HEX BEAM, Step 4: The Wire Sets

•    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 wires. Insulated  wire can be used in salt water environments  and the lengths  will be shorter. Tables for the lengths are on the next page.

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.

Use  the  table  on  the  Specifications  page  for  the  lengths  to measure and cut as shown above. You will need one set of the elements above for each band on your hexbeam. The cords can be made of Kevlar which has very little stretch or Dacron. When finished, connect all the pieces together for a complete wire assembly.

Measure the half driver wire using the length found on the Specifications page. Include the ring terminal in the measurement and also add 1/2 inch for bending the other end into an “L” shape for insertion into the center post terminal. Repeat this for the other half driver wire for others meters.

Then measure out the reflector wire per the Specifications page and solder a ring terminal on each end. Include these ring terminals in the measurement. 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.

Be very careful with the measurements. It is not fun to have to solder a piece back in that was mistakenly cut off. So remember the old carpenter’s adage.

Measure once; cut twice or measure twice and cut once.

See more details:

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