Attention Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) members…
If you’re looking for the perfect yagi antenna for DXpedition work; on that’s both small in size and super light but BIG in performance then keep reading.
Likewise if you’ve previously decided that a yagi is not a viable option to compliment your DXpedition station due to size constraints then this product review may also grab your attention.
After all, 200 DXCC worked and confirmed in the last 5 years and still looking a million bucks after years in a harsh tropical WX and it certainly has mine!
Manufactured by Sirio, the SY27-3 is a high performance, half wave, three element yagi ideally suited to 11m or CB DXing (26 – 28 MHz). Other than the awesome price of $170.00 US, the first thing I noticed about the antenna when it arrived at my home QTH was the weight which had me thinking straight off that it would be ideal for DXpedition work.
In fact, I was at first worried that the boom had been left out of the box and was sitting back in the supplier’s shop!
After unpacking the delivery, the yagi was set up in about 20 minutes and mounted on the tower in about 30 minutes, partly thanks to the Alan key set which comes in the package but mainly due to the clarity and succinctness of the manual which even I could understand.
The antenna is also so light that I could carry it up the tower in one hand and install it just as easily. Factory tuned at mid-band, the SY27-3 comprises a reflector, radiator, and director and is gamma matched with an impedance of 50 Ohm. Although I had it mounted horizontally on top of an old water tower about 30m off the ground, the SY27-3 can also be mounted on vertical planes.
Apart from the light weight, the low price, the high power handling capability and the superb performance, I’m also super impressed with the structure and materials used to make it. The elements, for example, are made of aluminium alloy 6063 T-832 and equipped with waterproof jointing sleeves. This keeps everything where it should and prevents the elements from shifting in the wind.
And did I mention an excellent gain of 10.65 dBi (8.5 dBd)? Fair dinkum, you’d be hard pressed to find another 3 element yagi with this sort of top class performance!
In conclusion, if you’re serious about DXpedition work and want to be prepared for the new cycle when it arrives, then my advice is to grab one of these antennas because they would be ideal for DXpedition adventure.
For those of you who have a little more cash to throw around, you may even want to upgrade to the SY27-4 for just another $50.00 as I’d imagine that they would be just as suitable for DXpedition work.
Not really a review of this antenna. You are just commenting on its weight. How does it compare to other 3 element antennas in a side by side test???