The images above show 2 multiband Spiderbeam yagi antennas, set up on 10m aluminium HD mast with tripods. Especially on HF installation height and an advantageous location
can be much more important than theoretical free space gain.An antenna
with less gain put up high will produce better signals than a lower one
with more gain. I get asked this question quite often so I decided to put a little explanation here... If there is no wind, I do it another (quicker) way:
Spiderbeam Installation Hints
2. Installation height
3. Antenna Mast
4. How do I put up the mast and antenna alone?
1. Installation
The spiderbeam was developed as a DXpeditioner's dream antenna.
It
can be carried and installed easily by a single person. A small push-up
mast and a TV-rotator are totally sufficient, further reducing the
weight of the total setup. A very nice feature with such a lightweight
antenna setup is the reduced danger. If it ever comes down it is much
less likely to cause as much trouble as a heavy aluminum design.
2. Installation height
Its low weight makes it much easier to put the
spider beam higher up and choose an advantageous location like a
hilltop, cliff, or a temporary installation on a high rooftop (e.g. for a
contest). In fact, it can be installed in many places where a
conventional tribander would be just too heavy and difficult to install.
As for all HF antennas, the minimum recommended installation height is a half wavelength above ground, or higher.
I suggest mounting the spider beam at least 7-8m (25ft) above ground as a minimum height for DX traffic use.
Again, this depends a lot on the location. On a cliff or hilltop the antenna will work well even on a 4-5m (15ft) pole.3. Antenna Mast
I
have also used a 15m (50ft) aluminum telescopic push up mast (2m
transportation length, bottom tube diameter 70mm, top tube diameter
30mm, tube wall thickness 2mm) with very good results. You will notice
the extended height especially on 20m. This height (15m) is probably the
highest possible for putting the antenna up alone. With 2 or 3 people,
it is still very easy.
For fixed installation at home you can save a lot on the tower and rotator as well.
Either
also use a push-up mast, or a decent tube mast, ladder mast or wooden
pole (flagpole, telephone pole). You can easily build a wooden tower
that will carry the spider beam just fine (or even a stack of 2 spider
beams).4. How do I put up the mast and antenna alone?
Anyway, after you have extended the mast to a height of 5m or more the tripod will not help much anymore.
First, put up
the mast alone, without antenna at the top and adjust the guy lines to
their proper length. Then take it down again, put antenna on top and put
the mast up again, in one go. Anyway, of course the step-by-step method
is always safer, and is therefore recommended...