Description
In an easy-to-grasp manner, the presenter describes and discusses the pros and cons of the VEE Beam, a low – cost multi-band HF fixed wire antenna that can be a reasonable alternative to the rotatable multi-band Yagi, which typically requires a support tower and rotator. The VEE Beam can be useful not only at a permanent installation, but also as a portable or temporary antenna that can provide significantly better performance than a dipole and many other wire - based antennas.
This presentation is as much about illustrating how antenna modeling software enables the exploration and optimization of design alternatives as it is about the antenna designs themselves. After an overview of the theory of operation of the VEE Beam, an overview of the EZNEC antenna modeling software employed to predict performance and generate elevation and azimuth radiation pattern plots is provided. This is NOT a detailed tutorial on EZNEC, however, some user level instructions are provided as a guide for those navigating their way through the application.
The presenter then describes and illustrates an EZNEC – generated model of a typical antenna for a fixed home installation, and provides per-band gain and launch angle tables for comparison with a dipole at the same height. In addition, per-band azimuth and elevation plots are provided that illustrate comparative radiation patterns of the VEE Beam and a dipole, as well as a 2 element monoband Yagi. Comparison tables between the VEE Beam under discussion and a commercially-available HF multi-band yagi are also provided throughout the presentation. Also discussed is an example of a fixed multi-wire, electrically steerable array that can be configured utilizing the same VEE Beam design.
Next, the presenter describes several compact iterations of the VEE Beam design optimized for portable use, including the ARRL Field Day. After defining a baseline VEE Beam, unique versions (called “YagVEEs”) are created by combining the VEE and Yagi – type parasitic elements to enhance directional performance on a particular band(s). As earlier, tables of gain and launch angles and EZNEC radiation plots are provided.
The Ski Country ARC deployed the YagVEE for the ’25 ARRL Field Day. To complete the presentation, some construction notes and performance observations for the YagVEE are provided.
