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| Reviews Summary for Optibeam OB9-5 |
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Reviews: 46
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Average rating: 5.0/5
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MSRP: $995
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Description: Performant yagi designed as stacked monobander for 20/17/15/12/10 with patented feed system. Optimized computer designed German yagi without traps and with full size elements. The OB9-5 has 2 el on 20, 2 el on 17, 2 el on 15, 2 el on 12 and 3 el on 10 meters.
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Product is in production.
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More info: http://www.optibeam.de
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KM1C
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 5, 2012 07:22
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This beam flat out WORKS!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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My OB9-5 is on a 24' chrome molly mast on an HDX-555 tower, above an OB4030 and below an OB5-6 (w/ MSquared Orion rotor). Extremely well constructed, easy to assemble, very strong. It survived a direct hit from hurricane Irene in 2011 (as did the other OptiBeams, with no bends, breaks, mis-alignments, etc. Zero damage, zero repairs.)
It is mounted on an NN4ZZ TiltPlate, as is the OB4030. The TiltPlates allow you to tilt the tower over almost all the way to the ground for beam construction and maintenance. No tower climbing! I built all the OptiBeams right at ground level and then cranked the tower back to the vertical and raised it.
The OB9-5 has performed well beyond my expectations. I only run 100 watts, but have cracked many a pile-up on first or second call. This is true of all 5 bands, phone or CW. One of the great things about this design is that you can do instant band changes. No waiting for motors to drive you to resonance. It also has plenty of Front to Back and Front to Side, great for suppressing QRM from other stations while on receive.
If I add another tower at this location (to have south facing antennas for contesting), I will repeat the combination I have now, utilizing ONLY OptiBeams. Thank you Tom, DF2BO, for such a great product.
73 de Bill KM1C Oriental, NC USA
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ON4VP
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 11, 2011 08:59
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Great performce, beautiful design
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I think I've must have been one of Tom's first ON-customers in 2001. Ten years ago I was looking for a good beam and Tom, the president of Optibeam Antennas, convinced me to try the OB11/3. The antenna has been on the tower for over 4 years and it kept surprising about his performance.
Between 2005 and 2010, because of my profession, I had to remove the station and early this year I had to start all over again. Without any doubt I contacted Tom again to investigate the possibilities for a five band beam with very good performance and medium size dimensions.
Tom told me that the OB9/5 is sold hundreds of times and peforms very, very well on all 5 bands. I was spoiled having 5 elements on 10 meters before and 3 elements on other bands so I had to wait until the antenna was mounted on top of my 15 meter tower before I could compare it to my previous Optibeam.
As always, the service of Tom and his team is second to none. He is very responsive to mails I've sent him and the team managed to get the beam ready in days. It is unbelievable how well oiled the team works.
One week after picking the beam up at the Optibeam headquarters I finished the build. I'm still amazed about the quality of the pieces. I've never seen it before. Tom's team even improved some stuff over the years.
I've have the antenna up the tower now and I'm amazed on its performance. 9 element for 5 bands but some elements interact with each other. It is a clever design that outperforms a lot of conventional multiband beams on the market.
I have used the OB9/5 during ARRL 10 meters and still brake a lot of pile-ups. On 20, 17 and 15 the signals are really great. Still have to look for more tests and results on 12 meters but if the 4 other bands have outstanding performance, why 12 wouldn't.
The size is really good. Not to big, ideal on my tower, beautiful to look at and performing better than I ever would expected.
This is one of the finest products I ever put on my tower. Recommended and 5-star rated !
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HK4CZE
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 3, 2011 07:22
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excellent
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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After having a 3 element Steppir for a few years I thought I wanted a trouble free antenna. No motors to baby, no controller box to loose when the bad weather comes by , no traps, five bands with decent gain , and a single feed line. I started a meticulous search and came to the conclusion that Optibeam was the answer.
After a couple of months, the OB9-5 finally arrived. I was pleased right from the beginning. The box and all components inside it were in perfect shape after such a trip; packaging was perfect; It had come through Array solutions from Germany and then into HK land ; quite a journey.
Putting the antenna together was simple, all hardware is well thought and fits precisely. Quality is optimum.
All I can say now is that I am amazed to see how this antenna performs. Signal reports are at least equal to the Steppir if no better. I installed on my qrz page one of these country and flag counters, and I am really surprised to see how many different countries around the globe have heard my signal, and this is in less than a week.
Support from Tom DF2BO is first class, he helped me a lot, not only in getting the antenna to HK but, every doubt that I had he was there to help.
In summary I must say this is the best antenna on the market now, and absolutely maintenance free.
Thanks again Tom for a great product!!
Jorge /HK4CZE
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IK2RGT
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 2, 2011 04:54
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Outstanding products!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Guys, the question is simple!
If you are:
- not addicted to trapped yagis
- searching for a beam working 5 bands (10 to 20) with a single boom
- not confident about dinamics antennas
- looking for an excellent pre and post selling assistance
- searching for a plug and play antenna without wasting most of the mounting time correcting and checking the measurements...
the answer is simple: go for the OB9-5!
The setup used before was a Cushcraft A3S with a rotatable dipole for 12 and 17 mt on top.
Believe me, the difference it's like day and night
Manny, IK2RGT
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OZ1HNE
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 28, 2011 06:42
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Really FB antenna,
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I had this OB9-5 for only 4 weeks, and my first experience and first 5 QSO's was working ST0R on 10,12,15,17 and 20m with my 100W without any problems to get through the pileup. Excellent start for a new antenna. Assambling the antenna was just "plug and play" due to very well explained manual and pictures. All choise of materials is very good quality and predrilled parts just fits 100%. My experience with this Obtibeam OB9-5 is 5 out of 5.
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K2QB
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 1, 2011 14:06
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Superb Product
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Well I can only reiterate what others have said. As soon as I opened the box I knew I made the right decision. I did a comparison with all the antennas out there that would give me 5 band coverage including Moseley, Telex, M2, Stepir and even the Hex Beam. After all was said and done I opted for the Optibeam even though it was a little more than I wanted to spend. Previously I have owned several Moseley antennas and Hy-Gains. The packaging and care to detail as far as making sure everythng was included and well marked is superb. The support by Tom is excellent. After assembling the antenna the craftsmanship is apparent, it is second to none. A testament to German engineering and quality. I'm not trying to justify my expenditure which anyone would probably do even if they had made a mistake. I'm just stating the facts. This is a gorgeous antenna. My first call with 100w was to R5ZZ in a mini-pile up and he came right back to me with a 599. Can't wait to run tests against other club members in WNYDXA to see how it stacks up. If I was pressed to say anything negative about it, it would be that the German to English translation in the manual could be a little better. If you read it enough and follow the pics you can figure it out but a smoother translation would be nice. I'm confident that I made the right decision.
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OZ7MHZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 14, 2010 14:13
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First class
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have only had my OB9-5 for 2 weeks and I knew as soon as I opened the box that I had bought something special. The engineering quality is of an extremely high standard and the aluminium is heavier gauge than any other antenna I have seen before. Assembly was unbelieveably simple with everything marked and labelled and in many cases, pre-assembled.
Once assembled, the antenna looks fantastic with all the elements perfectly aligned and perfectly parallel to each other. I also like the fact this antenna has no traps, no motors and no need for a measureing tape to assemble it. The SWR is as good as or better than shown in the specs.
On the air I have had a lot of great reports from the other side of the Atlantic and had my first QSO in New Zealand with a 59+ from Wellington using only 100 watts on 20meters and my tower only half way up at 10meters in height!
I give this antenna a 5 out of 5 as it is great from start to finish. Easy assembly and great to use with no need to use the ATU and I doubt if I will ever need to buy a linear amplifier.Also with no traps or moving parts, there is nothing that can fail over time.
I wont be shopping for antennas anywhere else other than Optibeam in future.
Buy one and youŽll have no regrets, Al. OZ7MHZ
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F8VOE
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 31, 2010 05:46
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A beautiful dream now real
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought the OB9-5 for my french QTH some months ago and I put up it on a tower of 18m (60ft). With a poor propagation and only 100W I worked smoothly DX also on pile-up. Of course working barefoot need patience and skills, but in the end I caught the new one with good signal. SWR is as previewed and measures done with the MFJ-259B confirmed the quality of the project. Aluminium is first quality and instructions clear. Easy to assemble and light to put up on the tower. Assistance in "put up" is always of first order and Thomas is really very kind and always "on line" by mail. OB9-5 is really a good choice!
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DH8GV
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 18, 2010 05:08
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The best beam antenna
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Probably the best beam antenna. No Traps, no movable parts, outstanding performance, survived easily the storm "Norina" from July 2010 in northern Germany 20m up. Nothing more to say. Buy this one and you are satisfied.
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LX1AX
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 25, 2010 13:20
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THE SERIOUS ONE
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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WHY THE SERIOUS ONE?
IT HAS NO MOVING PARTS.
IT HAS NO TRAPS.
IT IS A PLUG AND PLAY ANTENNA.
IT WORKS GREAT.
IT LISTEN GREAT.
IT LOOKS GREAT.
IT IS SOLID BUILT.
IT HAS LOW SWR.
IT HAS A GREAT GAIN AND A GOOD FRONT TO BACK.
IT IS FEED BY ONE COAX CABLE.
AND..AND....
SO IN RESUME I CAN SAY AFTER 5 YEARS OF USING IT : THE OB9-5 HAS EXCEED ALL MY HIGH EXPECTATIONS AND IT HAS SURVIVED ALL THE BIG WINTERSTORMS WE HAVE HAD WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. I STILL LOVE THIS ANTENNA AND I WOULD BUY IT AGAIN!
SERIOUS ANTENNA, FOR SERIOUS HAM FROM A SERIOUS COMPANY WITH GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE
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