Hi Hayden, Another nice video. Cal's fiberglass poles should weather extremely well as they are of the same quality as Spiderbeams fiberglass poles. I've had two 12m Spiderbeam poles out back unguyed for four years now and have withstood 70 plus mph wind gusts. They are attached to two fence posts of the 4 ft wooden fence in the backyard. Stay safe. 73 WJ3U
Good vid and thank for posting, I've put a fibreglass pole in the ground so the DX Commander just slides over it and has been battered by winds and rain over the winter and stood up very well. Saves on the guying and the grandchildren from tripping over the guys. After 6 months once I had pinned the radials to the lawn it was good enough to mow over. The only issue now is that the station master wants it moved - just when I thought I was safe aaaaarh 👹🤪 73 M0AZE
I made a copy of one of these using a 9m squid pole off ebay. worked great until we got a decent SE wind then the top 2m broke off. No worries used some recycled fiberglass tent poles to rebuild. So now I run a vertical resonant on 80,40,30,20,17,15,12 and 10m half of which I can't use but thats Ok at least I can listen.
I really want to buy a commander classic for a permanent install but even that doesnt go into the ground with a sleeve or anything. I just dont trust a pole that is not permanently mounted.
Great video on maintenance, very useful however, No way am I going to use the DX Commander wire for radials!! I have a spool of #14 THNN AWG Stranded Copper and that is my radial stock.
Great video, I watched it the first time I built my dx commander, and I’m watching it again because I bought the expedition. What video zoom call is that from where Josh is using the voice changer?
40m works well, but I do have a bit of local noise hear, regularly hear US stations over all night paths. 30m I haven’t done much with, but FT8 seems to work well. I compared it to my end fed when I had it up and it’s better on DX and takes up less room
Would you recommend this if I only do HF? Will be my first antenna, was going to do a Mega loop over some 100 ft trees in the yard but maybe something more entry level / omni directional and I can tinker with wires in the future. Id like to get 1.5kw into her too. I do love watts
Hi, I'd be interested in your comments on whether this is considered a portable antenna. Im looking for a semi permanent installation but would like to take it with me to our holiday house. Is packup and setup time reasonable?
Yeah it doesn't take too long to pack down... if you're not too worried about 80m, a better alternative for what you describe might be the DX Commander Rapid - dxcommander.com/product/dx-commander-rapide/
So, while I haven't personally checked with the EHAM/QRZ Antenna Experts: For Australia installations, you have to feed the braid to the driven elements, and the centre goes to ground, OR you have to install the antenna upside down, which has the added benefit of avoiding deadly spiders that might nest near the coax feed point, right? 73 DE W8LV BILL
that dx commander dude is one of the most rude and insulting person I ever met, he cannot take criticism about his product or his video production without insulting you because HE has the universal knowlage and no one can share ideas with him if it is not to his liking instead of politely respond, you get insulted... will never buy product from such an owner...
@@HamRadioDX It also has been for me too, I have been a long time subscriber of his channel and followed him since a long time, he most of the time replied to me when I have obersavations, questions and comments, which I did like very much that he took time to read comments, up to one single day I only did a comment to one of his video which he stated to be "SMR" but there was music instead of hearing the environment he was working in (which is in my opinion not SMR) and I only suggested him to get rid of the music and all his previous videos without music were wonderful... I got the most hateful reply from him, he insulted me and told me to go f myself... which a product owner should never do to any potential or current customer... now I know which type of guy he is, a rude dude with no maner who cannot accept criticism and other opinions that difers from what he feels like. I was just suggesting and stated I prefered his previous videos that's all I did... anyway, I will never support someone who has such agressiveness and rudeness... we could just have discussed or echange opinion but no, it did not turned out that way that time... sorry to write this down to your channel but that has been my experience... I've thrown my money to another antenna fabricator and he will never get my business... happy camper with my new 2el beam instead of a chinese fiberglass mast... 73
DXC's are in fact full size 1/4 wave resonant multiband antennas from 40m - 10m. No traps, coils, top hats - just wires. The design is a vertical fan dipole.
It is correctly "Aluminium" ! The same 'mistake' the US-Guys made with the 'imperial' measurment! Very easy to 'declare' it all correct in km, meter, cm or mm, - why that trouble, with the old overcome imperial terms? Isn't it the way, that a NASA-rocket explodes, because someone 'forgets' to re-calculate the dimension? (Imperial to Metric, or vis-versa ?) Poor US-people, it's so easy, to use the SI-units. (Metric International coordinated codes) They are used all over the world, in physics, mathematics, chemical, technical and other terms! They are also so much better to understand. Only the US and one small other country will resist, to go with the 'gang', ... ! And that is only the beginning! Doing a 'right' writing and reading will be the next step! English is not my native tounge, and I know, that I make a lot of mistakes, when writing, speaking and spelling! Be free, to collect them all, an recycle the words, for a 'second' or 'third' use, ... ! The language the most people in the North-American continent using is called 'English', ... not 'American' ! Why allways the 'Extra-Tour', that we will call it in Germany ? 73 de Markus ; db9pz (And please, don't forget, ... Hi Hi ! ! ! )
Watch my build video and review of the DX Commander All Band Vertical here 👉👉 ua-cam.com/video/iiDB5jpFFss/v-deo.html
Thank you Hayden.
I'm in Wilcannia NSW where the temp in Summer can get to 45-50 so the UV is something I am thinking about.
Cheers
Kevin
Your DXC build video is still one of my favs of yours! It just cracks me up! Cheers!
Wow, thanks Thor. I thought I did a poor job, amazing what editing can do!
Hi Hayden,
Another nice video. Cal's fiberglass poles should weather extremely well as they are of the same quality as Spiderbeams fiberglass poles. I've had two 12m Spiderbeam poles out back unguyed for four years now and have withstood 70 plus mph wind gusts. They are attached to two fence posts of the 4 ft wooden fence in the backyard. Stay safe. 73 WJ3U
Thanks Don! They seem like they will stand up to the harshest environment. Cheers mate
Good vid and thank for posting, I've put a fibreglass pole in the ground so the DX Commander just slides over it and has been battered by winds and rain over the winter and stood up very well. Saves on the guying and the grandchildren from tripping over the guys. After 6 months once I had pinned the radials to the lawn it was good enough to mow over. The only issue now is that the station master wants it moved - just when I thought I was safe aaaaarh 👹🤪 73 M0AZE
Haha great stuff Mike! I’ve packed mine up after a QTH move, almost time to put it back up again shortly
Great update Hayden ...I have one that is approaching 2 years and it looks the same as your one ....cheers
Thanks Roly 👍 they are top bananas alright. Cheers
I was wondering how it performs - isn‘t that the most imporrant part of an antenna?… 😉
Thank you.
Great video
Nice to see how they hold up in the Australia sun.
I made a copy of one of these using a 9m squid pole off ebay. worked great until we got a decent SE wind then the top 2m broke off. No worries used some recycled fiberglass tent poles to rebuild. So now I run a vertical resonant on 80,40,30,20,17,15,12 and 10m half of which I can't use but thats Ok at least I can listen.
Thanks for this video!
No problems Duuuuuuuuuude!
Excellent review of an excellent product. Happy Days :-)
Cheers Ade
great piece. Gald to hear it is holding up well!
Excellent! I need to build one as well. Thanks for the followup. 73
Go for it!
Everyone I know with these antennas loves them 👍
I certainly love mine! I can't wait to move to an area with fewer people to see what it is really capable of without all the QRM.
On my list to buy
Excellent ! :)
Upload a vid working some ssb dx. So many videos show the build, swr, etc.. but never show it actually on the air.
Noted and put on the list of things to do/film 👍
@@HamRadioDX Awesome! Great channel BTW! 73
So the weekly videos of Callum using one are not enough?
I noticed over time my SWR was fluctuating particularly on 20m when the elements loosened a bit.
I really want to buy a commander classic for a permanent install but even that doesnt go into the ground with a sleeve or anything. I just dont trust a pole that is not permanently mounted.
Callum has developed a DIY ground mount. Think it’s on his website or in one of his videos
Could yqu please compare your antenna's performance to that of other to similiar vertical 80-6m antennas?
Great video on maintenance, very useful however, No way am I going to use the DX Commander wire for radials!! I have a spool of #14 THNN AWG Stranded Copper and that is my radial stock.
Great video, I watched it the first time I built my dx commander, and I’m watching it again because I bought the expedition. What video zoom call is that from where Josh is using the voice changer?
Oh, that's from years ago. I wouldn't be able to find it now.
How does it perform on 40/30 and can you compare it to another antenna
40m works well, but I do have a bit of local noise hear, regularly hear US stations over all night paths. 30m I haven’t done much with, but FT8 seems to work well.
I compared it to my end fed when I had it up and it’s better on DX and takes up less room
@@HamRadioDX Thanks, have been looking at them. 40 and 30 would be my main interest for it
Would you recommend this if I only do HF? Will be my first antenna, was going to do a Mega loop over some 100 ft trees in the yard but maybe something more entry level / omni directional and I can tinker with wires in the future.
Id like to get 1.5kw into her too. I do love watts
Hi,
I'd be interested in your comments on whether this is considered a portable antenna. Im looking for a semi permanent installation but would like to take it with me to our holiday house. Is packup and setup time reasonable?
Yeah it doesn't take too long to pack down... if you're not too worried about 80m, a better alternative for what you describe might be the DX Commander Rapid - dxcommander.com/product/dx-commander-rapide/
So, while I haven't personally checked with the EHAM/QRZ Antenna Experts: For Australia installations, you have to feed the braid to the driven elements, and the centre goes to ground, OR you have to install the antenna upside down, which has the added benefit of avoiding deadly spiders that might nest near the coax feed point, right? 73 DE W8LV BILL
Haha Bill! All I can tell you is, spiders aren't a worry here
@@HamRadioDX Oh shoot....you caught me before I fully edited! 73!
How has it performed in terms of DX? That's my interest. Thanks for the upload! 73, de 2E0SVB.
I've worked USA, UK and other parts of Europe on digital modes.
Worked Japan on 10m SSB the other day and also Italy on 20m SSB
How do you mow your lawn with this? just roll up the ground plane cables?
Yep, just disconnect them, roll them up, put them aside. Takes about 2 mins
May I ask what the cost was? Cheers mate 👍🇦🇺🥃
dxcommander.com/product/dx-commander-80m/
Looking at getting the DX Commander or the Cobbweb antenna, would the DX Commander work on top of a tin roof garage??
Possibly, but you might need to work out a mounting method for the plate and use the roof as the ground plane/radials
Let us know your contact range. this is on my list to get...
USA has been seen plenty of times on FT8, and heard on 40m SSB ;)
I regularly hit the entire continental US, the Eastern edge of Australia, a good bit of Asia, and Northern Europe from Alaska.
I am concerned with our brutal NorEasterns we get on the coast of Virginia.
that dx commander dude is one of the most rude and insulting person I ever met, he cannot take criticism about his product or his video production without insulting you because HE has the universal knowlage and no one can share ideas with him if it is not to his liking instead of politely respond, you get insulted... will never buy product from such an owner...
Your observations are completely opposite to what I and others have experienced. Callum is a great guy and is happy to help his customers out.
@@HamRadioDX It also has been for me too, I have been a long time subscriber of his channel and followed him since a long time, he most of the time replied to me when I have obersavations, questions and comments, which I did like very much that he took time to read comments, up to one single day I only did a comment to one of his video which he stated to be "SMR" but there was music instead of hearing the environment he was working in (which is in my opinion not SMR) and I only suggested him to get rid of the music and all his previous videos without music were wonderful... I got the most hateful reply from him, he insulted me and told me to go f myself... which a product owner should never do to any potential or current customer... now I know which type of guy he is, a rude dude with no maner who cannot accept criticism and other opinions that difers from what he feels like. I was just suggesting and stated I prefered his previous videos that's all I did... anyway, I will never support someone who has such agressiveness and rudeness... we could just have discussed or echange opinion but no, it did not turned out that way that time... sorry to write this down to your channel but that has been my experience... I've thrown my money to another antenna fabricator and he will never get my business... happy camper with my new 2el beam instead of a chinese fiberglass mast... 73
It’s called the British sense of humour
You get what you pay for in a so called all band vertical .. My word is Compromise. If its not full size its a compromise.
DXC's are in fact full size 1/4 wave resonant multiband antennas from 40m - 10m. No traps, coils, top hats - just wires. The design is a vertical fan dipole.
Take a look at my logbook and tell me where the compromise is... 73
I wish you Brits would learn correct English. It's aluminum.. Not Ally Uminum. Regards from The Colonies.
But isn’t he an Aussie?
It is correctly "Aluminium" !
The same 'mistake' the US-Guys made with the 'imperial' measurment!
Very easy to 'declare' it all correct in km, meter, cm or mm, - why that trouble, with the old overcome imperial terms?
Isn't it the way, that a NASA-rocket explodes, because someone 'forgets' to re-calculate the dimension?
(Imperial to Metric, or vis-versa ?)
Poor US-people, it's so easy, to use the SI-units. (Metric International coordinated codes)
They are used all over the world, in physics, mathematics, chemical, technical and other terms! They are also so much better to understand. Only the US and one small other country will resist, to go with the 'gang', ... !
And that is only the beginning!
Doing a 'right' writing and reading will be the next step!
English is not my native tounge, and I know, that I make a lot of mistakes, when writing, speaking and spelling! Be free, to collect them all, an recycle the words, for a 'second' or 'third' use, ... !
The language the most people in the North-American continent using is called 'English', ... not 'American' !
Why allways the 'Extra-Tour', that we will call it in Germany ?
73 de Markus ; db9pz
(And please, don't forget, ... Hi Hi ! ! ! )