| G2KS |
Rating:  |
2020-09-19 | |
| excellent antenna got me Hawaii and Antarctica |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| having purchased this antenna to add 80m to my capabilities,as i had @ the time a steppir urban-beam for 40-6 m,that decided to not tune, first setup of the Dx Commander ABV,on a bank holiday Friday(UK) temporary location going through the bands (FT8) one @ a time all OK after first tune on 17m 3 JA Stations worked all in quick succession (20 minutes time span),after the initial tune and confirmation it worked OK, i positioned behind my garden shed with the inverted L for 80m configured to my gable end @ 19 m 10 cms ish long,as i live very close to the sea (IO84FQ), and get lots of strong winds, i opted for a belt and braces approach for mounting it , a 4 foot piece of 30 mm rebar driven into the ground just shy of 3 feet, then that over sleeved with 2 pieces of kitchen waste pipe of different diameter, the larger one being slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the DXC, and stopping just shy of the first joint,DXC over the top so no problems moving about 2 sets of guy ropes(para-cord) again because of the high winds, last year (2019) i entered the first WW Digi contest under my M6 callsign and scored just over 10,000 points with the DXC (low power entry), i again entered the WW Digi contest this year, this time with the benefit of my full callsign and option to run higher power which i did, as a single operator station,my target was to beat my previous score, the raw scores released recently have me on 62,244 and No 1 G station, 16th in Europe, and 43rd in the world, my next nearest G station(contest call) was 50,000 point behind me, closely followed by a " well known big gun contester", i managed to work multiple bands 80/40/20 & 15 m in the contest getting down in VK and into Indonesia and Japan ,and as far north as Greenland (twice on 2 seperate bands,same station), and all the way down to the bottom of South America, lets face it 2 bit of metal a few bits of wire, and a fiberglass pole contest winner yay !!, also in January of this year i borrowed a friend of mines DXC ABV that he had not yet put up, to use as the 2nd antenna for GB1LBC (Silloth Lifeboat station SES), again due to the closeness of the sea (5 metres away) we used angle iron stakes driven in the ground to hold the guy ropes ,and the same aforementioned rebar trick, yes we had 70 mph winds (the normal for us there in January), it didn't fall over, and over the 2 weekends it was used we nearly double the previous years activation, on the first Saturday morning i had a Japanese pile up on ft8 for a hour and half from 7:30 am to start the day with (ft8), as for my home setup despite there being lots of very positive you-tube review from US stns using the DX Commander Expedition version ,there has been one recent negative concerning the radials and placement, my radials on mine at home behind the shed take up ground area of 16 feet by 4 feet (all the room i have,due to rear fence), and are on the surface so can be disturbed if my dog decides to chase a mouse or rabbit behind the shed, despite this rats nest of radials, i have recently managed to work K2GT in Hawaii on 17m FT8 giving me mixed WAS digital, also another VERY notable qso recently was 8J1RL Japanese Antarctica Research Expedition Grid Sq KC90 just over 8100 miles from me on 40m FT8 @ 23:42 at night, since i have had my G2 call and have been using the DXC ABV, i have got all zones on 80/40/30/17m, and am awaiting a confirmation for Asia on 15 m and just need a Oceania on 20m to give me 6 full bands confirmed, currently @ 5,645 qsos and 141 confirmed DXCC's, the only drawback ?? no 60m ability on the ABV without sacrificing other bands, i have had numerous east coast USA stns question what i am using and i always tell them its a DXC ABV and tell them to look my callsign up on psk reporter , as i normally only have to call cq twice to get a answer or multiple replies :), the upshot ,small garden, pain the rear neighbours, xyl who must be obeyed ?? buy a DXC ABV hook up the 80m inv L and enjoy :) |
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| ZS1ML |
Rating: |
2020-09-06 | |
| Why everyone is talking about the DX Commander! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
the DX Commander is a very good solution for someone who wants to easily and relatively cheaply install an extremely competent permanent antenna that can also be used very easily as a transportable antenna, if you want to collaps it and set it up quickly at a club event or in the field for POTA.
I attest to excellent service and outstanding performance of the antenna. It outperforms a conventional inverted V fan dipole, a HyEndFed 10-80 by far.
As for service, I accidentally broke the top of the pole one day with stupidity and violence and Callum immediately replaced it for me with a brand-new pole for free. Now, that's what I call service.
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| K2WBB |
Rating: |
2020-08-24 | |
| Good vertical antenna |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I recently purchased the multi band DX Commander and really enjoy how it works. It's a very well built 33' antenna, and Callum seems to take great care putting everything together. As he says it's not a particularly expensive antenna, and was not designed to be permanent, but that's how I have mine. Even then, I can take the whole thing apart in 30 minutes. I doubled the amount of radials he recommends for 40 meters because I wanted the 80 meter band. Good SWR in the portions of the bands I want to use at this point. We've made good contacts to Australia from New Hampshire on 100 watts. Definitely recommend. I'm looking forward to the DX Nebula, a purpose built 80 meter antenna. |
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| KN4RAY |
Rating: |
2020-06-22 | |
| Great antenna kit |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I spent a Saturday morning putting it together with my 5 year old daughter. It was straight forward and easy enough that we had it done at at leisurely pace in about 3 hours. It is light weight and has been up for almost 2 months. Here in North Alabama we get some pretty good thunderstorms and it has hung in there with 50 mph wind gusts a couple of times. I bought the ABV version and have successfully run 6, 10, 12, 15, 17, 20, 30, and 40 meters on it with my highest SWR reading being 2.0 for now. I will string up the 80 meter portion soon when my analyzer gets here. Being in grid EM64 I almost never heard Japan, Australia, or New Zealand with my end fed(on FT8). The first night I hooked up the DX Commander I was hearing them on FT8. I am having a blast with this antenna and will probably get another down the road when he gets the 18 meter version listed. Cal is doing a great job with this kit. |
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| K4SAA |
Rating: |
2020-06-08 | |
| Simple and effective - Excellent build, service and function |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Cal has done a great job. I took a leisurely day to assemble and tune the 10 tall classic (w/80m) antenna. The attention to detail that Cal has put in assembling the bits into a kit really shows. The base plates and guides are cut well and should hold up to considerable use. Well worth price!
After a bit of fiddling with the analyzer I was able to get 40-6m all resonant under 1.5:1 for the entire bands and most under 1.3:1. 80m as an inverted L is under 1.1:1 for the CW sweet spot and under 2:1 for most of the band.
Customer service was EXTRAORDINARY.My kit got screwy shipping with FedEx and Cal was on it quickly. It wasn't his doing, just someone at FedEx decided mine needed to be delivered to Oregon with another DX Commander.
I did a trial by fire on the antenna during the Hamvention QSO Party. Even with 5 watts it was a very effective radiator.
Setup/take down time once assembled is under 10 minutes and is easily accomplished solo. I store the whole kit, minus the pole, in a small cinch style backpack.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I will be purchasing the 18m version when Cal has it ready to go. |
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| AG7ZM |
Rating: |
2020-06-07 | |
| Excellent antenna, price, service and build |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The DX Commander is very fun to assemble!
He’s supplies everything you need and extra if a minor issue should arise, ( I broke a plastic clip assembling one shock cord tensioner) not to worry there were plenty of extra to overcome this.
My antenna has been up about a month, already experiencing 110* plus heat and 40 mph winds and a heavy thunderstorm with NO issues at all. ( for the thunder storm I laid it on the ground, it took less than 2 minutes to have it on the ground! ). From purchase to delivery was an absolutely excellent experience!
The quality of all the parts and the service is excellent!
As a side note this antenna is fully customizable.
I would say if you’re interested in purchasing any of the DX Commander line of antennas you will be very pleased with your experience!
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| G6YRU |
Rating: |
2020-05-14 | |
| EXCELLENT PRODUCT.you have to get one.amazing |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
well Callum is a true ambassador for the hobby and is well known for his honest customer service.
thats what all reviewers of dx commander antennas have said on eham!!! TRUE.
you by now have read the reviews! amazing results.cost wise performance !ease of deployment and disasembly,availability of parts!cost in comparism to rivals eg steppir verticles simple to maintan.
LOTS OF IMPROVEMENTS NOW WITH DX10 CABLING RESOLVING EARLY ISSUES.as of 14/03/2020
i couldnt believe the noise loss and efficiency of this all band 1/4 wave antenna. UP ON MY 80 METER DIPOLE 10 DB WOW. you must read all the comments and watch the videos on youtube callum M0MCX channel. he may get the barber to return and finish the haircut
after LOCKDOWN now i guess.
thank you cal for spending and sharing you antenna. jim G4WSH |
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| G4JJP |
Rating: |
2020-05-12 | |
| A great product, and more than a bit of fun! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Putting together the DX Commander Vertical Antenna.
I bought the 10 metre all band vertical. Everything is well packaged and generously supplied – spare wing nuts, bolts, connectors, and plenty of wire. There was one part missing from my pack – the upper double-eye spreader – but Callum responded immediately by putting one in the post. Much better service than many larger manufacturers and in the middle of a lock down as well.
Whilst I wait for the missing part to arrive, my first impressions are:
1. This is a great product and a fascinating design. If I can get it to tune with the kind of low SWR that Callum suggests, then I will be very happy.
2. As I said, it’s the 10 metre all band vertical including 80m. It’s VERY big! I live on a housing estate with a small garden – and a vertical antenna is all I can possibly have in a small garden - but the top of the antenna is higher than my chimney. In a small back garden, that’s more than noticeable by neighbours – and may contravene planning regulations regarding height. Time will tell!
3. It is black! Black wires, black pole – even black shock cord, black paracord, and black carabiners. Ideal for stealth (!) – apart from the fact that the three spreader plates are white! The white colour draws the eye, and the attention, to the height. So one of the first things I’ve done is to get a can of matt black spray paint and have painted the spreaders matt black. Phew! Much better. I will have to do the same with the upper double-eye when it arrives.
4. There’s one minor design issue that I’ve encountered. Callum has made use of the bottom screw cap on the pole to hold the ground plate with the radial connectors and the mount for the SO239 in place. It’s a clever idea – good engineering use of the original pole design. You unscrew the base cap, insert the aluminium ground plate rather like a large washer, and screw it up again to hold the ground plate in place. However, the base cap was never designed to hold a 3mm ground plate in place. It’s plastic. You lose 3mm of thread contact from a (roughly) 10mm threaded base - and therefore 30% of the holding force - and because the threaded cap is plastic, not metal, the joint is considerably weakened. On at least three occasions when working on assembly and the telescopic sections collapsed downwards back into the pole, because the plastic base cap threads were flexible and the number of threads, and therefore the grip, had been reduced by the ground plate, the base cap was forced off the bottom of the pole along with the ground plate, and the sections came out with some speed!
I did consider glueing the base cap to prevent it coming off, but that would make it impossible to correct a jammed pole section – not a good idea. After examination of the issue and a little thought, I mitigated it by wrapping the threaded base with PTFE tape as if it were a leaky pipe, making the screw thread considerably tighter. So far so good.
As Callum says in the instructions: “Please remember, that this whole system is an experimental bit of fun.” It's an important disclaimer, and he’s right. “Please have some empathy for the crazyness of this project”, he says, “and understand that it is what it is, a fibreglass pole, some cut plates and a few nuts and bolts.” Exactly. It would be possible to re-engineer both the base cap and the threaded section to remove this issue entirely. But, like polishing the aluminium ground plate, it’s a step too far for me. The compromise works, and my work-around appears to hold things in place a little better.
As I said, I’m filling time whilst waiting for the arrival of the upper double-eye spreader by writing the first part of this review. When it arrives, and I’ve painted it black like the others and completed the build, I’ll re-visit this review with the results. Fingers crossed, I’ll get the SWR that Callum predicts. So far it’s been exactly what Callum suggests – a bit of fun that may well save me large sums against a more expensively produced antenna. But its more than that. It’s serious fun and great value, with what will hopefully be a highly effective outcome in an antenna that works as well as other people report. |
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| G1WHP |
Rating: |
2020-04-15 | |
| DX Commander |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have just completed the build of the DX COMMANDER all band vertical. What can I say..... Well I took the build project slowly following the detailed instructions, i found the build process extremely interesting and enjoyable. Once built I laid the radials and erected the antenna in a permanent location in the back yard. The final result provided me a a quality multi band antenna 80m through to 6m with no ATU Required. This is a quality product and a very reasonable price, I am now benefiting from the many years of design and development Callum M0MCX has put in to this product to enhance the enjoyment of of hobby. I am a very happy customer. Paul
I have had the antenna up as a permanent install for nearly a year. Some very high winds and snow and ice the antenna has never missed a beat and continues to bring in the DX contacts. I use this antenna for nearly all my HF activity and am over the moon with the results. I would rate the antenna 10/10 for performance and quality that continues on and 9n without trouble. A top antenna for a low price without compromising quality. I would recommend this product without hesitation. Paul G1WHP |
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| VE2CXA |
Rating: |
2020-04-12 | |
| The antenna to buy for great performance |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
Just completed a full winter with my new DX Commander. Put it up temporarily in the back yard after assembly, which became permanent for the winter, following an early winter storm. Long story short, it stayed there with 6 feet of snow around it most of the time and 60+ mile an hour winds from time to time. The snow is now gone, the winds have died down for spring and I have had a blast with this all-band vertical. This DX Commander has survived a Canadian winter without any issues. It has been pure joy throughout the winter season. Wow, it works like a charm and I enjoy it very much. Low SWR on all bands as well as on my 80-meter extension. This one beat out my older G5RV and my homemade dipole. Quality components and easy to build, I would recommend the DX Commander competitive solution to anyone looking for a great antenna at a great value point. Used ALL modes am, ssb, cw, js8, ft8, etc... during the season and all performed very well. Checking for any winter related damage, the antenna is as good a shape as the day it went up for testing.
I look forward to trying it out during the next solar cycle 25. So far, I have nothing bad to say even if I wanted to. Highly recommended. The kit is easy to build and using the on-line video or written manual, makes it an easy build for everyone. I have it working from 6-meters to 80-meters, no issues.
Great job DX Commander, awesome product.
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