HF Mini-Beam - Created by G4ZU. Self-Build or adapt for your own use | Ham Radio

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  • Опубліковано 20 сер 2024
  • Possibly the most famous Ham Radio HF Mini-Beam ever conceived. A 65-year-old design that seems to have been forgotten by many! Peter G3OJV, takes you through the concept and highlights some ideas that you might want to incorporate in a self-build design. Although protected by Patent, you are permitted to build your own version of the G4ZU design for personal use.

КОМЕНТАРІ • 30

  • @dieselbushcraft1299
    @dieselbushcraft1299 11 місяців тому +3

    Interesting ideas with this antenna. It caught my attention as my father built a 2 ele mini beam when I was a child. It had some loading coils on the ends of the elements with some spikes around the coils and remember him describing them as inductors. Never seen the design since and of course it’s too late now to be able to ask him about the antenna. Good memories of my father and his radio equipment, still got some bits of equipment he made.

    • @watersstanton
      @watersstanton  11 місяців тому +1

      That antenna was also known as the Minibeam and was manufactured as a kit and marketed in the USA. Our company imported back in the early 1970s. Same namebut ver different design.

  • @elwood.downey
    @elwood.downey 10 місяців тому

    Great idea to use a stub to short a trap when it's not wanted, I will add that to my bag of antenna tricks for sure. Thanks for this and for sharing a bit of its history.

  • @davidhaywood9071
    @davidhaywood9071 2 місяці тому

    Thanks for the update on LU5FR using the antenna. He does have some information about it on his site but it's in Spanish and unfortunately, I don't speak any Spanish.

  • @WECB640
    @WECB640 11 місяців тому +1

    Exceptional. I had not seen this one. Many thanks Peter! 73

  • @kennyc3984
    @kennyc3984 11 місяців тому

    Hi Peter ....it's Ken EA5/G4VZV. Thanks for an informative video which i fully understood. This would be an easy anyenna to make for sure.Always interesting to watch your videos. Thanks Peter ....de G4VZV

  • @VA7AYG
    @VA7AYG 11 місяців тому +1

    Appreciate your knowledge and your effort to share with us.
    Many including myself lack some basics. Would love to see a series that you go through basics of HAM radio as you discovered yourself.
    Keep up the good work and 73
    VA7AYG

  • @davem0udb
    @davem0udb 11 місяців тому +2

    Thanks Peter, another interesting concept, perhaps by linear loading it could be shortened some more.

    • @l.a.2646
      @l.a.2646 11 місяців тому

      That's a good idea! I just built a linear loaded 40 meter dipole and it can fit almost any garden or yard.

  • @macbenac777
    @macbenac777 5 місяців тому

    G4ZU was a génius for the antenna, thank's for survival it.
    F4GMS

  • @W9HJBill
    @W9HJBill 11 місяців тому +4

    65 years and the patent is still valid? I thought patents only lasted 20 years? I'm surprised no one has made a commercial version of this.

    • @MrGohunter
      @MrGohunter 11 місяців тому +1

      Patents can be renewed.

    • @W9HJBill
      @W9HJBill 11 місяців тому

      @@MrGohunter Even in the UK, while they can be renewed, they only last for a maximum of 20 years. Initially a UK patent lasts for only 5 years, but it can be renewed for a maximum of 20 years, just like in the US. Unlike the US, you have to keep paying for a renewal, but they BOTH end at 20 years.
      www.gov.uk/patent-your-invention

  • @jest.s50si83
    @jest.s50si83 3 місяці тому

    THANKE YOU🙏from S50SI

  • @ehayes5217
    @ehayes5217 11 місяців тому +1

    While very informative & interesting, for me at least, the most "enlightening" point in ur video was just the thought of using an open-wire feeder for a directional antenna (not necessarily just for a doublet)! Yes, a very simple concept, but still, something I'd never considered until now, (thanks to u)! de WA4ELW in TN 🇺🇸😀

    • @watersstanton
      @watersstanton  11 місяців тому +1

      Thanks for sharing! Nice to hear from you across the Pond.

  • @jamesgeorge1709
    @jamesgeorge1709 11 місяців тому +1

    It would be nice if someone could come up with complete plans for this antenna😅

  • @stephenburke8841
    @stephenburke8841 11 місяців тому +1

    Really interesting, open feeder on a yagi .

  • @GordonHudson
    @GordonHudson 11 місяців тому +1

    Peter, I have a crazy aerial story for you. There is a Russian YL who has done videos on here of her operating with aerials lying on the ground or buried. I had put it down to "crazy Russian pranksters", but I was having my lunch a few days ago and gave it a go. I cut 6m of wire, attached it to a 9:1 unun, added about four feet of coax and pushed it out the window. I laid the wire over the slabs and grass. Antenna analyser was showing under 3:1 from 10-30 MHz but a big dip right in the 12m band. So I plugged it straight into the radio, went on FT8 and could see stuff. Clicked on the first CQ and it was a JA8. He gave me a -18 report. Weak, but we made the contact. How is this possible? The noise floor was really low too. I was only running 10w. More experimentation required. I can see this ending up in the RAOTA magazine at some point. I am bemused by this experience. GM4SVM

    • @watersstanton
      @watersstanton  11 місяців тому +1

      Hi, yes I did see the videos. It is certainly worth investigating. be interesting to try and ascertain the losses and also the angle of radiation. Not easy, but it is an ideal ham radio project. 73 Peter

    • @GordonHudson
      @GordonHudson 11 місяців тому +1

      @@watersstanton Its amazing that after 42 years I am still finding things like this. Going to investigate it and might write it up.

  • @gulfy09
    @gulfy09 11 місяців тому +1

    My real question is/ are we transmitting over flat ground or over a sphere.. when we talk in skip conditions

  • @richardmoran4476
    @richardmoran4476 11 місяців тому

    Pretty interesting. Have you, or are you familiar with anyone who has, built one and measured the actual gain on the various bands? That would certainly settle any argument about how different the performance is from a "true" full size yagi, and whether it performs similarly to a 5-el beam on 10m

  • @OJ71081
    @OJ71081 6 місяців тому

    Do you have any links to webpages with a good diagram of the antenna Peter? I've looked on LU5FR's webpage but the text is in Spanish and the diagrams are a scan from a very old book and are not very clear. Would be really helpful if you did. I think this might actually be a beam for 20/15/10m that could fit in my little garden. 73s

    • @watersstanton
      @watersstanton  6 місяців тому

      Unfortunately I could not find any more detailed information. The design goes back a long time and all the original data seems to have been lost. Sorry.

  • @lloydtrotter4057
    @lloydtrotter4057 11 місяців тому

    It's ok you can say it...... it will also cover the 11m band also. There are many of us out here. We also like your videos. Sorry

  • @Olorinii
    @Olorinii 11 місяців тому

    Comment for the algorithm.