This page contains information on renowned antenna designer Gordon “Dick” Bird G4ZU. Amateur radio operators may be aware of this ground-breaking antenna designs such as the G4ZU Minibeam, the Birdcage, the “Jungle Job” or the G4ZU “Bow-and-Arrow” Yagi.
The callsign G4ZU remains in the Bird family. Dick’s grand-daughter Sarah holds a UK amateur radio licence (callsign M6PSK), and the callsign G4ZU is held by her husband Pete as a club callsign for Essex Ham.
The historic callsign was activated again on Christmas Day 2015 – See G4ZU callsign activated
![From CQ Magazine: Gordon 'Dicky' Bird G4ZU](https://www.essexham.co.uk/images/g4zu-03.jpg)
Gordon Alfred Bird – History
Gordon was born on the 2nd of July 1918 in Brighton, son of Alfred Bird and Beatrice Wright. He was married to Joyce Rudd in 1943.
He was a chief electronics engineer and manager, and worked for the British Post and Telecommunications, NATO and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. As an employee of the GPO, Dickie was a radio inspector, working from an office close to St Paul’s (source)
Gordon passed away on the 16th of August 2005 aged 86 at his home near Malves en Minervois / Carcassonne, Southern France.
Amateur Radio
Dick’s UK callsign was G4ZU, and when moving to France in 1999, he started using the French callsign F6IDC
![From Radcom Yearbook: Gordon ' Dick' Bird shack G4ZU.](https://www.essexham.co.uk/images/g4zu-02.jpg)
G4ZU Minibeam
This antenna was developed in the mid-1950s. Details to follow shortly
Details published in “73 Magazine” – July 1967
G4ZU Bird-Cage
The G4ZU Birdcage seems to have first appeared in the US CQ Magazine May 1960. It is basically a folded X-Beam… a 2-element Quad antenna folded back on itself. There was a commercial model made in the UK and sold in Europe and the USA. The gain is reportedly similar to a standard 2-element quad. More: The Birdcage Antenna – L. B. Cebik W4RNL
![The G4ZU Birdcage Antenna](https://www.essexham.co.uk/images/g4zu-birdcage-01.jpg)
G4ZU Bird Yagi / “Bow and Arrow”
This was conceived in the early 1980s. Dick hit upon the idea of bending in the elements of a traditional Yagi, to enhance the coupling between the elements, and to enhance the front-to-back ratio and antenna operating bandwidth.
![Concept of the Bird Yagi - Bending the elements inwards](https://www.essexham.co.uk/images/g4zu-bird-yagi-01.jpg)
This 3-element antenna could be built simply using wire elements strung on a supporting fiberglass cross. More: The G4ZU Bird Yagi – L. B. Cebik W4RNL
The design led to the creation of the “Spider beam” by Cornelius Paul DF4SA – this is a multi-band antenna based on Dick’s original Bird Yagi concept
![DF4SA Spiderbeam, based on the concept by Dick Bird G4ZU](https://www.essexham.co.uk/images/g4zu-spiderbeam-01.jpg)
G4ZU “Jungle Job”
This is a 2-element beam with a v-shaped wire reflector. Likened to a bow, the radiating element is the ‘bow’, the reflector is the ‘string’ and the boom makes the ‘arrow’.
![The G4ZU "Jungle Job" antenna](https://www.essexham.co.uk/images/g4zu-junglejob-01.jpg)
G4ZU Patents
Gordon Alfred Bird of 94 Shirley Way, Croydon held a patent for “Improvements in and relating to Aerial Systems”. British Patent 790576 was applied for on the 23rd of November 1955 (33589/55), with specification filed on the 21st August 1956 and the complete specification being published on the 12th of February 1958 (International Classification H04d)