Skypper antenna build

[Cbradioman25]

Has anyone on the forum built either the skypper wire yagi or the hexbeam with 2 W shaped elements for 11 meter cb. If so i could really use some dimensions. I'll add some links for referance.


home.planet.nl/~poelm348/g4zu%20home%20made.html


Understanding the Hexbeam

 

[CDX-007]

I haven't had any experience with it but I looked into building one last year and if I were to I think I'd build the larger reflector version.

 

[Cbradioman25]

project

I wanted to build the hex as i live in a village and the original design is a little smaller. I found the formulas for the regular version and have the element sizes and spacing already figured out. Any beam is an upgrade as all i have ran in the past was an antron. I live in upstate New York and really only want it for dx to some of the southern states. Oh and i almost forgot my neighbor also runs an antron 400ft. away and i figured maybe with a horizontal i wouldn't distirb his conversations as much. Would this be accurate or am I all wrong?

 

[W5LZ]

Cbradioman25,
Are you all wrong? No. I would hesitate to say that you are completely 'right', though. I see two areas in what you've said so far. One concerns the size of the antenna, the other concerns performance. The first part deals with the attitude of where you live and the mechanical problems with any antenna the size of a beam at 27 Mhz. You'd know more about the 'attitudes' around you than I would! Size isn't the only thing that makes something noticeable/objectionable. 'Shape' has a big part in that too. I tend not to 'notice' things that are fairly common (shape/size), but do tend to notice things that are 'different' from what I've seen before. I figure that's fairly 'normal'. Would a 'Skypper' antenna be more, or less noticeable/objectionable in your area? And would that make any practical differences in your having it?
The other 'part', the performance of that 'Skypper'. I have no experience with one. Before your post, I didn't know there was such a thing. Even with that in mind, I can say that the most noticeable (if any) difference in performance when compared to a more typical yagi type antenna, would probably be on the negative side. I have no proof of that, it's just a guess, and a sort of pessimistic one. The reason for a 'pessimistic' guess is that directional antennas have been around for a fairly long time, and all kinds of sizes/shapes have been played with. The same old typical size and shape always seems to stay around, the different ones don't seem to. If there really were a big difference, I think the 'odd' one wouldn't be so 'odd'. Make sense?
And then there's the 'practical', or mechanical aspect. What/which 'style' of antenna would be easiest for you to get into the air? For me, 'simple' is very good! I can mess up anything if it's complicated. Just depends on how much effort I'm willing to put into it, and being 'world class' lazy, oh well. That's something else you'd have a better way of judging than I would.
So, what do you think? Gonna try one? Either way, good luck.
- 'Doc

 

[Cbradioman25]

I think the only real differences are that the hex has lower gain than a typical 2 element yagi (somewhere around 1.75db less), but offers a better match to 50 ohm coax. the skypper is typical 3 element yagi width and great f/b ratio, but a little wide considering my home is only 24' wide.The hex is half that. i was planning on maybe finding a color between white and blue to "camoflage" it a little bit for clear or cloudy conditions. Hexbeams almost seem invisible in front of a backround of trees, but sdly i have only 2 20' box elder trees in my back yard. I think i will try the hex the worst that could happen is that i have to take it down untill i move back out in the country.