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Reviews For: OptiBeam OB16-5 (high performance 16el fivebander 20-17-15-12-10

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

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Review Summary For : OptiBeam OB16-5 (high performance 16el fivebander 20-17-15-12-10
Reviews: 15MSRP: 3274. USD
Description:
Description: The biggest Yagi in the family of the OptiBeam fivebanders.
Performant Yagi designed as interlaced monobanders for 20/15/10m plus high efficient "hidden sleeve element technique" for 17/12m.
Loss free broad band OptiBeam driver feed system reqires only one single 50 Ohm coax.
Optimized computer designed German Yagi without traps and with full size elements. High gain and f/b ratio on all bands.
The OB16-5 has 4el on 20, 4el on 17, 4el wide spaced on 15, 4el wide spaced on 12 and 8 el on 10 meters on a 10.10 meter boom.
No switching, no tuning, no flexible parts, an absolute trouble free performer !
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.optibeam.de
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00155
EA3GOA Rating: 2008-10-10
A great performance Yagi Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
OB16-5 is the best fivebander, the performance and Roe's is better which the features in the catalogue.
It is very easy to assembly, all the elements are marked and all screws and nuts stainless steel.
Is a great antenna, i am very much satisfied whit my Optibeam and hope enjoy very years.
Rating: 5/5, excellent.
Thank you Tom, the design is perfect.
EA8CK Rating: 2008-02-25
The beauty and the beast Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
It was time to change my C4XL, which needed to be repaired several times in its 6 year life. Looking for something more rugged and performant I decided to shift 40m to another boom and have 20 to 10 in one.
What a difference in materials, quality and design. It was like an old beetle, very well designed and built to last. Instructions are clear like water and very easy to follow. Lots of screws and nuts to tighten but the result is perfect.
On the air it behaves better than expected and will sure give a lot of pleasure in many years...
OE3GCU Rating: 2006-11-17
Great performer Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Having more space after moving my QTH was the trigger to look for a new antenna system. I had a closer look to the products at the fair in Friedrichshafen (Germany) 2005 and was enthused of the design and strong mechanics of OptiBeam antennas. After some email exchange I decided to buy the OB16-5 and the OB4030 (see other review). I have mounted the OB4030 3m (9,8 feet) above the OB16-5. All parts are very well packed and marked. The antenna performs really perfect and the VSWR curves are as expected. I could not detect any interfering of the two antennas. Now breaking the pileup and working rare DX is no problem anymore... It has to be mentioned that especially the support from Tom DF2BO (the owner) is really excellent!
You can find a picture of the system on qrz.com under my call sign
ON4IZ Rating: 2006-08-16
Exciting concept ! All in one ! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Having started DXing in 1956 I have owned many antennas.The strongest built ones were commercial Telrex (no longer in business) monobander beams.Thereafter came a variety of quads, beams and multiband beams. However it was almost impossible to have all bands on one tower. A tribander had to do the job.Due to environmental planning I could not get the permission for a second tower and fitted a small 2el for 12 and 17 on my roof until.....DF2BO told me about the OB16-5. This aerial is big, heavy, superbly engineered,easy (although time consuming: 20 hrs) to assemble even for someone like me ! Only aluminum, stainless steel and quality insulating material. I have used it now for 2 months in serious pile-ups and for very rare DX stations and this is the best antenna I ever had. Very often the QSO is in the logbook before the linear has warmed up. No question: German quality and.... a super customer service !
ON6ZK Rating: 2006-05-01
SUPERB ANTENNA ! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
HI !
I'm the very happy owner of a OB16-5 . The antenna is up on my 70 ft. tower since april 10.

It is a great performer. I also have 3 elements from another firm on my 2nd QTH at 45 ft. The difference is night and day. Worked YX0LIX at the first call in a hugh pile-up and als VU4AN came back to me at my 2nd call.
I always get outstanding signals and often I'm told to be " strongest on the band".

Assembling the antenna was easy , thanks to the good manual with pictures which came along with the two large boxes ! Some parts are préassembled and lots of work is already done before you open the boxes . Good job Thomas ! Putting the antenna together took me about 15 hours.

The antenna is large and heavy , 65 kg , boom lenght over 10 meters ..... but very rugged made of quality aluminium. The bolts used are for lifetime (inox) , and the way the elements are build up is great. The upper part of the bolts go into the element and will never loose . Great system !

This is the best antenna I ever used. Every band has is own typical elements , no traps , 1 feedline , optimal gain and spacing of the elements .

No more hours of calling in pile-ups ...... the signals it's produces is a giant signal.

Extraordinary work delivered fromp OPTIBEAM firm.

I can't thibk of a better antenna at this moment, it is surely worth the money!

Any questions , just find me on the air.

73's

HANS

ON6ZK OR0A