The 3C0L DX-pedition to Annobon has been fun chasing the past few days. It’s pretty rare DX with big pileups. Big signal last night on 160. Just worked ’em on 12 meter CW….nice signal. Turns out to be just two Latvian ops who are doing a great job under somewhat difficult circumstances. A power supply and one of their K3s blew up.
Since they have no internet, you can’t confirm QSOs on line thru ClubLog. So I looked up their website and found a link describing their 20-meter-and-up antenna on FoldingAntennas[DOT]com. It’s a version of the Hexbeam that looks quite interesting and could be of interest to club members looking for an alternative to a tower/Yagi installation.
When you go to the website, hit “translate” from German…although the translation is a bit like Sgt. Schultz. Hit “design” for a detailed description. Although, primarily designed for quick portable installation, it could be fixed as well. Collapsed, it folds into a 45 inch long nylon bag which reminds me of our two folding chairs that the wife and I take to free outdoor summer concerts.
Anyone interested in pursuing this further and maybe even buying one? Any opinions or thoughts on the design? Actually, this could be a great Field Day antenna. Should the club buy one? The basic price delivered to North America is $500 (no VAT). There is a long list of various optional parts separately priced. All things considered , that’s not a bad price.
Any takers? Comments please.
Very interesting antenna.
Agree that maybe the club should buy one to be used for Field Day and other club activities.