beam will be lower than the highest point of the roof for about 90°. Is this a workable installation or will the roof dramatically effect the signal?
W9DEC

[WB6BYU]

What material is the roof made of?

What material is in the attic / upstairs that the antenna would
be shooting through?

[WH7DX]

I did something similar so it wouldn't be seen much from the street - just the tops of the arms.   Perhaps put up a stick and go outside to see how high you can go..

1) Paint the hex beam black.

2) Run antenna rope around the top supporting arms going around the whole hex beam for additional support from twisting in the wind - above the 20M.

3) I've seen a story at K4KIO hex beam website of a guy having good contacts with the beam in a buck on the ground.   The guy never put it up?

Try the height that isn't noticeable or not that noticeable.. the black paint will help.   The roof probably won't do much.   Hopefully it's not in an important direction for you or you can run it to the sides.   The beam is 60 degrees on the Hex I believe so it might not do much at all.

Go with the height you feel comfortable with..  either a little higher and then lower it if someone says anything or go lower to begin with and avoid any hassles from the start?

Great antenna.

[W9DEC]

The roof is wood rafters covered by plywood and asphalt shingles. The direction of the problem area is west, and the ocean is to the east as I live in Florida.
My vertical is on the ground in the backyard behind the house and I can make contacts to the west, but of course the angle of the vertical is different.

[WH7DX]

I bet if you put it up at a height where you only see the top few feet of the supporting arms over the roof - and paint it flat black - you'll be fine and have some great contacts.   Push up mast to get the right height...??

[W1JKA]

      From the street side what is the background you see above your roof ridge?Trees,buildings,open sky,etc. take one spreader and experiment with Rustoleum(best for FG) enamel spray paints to match background,push painted spreader above roof line,go out to street take a gander and adjust colors accordingly.My homebrew hex is 23 ft.,about 2 ft, above my metal roof ridge line 15 ft. away from house and well below roof lines of neighboring homes plus surrounded by 50 ft.+ spruce/pine trees on three sides.My niche is qrp cw/dx, no problems.

[K2MK]

You may see some SWR variations as you rotate the hex beam. My original mounting location had it mast mounted from the ground but partially overhanging the roof. In other words, about 1/3 of the antenna was over the roof and 2/3 was in the clear. As the driven element was rotated over the roof the SWR would rise beyond 2:1 on some bands. I don't know if it didn't like being close to the roof or if it was caused by the fact that only part of the antenna was over the roof.

I haven't read about similar effects when the antenna is mounted on the peak of the roof. Of course that is not an option for you.

Will it work. Absolutely. Is it worth the effort. Absolutely.

If you paint, go for a flat paint. Less reflections. I've painted various items with Krylon Camouflage paint. They call it ultra-flat. It's carried at my local Home Depot but not Lowes.
http://www.krylon.com/products/camouflage_paint_with_fusion_technology/

73,
Mike K2MK