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Reviews For: Optibeam OB10-3W (high performing Yagi for 20, 17 and 15m)

Category: Antennas: HF: Yagi, Quad, Rotary dipole, LPDA

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Review Summary For : Optibeam OB10-3W (high performing Yagi for 20, 17 and 15m)
Reviews: 14MSRP: 1.300 US $
Description:
Performant Yagi designed as interlaced monobanders for 20/17/15m with patented feed system. Optimized computer designed German Yagi without traps and with full size elements. High gain and f/b ratio due to 25 Ohm design technique. High quality 1 : 2 balun included, design by WX0B. The OB10-3W has 3 el on 20, 3 el on 17 and 4 el on 15 meters on a 5.88 meter boom. A winner performer !
Product is in production
More Info: http://http//www.optibeam.de
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00145
DL8JJ Rating: 2004-12-10
Perfectly antenna! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Optibeam’s OB10-3W antenna have a world class design engineering and very good build quality. This is a credit to the design, engineering and manufacturing skills of Optibeam owner Thomas, DF2BO - a REAL! HAM OM.

Based on my personal experience, this antenna more than delivers on the promised performance across all tree bands is truly outstanding. A killer! OB10-3W is superior and the overall performance across all tree bands is clearly perfect. Now DX-ing and Pile-Ups make fun.

The build quality is simply superb: every! part of the antenna!

This ist one of the best quallity product, and you will not find any antenna system available on the amateur radio market today that is of a better design or build quality.

Tom is an excellent design and construction engineer. Every call or eMail was answered very quickly and detailed reply with all useful informations and pictures that clearly indicating professional, Tom you deserve to sell many more antennas.
People, if you want to be really happy, just buy it!
You will love this antenna, but be careful, perhaps more then you wife...Hi...Perfect!
SM3CUA Rating: 2004-08-29
Superlative Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is the best antenna I ever used. I have experience from quite a lot of yagi and quad antennas from different places and QTH… But what really surprised and struck me with this antenna was “Wow this is Quality” When I first opened the box with the OptiBeam and checked up all the parts I was convinced.

Optibeam has a very well-planned instruction manual so it was very easy to handle and realize how to put the antenna together. This antenna comes out of the box very much pre-assembled and is indeed a pleasure to screw together. I double-checked every phase and item and when the antenna was ready for the installation of my
80 feet VersaTower…

It was a very exciting moment when the antenna was in place and I for the first time Checked up SWR… These diagram of SWR I had seen on the homepage of Optibeam was really impressive, but now…. I was so happy to find out the reality surpassed the diagram and practically SWR is 1:1 to 1:I,3 for all of the bands when the antenna is 75 feet up…

Mechanically this antenna completely outperform my previous antennas I have had, and now up there 75 feet and to say nothing of 1500 feet above sea level with high winds and a lot of snowstorms here on 62 degrees North this antenna is now my companion.

Finally I am very pleased with the result on air and have a lot of DX-qso with splendiferous reports and the antenna is very effective in DX-pile ups .


G3XFA Rating: 2004-08-12
Initial Impressions Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
REVIEW OF OPTIBEAM OB10-3 10 ELEMENT 20, 17 & 15M BEAM


BACKGROUND

Having had many HF antennas over the past 30 years of amateur radio operation ranging from end-fed wires, dipoles, cubical quad and various yagis, the decision to make yet another change was not taken without considerable deliberation. My existing set-up consisted of a wide-space 20m Hygain monobander and a Tennadyne Log Periodic 17m –10m. Both performed superbly and were it not for the excessive wind loading of these two stacked antennas there was no requirement to change anything. However, the gales of a few months ago caused severe damage to my Standard P60 Tower resulting in two replacement sections and the decision to change was virtually made for me. In my search for a replacement antenna there were a few criteria which had to be met.

1. No traps
2. Maximum 18ft boom length
3. Maximum wind loading of 1 sq m @ 80 mph.
4. Must include 20, 17 & 15m, as minimum


RESEARCH

Most of the antennas researched could not meet all the criteria and the only one that initially did fit the bill was the STEPPIR. This is a relatively revolutionary design in terms of amateur antennas and utilises motorised, computer controlled, adjustable elements. However, I have always been a staunch supporter of the KISS principle (keep it simple stupid) and the concept of six stepper motors (3 elements) as part of an antenna exposed to all weather conditions did not sit happily with me. The search continued.
At the Friedrichtshafen Hamfest I met Tom Schmenger, the designer/owner of Optibeam Antennas, a German manufacturer, and spent considerable time discussing his product range. The quality of construction was the best seen to-date with all metal parts aluminium or stainless steel. A look at the NEC Antenna Design Programme convinced me that performance was not a problem.
On return to the UK further research was carried out via the internet and the decision taken to purchase the OB10-3W a 10 element design covering 20, 17 & 15m. 3 elements on 20 & 17m and 4 on 15m.


CONSTRUCTION

Having placed an order with the UK Agent, Vine Antennas, two parcels duly arrived direct from Germany. A completed checklist was enclosed and on checking it out everything was included. The first impression was that of the quality of all the hardware and secondly, everything was labelled. The tri-section square boom had the element positions accurately marked and identified, the element to boom brackets were all identified and the elements themselves were all bundled individually, sorted by band, and identified whether a dir, driven element or reflector and labelled. No need for constant reference to the Manual and a mammoth sorting job!! The balun is in a sealed box, manufactured by Array Solutions in the USA. (I already have their excellent RatPack Antenna Switch) The Manual itself is well produced and leads you through a logical sequence of construction. Additionally, there are numerous photographs highlighting the more complex areas. All the elements are pre-drilled and go together using various sizes of stainless steel self-locking nuts and bolts. The only adjustment required is to the end element of each of the driven elements, where there is the choice of three holes. The inner is for resonance at the cw end of the band, the middle one for centre band operation and the outer for phone working.


OPERATION

With the antenna mounted on top the P60 tower it was time for testing and this was done initially using an MFJ 259 Antenna Analyser. With just one coaxial feed this was a simple task. The results of these initaial tests were as follows:-

20M QRG 14.000 14.200 14.350
SWR 1.1 1.1 1.1
Resonance 14.200

17M QRG 18.068 18.130 18.168
SWR 1.2 1.3 1.4
Resonance 18.050

15M QRG 21.000 21.250 21.450
SWR 1.5 1.3 1.1
RESONANCE 21.400

As can be easily seen, the swr figures are impressive but resonance on 17 & 15m is a little low and high respectively. The first attempt to correct this was to utilise the outer and inner holes on the 17 & 15m driven elements thus raising and lowering the resonance point. This adjustment raised 17m resonance to 18.100 and brought 15m down to 21.300 with no perceiveable change in the f/b ratios, which, by on-air tests centre band using the receiver S-meter which is not calibrated, measured:- 20m – 24db, 17m – 25db and 15m – 28db. Swr readings for both bands are now better than 1.25:1 across the band.

CONCLUSION

The Optibeam is a quality product. The labelling of all items, facilitating easy identification and fabrication is the best encountered to-date. On-air tests have met all claimed specifications and every station heard and wished to be worked has resulted in a contact being made. I rate this antenna as the best seen and used during my 35+ years as a licensed Radio Amateur.


Roger Wilkins. BSc. G3xfa
G3PJT Rating: 2004-08-04
First class antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Very well constructed and easy to assemble accurately - this means that it will work as described. The antenna has a low environmental profile due to good element alignment. Robust and well engineered antenna unaffected by some high winds here. Performance on air is as expected - a very clean pattern gives good signal to noise ratio on weak signals. Front to back around 20dB. SWR is also to specification and very low - practically 1:1 to 1:1.5 for all of the bands covered when the antenna is at 20mtrs high. I am finding OB10-3W very effective in pile ups and the three bands 20/17/15 a very good choice for the low sunspot years. Great support from Tom at Optibeam.