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<P class=pageintro align=center><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt"><STRONG>This page contains some photographs and
descriptions of the construction of my 6-band Hex
Beam.</STRONG></FONT></FONT></P>
<P><B><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Please note that each image on this page is
linked to a larger, high-resolution, image. Smaller images are displayed here to
enable faster loading. Clicking on any image will result in a high-resolution
image opening in a separate browser window.</FONT></B></P>
<HR>
<P><A href="http://www.leoshoemaker.com/hexbeambyk4kio/general.html"
target=_blank><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Leo Shoemaker, K4KIO,<SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN></FONT></A><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS">maintains an outstanding website that contains step-by-step
construction details. Leo's site and instructions were my constant companion
throughout the construction. I will not even pretend to provide the level of
detail that Leo provides, but did want to post some pictures of what I did and
what I learned during my project.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1570_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 20px 10px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: left; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_left title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1570_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">In my opinion, the most important and most
critical part of the construction project is the construction of the "Base
Plate". The Base Plate is the part of the Hex Beam that acts as a hub, or spoke,
to hold the spreader arms and also attaches the entire antenna to the
mast.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1574_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 0px 10px 20px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: right; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_right title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1574_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Various materials have been used to construct base
plates and I suspect that the most enduring material would be aluminum. In my
case, however, I selected to make mine out of wood and seal it well with several
coats of good quality paint.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">I started with a 10-1/2" wide board and cut two
maximum diameter circles. The two circles were then glued back-to-back and
allowed to dry for a few days before continuing.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1581_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 20px 10px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: left; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_left title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1581_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Once the base plate material is identified and cut
to size, the next essential step is to determine the position of each of the six
spreader arms. The six arms need to be spaced exactly 60-degrees
apart.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1586_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 0px 10px 20px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: right; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_right title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1586_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">There are various ways of completing this task,
but I found it very easy to create a perfect hexagon on my PC, print it out, and
use it as a template. Once the template was "pinned" to the center of the
circular base plate, a few lines drawn with a sharpie pen created the six lines
required.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1587_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 20px 10px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: left; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_left title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1587_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Once the lines are drawn to identify where the
spreader arms will be attached, the next step is to drill a hole for the center
support post. One of the most popular construction materials for the center post
is thick-wall PVC pipe available at most local hardware stores. I drilled the
center post hole with a hole saw that was just slightly smaller than the center
post and then slowly hand sanded the hole to provide for a very tight fit
between the base plate and the center pole.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1651_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 0px 10px 20px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: right; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_right title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1651_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">There are about as many ways to attach the
spreader arms to the base plate hub as there are ways to make a base plate. The
three basic concepts are: (a) Attach the spreader arms directly to the base
plate; (b) Provide a hollow tube into which the spreader arms can slide; or (c)
Provide a rod onto which the hollow spreader arms can slide.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1659_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 20px 10px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: left; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_left title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1659_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">I borrowed an idea from<SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN></FONT><A
href="http://www.leoshoemaker.com/hexbeambyk4kio/general.html"
target=_blank><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Leo Shoemaker, K4KIO,<SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN></FONT></A><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS">to have the spreader arms slightly angled upward. My
experience in building two Hex Beams is that the actual bend shape is quite
crucial. Since the different length elements are strung between the bent
spreader arms, one common problem in Hex Beam stringing is that the higher
frequency (shorter length) elements tend to end up being very close to each
other and cause unwanted interaction and detuning. Leo's idea was to provide the
spreader arms with a slight upward angle at the very base and hope the the 12M
and 15M elements would have some additional separation.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1718_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 0px 10px 20px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: right; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_right title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1718_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">I attached the base plate to the center post using
three 3-inch x 3-inch "L" brackets from the local Ace Hardware Store. A few more
coats of glossy black paint and the antenna construction is ready to
start.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1759_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 20px 10px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: left; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_left title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1759_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">From personal experience, I strongly recommend a
very modular approach throughout the entire construction process - always leave
yourself an option of changing any particular piece later on. In this specific
design, for example, I found that the wooden dowels as spreader support arms was
a bad decision. Within two months of being in the air, the wooden dowels had
absorbed moisture trapped in the fiberglass spreaders and rotted.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Luckily, it was a relatively easy repair that was
completed without the need to even lower the antenna to the ground. From the
rooftop, I was able to detach one spreader at a time and replace the wooden
dowel with a metal tubing made from 3/4-inch EMT conduit. The fiberglass easily
slipped over the EMT conduit and all six spreader spokes were replaced during a
single weekend project.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Once the baseplate is completed, the Hex Beam
construction project is far more than half complete. It's now time to move the
project outdoors - you will need an area at least 20 feet in diameter that is
clear of all obstructions. Both of my Hex Beams have been constructed in my back
yard. I start with a very strong post solidy planted in the ground that serves
as the antenna mast during construction.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1793_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 20px 10px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: left; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_left title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1793_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Once the base plate is mounted to the temporary
mast, the fiberglass spreaders are attached to the base plate and precisely cut
lengths of dacron rope are used to form the six spreaders into the "inverted
umbrella" shape. The process of doing this is very well documented on Leo
Shoemaker's website and I can not imagine stringing the elements without first
using Leo's method to form the basic shape.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">I used a total of twelve (12) dacron ropes pieces,
each 124" in length. Six peices are used to tie each spreader end to the top of
the center post. Six more pieces are used to tie each spreader end to the two
adjacent spreader ends. The twelve pieces of dacron rope form a perfect hexagon
and hold the spreader in the proper shape for threading the wires that make each
element.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">As mentioned previously, one common problem with
multi-band Hex Beams is that sometimes elements for adjacent bands end up being
too close together and result in undesirable interaction and detuning. The most
common elements involved in this problem are the 12M and 15M elements. In nearly
all Hex Beam designs what happens is that the parabolic shape of the bent
spreader arms results in a lower slope angle close to the base plate and a
larger slope angle near the top. As a result, when stringing wire between the
center post and the spreader arms, the shorter-length elements (located further
down the center post) tend to have very little vertical separation.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">If you've ever strung wires in a Hex Beam, you
will immediately understand the dilemma, if not, you may have to visualize the
"inverted umbrella" shape or study some of Leo's diagrams. I ran into this
problem with my first Hex Beam and stopped stringing elements after stringing
the 20M, 17M, and 15M wires. In my second Hex Beam, I wanted to find a solution
to this problem.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1802_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 0px 10px 20px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: right; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_right title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1802_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">After conferring with<SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN></FONT><A
href="http://www.karinya.net/g3txq/hexbeam/" target=_blank><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS">Steve Hunt, G3TXQ,<SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN></FONT></A><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">I
decided to try what I believe to be a unique approach to solving the problem. I
asked myself "why do I have to run the wires all the way to the spreader arm?
What if I strung each wire at the desired vertical position and
just<B><U>suspended</U></B><SPAN class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN>the
elements within the parabolic frame using dacron rope to tie the element knees
and ends to the closest spreader arm?" Click on the picture to the right for an
exploded view of the suspended elements.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">The result worked well for me. The 20M, 10M, and
6M elements are strung between the center post and the spreader arms and the
17M, 15M and 12M elements are suspended within the parabolic shaped frame. Each
band tunes to a reasonable SWR and on air testing shows a reasonable front to
back ratio.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1811_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 20px 10px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: left; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_left title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1811_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">My main recommendation once you get to this point
is patience, patience, patience. Use temporary methods to attach the various
element wires to the center post and the spreader arms. Once you get the
adjustments "close", then start moving an inch or so up, down, in, out and keep
making sure each element is fairly straight and level. It takes a while, but
patience really pays off.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1852_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 0px 10px 20px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: right; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_right title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_1852_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Once you get the entire structure fine tuned and
tweaked just right, it's time for the final assembly. The elements need to be
permanently attached to the center post - this method also is copied from
K4KIO's step-by-step instructions. Once the elements are connected to the center
post, the final step is to interconnect each set of elements to a common
feedline. This Hex Beam is fed at the top 20M element with good quality RG-8
Coax.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_5086_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 20px 10px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: left; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_left title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_5086_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">The final step was to put the completed Hex Beam
about 10 feet above ground and fine tune each band. I found it easy to slip the
Hex Beam atop an unused 10' section of aluminum tower and work on the elements
from the comfort of my back deck. I used a 5-foot step ladder to work on the
upper elements.</FONT></P>
<P><A href="http://www.karinya.net/g3txq/hexbeam/" target=_blank><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS">Steve Hunt, G3TXQ,<SPAN
class=Apple-converted-space> </SPAN></FONT></A><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS">has done more modeling and experimenting with Hex Beam
tuning methods than anyone else that I have run across. Steve's advice was
essential to me throughout the final tuning steps.</FONT></P><A
href="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_5152_l.jpg"
target=_blank><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 10px 0px 10px 20px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FLOAT: right; PADDING-TOP: 0px"
class=float_right title="Click to Enlarge" border=0 alt="Click to Enlarge"
src="http://www.ac2c.net/images/Hex-Beam-Info/IMG_5152_s.jpg" width=200></A>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Here is the completed Hex Beam waiting for me to
find the right weather to carry it up to the rooftop where it would sit atop a
mast. Note a 1:1 coax balun made from about 10 wraps of coax in a 6 inch
diameter.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">My experience with the Hex Beam has been very
pleasant. It stands up well to both summer and winter weather and storms and is
easily rotated with a light weight
rotator.</FONT></P></SPAN></SPAN></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>