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Re: BuddiHEX report

 

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My take on the BuddiHex:
1. Excellent choice if you are driving and going to be there (wherever) for a week or so. Especially if you want to work the dickens out of the high bands.

2. Excellent choice if you are going to try and get Bouvetoya on 15 and 10 SSB, but a lot of money for a one-night stand!

3. ?I have not yet compared prices between the Mastwerx, GigaParts and Spiderbeam heavy-duty masts (capable of carrying a Hexbeam). I plan on doing so soon. Weight comparison also.

4. ?The SotaBeams 10M and 6M masts, and a couple of other nondescript telescopic masts, in my possession do very well for assorted wires including being able to erect a vertical Yagi or two for a bit more directional gain. Plus they are (or can be) very quick to set up and take down.

5. ?The original Buddipole, and all its various add-ons, still serves me very well for those drive-in portable operations where I¡¯m ¡¯staying for a while¡¯. Otherwise I¡¯m tending to go light wires only with one or more lightweight F¡¯glass masts.

6. ?Future "Fly-in" type operations will likely be wires only with compact 6M or 7M telescopic masts. Carry-on luggage only. Unless Fiji or some other island really calls loudly enough! But even then my thought would be to go minimalist and just make sure I carried enough wire to make whatever was needed (palms and bamboo do the rest).

7. ?I¡¯m not sure I would spring for the Mastwerx mast for just backyard usage. The hexbeam antenna in general does very well at low(er) heights and one could get away with some fencing top-rail or 4x4/6x6 lumber on a tilt-over.

8. ?Bottom Line for me: Nice bit of kit but not worth the expenditure. I can make (or buy) a Spiderbeam for (I think) less $$ and plunk it on top of my 10M mast at a reduced height and likely be very happy. Not as snazzy though.

Stay safe while you all celebrate the various holidays crowding down upon us.
Time to get my 80M wire back up in the trees!

Mac

On Nov 23, 2022, at 3:06 PM, W6ABM <arsw6abm@...> wrote:

Pretty spendy. It looks like a well designed system, but cost and weight make it unreasonable for our style activations.

POTA usually are short activations.? We take way to much to Crater Lake, but this system would work there- but would reduce room for other gear¡­maybe a good thing.

Ev?

On Wed, Nov 23, 2022 at 12:02 PM Joe Kelly <joekelly@...> wrote:
Gents,

As mentioned before, the BuddiHEX and the Mastwerks tripod are discussed in the December QST magazine. A few of my thoughts.

1. The whole system cost is high. Adding the 7m mast, Hex beam and sport case comes to $1500+. That's 50% more than my 857d radio at $1,000.

2. The Mastwerks system comes in three sizes: 4M, 7M, and 10M. The reports states that the gain is ~8db at 30feet. The report was done with the 7M, not the 10M mast.

3. Seems like a well thought out system. Chris and Budd did a great job.?

4. The overall weight and size are getting heavier and big. The 7M Mastwerks is 15 lbs, antenna is 10 lbs, Sportube is 12lbs. Thus a total of 37 lbs in a 4ft case. To that one must add a radio, coax, tools, headset, bandpass filters, etc etc, etc. If you're a contest participant then you'll probably be taking a K4, panadapter, power supply, and amplifier.?

5. We have done well on our DXpeditions using 100W radios, or KX2/KX3 and lightweight antennas, yet we always struggle with baggage weight and size. Except for Martinique (noise & location) and Barbados (location) we have been successful and always had fun.?

6. For our group of four friends, I would not change anything. Nothing like a trip to PEI to use a turnkey QTH. St. Lucia was great fun too. Then increasing weight, size and complexity with Mastwerks & BuddiHEX doesn't seem worthwhile.?

7. The perfect application for the Mastwerks and BuddiHEX is in a backyard or via car trips. Ev can use his Sprinter RV and have a super road trip for POTA, county collecting, field day, trips to Canada etc.

What are your thoughts? Joe N7BF?



Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone



--
Everett Curry W6ABM

Assistant Section Manager/Oregon
ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio?

"A" Sorter - Sixth District QSL Bureau
Phone: (503) 522-7142
Email: ?w6abm@...
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