Ralph Mowery wrote:

"Scott" wrote in message
. ..
Depends what you want. Are you going to use a small Yagi for FM work or a
long boom Yagi for SSB/CW? If you want something fairly simple, a
homemade 6 or 8 element Yagi is fairly simple. Otherwise, for some
serious weak signal work, the K1FO designs are quite commonly used.
Directive Systems sell them...
http://www.directivesystems.com/antenna4.htm

Hope that helps!

Scott
N0EDV

Now you tell me. I just ordered 2 beams from M-Square, one for 432 and one
for 144. Wish I had the K1FO antennas as I had one for 432 and it worked
very well. I did not know anyone had picked up the K1FO design after he
became a SK.

Important correction: Steve Powlishen, K1FO, is NOT an SK! (W9GB had it
correct: the person who died was the co-developer W1EJ.)

W9GB is also correct that they are excellent yagis, and have been
published in several editions of the ARRL Handbook. The most extensive
write-up is in the ARRL Microwave Experimenter's Handbook Volume 1.

Don't worry, you'll be fine with an M2 yagi as well. There is a lot of
convergence between modern long yagi designs, so the state-of-the-art is
that products from all the major manufacturers are very close to optimum
performance in terms of gain and pattern.

There can still be some differences in performance between different
brands, depending mostly on the exact balance between gain, pattern and
bandwidth the designer was trying to achieve. However, these differences
between brands are almost always quite small, so for comparable designs
(ie yagis with the same or very similar boom length, of 2-3 wavelengths
or more) the difference between brands might only be a few tenths of a
dB in terms of gain, and maybe a few dB difference in the levels of
minor sidelobes.

End users will hardly ever notice these differences on the air, so when
choosing which long yagi to buy, you can pay more attention to other
important factors, such as overall size, style of construction,
suitability for your weather conditions, price and dependable product
support.

[I could write a lot more about "optimized" long yagis, but not this
morning. There's more information in the 'Long Yagi Workshop' section of
my website.]



--
73 from Ian GM3SEK
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

"Ian White GM3SEK" wrote in message
...
Ralph Mowery wrote:

"Scott" wrote in message
...
Depends what you want. Are you going to use a small Yagi for FM work or
a
long boom Yagi for SSB/CW? If you want something fairly simple, a
homemade 6 or 8 element Yagi is fairly simple. Otherwise, for some
serious weak signal work, the K1FO designs are quite commonly used.
Directive Systems sell them...
http://www.directivesystems.com/antenna4.htm

Hope that helps!

Scott
N0EDV

Now you tell me. I just ordered 2 beams from M-Square, one for 432 and
one
for 144. Wish I had the K1FO antennas as I had one for 432 and it worked
very well. I did not know anyone had picked up the K1FO design after he
became a SK.

Important correction: Steve Powlishen, K1FO, is NOT an SK! (W9GB had it
correct: the person who died was the co-developer W1EJ.)

W9GB is also correct that they are excellent yagis, and have been
published in several editions of the ARRL Handbook. The most extensive
write-up is in the ARRL Microwave Experimenter's Handbook Volume 1.


Big mistake on my part. I was thinking of Rutland Arrays. The owner of
that company (small one man shop mostly) is the one that is a SK. He sold
the K1FO type antennas. He used to show up at the Shelby, NC hamfest and
that is where I bought the 432 antenna about 10 years ago . I really liked
the way it was made and it seemed to work very well. I have a handbook or
two that have the K1FO designs in them. Just don't have time or equipment
to put one together.

I may be wrong, but was thinking the M2 antennas were based on the K1FO
designs also. That was my reason for going with them.

"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
link.net...

"Ian White GM3SEK" wrote in message
...
Ralph Mowery wrote:

"Scott" wrote in message
t...
Depends what you want. Are you going to use a small Yagi for FM work
or
a
long boom Yagi for SSB/CW? If you want something fairly simple, a
homemade 6 or 8 element Yagi is fairly simple. Otherwise, for some
serious weak signal work, the K1FO designs are quite commonly used.
Directive Systems sell them...
http://www.directivesystems.com/antenna4.htm

Hope that helps!

Scott
N0EDV

Now you tell me. I just ordered 2 beams from M-Square, one for 432 and
one
for 144. Wish I had the K1FO antennas as I had one for 432 and it
worked
very well. I did not know anyone had picked up the K1FO design after he
became a SK.

Important correction: Steve Powlishen, K1FO, is NOT an SK! (W9GB had it
correct: the person who died was the co-developer W1EJ.)

W9GB is also correct that they are excellent yagis, and have been
published in several editions of the ARRL Handbook. The most extensive
write-up is in the ARRL Microwave Experimenter's Handbook Volume 1.


Big mistake on my part. I was thinking of Rutland Arrays. The owner of
that company (small one man shop mostly) is the one that is a SK. He sold
the K1FO type antennas. He used to show up at the Shelby, NC hamfest and
that is where I bought the 432 antenna about 10 years ago . I really
liked the way it was made and it seemed to work very well. I have a
handbook or two that have the K1FO designs in them. Just don't have time
or equipment to put one together.

I may be wrong, but was thinking the M2 antennas were based on the K1FO
designs also. That was my reason for going with them.

Can't remember the name, but The "M" in KLM (antennas) is the same guy as
one of the "M"s in M2.

Tam/WB2TT

Oops, sorry ;(

I think the M Squared antennas are pretty good anyways.

Scott
N0EDV

Ralph Mowery wrote:

"Scott" wrote in message
.. .

Depends what you want. Are you going to use a small Yagi for FM work or a
long boom Yagi for SSB/CW? If you want something fairly simple, a
homemade 6 or 8 element Yagi is fairly simple. Otherwise, for some
serious weak signal work, the K1FO designs are quite commonly used.
Directive Systems sell them...
http://www.directivesystems.com/antenna4.htm

Hope that helps!

Scott
N0EDV


Now you tell me. I just ordered 2 beams from M-Square, one for 432 and one
for 144. Wish I had the K1FO antennas as I had one for 432 and it worked
very well. I did not know anyone had picked up the K1FO design after he
became a SK.

"Merlin-7 KI4ILB" wrote in message
...
Who sells them with the most bang for the buck?


Probably CushCraft. There are so many of these around that they are also not
hard to find used at hamfests. I once picked up a 7 element for $8. Can't
buy the aluminum for that. A friend of mine used 4 of their Boomer models
for moon bounce. Only thing I don't like about them is the gamma match.

Tam/WB2TT

Very pleased with my M2 2M9SSB 9 element yagi. 12.4 dbi gain with 20+db
f/b. Download the owners manual he
1. http://www.ad5th.com/VHF.html

--

73,Charlie-AD5TH
www.ad5th.com
"
Tam/WB2TT" wrote in message
. ..

"Merlin-7 KI4ILB" wrote in message
...
Who sells them with the most bang for the buck?


Probably CushCraft. There are so many of these around that they are also
not hard to find used at hamfests. I once picked up a 7 element for $8.
Can't buy the aluminum for that. A friend of mine used 4 of their Boomer
models for moon bounce. Only thing I don't like about them is the gamma
match.

Tam/WB2TT