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write your own review of the DX Engineering DXE-AOK-DCF.
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K6JPA
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Rating: 5/5
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May 4, 2008 19:47
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Nice Product
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I use mine with a 4BTV. Very convenient to use and well built. Incidentally, I do have access to a machine shop. While I could have made an equivalent, for what it costs, I feel it is well worth what I paid for it and I recommend this item.
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K5FH
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Rating: 5/5
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May 4, 2008 10:25
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Works for its intended purpose
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The purpose of this product is to improve the already good design of the 4/5/6BTV series. One pet peeve a lot of BTV owners have is the lack of an SO-239 at the feedpoint. For most owners this isn't a problem because they attach the coax once and hardly ever have occasion to remove it. But for those of us who like to play around with antennas and feedlines or have to constantly disconnect/reconnect the coax from the antenna, this is a godsend.
In my case, the shortest and most direct path for the feedline to my antenna is across the back lawn. So I have to disconnect and reconnect at least once a week for lawn maintenance. Unscrewing a PL-259 is a lot easier and quicker than using a screwdriver at a 90-degree angle to remove a ring terminal.
I built a similar bracket about a year ago from aluminum angle and a panel-mount SO-239. It worked OK but was a bit flimsy. I recently replaced it with the DX engineering unit and, for $20, it's a real bargain for what it does.
I couldn't build it myself to the DXE design for $20 worth of materials. The plate is precision-cut, heavy-gauge stainless steel. Anyone who has worked with forming stainless steel, especially the thicker gauges, knows how tricky it is to bend without cracking. Also, the hole for the SO-239 is a punched D-hole (the D-hole design prevents the connector from rotating inside the bracket). Unless you have a decent machine shop at home with a multi-ton press brake and a heavy-duty punch press with the proper punch and die, there is no way you could duplicate this exact design, and especially not for the very reasonable $20 that DX Engineering charges.
The DXE design also includes all fasteners and associated hardware, and the pigtail from the SO-239 is pre-fabricated, soldered and weather-sealed. Their instructions are very good, also; the diagrams are clear and the instructions are very simple and easy to understand.
Note to the non-reviewer: Just because you have an idea doesn't mean you are the only one to ever think of it.
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