| 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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| K0XB |
Rating:      |
2008-12-07 | |
| Performs as Expected |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Two friends and I put the antenna up last month, and I used it in the ARRL 160 meter contest this weekend. It is well-made, and it was easy to trim to resonace on 160. I have not used it on 80 or 40. On 160, it was easy to work all over the 48 states, Hawaii and the Carribean. However, I was not able to hear stations in Europe or Asia, but it's probably unreasonable to expect a shortened dipole to be an effective DX antenna. |
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| ZS6AN |
Rating:      |
2008-07-26 | |
| I AM HAPPY |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Ordered my DX-LB from Hamcity. Arrived within 7 days - excellent service !!!
As far as the antenna goes ... well constructed - looks professional and well packed.
Erected it as an Inv Vee with the apex up at 15m (50ft) and the ends at about 7m (22ft) off the ground.
Had to do some slight trimming (actually had to make it slightly longer), but had the antenna resonant with a close to 1:1 SWR very quickly.
Performance on 160m, 80m, and 40m is impressive. As previously mentioned, it will be a fluke if the antenna resonantes on any other bands.
I only intend using the antenna for local contacts as I have other antennas up for low band DXing, so the antenna more than meets my expectations.
73
John ZS4S
BLOEMFONTEIN
SOUTH AFRICA |
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