Also noticing prices for rotors.... Wow.
Guess the days of cheap TV rotors went away on the swap to digital tv ....
Guess the days of cheap TV rotors went away on the swap to digital tv ....
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Best low cost intro beam
- Thread starter lonestarbandit
- Start date
You may not like what she says about a V quad or a 3 element yagi thenNo such thing as a subtle beam for looks.
Anyone who comes to your house will always notice it.
I know I'm not gonna like any of what she says about any of them. She already reminded me I spend 900 on a amp I still don't have, along with calculations regarding the sum of my "shack" contents..... I'm on fairly thin ice atm. And she's asian. Adds that unnecessary bit of kill bill to the equation lol.
Another reason a Moxon makes sense. I rotated an all aluminum homebrew with a TV rotator for quite awhile. The wire moxon might be even lighter.
TV rotators are much less expensive.
It would have to be. Seems the most common RCA rotor wont even list its wind load / weight specs but appears it cant even do a VQUAD from some reports. And thats what... 8 pounds? Wondering what a moxon would weigh now and how many estate sales it will take to find a real rotor....
I have a buddy that made a Moxxon for 11 meters he wasnt really happy with performance. You can find a used rotor if you look hard enough.
Norms does a great job he refurbished a Tx2 for me looks like a brand new rotor and it works like one
The Moxon for 11m may weight up to 8 lbs if it is all aluminum tubing. Wire element models would be less.
Rotator endurance is more a matter of wind load than antenna weight up to a point. My experience is the Moxon has significantly lower windload than the two element Quads I've used.
As far as disappointment with a Moxon performance, compared to the 4 element Yagi I had up before the Moxon, it wasn't a comparison, but I wasn't disappointed because it was as good as the 2 element Quads I had used before the 4 element Yagi.
The wire Moxon was less good than the tubing Moxon, but probably because of builder error. OTOH, the strong winds did not distort the shape of the tubing beam the way it did the wire.
As for a two element Yagi, I tried both the driven/reflector and the driven/director type. The director type talked a little better, but no back door so it was basically a lop-sided dipole. The reflector type did a little better, but not as well as the Moxon.
So, unless one goes on to a 3 element beam or larger, in my experience, the Moxon beam is the best all around small beam.
1. Easy build
2. No matching network 50 Ohm direct feed
3. Smallest size
4. Least wind load
5. TV rotator usable for less cost
6. Best backdoor rejection
7. Lightweight, easy to mount
8. Acts like a beam as low as 1/4 wavelength height
9. Can be built with smart shopping for ≤$35
Rotator endurance is more a matter of wind load than antenna weight up to a point. My experience is the Moxon has significantly lower windload than the two element Quads I've used.
As far as disappointment with a Moxon performance, compared to the 4 element Yagi I had up before the Moxon, it wasn't a comparison, but I wasn't disappointed because it was as good as the 2 element Quads I had used before the 4 element Yagi.
The wire Moxon was less good than the tubing Moxon, but probably because of builder error. OTOH, the strong winds did not distort the shape of the tubing beam the way it did the wire.
As for a two element Yagi, I tried both the driven/reflector and the driven/director type. The director type talked a little better, but no back door so it was basically a lop-sided dipole. The reflector type did a little better, but not as well as the Moxon.
So, unless one goes on to a 3 element beam or larger, in my experience, the Moxon beam is the best all around small beam.
1. Easy build
2. No matching network 50 Ohm direct feed
3. Smallest size
4. Least wind load
5. TV rotator usable for less cost
6. Best backdoor rejection
7. Lightweight, easy to mount
8. Acts like a beam as low as 1/4 wavelength height
9. Can be built with smart shopping for ≤$35
Mudfoot is the V Quad easy to tune for 27 MHz? Which is the driver/beam element? Is it a heavy antenna for one person to mount it on a pole or a mast?Is it the kind of antenna that could get one through a pile-up on air?
I might try to build one for that low price if performance matches a Vquad @HomerBB.
Can't really go wrong for the proce of a couple burger meals. I'll have to look into this Ty.
Sirio SY27-3 or 4.
All the way.
Very light and can use a TV rotor to spin it adequately. Beam weighs a mere 13 lbs. Cheap. Probably the cheapest available on the market with more than enough forward gain and rear rejection. Simplest to assemble; rocket science not required. One caveat. Will not withstand ice buildup; but that is also true for most beams - as far as that goes.
All the way.
Very light and can use a TV rotor to spin it adequately. Beam weighs a mere 13 lbs. Cheap. Probably the cheapest available on the market with more than enough forward gain and rear rejection. Simplest to assemble; rocket science not required. One caveat. Will not withstand ice buildup; but that is also true for most beams - as far as that goes.
The key to doing the build at low cost is to farm your materials from alternate sources. I have used walkers purchased from thrift stores for the 4 corners as well as the framework for some of the tubing. Aluminum crutches from thrift stores provide parts of the elements. Old aluminum frame fold up cots give up sturdy tubing and well formed corners. PVC makes great rigid spacers and insulators. Stainless screws are easily gotten from DIY stores, or a local hardware shop.
Materials and beam.
I have a buddy in Oklahoma that built a 2 element yagi out of the bed rails of his daughters old bed and golf ball retrievers and it talks great lol
Yep. Folks can get stuck it a rut sourcing materials from the expensive suppliers. They're saving up money while we're talking all over the place on old bed frames.