Antennas:

10 Meters: 6/6 Monoband yagi antennas with 30' boom length at 60/30'

15 Meters: 6/6 Monoband yagi antennas with 36' boom length at 100/50'

20 Meters: 5/5 Monoband yagi antennas with 44' boom length at 140/70'

Bencher Skyhawk 90' high on same tower as 10 meter stack

Observations:

On 10 meters, the stack was stronger to Europe by an S unit at all times. The upper antenna was always stronger than the Skyhawk by 1/2 S unit. The Skyhawk was as strong as or slightly stronger than the lower antenna alone. Occasionally, it was an S unit stronger than the 30' antenna.

The performance on 15 meters seemed to mimic that seen on 10 meters, however this is based on receive only reports. The stack was always stronger than the Skyhawk, sometimes by several S units.

The 20 meter band, showed mixed results. Long path signals were stronger on the monoband antennas. The difference was one S unit, at least. European signals were more difficult to determine a significant difference. The stack was always stronger, but some stations contacted had extensive antenna systems and the difference was hard to measure at times.

Conclusion:

The Bencher Skyhawk was simple to assemble. Each element was packed in a separate plastic bag. The boom went together easily, but was not as well marked. The assembly required three hours by two people. That included everything, but attachment of the balun. The antenna does not require a boom truss. This made mounting much easier as noted in the photo web page.  The antenna is rated for 90 mph winds and it has already withstood 60 mph. Gusts at my QTH are frequently at that range as the site overlooks Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

On air tests seem to indicate the performance as noted by forward gain is comparable to monoband yagis at similar, but not identical heights. The F/S ratio was not as small as the monoband antennas. The F/B was slightly more, but the monoband antennas used for the comparison are custom designed and have particularly sharp F/B and F/S numbers. The performance seemed to be as specified. The VSWR was under 1.5:1 in the phone portions of the band and was well tolerated by the linear amplifier without retuning.

The antenna is a very good combination between excellent mechanical design and electrical performance. I would tend to think it should be a very successful product, once the word gets out.

73, Dave.

KN2M