No you didnt invent it, but you did put it a nice package and came up with your own parts to make it more convent. Some of us hams have made this type of vertical fan dipole for years. We just kept it a secret.
Barry Strickland - AB4QL had an article published in the 2015 ARRL book "Portable Antenna Classics" entitled Fishing for DX with a 5 band Portable Antenna. Same concept but slightly different configuration. However it was a diy project and no one was selling them commercially, it's great that these are now available through your retail outlet - One day I might be able to afford one :)
Sir This is proof of what i been saying your so real and very straight up !!! i am proud of you being a such a lighthouse for us Ham OPs keep doing what you do brother !!!
Doing freehand diagrams in real time without getting Sharpie Marker all over the entirety of the bench and your hands is the real miracle of the DX Commander. That can't be real.
Personally, my first antenna was the DX commander Cal will tell you purchased about 4 years ago; now when I was new to the hobby, the instructions and build taught me so much. And I'm still learning but it reinforced some of the basics about the relationship between length and frequency and cutting for the best SWR. We were all new to the hobby once upon a time :). you can't change physics but you can refine the learning, quality, deployment, and build quality/ease of use and this is what this antenna did for me. The G8AMC is an online radio club but if we were Brix and morter this would be on our syllabus for every new foundation operator to build and then operate :) thanks, Callum for being part of my radio journey :) regards David M0TPT
You didn't invent the vertical dipole!!! That's crazy Callum! LOL! But Seriously you've spent years fine tuning these antennas! Give yourself some credit! There's a lot of happy customers all over the world running your antenna. I think you did alright mate! Good job man.
Callum, you are a gem! You would be an excellent teacher. I've only been a ham about four years, but I am an engineer. I watched all of Cliff Batson's videos. He's also a very good teacher and a QRP guy. He did a video on the difference between 10w and 100w and that made it clear to me that the *only* time more power makes much difference (read significant difference) is if you're right at the noise level of the other station or you're trying to break a pile-up. I think it'd be a hoot to build a flamethrower. What a great idea.
Callum you're a fantastic gentleman, self driven. I find your video's are like a biography. This is my favourite so far, especially the beginning on how the DX Commander was born. Bless you and thank you for giving me drive. Have a fantastic summer. 😀
Thank You! I don't always understand all you say but understand some of it. New to ham. But I almost always get something from your videos! I think as I learn more I will understand more of your videos.
I like the way you say things and they way you explain them. I sometimes chuckle at the difference on how English and and Americans say things. If we're ever in the others country, it would be great to meet you in person.
On the 30M antenna you added a centre loading coil (not a trap) which electrically lengthens the antenna length by adding inductance to the equivalent circuit, therefore it resonates at both the physical length and electrical length being two different frequencies. When you folded the top of the antenna back on itself, it creates a classic folded dipole that adds whats called a J-matching section, enabling an electrically too long an antenna to be matched at a lower frequency. The technique is a classic VHF technique seen on say the old slim-Jim antennas. Also, I presume MMANA allows lumped constants (the coil) to be inserted at some point in the antenna element which would allow you to simulate and validate its positioning and effects. You could get even more interesting results by fitting a capacitor hat; well it would allow a long antenna to be shortened and drop its resonant frequency.
Yes, I suspected as much. The modelling doesn't quite show what we're after but to some extend almost replicates physical results. PS Thank you very much for your input!
Is a ground mounted vertical the best choice for a residential property ? Great if you have a big field. I still find height is king and a 1/2 wave a few metres off the ground will out perform. I’ve been experimenting with a 10m ish length of wire on a pole and a 49:1 unun, works great on 20m 15m and 10m. Need a tuner for 15m. Mounted in a tree about 5m off the ground.
That is a HUGE question.. Many folks running ground mounted verticals in back yards / gardens and in some cases right next to the house. SHortwave / HF travels through buildings very well. VHF not so well.
@@DXCommanderHQ talking about receiving over transmitting, for me where I live, a 1/4 wave on my lawn could in no way be compared to my half wave elevated in a tree. The 1/4 is deaf in comparison.
My elmer read an article in the 1980's about a 3 element vertical, and he built one. Wasn't called "fan vertical" at the time, but was multi-element. So, I'm not sure how old the concept really is, but is old.
Callum, you being so humble and down to earth is what makes you so likeable. I am really enjoying my DX Commander classic. If you ever find yourself in Maine, it would be my pleasure to buy you a pint (or three).
I'm new to this. Really learning alot with these videos. Thinking of the antenna design three antennas makes them more directional and helps beam the signal right? This makes me wonder has anyone tried 3 of the triangular wire antenna?
Got mine put up. Found a used one in Colorado. It's working great. SWR on all bands in under 1.6/1 with most much lower. If I could find them in the USA I'd buy another.
Thinking back to my *(dreaded)* calculus days ... if you take that to the limit and have, in essence, *_"infinite"_* radials -- by just putting in a circular copper disk, what do you end up with? *73 de AF6AS*
I did the same thing with a fishing pole in 1998. 20/15/10 but not ground mounted. I had it on the side of the house with two radials per band. Wasn't easy to tune as the wires were too close together and there were no antenna analysers back then! It really worked though. That pole came from a car boot sale and the thick end ended up under a slabbed pathway as a conduit for coax to pass through.
For your lesson in speaking _”American”,_ I believe the style of vehicle you were describing is called a *_”station wagon”_* here across the pond. (I have no idea why it’s called that …) *73 de AF6AS in **_“DM13”_** land*
I had an acquaintance who was running an FM pirate station as a business, with a Collins broadcast exciter that was adjustable 10-20W. The difference in quality between 10 and 20 was actually very noticeable. Maybe that's because it was FM.
Have you tried a capacitively fed vertical? If you lengthen the antenna length to about 110 degrees from 90 degrees the feed point will be 50 ohms restive and about 100 ohms inductive. Feed the antenna through a suitable variable capacitor to cancel out the inductive reactance and resonate it anywhere in a given band. For DC grounding use a choke who's inductive reactance is greater than 5 K ohms on the band in question to ground with suitable power handling capability and low dc resistance. I built one for forty with a VSWR of less than 1.2 to one over the entire band.
Oh, I don't know.. If you are talking about the audio? It might have been before I fixed the hum. Also, that was a ZOOM call to a club - so maybe you are seeing that too.
There was an antenna that was a vertical called a Faraday beam. It was used at Ongar and Brentwood radio stations, which was on the lines as to what you were talking about. Alas I cannot find any information about it on Google. Also my notes about Post Office radio station antenna’s would now be 50 years old, so departed this world a long time ago.
Have you got any ideas for a small HF multiband vertical? Ever tried a helical? I have a GRP boat, only a small 23footer and I'm finding it impossible to get a decent HF set up due to size and lack of a ground. An end-fed vertical would work, but be too tall. Any ideas? :)
I'm about ready to pull the trigger and order a DX COMMANDER Classic 9-Band antenna. Now, what I got from my Google showed the price as £249. This is equal to $313 USD. Would you accept a US Postal money order for that amount, plus shipping? Thanks and 73. William Barrett/WW5MB
I would say you are the Steve Jobs of the vertical fan antenna ... you didn't invent it, but you tweaked it and marketed it and sold it so the masses can enjoy it. For those that don't know, there is very little that Apple actually invented ... MP3 player? no. Mouse? no. Tablet computers? no. Fingerprint scanners on phones? no. Touchscreen on phone? no. The graphical user interface? no. Video calling? no. Smart watches? no.
Your antenna rx is = to its tx if your not hearing them your tx power is excessive. Most stations are...100 watts is ample to work the world.. The rest is for local ground loss. M6DXX ...
Well, it's not actually.. COmmon wisdom tells us that but a dedicated RX antenna can often hear better than your TX antenna.. All about sig-to-noise. However, yes - turn power DOWN if you can barely hear the 100W guys calling you. That's the key. If you can't hear the 100W station, you are probably too hot. Agreed.
Talking to a chap in the US who owns 2 Dx Commanders, best antennas/mast he's ever had, I say no more. Can I have a free sample 1 Callum for my 20ft balcony terrace 😀 J/k
He didn’t discover anything. It’s almost the equivalent of a fan dipole,but it’s vertical. Even so, he sells these kits and the antennas work as well as any vertical can. So, bully for him.
@@DXCommanderHQ Thanks, none of mine are original either. Kudos to you for the effort and dedication to make a business from the DX commander. That deserves more praise than the design.
Simple answer you came across the simplest form of the quarter wave antenna. From the foundation course. Their you and then ripped off all your fellow hams and laughed at them. But in fairness must of the hams have no ability to use their common sense and have a go at building a simple antenna.
You sound like a bitter man. Success is all about not lifting your head from the grindstone to smell the flowers but taking risks and being creative. You don't have a clue.
The concept has been in the ARRL handbook for decades. You discovered reading the ARRL Handbook. So what is the big deal. Many people read the ARRL handbook! Duh!
My 34 foot (10.5m) 1 1/4 inch galvanized pipe vertical is quieter on 3/4 wave 15 m harmonic than it is on 7m . 1.2 swr on 40m except very top end. 1.4 swr across 15m. 50 DX contacts on 15m. 100watts on all.l Thanks to you're videos, I've added 20, 17. May try 80 inverted L like you described. I'm learning to love Resonant antennas.de KI7MJU
Great discussion. Your ramblings are better than most “expert” presentations.
Nothing like a good ramble! :)
No you didnt invent it, but you did put it a nice package and came up with your own parts to make it more convent. Some of us hams have made this type of vertical fan dipole for years. We just kept it a secret.
Barry Strickland - AB4QL had an article published in the 2015 ARRL book "Portable Antenna Classics" entitled Fishing for DX with a 5 band Portable Antenna. Same concept but slightly different configuration. However it was a diy project and no one was selling them commercially, it's great that these are now available through your retail outlet - One day I might be able to afford one :)
Sir This is proof of what i been saying
your so real and very straight up !!!
i am proud of you being a such a lighthouse for us Ham OPs
keep doing what you do brother !!!
Thank you so much!
Doing freehand diagrams in real time without getting Sharpie Marker all over the entirety of the bench and your hands is the real miracle of the DX Commander. That can't be real.
Trickery!
Haha
Personally, my first antenna was the DX commander Cal will tell you purchased about 4 years ago; now when I was new to the hobby, the instructions and build taught me so much. And I'm still learning but it reinforced some of the basics about the relationship between length and frequency and cutting for the best SWR. We were all new to the hobby once upon a time :). you can't change physics but you can refine the learning, quality, deployment, and build quality/ease of use and this is what this antenna did for me. The G8AMC is an online radio club but if we were Brix and morter this would be on our syllabus for every new foundation operator to build and then operate :) thanks, Callum for being part of my radio journey :) regards David M0TPT
David, interesting.. Many folks have told me similar stories..! Amazing discovery!
Invented or not, it is shear perfection! You put it together and made it what it is! I say it’s all you!
You didn't invent the vertical dipole!!! That's crazy Callum! LOL! But Seriously you've spent years fine tuning these antennas! Give yourself some credit! There's a lot of happy customers all over the world running your antenna. I think you did alright mate! Good job man.
Hey Thanks!
Callum, you are a gem! You would be an excellent teacher.
I've only been a ham about four years, but I am an engineer. I watched all of Cliff Batson's videos. He's also a very good teacher and a QRP guy. He did a video on the difference between 10w and 100w and that made it clear to me that the *only* time more power makes much difference (read significant difference) is if you're right at the noise level of the other station or you're trying to break a pile-up.
I think it'd be a hoot to build a flamethrower. What a great idea.
Yes, .. "significant" is the key :)
Wow what a beautiful home and property! Awesome Antennas too!
Callum you're a fantastic gentleman, self driven. I find your video's are like a biography. This is my favourite so far, especially the beginning on how the DX Commander was born. Bless you and thank you for giving me drive. Have a fantastic summer. 😀
Wow, thank you! Have a GREAT summer yourself old bean!
Thank You! I don't always understand all you say but understand some of it. New to ham. But I almost always get something from your videos! I think as I learn more I will understand more of your videos.
You are so welcome :)
I didn't invent sliced bread but I make a very decent living selling it!!!? Keep up your great work!!
I like the way you say things and they way you explain them. I sometimes chuckle at the difference on how English and and Americans say things.
If we're ever in the others country, it would be great to meet you in person.
Yes the language difference can be good fun!
A superb video, Callum..Thank you for explaining so much in terms that we ‘ordinary’ folk can understand..Please keep doing it!..73..John..G4EIJ
Thank you! Will do!
On the 30M antenna you added a centre loading coil (not a trap) which electrically lengthens the antenna length by adding inductance to the equivalent circuit, therefore it resonates at both the physical length and electrical length being two different frequencies.
When you folded the top of the antenna back on itself, it creates a classic folded dipole that adds whats called a J-matching section, enabling an electrically too long an antenna to be matched at a lower frequency. The technique is a classic VHF technique seen on say the old slim-Jim antennas.
Also, I presume MMANA allows lumped constants (the coil) to be inserted at some point in the antenna element which would allow you to simulate and validate its positioning and effects. You could get even more interesting results by fitting a capacitor hat; well it would allow a long antenna to be shortened and drop its resonant frequency.
Yes, I suspected as much. The modelling doesn't quite show what we're after but to some extend almost replicates physical results. PS Thank you very much for your input!
Is a ground mounted vertical the best choice for a residential property ? Great if you have a big field. I still find height is king and a 1/2 wave a few metres off the ground will out perform. I’ve been experimenting with a 10m ish length of wire on a pole and a 49:1 unun, works great on 20m 15m and 10m. Need a tuner for 15m. Mounted in a tree about 5m off the ground.
That is a HUGE question.. Many folks running ground mounted verticals in back yards / gardens and in some cases right next to the house. SHortwave / HF travels through buildings very well. VHF not so well.
@@DXCommanderHQ talking about receiving over transmitting, for me where I live, a 1/4 wave on my lawn could in no way be compared to my half wave elevated in a tree. The 1/4 is deaf in comparison.
My elmer read an article in the 1980's about a 3 element vertical, and he built one. Wasn't called "fan vertical" at the time, but was multi-element. So, I'm not sure how old the concept really is, but is old.
Callum, you being so humble and down to earth is what makes you so likeable.
I am really enjoying my DX Commander classic.
If you ever find yourself in Maine, it would be my pleasure to buy you a pint (or three).
Three pints! Done :)
I'm new to this. Really learning alot with these videos. Thinking of the antenna design three antennas makes them more directional and helps beam the signal right? This makes me wonder has anyone tried 3 of the triangular wire antenna?
Seach "DX Commander Triangular Array" - there will be some vids.
Got mine put up. Found a used one in Colorado. It's working great. SWR on all bands in under 1.6/1 with most much lower. If I could find them in the USA I'd buy another.
We do ship world-wide! :)
@@DXCommanderHQ I’m considering it! This one seems to out perform my OCF antenna. I need to play with it a little more.
great info cal like all your shows i have a 600ft recieve antenna with a 4 to 1 balm
That is awesome!
Thinking back to my *(dreaded)* calculus days ... if you take that to the limit and have, in essence, *_"infinite"_* radials -- by just putting in a circular copper disk, what do you end up with?
*73 de AF6AS*
Less money LOL
I did the same thing with a fishing pole in 1998. 20/15/10 but not ground mounted. I had it on the side of the house with two radials per band. Wasn't easy to tune as the wires were too close together and there were no antenna analysers back then! It really worked though. That pole came from a car boot sale and the thick end ended up under a slabbed pathway as a conduit for coax to pass through.
Brilliant!
For your lesson in speaking _”American”,_ I believe the style of vehicle you were describing is called a *_”station wagon”_* here across the pond. (I have no idea why it’s called that …)
*73 de AF6AS in **_“DM13”_** land*
Ah! That's it!!
Your a very good teacher , an avid CBr wants to upgrade to higher bands maybe take the Tech test someday soon
Ah! Good luck!!
I had an acquaintance who was running an FM pirate station as a business, with a Collins broadcast exciter that was adjustable 10-20W. The difference in quality between 10 and 20 was actually very noticeable. Maybe that's because it was FM.
Have you tried a capacitively fed vertical? If you lengthen the antenna length to about 110 degrees from 90 degrees the feed point will be 50 ohms restive and about 100 ohms inductive. Feed the antenna through a suitable variable capacitor to cancel out the inductive reactance and resonate it anywhere in a given band. For DC grounding use a choke who's inductive reactance is greater than 5 K ohms on the band in question to ground with suitable power handling capability and low dc resistance. I built one for forty with a VSWR of less than 1.2 to one over the entire band.
Yeah, that does sound good but I steered away due to complexity of making it multiband.
@@DXCommanderHQ Using the fan dipole/vertical technique with a wide range variable capacitor and a choke giving 5 K on the lowest band should work!
Great vid! Thanks for posting! Let’s jam!
Thank you so much, highly educative!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Loved the video, but, who/what is in the background audio? Or, am I crazy?
Oh, I don't know.. If you are talking about the audio? It might have been before I fixed the hum. Also, that was a ZOOM call to a club - so maybe you are seeing that too.
In fact a dipole (half wave) on 7mhz is resonant on 14, it's just a question of matching/ feed point
It's NOT resonant naturally at twice the wavelength unless you add components..
(half!)
There was an antenna that was a vertical called a Faraday beam. It was used at Ongar and Brentwood radio stations, which was on the lines as to what you were talking about. Alas I cannot find any information about it on Google. Also my notes about Post Office radio station antenna’s would now be 50 years old, so departed this world a long time ago.
Amazing. Shame google didn't throw anything up!
Could it be a Faraday shield antenna that you're thinking of?
Have you got any ideas for a small HF multiband vertical? Ever tried a helical? I have a GRP boat, only a small 23footer and I'm finding it impossible to get a decent HF set up due to size and lack of a ground. An end-fed vertical would work, but be too tall. Any ideas? :)
Erm.. Could you squeeze a 7m very light vertical? Maybe check the DX Commander Rapide. Lay a few radials along bottom of boat.
The 3 verticals, How far apart? Which one was fed with coax
Erm.. 3-element array? You feed the middle.
I think what you call an estate car we call a station wagon. I already knew about these words. Spanner - Wrench . Torch - Flashlight. Lorry -Truck
Oh heck, yes!
What happen if you replace your radials with radials that are elevated 2 foot above ground level?
You would probably not notice anything.
I'm about ready to pull the trigger and order a DX COMMANDER Classic 9-Band
antenna. Now, what I got from my Google showed the price as £249. This is equal to $313 USD. Would you accept a US Postal money order for that amount, plus shipping? Thanks and 73.
William Barrett/WW5MB
William, we can't echange those over here.. Do you know anyone that could pay for this and you give them the money locally?
I did my first radio exam in South Africa - ZR6MJ before I got my M0 call sign.
Woo-Hoo!
why does my mmant not work?? i put in the exact same values as you and get swr 12345.....missing something ??
Erm.. Make sure the antenna is at ground zero (if a vertical) or the feedpoint is at the right place.
I spent five minutes trying to move that mouse pointer lol.
HAHA
I would say you are the Steve Jobs of the vertical fan antenna ... you didn't invent it, but you tweaked it and marketed it and sold it so the masses can enjoy it. For those that don't know, there is very little that Apple actually invented ... MP3 player? no. Mouse? no. Tablet computers? no. Fingerprint scanners on phones? no. Touchscreen on phone? no. The graphical user interface? no. Video calling? no. Smart watches? no.
Yes, interesting!
Your antenna rx is = to its tx if your not hearing them your tx power is excessive. Most stations are...100 watts is ample to work the world.. The rest is for local ground loss. M6DXX ...
Well, it's not actually.. COmmon wisdom tells us that but a dedicated RX antenna can often hear better than your TX antenna.. All about sig-to-noise. However, yes - turn power DOWN if you can barely hear the 100W guys calling you. That's the key. If you can't hear the 100W station, you are probably too hot. Agreed.
i dunno .... i think it's bananas ....
If that's a sinkhole in your back yard you might want to give it some serious consideration.
A sinkhole? In Warwickshire? I hope not!
A Station wagon?
And that :)
Talking to a chap in the US who owns 2 Dx Commanders, best antennas/mast he's ever had, I say no more.
Can I have a free sample 1 Callum for my 20ft balcony terrace 😀 J/k
HAHA.. Nice try :)
Station Wagon
That's it!
He didn’t discover anything. It’s almost the equivalent of a fan dipole,but it’s vertical. Even so, he sells these kits and the antennas work as well as any vertical can. So, bully for him.
Bully for me indeed. Have a lovely day - and good luck with your designs.
@@DXCommanderHQ Thanks, none of mine are original either. Kudos to you for the effort and dedication to make a business from the DX commander. That deserves more praise than the design.
So you've literally made half of a fan dipole.
Come on, sort yourself out.
" Hide" the mouse arrow in different places each video and give prizes for those who find it🙂🙂🙂
HAHA
And nobody cares that you didn't invent it, you did something better, you told the world about it. In my case, HOA with Karen's, it save my hobby.
Simple answer you came across the simplest form of the quarter wave antenna. From the foundation course. Their you and then ripped off all your fellow hams and laughed at them. But in fairness must of the hams have no ability to use their common sense and have a go at building a simple antenna.
You sound like a bitter man. Success is all about not lifting your head from the grindstone to smell the flowers but taking risks and being creative. You don't have a clue.
The concept has been in the ARRL handbook for decades. You discovered reading the ARRL Handbook. So what is the big deal. Many people read the ARRL handbook! Duh!
Not read that but I'm glad you can read too. Nice one.
My 34 foot (10.5m) 1 1/4 inch galvanized pipe vertical is quieter on 3/4 wave 15 m harmonic than it is on 7m . 1.2 swr on 40m except very top end. 1.4 swr across 15m. 50 DX contacts on 15m. 100watts on all.l Thanks to you're videos, I've added 20, 17. May try 80 inverted L like you described. I'm learning to love Resonant antennas.de KI7MJU
Very nice! Good effort. Nice one :) Join the discord server and post some pics. FOlks would love to see! discord.io/dxcommander
Very good video Great info 73 W3AzMT
Thanks 👍
Thanks a ton for this talk, really enjoyed it, very Interesting 73 de ZS6SI
Glad you enjoyed it!