Hexagonal Beam by K4KIO
Building the G3TXQ Broad Band Hexagonal Beam
Available for purchase
Buy or build a hex beam
Six Steps to build it - Wire sets
Click these photos to enlarge
                                          1 Base plate        2 Spreaders        3 Center post        4 Wire Sets        5 Support Cords        6 Assembly        
  • The driven element will consist of two pieces of wire for each band. The reflector will also
    consist of one piece of wire for each band. Each driven element piece will be shaped by
    the hex beam structure into an inverted "V" and when arranged next to the other piece, will
    form a "M." Each Reflector piece will be wrapped around the four spreaders and attached
    to the tip spacers which in turn are attached to the driver wires. Be precise with cutting the
    wires as an inch can make a difference in the resonant frequency of that band.

  • Each outer half of the driver wires has a non-conducting line that connects that wire to one
    end of the reflector wire. These non-conducting lines will be called "tip spacers." The
    length of the spacers is important to proper performance of the hex beam and they are
    designed here so they can be adjusted precisely.

  • The two ½ driver wires, the reflector wire and the two tip spacers should be measured and
    assembled as single end to end sets before  installation on the spreaders using the
    approach below for each band.

  • The higher frequency bands are nested inside the lower frequency bands but only one
    band is shown here for the sake of simplicity. The wire lengths are for #14 or #16 gauge
    bare wire. Insulated wire can be used in salt water environments and the lengths will be
    shorter. Tables for the lengths are on the Specifications page.
A good way to handle the
measurement process is to use
a nail in a board so you can
anchor the  wire while stretching it
out on the floor or driveway.
For each band, make sections as shown here
and then connect the pieces altogether for a
single wire assembly that will look like the
photo above when strung on the beam.
Here is an assembled wire set with the reflector coiled in the middle and the two half reflector
wires coiled on the ends. The cord knots to the wires are covered with heat shrink but the heat
shrink is not really necessary
Site publication date
12/2007

Page revision date
6/2010

Copyright 2009