|
New to Ham Radio?
My Profile
Community
Articles
Forums
News
Reviews
Friends Remembered
Speak Out
Strays
Survey Question
Operating
Contesting
DX Cluster Spots
Propagation
Resources
Calendar
Classifieds
Ham Exams
Ham Links
List Archives
News Articles
Product Reviews
QSL Managers
Site Info
eHam Help (FAQ)
Support the site
The eHam Team
Advertising Info
Vision Statement
About eHam.net
|
|
You can
write your own review of the Alpha Delta DXLB Plus.
|
N2DTS
|
Rating: 4/5
|
May 7, 2009 17:01
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
watch the power
|
Time owned: 3 to 6 months
|
I melted the 160 and 80 meter coils running 300 watts of AM.
I removed the 160 and 80 meter parts because the plastic the coils were wound on stretched much longer than they were and unwound the coils.
It works very well if you keep the power (and duty cycle) down.
|
|
KC8QMF
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Apr 17, 2009 18:29
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Great for small city lots.
|
Time owned: 6 to 12 months
|
Purchased this antenna about six months ago.
I have been very happy with the performance so far. It is narrow in the 160 band (20kz) but was very easy to assemble. It performs well on all bands with a wide ranging tuner. I have it installed in the inverted v position at 40ft. in the apex and 15ft. on the ends.
My first time with 160 capability's. So far have worked out to 1800 miles from western Ohio.
We only run 100 watts and do mostly CW.
All in all alot better than G5RV that was installed before.
This antenna is very well made and is built to last in harsh weather conditions.
If your looking for a REAL all band antenna, this could be the one for you. It will not have the signal of a 2 wave length wire but you will be heard on 160. Also just a little high in price,but Hey, I'm on the air!!!
Mike/KC8QMF
|
|
VE3FDT
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Mar 18, 2009 00:07
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Excellent!
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
Just over 3 years ago I decided to get back to Ham radio after a more than 20 years break. For the first 2 years I operated without an amplifier and with a "simple" DX-LB+ dipole. Am I happy with the results? Unequivocally: yes! I honestly believe that DX-LB+ was a major contributor to my 200+ DXCC entities in the first 6 months and 250+ DXCC entities in the first 2 years.
The DXLB+ works well on the 6 bands from 160m (very narrow on 1.8 MHz!) to 10m. Somewhat worse on the WARC bands (30, 17, 12). Total overall length is 100ft (50ft per leg). This was a major reason for my choice, since I am on a "postage stamp size" city lot.
Assembly is really straightforward. I was able to assemble the antenna in about 30 minutes. Instructions are simple and, in fact, the antenna is simple enough to put together without instructions.
I installed the DX-LB+ in a truly strange inverted V configuration. (Due to my “city lot” it is hanged active arm horizontally NNE-SSW at 25 feet, some 6 feet below my roof line, on one side of my house and grounded arm sloping down 60 degrees and 120 degrees in vertical projection toward NS just to hit the corner of my lot). Trust me, it is weird: nothing short of miracle that it works at all. I run high quality RG8X into the shack.
Performance: with just this antenna and never exceeding 100 Watts I clocked 207 worked DXCC entities in 6 months, 209 in 7, 212 in 10 months aand then started reaching saturation and decided to move on to something with directivity and gain. My "lower bands" (160 - 40 meters) antenna is still DX-LB+ exclusively and I am pretty hasppy to be at my current (after 3 years): 41 worked (all continents) on 160 meters, 95 worked on 80 and 174 worked on 40 meters. It is really narrow on 160 and I am thinking about putting in a vertical for TX on this band, also it magically tunes either on the CW or on the SSB end of the 80 meters (but never on both at the same time). Yet, it is a perfect example of a "thingy" that fits the proverbial "if you don't have what you'd like, you have to like what you have". And I like it!
With it, I am able to get on the lower bands!
With the tuner, I have had no problems tuning any portions of any band (including WARC bands), with the exception of 160 meters. I am limited to the lower 40kHz of the 160 meters, even with the tuner.
|
|
N2DTS
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Feb 4, 2009 19:18
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
not bad
|
Time owned: 0 to 3 months
|
I put one up today.
Its made ok, it could be made better, out of real antenna wire, but overall, its not bad.
After assembly, up at 45 feet, in a flat top (slight V due to weight), I get the following swr's...
1841 1.2-1
3824 1.2-1
7137 1.1-1
14000 1.5-1
21000 2.2-1
29.144 1.1-1
I need to shorten the antenna a bit to bring the swr within where I mostly operate. On 20 and 15, minimum swr is below the band limit.
SWR bandwidth on 160 is quite narrow, nothing you can do about that with such a short antenna, 80 meters is also somewhat narrow, the other bands are fine.
I took down the G5RV to put up the dx-lb-plus, so cant compare, but the dx-lb-plus seems quieter.
Its as good or better on 40 meters then the 40 meter dipole I have up.
The butternut verticle is about 6 or more db down on receive.
I can actualy hear signals on 160 now, even with such a short antenna, W1AW was 50 over!, and I was hearing stations all over the country.
On the G5RV, all I ever heard was static on 160.
Its very handy on receive to have an antenna you dont have to tune to listen, from 160 to 10 meters, it seems to work well as a receive antenna, I dislike tuners, so will try to get the minimum swr close to where I operate.
Brett
N2DTS
|
|
DXSHORTWAVE
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Dec 9, 2008 08:23
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Excellent, even for DX
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
At my set up, compared to the full size dipoles, all at about 40 ft., the DX-LB Plus is the same on 40 meters. No difference on the S-meter and reports from DX stations are the same. On 80 meters, it is less than about 1/2 of an S unit down and about the same on 160 meters. Great DX on those bands too. The DX-LB and dipoles are across about a one acre field and far enough to be de-coupled. If they were closer, and parallel, they would probably upset each other.
I don't use the monoband dipoles much anymore and they will probably come down before the leaves in springtime come back. Need to clean up the property.
The DX-LB Plus is highly recommended.
|
|
W2MV
|
Rating: 3/5
|
Dec 9, 2008 07:23
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Excellent Construction, Poor Performance
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
Compared to my full-sized 80 and 40 M dipoles, my reports with the DXLB+ are down one to two S units.
I'm not too surprised, especially on 80, considering the loading/short antenna. On 160, it's a real challenge to compete with other stations using a full-sized antenna. My power is 1 KW.
During the recent CQWW DX CW contest, I could not work any Pacific DX with the DXLB+ on 40M, but easily worked whatever I could hear with the full-sized dipole. The height for both is within a few feet of each other, not very high...about 30-40' up.
The construction is excellent, and I would keep it as an emergency backup, all-band antenna. It's the only 160M ant that will fit on my property, so I'm stuck with it, unless I want to go the open-wire feeder route.
I've had the antenna for 12 months+.
|
|
K2JX
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Nov 18, 2008 18:29
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Well made
|
Time owned: 3 to 6 months
|
Just put the DXLB up in the air about 40', N/S orientation here on Long Island. It works very well even on 160. I actually had two stations call "me" on 160 ! That's a big improvement over my 60' inverted "L". I used the antenna for a time at a very low 20' until the leaves came down from my oak trees and even at 20' it "heard" quite well on 20m. Build quality is excellent, well worth the price, but hey they use good stuff not cheap coils and "plated" hardware !
Should survive a normal NYC winter. I give this antenna an A ! Would I reccomend one, YES.
GL&73, K2JX
|
|
WA1GON
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Jul 15, 2008 08:48
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
I Love it.
|
Time owned: 0 to 3 months
|
I replaced a Van Gordon All bander with the DX-LB Plus. What a wonderful change. I have a A3S Tri-bander pointed to the NE (QTH is NH) and in all cases I could hear stations equal as well on the dipole as the tri-bander. I haven't compared it on transmit yet. On the Van Gorden dipole, I couldn't hear the stations when I switched to it.
The main reason I took down the Van Gordon was being a window line I was getting a little RF in the shack.
I am still getting RF in shack, but it is different and worst. It is crashing my T1 Internet line. I have put shielding CAT5 between the router and the smart jack which has helped. Next I am going to put a RF choke loop up near the feedline of the dipole. I am expecting this to cure the remaining RF in the shack.
|
|
K2FEF
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Jun 9, 2008 15:33
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Best Short All Bander
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
Antenna survives ! - first, Upstate New York Winters, and now, (hot) South Kentucky Summers - (with a Tuner) tunes up flat everywhere - without a tuner it's still very wideband'ed. Have had multiple setups and config's - it always performs (and holds up) better than most other wires avail. Tech Support (Cust. Svc.) is as good a review as the antenna.
|
|
K3EY
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Jan 15, 2008 20:18
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Does the Job Well
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
I had the three band version of this antenna and it too worked great for many years. It needed maintenance from the wind on this hill and weather so I decided to replace it with this plus version.
I was happy to find the same results, great. I have it up 40 feet in an inverted vee configuration spanning 90 feet. One end is up about 15 feet the other only a couple feet above ground level.
Between this antenna and a vertical I work the world and break DX pile ups at times. I think for the price and the results realized it can't be beat for people like me who don't own towers or have lots of acreage for antenna farms.
The first one I bought had a damaged coil and a call to the factory resulted in an immediate shipment of a new replacement free of charge. I remembered that when I bought this one. Great people to deal with on top of a excellent product.
k3ey
|
|
If you have any questions, problems, or suggestions about Reviews,
please email your Reviews Manager.
|
|
|
|
|
