Hy-Gain TH-6DXX Super Thunderbird
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| Frequency | 20, 15 and 10 m (6-element tri-band Yagi) |
| Bands | 20m, 15m, 10m |
| Power | Maximum power input 1 kW AM / 2 kW PEP SSB. A passive antenna - no power is consumed. |
| Modes | n/a (6-element tri-band HF Yagi beam) |
| feedpoint | SO-239 (52 ohm), at the driven element |
| power req | Passive directional antenna. Requires a tower and rotator; trap-loaded for tri-band operation on one feedline. |
A big, high-gain tri-bander: with six elements it outperforms a typical 3-element tribander, giving up to ~9.5 dB gain and a strong 25 dB front-to-back, with a clean 1.2:1 match and 2 kW PEP handling. It is a serious DX/contest antenna built to survive 100 mph winds.
It is large and heavy - a 24-foot boom and 20-foot turning radius - so it needs a robust tower and rotator and real space, assembly is a project, and the traps narrow bandwidth versus monobanders. It covers 20/15/10 m only. As a Hy-Gain/MFJ product, availability/support are uncertain after MFJ's 2024 wind-down.
The Hy-Gain TH-6DXX Super Thunderbird is a high-performance 6-element tri-band Yagi for 20/15/10 m - more gain and front-to-back than a 3-element beam, 2 kW PEP capable - for serious DX and contest stations with the tower to carry it. The smaller TH-3 sits below it; the TH-7DX succeeded it.
The Hy-Gain TH-6DXX 'Super Thunderbird' is a high-performance six-element tri-band Yagi for 20, 15 and 10 meters - a step up from the typical three-element tribander. It puts four active elements on 10 meters and three on 15 and 20, which yields strong forward gain of roughly 9.5 dB on 10 meters, 8.5 on 15 and 8.0 on 20, with an excellent front-to-back ratio around 25 dB.
Electrically it is clean, with a 52-ohm feed and a 1.2:1 VSWR at resonance, and it handles serious power - 1 kilowatt AM or 2 kilowatts PEP SSB. Mechanically it is a big antenna: a 24-foot boom carrying a longest element of about 31 feet, a 20-foot turning radius, and construction rated to survive 100 mph winds. It is squarely aimed at serious DX and contest operators who want more performance than a small tribander can give.
That performance comes with size: it needs a strong tower and rotator, real space to turn, and a substantial assembly effort, and the traps narrow the bandwidth compared with monoband Yagis; it covers only 20/15/10 meters. One practical note: Hy-Gain is owned by MFJ Enterprises, which announced a 2024 wind-down of manufacturing, so check availability. For a high-gain tri-bander, though, it is a classic.
It sits above Hy-Gain tribanders like the Hy-Gain TH-3MK4 and the original Hy-Gain Thunderbird.