KIO Technology
Here are some frequently asked questions.
Q. Why don’t you build a 40 meter hexbeam?
A. A forty meter hexbeam would be twice the size of a 20 meter beam and the structural requirements would be much different. As a result the price would be much higher and it is felt that despite the numerous inquiries, very few people would be willing to pay for a 40 meter hexbeam.
Q. How high does the hexbeam need to be?
A. Generally, higher is better for DX. However, many owners have used their beams as low as 15 feet successfully. Thirty or forty feet seems to be typical for most owners.
Q. Is the hexbeam directional? Do I need a rotator?
A. Yes, the beam is quite directional even though it looks like a hexagon from above. It is a Yagi beam with bent wire elements and is about as directional as a conventional two element Yagi beam. So you do need to rotate it to gain the benefits of directionality. You can find the direction of the hexbeam here.
Q. Does the six meter add band work on 2 meters?
A. The add band kit does operate with good SWR on 2 meters and will allow you to access your local repeaters and function in good propagation conditions to a limited extent. It has gain and minimal front back performance on 2 meters. See more information on this here.
Q. Does a metal roof cause problems with the hexbeam?
A. Generally, no. Many hexbeam owners operate their beams atop a metal roof with no adverse effects.
Q. What is the direction of my hexbeam? Where is the front?
A. Go to this page and see.
Q. Will other antennas in my yard interact with my hexagonal beam?
A. Not usually. See our article on this hex interaction under Hex Ed.
Q. How do I couple the hexbeam to my mast?
A. See some photos here.
Q. Do I need a balun?
A. All balanced antennas fed with an unbalanced feed line like coax, need to have a balun. See more on this here.
Q. Does the six meter band cause interaction with 17 meters?
A. Six meters does not interfere with 17 meters at all. The 17 meter band does cause some interaction only at the upper end of 6 meters because 54mHz is the third harmonic of 18mHz. A high percentage of KIO customers opt to buy the 6 meter band with their beams and there have been no complaints of unsatisfactory performance due to interaction. Another reason for the absence of concern is that most hams operate at the very low end of the six meter band where there is no effect from 17 meters at all.
Q. Does the 12 meter band degrade 10 meters and other bands?
A. Only slightly. Most people feel the minor degradation is worth the convenience of having both bands available.
Q. Can I paint the hexbeam to blend into the background and be more stealthy?
A. Some do this and there is no problem at all in doing so provided you do not paint the wires as this could cause some de-tuning. See our article on painting the hexbeam here.
Q. In wet weather, my SWR seems higher than normal. Why is this?
A. In wet weather, a thin film of water more or less, is on the elements of antennas and de-tunes the antennas slightly. You can learn more about this from our article here.
Q. With my tuner I can get the SWR down low enough to operate on 40 meters using my hexbeam. Is there a problem with this?
A. There definitely is a problem with operating your hexbeam on any band other than those for which it is designed. Modern tuners are able to make the antenna system look like a good match for your transceiver even on a band that the hexbeam is not designed for. But any performance on an “off band” is very poor and it is likely that you are hearing stations on your coax feedline and not the antenna itself. And transmitting on “off bands” causes very high RF voltages on the terminals of the hexbeam which could cause damage to the beam and void your warranty.
Q. Can I mount a UHF antenna on the top of my hexbeam?
A. It’s not a good idea. There is no significant RF interference issue with mounting a UHF antenna above a hex. But the main problem is that the center post is not designed for additional wind load that is presented by a VHF antenna mounted on the center post. For this reason, it is better to mount a VHF antenna on the mast below the hex.
Q. What is the size and weight of the hexbeam shipping container?
A. Our hexbeam ships in two parcels for handling ease and minimal risk of shipping damage
one long box (48 x 6 x 6) in. @ 17 pounds, (122 x 15.2 x 15.2) cm. @ 7.7 kg
one flat box (12 x 12 x 6) in. @ 14 pounds, (30.4 x 30.4 x 15.2) cm. @ 6.4 kg
