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Reviews For: DX Engineering DXE-40VE-1 Vertical

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : DX Engineering DXE-40VE-1 Vertical
Reviews: 2MSRP: 259.50
Description:
The DX Engineering fast taper 40VE-1 is a high-performance, self-supporting vertical antenna system that operates over the entire 40 meter band with an SWR of less than 1.5:1. The fast taper element provides the lowest wind resistance. This vertical uses no coils or linear loading elements. Designed with 6063 corrosion-resistant drawn aluminum tubing and stainless steel hardware, this antenna is very durable and attractive. Rugged aluminum alloy 6063 is most commonly used for seamless structural tube and pipe. It is popular in structural use for both its high strength and great, long lasting appearance. Alloy 6063 provides great resistance to general corrosion, including resistance to stress- corrosion cracking. With excellent surface appearance, 6063 is the best alloy for high strength, long lasting antenna applications.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-40ve-1
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0025
8P6SH Rating: 2013-11-12
A simply beautifully crafted antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I am located within a couple hundred metres of the ocean and in that harsh environment only the best antennas survive.

A lot of time was spent looking over the specs, reviews and manuals for various 40m verticals. Eventually I came across DX Engineering - a name I was not really familiar with other than supplying various parts.

I purchased the antenna based on a review of the manual and how sturdy the antenna appeared to be. I also ordered the DX Eng. radial plate and an SO239 connector for the plate.

On opening the antenna package, it truly was a thing of beauty. Compared to the branded antenna it was replacing, this was so much more aluminium. 2in base section compared to 1.5in and 3 ft versus 4ft sections.

Everything about the antenna was a joy. The antanna was telescoped in two bundles with rubber endcaps to protect the edges in shipping. Every hardware item was packaged seperately and labelled so that inventory was a very simple process indeed. The hoseclamps were all sealed into a flat plastic wrapper with seperate compartments for the various sizes (2 each).

Assembly was simple. I should have spent the extra money on the tilt plate as the antenna is somewhat heavier than other verticals I've had and is therefore difficult to adjust on my own. I will add the tilt plate to my setup shortly.

I was anxious to test and did so with just a couple radials. I ended up shortening the vertical by nearly 8ft to get to resonance and then had to adjust it back when I added a further 6 radials the following day. It now resonates around 7.100 and easily covers the entire band with good SWR.

This antenna is RUGGED!!! When I add the tilt plate, I will also add 4 guys and I feel confident this antenna will survive all but the worse storms.

A short note on the radial plate - I honestly thought it was going to be a waste of money - it is not!!! It is a beautifully crafted plate that makes adding radials a joy. Its stainless steel so it'll last forever even in my harsh environment. The fact that it will facilitate the installation of an SO239 connector is simply great!!! One of these will be under all my verticals.

DxEngineering has made possibly the best 40m vertical that I could find in ham radio. It is rugged and so far hears and works exactly as expected. I will be adding radials and eventually will turn this into a 2-vertical array.

I will be looking to DxEngineering for my 80m vertical needs as well!!!
KZ3J Rating: 2009-07-25
The finest 40M vertical available Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Since I have designed many antennas during my tenure as an RF engineer, where “wishful thinking” could get you fired, and only 100% tested and proven performance counted at all, before buying my main HF aerial I kept in mind some hard, unpleasant rules about real-life antennas that are placed within a non-ideal, physical environment:

1. The shorter the antenna from its resonant length, the less performance you will get from it both in receive and in transmit and;

2. The fewer and the shorter the radials, the lower will be its RX/TX performance.

3. Most multiband antennas add losses, especially on the lower bands, which can be quite significant.

So, a basic monoband, full-size (or larger) resonant antenna’s efficiency (with radials, if a vertical), and its omni-directional radiation pattern can, in general, never be beat; no matter what a particular antenna manufacturer may say about their newest "wonder" antenna, the laws of physics simply cannot be denied. (In fact, some hams use not only shortened and trapped verticals with their 100 Watt transmitter, but they combine that with using only a few radials (or no radials at all!!); what they may not realize is that their antenna system is now so grossly inefficient that they are really only radiating a few watts: These hams are operating at or near "QRP" levels, and they don't even know it. I won't even go into about how poorly they are receiving).


Therefore, I selected a full size 40 meter vertical made by DX Engineering (Fast Taper, High Performance 40 Meter Vertical Antenna - DXE-40VE-1) as my main 40M/20M antenna. I have found that these verticals are the best machined and most thickly walled antennas; a real quality product. The DXE-40VE-1 will last a lifetime and, when combined with the optional radial plate and tilt plate, is the core of any quality vertical antenna system. And DX Engineering doesn't "pretend" that you don't need radials, either.

(Note: Many modern verticals are classified as "free standing" antennas, but in reality -- unless you live in an eerily wind-free environment -- you absolutely need at least one set of triple guys, and preferably two sets. I only used one set on mine, but I wish I had known more about the high Mississippi wind speeds that periodically hit my QTH! Additionally, spend the extra money and purchase DX Engineering’s 'tilt plate', or you will have severe trouble in raising the 33' high vertical, even with the help of another person; I almost lost my antenna multiple times while raising it without the tilt plate, and had to wait for a rare day that had virtually zero wind speed).