| PJ4NX |
Rating:      |
2012-11-22 | |
| A real pile up generator! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
My first results:
Just two weeks ago we put up my OB9-5 at 15 meters above the ground. Living on the island of Bonaire(PJ4) I already got used to pile ups while using a vertical dipole and 1 kW.
With the Optibeam I don't use the amplifier anymore and with only 200 watts I often start working both by number and split at the same time, it's really incredible!
On the receiving end it's excellent, these days I daily copy the PI7ETE 10m beacon on 28.301.8 which uses 300mW in a vertical!
Mechanically:
The antenna is build with commonly available parts and constructed to last long.
Real solid German engineering to my opinion.
I say this is the best investment; you can save an expensive amplifier and hear more weaker stations, something an amp can't give you.
Peter de Graaf
PJ4NX
Bonaire
(look at QRZ.COM for PJ4NX and PJ4X to see the antenna picture)
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| IK4LDS |
Rating:      |
2012-10-10 | |
| The best antenna that i have never had |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
When i saw this antenna i thought that was the ideal for me , only one antenna for 5 bands ,no traps no problem with high power and rain, wide band in all bands and looks cool.
During pile up is easy break it and i don't have to lose much time for connect dx expeditions.
Quality is the best that i have never had and is very simple to assemble,i mounted it in just one day.
So i give 5/5 for quality of materials excellent support and performance.
73 de IK4LDS |
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| F1RAF |
Rating:      |
2012-08-28 | |
| The best antenna I ever owned |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I ordered the antenna late december 2011 and got it at home in march 2012 with the 3 kW optional balun. I waited for my holiday until august to build it and got it installed on top of my 12 meter high self supporting tower. Building it took a whole day, but I was not in a hurry. The instruction manual is very well made, and reading it carefully before is mandatory (maybe step by step pictures could be useful to those guys that never read text ;) ! Everything said in other reviews is absolutely true, german quality is here. The feed system seems to be a kind of 5 bander HB9CV. SWR is low on all 5 bands at promised but overall the DX results I got with it are unbelievable and my DXCC list grew by 10 new ones the first week (from 181 to 191) ;) I performed dozen long path QSOs to VK though the solar flux was around 96. I previously used for 4 years a 5 bander HD spiderbeam, though I could not compare them in the same time, OB9-5 permitted me easy DX QSOs I never had before. I am proud to give the 48th 5/5 ! This is an outstanding and amazing antenna. |
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| SM5SRR |
Rating:      |
2012-08-06 | |
| WORTH EVERY PENNY |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I had an FB53 up for 11 years. That antenna had been in use with another ham for 20 years prior to that. It recently started acting up and I decided it was time for a new antenna. Not wanting the hassle of moving parts (Steppir) or traps (Fritzel), I finally opted for the 9-5 Optibeam. The order was placed and the antenna showed up within 14 days.
The packaging of parts is professionally done and everything is properly marked to avoid errors in the assembly process. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of thoroughly reading the assembly manual before starting. The overall quality of this antenna as well as the engineering which has been put into the design is very impressive. German quality at its best!
The antenna was finished after a day’s work and the next day it was mounted on the tower. The preliminary tests showed SWR to be according to specifications on all bands.
Comparative tests have since then been performed with the antenna 28 meters up (92 feet). The antenna performs as advertised. It handles my KW without problems (I have the 5 KW balun).
The performance of this antenna is superb.
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| KM1C |
Rating:      |
2012-01-05 | |
| This beam flat out WORKS! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
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 |
Rating:      |
2011-12-11 | |
| Great performce, beautiful design |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
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 |
Rating:      |
2011-09-03 | |
| excellent |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
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 |
Rating:      |
2011-09-02 | |
| Outstanding products! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
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 |
Rating:      |
2011-08-28 | |
| Really FB antenna, |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| 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 |
Rating:      |
2011-06-01 | |
| Superb Product |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| 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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