Hi Folks, 
The Team at Light Beam Antenna & Apparatus, LLC is celebrating our 2nd anniversary.  It seems like we just started our antenna business – already, 2 years have passed!  We must be having fun.  🙂

We truly enjoyed ourselves at the 2012 Rochester Hamfest this past June.  The event was held at a new venue this year, and the Rochester Amateur Radio Association did a wonderful job making sure things flowed smoothly at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  We were quite pleased wtih our indoor location!  The 40+ ft. high ceilings were perfect for displaying our Light Beam and Light Beam Plus antennas, and we definitely appreciated the air conditioning, as well.  It was a beautiful warm day, and there was plenty of space for everyone indoors and out. 

Several of our customers stopped at our booth to tell us how they are enjoying their Light Beam Antenna.  One of them, Ken Corl (WB2WDC), has a very impressive station, and volunteered to create a video review of his Light Beam Plus (LBP-20M) antenna installation.  In his short video, he shares lots of good information.  Click here to watch his video on our website.

If you missed us at the Rochester Hamfest, you can visit us at the Boxboro Hamfest August 25th and 26th.  We haven’t yet decided which antenna or antennas we will be showing…. but we may surprise you and give you a sneak preview of our latest antenna design!

We recently conducted a survey of Hams like you and they clearly stated a multi-band beam was desirable.  A significant number of the survey respondents indicated 17 meters and 20 meters were their favorite bands.  As a result, we are now developing the Light Beam (LBM-2X1) multi-band antenna.  Like our other Light Beam antennas, it is:

  • Smaller than a full size antenna
  • Compact and very sturdy design
  • Lightweight with low surface area
  • Low operating height – optimized to operate at only 30 feet above ground
  • Very efficient on each band
  • Forward gain over 10 dBi, and
  • Front-to-Back ratio greater than 20 dB.

The SWR is less than 2:1 across each of the bands.  The entire band is covered on both 17 Meters and 20 Meters.  This antenna is very broad and does not include lossy traps (a potential failure point.)   The physical characteristics of this antenna make it a natural for a QTH located in the Northeast or anywhere that has high wind, snow and ice.  This antenna is also a great antenna for Field Day or portable operation.  It can be packed in a box that is only slightly longer than 4 feet long!

Although we aren’t in production yet, we have built two prototypes that are currently being tested.  So far, the test results are very exciting!  We still have lots of development work before we can make the antenna available for sale.  Watch our web site for updates and more details on the new LBM-2X1 antenna!

We are also developing additional multi-band models, so if we haven’t yet designed an antenna that covers your favorite bands, please be patient.  We’re working on it.

Hope to see you at Boxboro !!

73,
Wayne
WB2LYL
www.LightBeamAntenna.com