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| Reviews Summary for Hexbeam: by K4KIO |
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Reviews: 14
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Average rating: 5.0/5
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MSRP: $669
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Description: A six band, broadband, G3TXQ- designed, hexagonal beam with performance on par with a two element Yagi but a much smaller physical footprint is fully tuned and ready to go. This is a plug and play antenna, not a kit. It can be assembled in an evening with no measurements or tuning needed. No traps or coils are required and a single coax feeds all bands. Available for Bands 20 – 6 meters in various combinations.
All steel components are stainless and non metallic components are UV resistant. Mount on a push up mast or rooftop. The sturdy aircraft aluminum base plate has never been reported to fail by hundreds of users.
A “no questions asked” 30 day refund offer comes with each beam plus lifetime free replacement of any components that fail due to storms.
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Product is in production.
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More info: http://www.hex-beam.com/
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write your own review of the Hexbeam: by K4KIO.
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KD4LTP
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 1, 2010 19:20
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Excellent
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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While waiting for my roof to cool I decided to mount the K4KIO hexbeam temporarily. (See the pix on QRZ on AI4SR.) It's on a rotor on a 55 gallon drum, 10 feet in the air! I have the 20M and 17M unit. My SWR and impedance measurements with the analyzer are better than claimed. A good 6 db quieter than the Inverted V or Vertical. Receive levels a good 4db better than either of them. My f/b ratio not quite as good as claimed, BUT remember I am still at 10 feet in the air. I will udate specs when I have it at the planned 30 feet. Leo support is great, and assembly is maybe 2 hours. EXCELLENT price to performance ratio.
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W7DUV
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 18, 2010 11:11
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Great antenna
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Time owned: months
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I had been searching the internet for an antenna that was low profile with decent performance. I live in a HOA restrictive neighbor hood my antenna cannot be visible from the roof line. I started talking to hams on the band that had hexbeams. I sent Leo an email asking questions about the antenna. He promptly emailed me back wow a vender getting back to you within the hr. After a few days i ordered the antenna. when it came it was well packed the parts were all first rate. I read the instructions and had the antenna up in a hour and a half. The first thing i noticed was all the stations i never heard on my dipole or Gap vertical. I was hearing Africa Abdulla in Kuwait
and made the contact 5 and 7 and the antenna is only 20' off the ground. I can imagine what it woud do if i could get it up to 30' or better.
I ordered the 3 band version 10-15-10m i was so impressed by the performance i ordered 2 more bands 15-6m. Again Leo was very helpful with my questions of adding 15m and 6m best vender i have ever worked with definite 5+ in my book.
W7DUV Buckley WA.
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N9ZI
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 7, 2010 12:56
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Really Pleased
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Very pleased with the Hexbeam package by K4KIO. It went together nicely the parts, wires, all were packaged & cut to make it easy for a person to put it together without much fuss, if I did have a question Leo was very helpful, knowledgeable and quick to give you an honest answer.
I was a little worried if the performance would be worth the effort and cost of a tower, rotor, etc since I put up a Zero Five 10-40 GP, the best vertical antenna have ever owned & had works tons of nice DX in only a few months.
The Hexbeam is at about 46ft at the bottom and I am working stations that can,t even hear on the GP, the signals are so much stronger it is hard to believe about 3 to 4 s units on the average.
This has exceeded my expectations - thank you Leo for a fine 5 band antenna, by the way the SWR is great on all bands, do not use my tuner on it.
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W0XV
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 4, 2010 02:24
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I'm Impressed!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I recently installed the 6 band version of the K4KIO Hexbeam on an AB 577 military mast. The Hexbeam is at 45 ft and nestled in among 100 ft pine trees. The performance has been very impressive for an antenna with modest gain. The antenna has reasonable front to back and very good front to side. The SWR is less than 1:2 to 1 on all bands and I have been getting great signal reports. I have had large yagi's and a quad at 70 ft. and this antenna is certainly not in that league,but it is very effective for a 2 element antenna in a compressed format. I consistently receive strong signal reports and work DX with ease...P29, FK8, HZ...etc. The build quality is very good and I was able to assemble the antenna in 2 hours. Leo was readily available to answer the few questions that I had. The antenna is well packaged and was shipped within one working day after I placed my order. I highly recommend this antenna.
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W3ATM
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 20, 2010 09:40
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Excellent!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I ordered from Leo Shoemaker the Hex Beam with 20, 17 and 15 meters. Two packages arrived promptly, with excellent instructions. I had the entire antenna constructed in less than three hours. Leo also answered my emails very fast (Usually in 10 minutes or less) about using a telescoping pole. I copied his pictures of his installation which uses a 4"x4" treated wood pole into a hole of concrete. Then mount the 30, 40 or 50' (I used 30') telescoping pole to two welded plates I fabricated (being lucky to own a small mig welder and steel cutting wheel). I ran the RG-58U coax up the stationary guy rings using tie wraps then ran a loop hanging about 12" down and tied to a arm about 4' out so the coax gently wraps around the rotating post. Then ran the coax with tie wraps along the arm and into the big coax hole at near the center of the massive steel base and up to the coax connection. My balun is along the arm also. I get close to 1.1 or less for SWR for all three bands when testing with my MFJ-259B antenna analyzer. I don't even use a tuner when transmitting. My antenna is at 29'. I have contacted within 15 minutes Russia, Lithuania, Serbia and stateside CA. I was 59 for all running 100W off the FT-450 to 400W with the AL-811H amplifier. I switched between my 4 antennas (long wire - nothing heard, inverted dipole some of the above contacts barely heard, and the 1/4 wave vertical heard all but at 3 or 4 dB less. Leo uses excellent materials, great instructions and the antenna already has withstood high winds with nothing happening since the antenna is symmetrical and guyed strongly at three vertical points. I STRONGLY recommend buying this competitively priced Hex Beam. It beats DX Engineering since it is already put together whereas DX is many small parts, It beats some of the other Hex Beams since it is cheaper in price. My rotator is a Yaesu G-450A and there is a thrust bearing GS-050 by Yaesu at the top of the wood pole.
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W5JET
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Rating: 5/5
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May 31, 2010 21:50
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Update
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Update, I have managed to get the antenna another 20' higher seems to have really helped out the reception department. The European stations are noticeably stronger.. It works pretty good for an antenna that only has 3dbd of gain.
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KD8LGW
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 7, 2010 14:09
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Earned Its Keep
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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It took about two hours to build and another hour to add the 10 meter kit. It is nearly indestructible. I have abused, dropped, snagged, bent, dropped again, tipped, twisted and dropped it yet again, and it has bounced back from every insult intact. The instructions were clear, the materials of good quality and the workmanship flawless. Leo took the time to explain the advantages of the broadband design over the classic at length and modestly, but in convincing detail. When I finally had the sense to hire a professional installer to put it on my roof properly (40 feet above the ground on an eight foot GME tower) it shone. I am a casual operator, a Sunday driver who has had the thing on the roof since December and worked 70 DXCC with it from suburban Cleveland, including South Africa and New Zealand (both confirmed). It has earned its keep, and is much less obtrusive than the antenna I wish I had the room for, but don't.
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VA3IED
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 11, 2009 18:24
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Love it
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I purchased this antenna several weeks ago but have only recently had a chance to put it up on the tower a few days ago.
The antenna goes together rather easily and is pretty intuative. Materials are good and look like they will hold up to some weather if needed. It took me about 2 hours or so to put it together --it then sat around on my deck for several weeks before I had the time to install it about 34 ft up on the tower.
Since that time I have made several contacts and I must say the antenna works very well. It reminds me a lot of my moxon except I have 15 17 and 20 on it as opposed to my mono band moxon. SWR is no more than 1.3 to 1 at any point on the dial for the 3 bands--very impressed.
It exhibitds good gain and exceptional front to back. I am very pleased and look forward to this winter when i have more time to play. I am rotating it with a Radio shack rotor... So far, this one is a keeper.
As well, Leo is a real gent and pleasure to deal with who responds quickly to email requests and enquiries. For the price, a good antenna that you will be happy with.
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W2VK
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 31, 2009 17:24
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Excellent Antenna
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I was surprised by the high quality of the parts. After all, this is not a commercially made antenna. You can tell since the parts are in plastic bags
instead of being shrink wrapped. The antenna is
very easy to assemble. If you can put a fishing
pole together, you can assemble this antenna. It
is pretuned. All you do is assemble it and raise
it. Once raised, the SWR is flat (1.0 : 1) across
all the bands. On the air the antenna performs as
expected - fantastic.
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KD8KOR
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 11, 2009 04:45
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works great
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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it went together very easy.and works as advertized. im very impressed with this antenna. you will talk to who ever you hear .its an 8db over my dipole.
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