| WB4IVG |
Rating:  |
2025-01-04 | |
| Alpha Delta Shorty Better than Nothing but Not by Much! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've had several 160 Meter antennas throughout the years, most, were compromises one way or the other. This antenna was a JOKE! As I was once told by a guy, over in Alabama this Antenna is like kissing your sister "It ain't real Bad, BUT It ain't real good either!!!"
As for 80 Meters I have had worse, but I've had Way Better! When I lived in Charlotte NC I was forced to use the gutters and downspouts for 160, 80, and I tried 40 i could talk some, I could hear a little more but the ones who could hear me were few and far between. This Alpha Delta was pretty much on a par with that. In both cases I was forced to resort to running a piece of RG58A or RG174a out my window and hook up to my mobile antenna to get a much better Receive and Transmit functionality. 40 Meters was ok, however if I'm going to go to the trouble to put up an antenna like this it should hands down out perform a mobile antenna, Any Mobile Antenna and it did not!!! My Terlin OutBacker knocked it in the dirt. My High Serra HQ1500 was outstanding. My Hustler by Nutronics was also a winner. All these antennas have their limitations such as no 160 Meter band! However signalwise band for band 80 and 40 Meters the mobile antennas outperformed the Alpha Delta Shorty! For my opinion keep your money ???? ???? in your pocket and build yourself an antenna out of wire. If you want a shortened antenna look at some sort of folded or ZigZag element arrangement to shorten your run. These antennas are not worth the Money or the Trouble. Most Good Antenna Matchers (Tuners) will show you a good SWR on most any sufficient size piece of metal, That does not mean it will radiate well or receive well. For a comparison I strung up a roll of insulated dog fence wire that came from a Big Box Store (About 50ft in length) it was 8ft high at the window to my shack, 14ft high at the apex, and about 7ft high to a nail into a tree.(NOT electrically connected) the wire was on a par receive wise with the AlphaDelta Shorty in inverted V configuration ends 12ft high with center About 34ft high.
Just my 2 Cents worth of experience... |
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| KM4CQG |
Rating: |
2024-01-22 | |
| Compromised but OK |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Wanted a 160M shorter dipole that could work FT8 with reasonable SWR. Setup at 40 feet in the center with 150 RG8x it works OK. My SWR is 2.2 on 1.840.
Construction is very robust the wires are solid core. The coils are wound nicely on electrical PVC.
Assembling the antenna spreaders and using the supplied wire supplied to hold them in position can be hard on older hands.
Limited space antenna it's performance is good the coils when damp will effect SWR slightly.
FT8 SWR
28.074 SWR 2.8
21.074 SWR 2.1
14.074 SWR 1.29
7.074 SWR 1.17
3.573 SWR 5.1
1.840 SWR 2.2
Ian
KM4CQG
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| N8TI |
Rating: |
2018-12-15 | |
| Satisfactory |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| When this antenna is compared to my half wave dipoles, it receives at about 1 to 1 and 1/2 S units lower. But, this is not bad. The difference between an S-9 and S-8 is not a big deal. If you don’t have room for a long dipole, this will certainly do. |
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| AB9QU |
Rating: |
2016-10-16 | |
| Alpha Delta DX-LB (shorty) dipole |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I have only gad this antenna up a couple of weeks. Still tunning it for 160 meters,need to shorten it up some more but better than it being to short. 160 is VERRY narrow banded. Mine was resonent at 1.8000.So I have shortened it 6 inches on each end and that was about half what I needed. I have an LDG 600 watt tunner that if I get just a little bit away from the resonant point it will not tune. All the other bands have surpassed my expectations. I already have a Cushcraft R7000 GAp Voyager G5RV and a KLM KT-34A. So I have something to compair it with. It is working great for me, I like it and I'm glad I baught it. I don't want to make antennas. Ok if you do. Seems well made to me. I recomend it if you don't have the real estate for a longer antenna. |
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| GW4PJQ |
Rating: |
2016-03-27 | |
| Its a 100FT loaded dipole |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I always find wire antenna reviews funny. In fact just as funny as people who say "I'm using a home-brew G5RV at this end" or something similar. Surely that can only be home brew?
So what are you getting for your one hundred bucks when you buy an Alpha Delta DX-LB?
1 A reasonable centre insulator
2 Four ready made loading coils
3 Enough wire to make the antenna
4 Two end insulators
Considering the amount of hardware you would have to buy to make this yourself (100M roll of magnet wire to start with) and do remember all the maths and measuring has been done for you, it is good value.
Performance
It performs like a half wave dipole on 40m and an 80ft dipole on 80m and a 100ft dipole on 160m.In other words just what you would expect!
I used to make G Whip antennas for the original owner of that company back in the 1970's and 80's and I learned that there is no magic in antennas. If you shorten any antenna you WILL reduce it's radiating efficiency AND increase the system Q.
Build quality
As a legal limit antenna for use in the UK (400w) it is adequate. However I wouldn't put any more power through it. Even at 200w continuous carrier the loading coils became warm and there was evidence of St Elmo's fire (spray) on the end insulators on 160m at 400w.
Do I recommend it
Absolutely, it does exactly what the makers claim. |
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| W6CAW |
Rating: |
2015-07-26 | |
| So So. Overpriced |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| The fancy center insulator cracked after 3 years. Nothing special to the construction. 12 gage house wire, some magnet wire, and PVC pipe. Built a clone of it with stuff lying around the barn. Very over priced for what you get. A very narrow band 160 and 80 Meter antenna and a simple 40 Meter dipole. DIY! |
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| N8UW |
Rating: |
2015-07-25 | |
| Added 30m |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I replaced the A-D center thing with a premium balun. I also fabricated some PVC spreaders and added a full size 30m dipole 18 inches below it, paralleled. Up ~30 ft. center, 20 foot ends close to garage, house, 6BTV, etc. Worked as expected.
Mine is for CW, and 160m is narrow-banded but I dialed it in well enough to work the WAS net and the ARRL 160m contest. Regional contacts were easy. Russia called me on the net, but I couldn't hear it.
80m is better, it is possible to work powerhouse DX stations with my AL-80B. West Coast from here in Dayton is iffy.
They are full size dipoles up 30 feet on 30m and 40m, and work as such.
I found out this is a GREAT antenna to fill in my vertical's skip zone.
Too bad a storm took out my neighbor's tree, taking down my center support with it. DX-LB inspected OK laying on the lawn, resides in the basement, and will be up again soon!
73,
-Chuck |
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| KC6RCM |
Rating: |
2014-08-11 | |
| Great... for modest expectations. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
For a limited space wire antenna, it does the job reasonably well, as long as your expectations are reasonably modest. I don't expect to work any rare DX, but contacts more regional in nature.
Regarding RF power, the instructions say this of their model DX-LB.
160 and 80 meters, 600 watts CW/PEP, ICAS duty cycle. 40 meters, 1000 watts CW/PEP, ICAS duty cycle. (Intermittent Commercial & Amateur Service... 50% duty cycle, 5 minutes on then 5 minutes off) RTTY is limited to 250 watts to prevent overheating of components. |
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| KB6HRT |
Rating: |
2014-07-31 | |
| Wanted 160m, I'm there! |
Time Owned: N.A. |
Brough a DXDD many years ago, never put it up, my old 40m dipole was in need of repair, put up the DXDD which covers 40-80m an am getting good results after a good tuning on the antenna, adding a 1to1 choke balun the antenna worked even better, Alpha Delta makes the 160-80-40m Shorty so am using it because it fits the small lot I have, This morning had it set up an working for 160m, receive is working very well, could hear all the player
I have talked to in the past an its summer time, use a Zero Five 43' vertical for the last 5 years, its a plus for me having the DXLB for sure, do use the LB with a Palstar tuner, can cover full 160m band, 80 is just OK the way it comes from Alpha Delta an 40m is good, by tuning this antenna can make it become a very hot antenna, no need to because I already did that with the DD, the LB brings in less background noise the way its setup from the factory , If I find a station a long ways out, can always switch to the DD if the station is hard copy........... Happy to to have nice choice now for 160m, thanks Alpha Delta for making the Shorty this antenna works for me............kb6hrt
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| KC9GLD |
Rating: |
2014-06-16 | |
| Works well on 40, reasonable on 75/80 and 160 as I expected |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Living on a small lot I had storm damage to a 450 ohm fed 80. meter inverted V. I took down and was loaned this one to get me by. WELL after about an hour with an analyzer and a Palstar AT4K, Goodby Alpha Delta and coax, hello again ladderline and cheap wire! |
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