That’s amazing how easily the ground rod went into the earth. Also surprisingly easy to remove the ground rod from the earth. Never that easy in the clay soil in Texas Panhandle.
Yeah, I bet that it's harder to remove from clay. A viewer recommended a 10' copper 1/2" tubing and sticking a garden hose with hose clamps to one end and driving it in the earth with the water on. But in clay soil, idk if that will work.
Debs husband says this is a very good and neat installation. I am currently using the Comet Cha-250b and I am making contacts all over the United States, Canada, and Europe. A lot of things to consider is geographical location, conditions, elevation, ect. My antenna is about 15 feet above ground with no radials.
Nice job! Thanks for making the extra effort to video your progress along the install. Just moved from Fleming Island, FL to central Tennessee and about to make a similar install with a Hustler 6 BTV in my backyard at my new home. 73!
Nice job. And you know what your doing. I have been a ham for 45 years a built many antennas , many verticals. Your move to the radials for the zero 5 was a smart move enjoy nice work. K4DSB 73 s
I put up a 92' tall vertical using a drone as a skyrocketing to drop a fishing line over the tallest branch of a tree. The antenna was supported at the top by 3' of vinyl tubing tied to a nylon rope which went to the tie point on the ground. The 14awg copper wire was hanging Straight down and connected to porcelain insulator where it connects to the coax. This antenna worked fantastic. Relative to my horizontal longtime, it typi c ally was 3 to 15db higher signal strength on 75 through 20m than the reference horizontal ant. Due to high winds, the antenna came down after 3 days of phenomenal dx. I decided to ruggedize the improved suspension with 5' of guy wire with ptfe tubing over it so it doesn't chafe on the branch and cut the rope. There is 3 feet of vinyl cord etween the vertical wire and the guy wire, which runs horizontal across branches before going down vertical. Only the top 3 feet of wire are parallel to this steel guy wire 3 feet away. However this ruggedized antenna mount has poor performance. I thought my coax switch was wire backwards because rhe reference ant was outperforming the vertical after the update. I am still trying to get my head wrapped around the fact that 3 feet of steel 3 feet away from. The main radiator would drastically degrade antenna se sitivity.
@@DarrenN4VFR I have a Fli-Fli Airdrop attached to my Phantom 4 Pro 2.0 and what I do is use a nylon cord about 8' long with a loop on one end for attaching to the release pin on the Airdrop and the other end is secured to an empty WD40 can as a weight. Then I attach the leader cord just above the can. The leader is on a spool that unwinds as the drone gains altitude. I fly up over the branch I want to use and out a bit and then hit the drop button and the weight of the can pulls the cord down to a height I can reach and I then tie my nylon rope to the can end of the line and start winding up the spool, pulling the nylon rope up to the top of tree. The other end of the rope is attached to 5' of steel guy with a PTFE sleeve over it, followed by 3' of vinyl cord as insulator and finally the copper wire. Whole operation takes about 5 minutes. Propagation has been peculiar this year. Some days the vertical does poorly, some days it's better. Sometimes I can be listening to a QSO and one station will fade on the horizontal and I switch to vertical and it's up 10dB where 5 minutes ago it was the reverse!
Excellent video! I'm also planning on installing the Zero Five 27' HOA antenna at some point in the not too distant future at my QTH and your video is going to be a big help getting it done right. Thanks and 73 to you sir!
Capdek, Thank you for watching and commenting! It's an awesome antenna and when a hurricane comes, I could lower the antenna disassemble the elements. Good luck!
Hi Capt Darren. I have a couple of questions for you if that's OK. What diameter water pipe did you use for your installation and what size clamp did you use to mount the DX Enginnering ground plate to the pipe? Lastly, did you make the radials yourself or did you purchase them pre-made? If you made them yourself, what size wire gauge did you use and what size eye connectors did you use? Thanks for the help and advice! David, K7KDE
@@capdek503 The pipe is a 10' galvanized steel water pipe. Diameter is 2". I had cut it in half with a hacksaw. As for the clamps, I used the DX Engineering 1-2" clamps www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-ssvc-2p . For the Radials, I bought them from DX Engineering also, www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-radw-500 and the radial wire hardware, www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-radp-1hwk . Glad to help!
@@DarrenN4VFR Thanks for the help! One more quick question if that's OK. What kind of wire did you use to connect the antenna to the ground rod? Thanks again for the help and advice!
This video was wonderful. So useful to me, a newbie. Capt. Darren made it look doable. Thanks for sharing, man!!! (PS: I live in Pennsylvania. God's country. ;-) )
Hey Darren, Scott from BARS. Nice antenna install, you'll have to do a show and tell one day :) Tip for the 101D, turn down the RF gain to around 10 o'clock position and use DNR on that radio, it has outstanding noise reduction to get rid of a bunch of that band noise. 73! Scott N1SER
How to pull a ground rod out quickly. Tools if you have and old bumper jack or a floor jack. Then a good pair of vise grips and a small chain. The rest you should be able to figure out.
Capt Darren I received ZF 27' vertical and UNUN (which he seems to outsource from Balun Designs, LLC) last week, and unpacked it today. Everything looks *very* sturdy and high quality. We have a few days of nice weather forecast here in east TN, so I plan to get it installed this week. This is going to be replacing a trapped "WiMo" WARC band vertical that I installed a couple of months ago and haven't been very happy with due to water getting into the trap and throwing the SWR way off. Upon initial examination, the ZeroFive antenna is *far* more sturdy and better constructed. I already have the mounting pipe concreted in the the ground, as well as a DXE radial plate and 8 radials installed, so the ZeroFive antenna should be a drop in replacement for the WiMo. I plan to add more radials, up to at least 30. I'll let you know how it goes. 73 de WB4DW
Douglas Williams 1 hour ago Got it installed this morning. I was again impressed by the quality of everything about this antenna. Since my main antenna is a Hustler 5BTV, I'll mostly be using the 27' ZeroFive antenna on the WARC bands. I fed it with 50' of LMR-240. The SWR is around 2:1 on 30 and 12 meters, and around 4:1 on 17 meters. The built in ATU in my Kenwood TS-890 is able to tune it to 1:1 SWR on all three bands, which results in a mere 1 dB loss at 18 MHz (0.6 of which is due to the 4:1 SWR), so not worth installing a remote ATU.
Awesome! You will need a tuner to bring the SWR's down to 1.5. I'm using the Palstar AT2K and tweak my SWRs down to Nil. Let me know how it works! I'm templed to get another one for my dedicated FT8. I still need to work out with my local city about having more than one aerial. Haven't been home long enough to take actions. 73's de N4VFR Capt Darren.
@@DarrenN4VFR Capt Darren I've been using it on the WARC bands on FT8 for the past week, with a mere 8 ground radials and, so far, have been quite impressed. I've made many contacts, including a lot of DX, on all three bands, just using my TS-890's built in antenna tuner. FB on your Palstar tuner. Those are high quality. Thinking of buying one myself. Good luck on your battle with your city government. I live in a rural area and, thankfully, don't have to deal with such things. Best 73 de WB4DW.
@@douglaswilliams6834 Awesome to hear that the Zero FIve is doing more than you expected. I just got a new IC7610 that I just set up for Remote Control... I noticed that I'm experiencing a lot more power line noise again. Maybe a different source. I will have to submit a trouble call next time I'm back in Florida. Right now, I'm at the JAX airport heading out back to DFW. 73's de N4VFR
I have the same antenna , no ground radials needed , I did 2 4'grounds one on each side of the antenna with 8"of 10 ga wire to each one , that ia all I did , excellent receive and transmit ,that ia one antenna that don't need all the radials like others do
Wow, Good to know it worked out that way. I guess I went over the top with ground radials. When I get back home, I want to add a 10' grounding 1/2" copper pipe. Right now, I only have 1 8' grounding rod.
@@DarrenN4VFR You did not go "over the top" with the ground radials. Ground radials will definitely help this antenna. One or two ground rods at the base of the antenna will get you on the air, but, for optimum performance on this type of antenna, the more ground radials, the better. I am thinking of getting one myself, and, if I do, will certainly use ground radials. Thanks for the video. 73 de WB4DW
@@douglaswilliams6834 I have enough ground radials for my setup. It's time consuming but worth it! Take a look at the 43' Zero FIve antenna. It covers 10-160m. I should of bought that one.
@steve patterson Steve, this antenna is simply a ground plane vertical that uses the transformer ("UNUN") at the base to help match the impedance since it does not use traps to make it resonant on the various bands it is designed for. It relies on the antenna tuner in your shack to finish matching the impedance so your transceiver does not see a high SWR, but your coax will, so using good quality coax is imperative. It will, of course, work with a couple of ground rods connected at the base of the antenna, but, unless you live in a saltwater swamp, I can guarantee you that you can achieve better performance from this antenna by installing ground radials. The more, the better. Ground radials aren't all that hard to install. There is no need to dig into your lawn. Simply lay them right on the grass and use lawn staples every couple of feet. The grass will grow over and hide them in a matter of weeks. 73 de WB4DW
Two comments and one question on your installation: 1.) Good to see you use the SS-30 to keep the connections clean and corrosion free. I never knew about the stuff until I started watching Tim Duffy, K3LR from DX Engineering and On All Bands. There was one antenna Tim showed coming down last summer to be replaced that had SS-30 on it for I think twenty years and there was no corrosion at all and the elements came apart easily. 2.) Don't use the flat braid outside where it can absorb water and deteriorate. Again Tim goes over this on a couple of his videos about grounding and bonding. Between the ground rod and the DX Engineering ground plate you should use minimum number six stranded copper wire, you can buy it by the foot at Home Depot. Did you bond the antenna ground rod to the house electrical panel ground with a minimum of number six stranded copper wire? See NEC section 810 for details. You may also want to review Grounding and Bonding by Ward Silver available through the ARRL or DX Engineering. Ward also spoke last year at Contest University and I believe those videos are still on-line. It looks like that antenna can be easily tilted down during a hurricane or other high wind event.
Thank you for the recommendation. I will replace my antenna ground tomorrow. No, the antenna mast is not grounded to the house service panel. It has it's own grounding rod. My station ground is grounded to the house service panel and also my coax shield from the antenna. And yes, it can tilt down easily for maintenance or for severe storms.
Aloha Darren, if you can find a copy of the ARRL Technician manual from 10 years ago, they had an aerial shot of the US Coast Guard tower located on the south point of the Big Island of Hawai’i. It’s the same concept of the antenna you just installed. In that aerial photo, you’ll see that there is a highway that runs next to that antenna and it makes the cars as small as ants, it’s simply amazing. You can see the ground radials spread out in a circle but you can’t see them while standing right on top of them. Check it out! If it were me doing the install, I would of dug about 6-8 inches down first and hammered in the galvanized pipe and the ground rod 6-8 inches from the pipe and used a square green plastic irrigation plate and frame for easy access, either flush or elevated, it would of looked very professional. Plus you could of added those 27’ radials about 1-2” down and never have to worry about mowing the lawn or damaging the antenna. I was hoping you would of mentioned in the video the total cost of the antenna and your total costs. I love this antenna design and set up, easy to raise and lower if ever needed, which I doubt you’ll ever have to do. BTW, where did you buy that antenna? This would be a great antenna for my Xiegu G90 also for QRP. 73’
Aloha Braddah Todd! I'm from Oahu and now live in Florida. Thank you for the recommendations and I need to check out that antenna you described about on the Big Island. The Zero FIve Antenna I used is here, "zerofive-antennas.com/product/27-foot-hoa-10-40-meter-no-radial-multiband-foldover-vertical-with-unun/" I did bury my ground radials, I've lost count on how many I laid down. I think it was 46 radials? As far as costs, the Antenna System cost $399.00, plus 500' ground radials from DX Engineering $99.00, DX Engineering Ground Plate, $80.00. Total estimate is around $578, not including the cost for Coax and Antiseize (SS-30). Thank you for watching!
@@DarrenN4VFR Aloha brah, it was funny how someone else thought you lived in Hawaii too. I was wondering what HF rig you used at the end of your video also. A big Mahalo to you for the link. I will check it out. BTW, maybe you should get a Hawaiian vanity call, it’s not the same as living here but it could be the next best thing. 🤙🏻73’
@@digitaldreamer5481 Yeah, my "Almost Spouse" has a Hawaiian Phone number and she's Mexican. The HF Radio I use is the Yaesu FTDX-101MP. Barefoot, 200Watts. I now have an OM2000+ HF Amp and maybe I can't force my signals to KH6 land. Man, I'd get a KH6 callsign but I think I would have to live there if I apply for a vanity call. Idk though.
@@DarrenN4VFR Aloha Darren, you are allowed to pick a KH6, AH6, NH6 or a WH6 call, no worries. If I didn’t have my A-1 Op Award, I would get an AH6 or AH7 call for sure but at this point, I think I will keep my WH6 call for life. I’m a 3rd generation ham after my grandfather and uncle, both SK now. Got my first ticket in 1973 at age 11. Trying to get my 6’4”, 15 year old son to get his ticket but thinks his iPhone is it. BTW, I’m good on QRZ and you’re welcome to drop me an email, no worries. I have some great pics on QRZ but would like change some of them to feature my battery banks, wind turbines and solar panels. I’m the NCS for the NWS SKYWARN Program because I am completely off grid w/ 5 battery banks. I’m located high above the eroding sands of Waikiki, lol. 👍
Excellent video. I hope the antenna has been working out for you. My only technical comment is that you have used braided ground strap to the ground rod. Supposedly, the stuff will deteriorate outdoors, particularly if it is buried. I like the way that your ground rod access is hidden. I've done exactly the same thing with most of my grounds, too.
Hi Darren, you have made a nice job of the Antenna install, thanks for showing us fellow Hams! A few days ago I had a nice contact from here on the Essex coast to South Australia on 20m with 20watts using the Chameleon 17 foot whip, I guess propergation was good! Just one comment, as far as I'm aware the earthing conductor is better being flat braid, as the currents travel on the out side surface of the conductor, so the larger area the better!! I stand to be corrected as I'm no expert Hi Hi! 73 Alex M0KVA
Gorgeous installation! It looks like it was done by a professional! It just goes to show that you can get excellent results if you spend the money and get the right components for the job. One question - why not use a hoe and just create a very narrow trench for each of the radials so they’re at least 1/2 to 1” below ground? I’d be worried that running a lawn mower is going to chop up the wires (and probably destroy the lawn mower).
Please do a follow up video after a couple of months of use and let us know how the antenna performs, any issues that have come up, and your analysis of the efficiency of the antenna. Also, how is your noise levels?
John, will do. Right now, my noise floor on 20 and 40 meters is too noisy. I'm thinking about getting a Common Mode Choke. The SWR's straight from the factory using the built in ATU is 1.5 as advertised. When I use my Palstar AT2K Tuner, I can tune the SWR flat, 1:1. Today, I changed out the braided ground to a 6 gauge stranded wire; recommended by one of my viewers. Thanks for commenting!
Keep in mind you will need to have an antenna tuner. The Zero Five website says that and it will being your SWR to 1.5. That is what I experience with the built in ATU on my FTDX101MP.
Thanks for the video. New sub here. I am thinking of using the same DX Engineering ground plate and I like the tilt over feature. All the best, 73 de KI5HXM
Hello, enjoyed your video on the Zero=five vertical antenna. I am limited for the radials. Did you try the antenna without radials first? Appreciate it. Mike
I dont remember. I did use my Dx Commander without radial and it worked. I mowed the grass and forgot to install them. You can try it with just a couple of grounding rods. Best bet is to call Tom at Zero Five. He has lots of experiences with various setups.
That’s a nice setup! I think I heard on your videos that you own a DX Commander antenna… I’m in the process of moving mi e since the previous location didn’t allowed me to set radials facing north, but I’m trying to make a new base without using guy ropes… is there any videos you can point out that can help me with my project?
Maybe cement a pipe just bigger than the circumference of the DX Commander. Perhaps drill a hole and put a set screw in the pipe so it wont rotate. Just an idea.
I’m thinking of Zero Five’s 43’ groundplane 10-80m antenna. How do you like your antenna? Like your videos. I’m a retired L-1011/747 guy. 73 to you. N1OII
Here is the link: zerofive-antennas.com/product/27-foot-hoa-10-40-meter-no-radial-multiband-foldover-vertical-with-unun/ It's pretty expensive but works for me. I now use my Horizontal 40meters skyloop as my primary antenna at my QTH in Texas. Here in Florida, I use my DX Commander as my primary HF and use the 43' Zero Five as my diversity antenna for my Anan 7000DLE Mk3.
9:36 there is an engineering error in the production. no stress release holes. If it is possible then drill holes at the end of cuts with a diameter at least twice the gap. If you do not understand what am I talking about look at how the seat post is mounted into a seat tube. another mistake made is copper grease with aluminum. At first, the grease is insulation, which means capacitive coupling between elements. second copper particles mixed with that grease will corrode the antenna over time - a tight connection is good enough. that cover over the grounding rod is a brilliant idea. You could go further and recess that rod a bit more. Use a wide PVC pipe to prevent soil from sliding over. The purpose for covering it is that when deeper the ground has bigger moisture. The cap will prevent evaporating or allow access to water the rod like a plant.
For the vertical experts, how does a vertical perform with metal trailers about 20' away on two sides of the antenna? Will the trailer have any effect? I actually could mount the vertical on the roof of one of the trailers, about 15' above the ground. Will the solid metal roof eliminate the need for radials?
Yes, I'm using the DX Commander connected to my IC7610 and use it remote. When I'm at the control point, I either use both the Zero Five 43' Vertical or DXC. Both can handle 1500 watts from my OM2000+ Amplifier. My DXC's SWRs are really low but I still use my built in Antenna Tuner of the IC7610.
Can you please tell me if the radials made a difference on the 27hoa I have one but haven’t done any radials because it’s not supposed to need them. However I will if it made a noticeable difference. Keep up the great videos. Ps I managed an fbo for a long time so I love and miss aviation
Yes, the more radials you use the better efficiency your antenna will be. My lengths that I started with is 27' in length with quantity 37. The more the better. The radials can be at various lengths to fit your situations.
After I bought the 27' HOA vertical whip, I called Tom at Zero Five. He recommended to me to have ground radials and therefore, I bought the Ground Radial Plate from DX Engineering. Goto the FAQ page (zerofive-antennas.com/q-and-a/) and you will see the information about ground radials.
@@DarrenN4VFR OK. Thanks for the reply. Still, I wonder why they advertise it sa "no radials". Seems kind of misleading. No doubt though, it will work better with radials.
Thanks for watching. We don't have an HOA however, the city gave me a notice saying that I'm only allowed to have one antenna. I will Camouflage my antenna later and remount and hide my antenna 2m/440cm jpole.
Nice install, but I have only one comment. SS-30 is great stuff, but I would not recommend using it on aluminum. Aluminum and copper have too great a galvanic index difference (-0.35 for copper and -0.75 to -0.90 for aluminum ... you really want to only have a 0.15 difference, unless you are in a temperature and humidity controlled environment). I personally would recommend taking the antenna apart, cleaning the SS-30 of and use Penetrox A instead. PS, I love the FTdx-101. 73 W9HJ
W9HJ Yet I wonder why DX Engineering always recommends SS-30 for aluminum antenna joins? When I put together my Hustler 5BTV I used GB Ox-Gard, which is basically zinc infused petroleum jelly, between the joins, but that stuff is pretty slick and you really have to tighten the hose clamps to keep the tubes from slipping. When I put together my 27' Zero Five antenna I used the Jet Lube SS-30, just like Capt Darren did. It's a lot thicker than GB Ox-Gard. Hopefully I won't run into problems on down the line. 73 de WB4DW
Yes I agree. Anti-seize is for the mounting bolts and clamps whereas Penetrox should be used for preventing oxidation on any antenna elements. I used it also on my radial hardware as well. I own the ZF 10-40 GP and it's still going strong after 12 years.
@@DarrenN4VFR OK. Wasn't sure if you could simply loosen the u-bolts from the radial plate, or disconnect one main conductor from base of antenna to the plate. After I asked you about this, I saw another video of a guy doing something similar with a WSPR setup. The findings were very similar and not really noticeable, which was surprising. Thanks for the reply!
Good video Darren. Do you connect the radial plate to the ground bolt on the unun too? Or is the u bolt on the ground plate to the pole enough? Thx! Scott
I didn't make another connection from the DX Engineering grounding plate to the ground bolt of the unun. The u bolt on the grounding plate was sufficient enough. I have no problems making QSOs with this setup. Thank you for commenting.
@@DarrenN4VFR Roger that, I kind of assumed that. Great install! Thanks Capt. getting back in to Ham after years when I was a teen. 61 now, lol passed the Tech and grandfathered to General. Looking to buy that antenna but have a swimming pool in center of back yard. Thanks….and 73’
@@ed370zx3 Thanks Ed and welcome back to Ham Radio. Good luck in finding an HF Antenna. See if you can fit a DX Commander Classic in a corner of you property.
Everything is ok except the connection between cables to ground and to driven element. They have no lug connectors crimped and solder and what you did is a big mistake that will bring you high swr when those Cooper connection expiden to enviriment will have oxidation.
Yeah, it's a high noise floor. A technique is to increase the RF Gain so that you eliminate most of the noise to where you only have S1-S2 units displaying. That's what I'm now doing when I got Remote HF Control to my IC7610. Where I live in Florida, there's still so much Power line noise.
@@viralsheddingzombie5324 I would need to get a cheap tv rotator so I could null the noise. I haven't been home long enough to test the Loop for receiving.
I’m thinking of Zero Five’s 43’ ground plane antenna for 10-80m. How do you like your antenna? Really like your videos. I’m a retired L-1011/747 pilot. 73 to you. N1OII
Good day fellow Captain! I like both of my 27' and 43' Zero Five Antennas. I'd get the 43' version if you have the property to lay down ground radials. You will need to have an antenna tuner though.
Hello Robbie, Tom from Zero Five recommended to start with 32 radials at 27 feet each. For my setup, I added a few more and I think I'm up to 35 radials. It's a lot of work to bury them in the earth so I did a few at a time. Thank you for watching!
Great video! Best of luck with the antenna.. What bands will you operate with this antenna? What is the SWR on those bands BEFORE you match it at the transceiver with a tuner?
I operate primarily on 40m on 7178khz. Without a tuner my SWR is > 5.0:1 I don't know why therefore, I use the built in tuner on the FTDX101MP. With 200w barefoot, I get an SWR of 1.5:1. I just received a Palstar AT2K and will try a manual tuner.
@@DarrenN4VFR I'm glad it works well for you! Smart choice using good coax- the loss in the coax due to 5:1 mismatch won't be too unreasonable on 40M. Just know that at a 10:1 SWR mismatch (if the tuner is at the transceiver), you will likely lose about 50% of your power in the coax before it reaches the antenna.
@@DarrenN4VFR I would suggest you get an antenna analyzer and check where the antenna is resonant. You may need to adjust the amount the elements are inserted into each other to get your SWR down to a more acceptable level.
@@rogerp5816 Thank you for the recommendations. The Zero Five antenna had marks on the antenna elements when I connected them together. The Zero Five websites says it must be used with an antenna tuner and the SWR's will be 1.5 which is what I show on my ATU. My Palstar AT2K bring it down to a 1:1.
I did something similar with a 6BTV about 2 years ago; I used the DXE radial plate and their tilt mount and "disguised" it as a flagpole. Recently the 6BTV is having some severe SWR spikes that shut down my IC7300, so I stopped using it and am planning on taking the 6BTV down to see if I can find the problem. I was thinking of perhaps replacing the 6BTV with the Zero Five 27', since I already have the radials and grounding rod in place from the 6BTV. Can you tell me the circumference of the base (widest part) of the Zero Five - including an allowance for the clamp? You can see my QRZ page to understand why I am asking that question. Thank you for a very thorough and informative video. Frank W1ZAH
Hello Frank, It will be a while until I get back home in Jacksonville, FL however, according to the Zero FIve website, the dimension is 42" x 8" x 8" and the maximum pipe diameter to use is 2". I used a 2" galvanized steel pipe. It's 10' long and I hacksawed it to 5' long. Buried 3' in the earth and the remaining 2 feet to mount the Zero Five base. I hope that gives you more information for your set up. Perhaps watch my video again and zoom in on it to get a perspective estimate. Or call Tom at Zero Fiver Antennas. Good Luck!
Hi Steven! I love the antenna. It works very well and great for DX contacts. As far as Power Line noise, The majority of it is gone but, there's still some. Some night on 40m, I can hear the power line noise and some nights I don't. Good luck on your search for the perfect HF antenna. For me, I love my zero five 27'.
@@DarrenN4VFR yes ill look more into the zero,5,27 and hope you sort the noise probiem because its not nice because you can,t enjoy your radio. love the video,s so im your new subscriber lol 73 and enjoy your radio M7BYF YOUR FRIEND IN ENG
The CHA250b was okay. I hear stations better with the Zero Five antenna. It was just a lot of work to install all the ground radials. I like the fact that the Zero Five antenna can fold over so you can take it down before a hurricane.
I'm pretty sure the CHA250b uses resistors inside the "matching unit" at the base of the antenna in order to keep SWR low, so a significant portion of your transmit power is wasted heating those resistors.
With the 5ero Five antennas, it's mandatory to use a built in antenna or external antenna tuner. With a tuner, it tunes the antenna to 1.5. I use the Palstar AT2K and it tunes down to 1.0.
Their website says you don't need them and have 2 ground rods. I went ahead and put the radials in because I had room for them. I only have 1 ground rod next to the antenna.
@@elkbow prior to the Zero Five antenna I had a Comet CHA250B multiband vertical. The receiver on the Zero Five is much better and also can handle full legal power limit where the CHA250B is only 250 watts.
@Douglas Williams, Hahahaha, Not affiliated. I'm an Airline Pilot based at DFW Texas. I just like the simplicity of the Zero Five. Thank you for asking if I'm affiliated with them. There wasn't much TH-cam videos on the Zero Five and decided to make a video.
@@DarrenN4VFR Yea, your video is what made me purchase it. It looks very well made. Thanks. Edit: I'm going to try it "stock", using 30 ground radials to start off with. At some point I may try putting a remote antenna tuner at the base of the antenna. That way, only a very short section of coax (between the tuner and the antenna) will be subjected to high SWR. That piece can be a high quality jumper, such as LMR-400.
@@DarrenN4VFR Haven't decided yet. Perhaps MFJ? All the ones I've looked at provide DC power to the tuner through the coax, so you don't have to run a separate power line, which is nice.
You have a few problems with this installation, Unfortunately, a couple of them are rather serious. First, your ground needs to be bonded to the service entrance. All grounds must be bonded. SS-30 Is a Cu paste. This is not appropriate for aluminum. You have unnecessarily introduced two dissimilar metals and this will encourage galvanic corrosion. There are other products that will work, including Noalox. In this case, you would have been better off using nothing at all. DX engineering incorrectly recommends this for aluminum antennas and that is patently wrong. DO NOT USE SS-30 here.
With regards to grounding. Your saying that the Mast ground must also be bonded to the Station Ground? My Station Ground is bonded to my Service Ground at the house. I thought the mast and station ground had to be seperated. Thank you for the feedback on the SS-30. Frinking DX Engineering recommending that product. I'll look at Noalox.
@@DarrenN4VFR Yes, all grounds must be bonded. The NEC (National Electric Code) will confirm this. Warning: Reading the NEC will make your head explode. :) Rather than a long and boring explanation, check out Mike Holt, here on youtube. He is a great resource for the NEC. JetLube may have an appropriate product for aluminum to aluminum. I have always used Noalox, but there are other suitable products. I don't know why DX Engineering recommends this product. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Tim Duffy also owns Summit Racing, and that product has applications there. That's pure speculation. One last thing I probably should mention - There's a law diminishing returns for ground radials. Generally 4 times the lowest band’s wavelength is optimal (balance of work v performance) for the total length of all ground wires. Unlike elevated radials, the actual length is not important as they detune on the ground. It is the total length of the wires that is important... this, of course, is without exaggerating one parameter or another. Nothing wrong with doing more than that. You're just not going to get a lot of dB for the work. Otherwise, nice job and clean work! NB Checkout the Motorola R56 Standard. :)
![[TH] VALORANT Champions Seoul - Grand Final - EDG vs TH](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WvObMc9VelI/mqdefault.jpg)
That’s amazing how easily the ground rod went into the earth. Also surprisingly easy to remove the ground rod from the earth. Never that easy in the clay soil in Texas Panhandle.
Yeah, I bet that it's harder to remove from clay. A viewer recommended a 10' copper 1/2" tubing and sticking a garden hose with hose clamps to one end and driving it in the earth with the water on. But in clay soil, idk if that will work.
You’ll hit rock in central Texas.
@@mmckinney3 Fact! Leander, TX here. Plate limestone 3 inches below the turf.
Pipe wrench 🔧 and keep TWISTING .
Buried river rock here in Western Nevada. So jealous of how easy that went into the ground!
I like the zero five too. Bought Toms 43’ ground plane and could not be happier. He builds a bomb proof product for sure.
Debs husband says this is a very good and neat installation. I am currently using the Comet Cha-250b and I am making contacts all over the United States, Canada, and Europe. A lot of things to consider is geographical location, conditions, elevation, ect. My antenna is about 15 feet above ground with no radials.
Nice job! Thanks for making the extra effort to video your progress along the install. Just moved from Fleming Island, FL to central Tennessee and about to make a similar install with a Hustler 6 BTV in my backyard at my new home. 73!
Ground radials are a must in my opinion. Good luck!
Zero Five Antennas ROCK
Nice job. And you know what your doing. I have been a ham for 45 years a built many antennas , many verticals. Your move to the radials for the zero 5 was a smart move enjoy nice work. K4DSB 73 s
Thank you Dean!
Thanks you for such a well detailed vertical antenna installation!
Thank you for watching! I'm thinking about purchasing another Zero Five antenna for my other property.
I put up a 92' tall vertical using a drone as a skyrocketing to drop a fishing line over the tallest branch of a tree. The antenna was supported at the top by 3' of vinyl tubing tied to a nylon rope which went to the tie point on the ground. The 14awg copper wire was hanging Straight down and connected to porcelain insulator where it connects to the coax. This antenna worked fantastic. Relative to my horizontal longtime, it typi c ally was 3 to 15db higher signal strength on 75 through 20m than the reference horizontal ant.
Due to high winds, the antenna came down after 3 days of phenomenal dx.
I decided to ruggedize the improved suspension with 5' of guy wire with ptfe tubing over it so it doesn't chafe on the branch and cut the rope. There is 3 feet of vinyl cord etween the vertical wire and the guy wire, which runs horizontal across branches before going down vertical. Only the top 3 feet of wire are parallel to this steel guy wire 3 feet away. However this ruggedized antenna mount has poor performance. I thought my coax switch was wire backwards because rhe reference ant was outperforming the vertical after the update.
I am still trying to get my head wrapped around the fact that 3 feet of steel 3 feet away from. The main radiator would drastically degrade antenna se sitivity.
Thats awesome you used a drone to put up that wire antenna. Good luck Dxing!
@@DarrenN4VFR I have a Fli-Fli Airdrop attached to my Phantom 4 Pro 2.0 and what I do is use a nylon cord about 8' long with a loop on one end for attaching to the release pin on the Airdrop and the other end is secured to an empty WD40 can as a weight. Then I attach the leader cord just above the can. The leader is on a spool that unwinds as the drone gains altitude. I fly up over the branch I want to use and out a bit and then hit the drop button and the weight of the can pulls the cord down to a height I can reach and I then tie my nylon rope to the can end of the line and start winding up the spool, pulling the nylon rope up to the top of tree. The other end of the rope is attached to 5' of steel guy with a PTFE sleeve over it, followed by 3' of vinyl cord as insulator and finally the copper wire. Whole operation takes about 5 minutes.
Propagation has been peculiar this year. Some days the vertical does poorly, some days it's better. Sometimes I can be listening to a QSO and one station will fade on the horizontal and I switch to vertical and it's up 10dB where 5 minutes ago it was the reverse!
Nice Job! That sandy soil must be a tremendous help to installation (as compared to loam or rock). Hope you enjoy the antenna.
I`m sure DX Commander antenna`s appreciated the shout out ;)
Excellent video! I'm also planning on installing the Zero Five 27' HOA antenna at some point in the not too distant future at my QTH and your video is going to be a big help getting it done right. Thanks and 73 to you sir!
Capdek, Thank you for watching and commenting! It's an awesome antenna and when a hurricane comes, I could lower the antenna disassemble the elements. Good luck!
Hi Capt Darren. I have a couple of questions for you if that's OK. What diameter water pipe did you use for your installation and what size clamp did you use to mount the DX Enginnering ground plate to the pipe? Lastly, did you make the radials yourself or did you purchase them pre-made? If you made them yourself, what size wire gauge did you use and what size eye connectors did you use? Thanks for the help and advice! David, K7KDE
@@capdek503 The pipe is a 10' galvanized steel water pipe. Diameter is 2". I had cut it in half with a hacksaw. As for the clamps, I used the DX Engineering 1-2" clamps www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-ssvc-2p . For the Radials, I bought them from DX Engineering also, www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-radw-500 and the radial wire hardware, www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-radp-1hwk . Glad to help!
@@DarrenN4VFR Thanks for the help! One more quick question if that's OK. What kind of wire did you use to connect the antenna to the ground rod? Thanks again for the help and advice!
OK, I took a look at the video again and see you're using what appears to be a braided ground strap. Thanks!
This video was wonderful. So useful to me, a newbie. Capt. Darren made it look doable. Thanks for sharing, man!!! (PS: I live in Pennsylvania. God's country. ;-) )
Your welcome. I enjoyed making the video.
proper installation! thanks for sharing. looking forward to the follow up on the efficiency of it.
That worked quite well! Thanks for documenting.
Zero Five 27' HOA Foldover Multiband HF Vertical Install 😁
Keren keren dech sob 🙏🙏✅👍😊❤️
Hustler 6 BTV ..well detailed vertical antenna installation! 59+ SINGLE IN MIAMISBURG OHIO...73..THANKS
Good bit of kit that and looks a very impressive antenna.
Hey Darren, Scott from BARS. Nice antenna install, you'll have to do a show and tell one day :) Tip for the 101D, turn down the RF gain to around 10 o'clock position and use DNR on that radio, it has outstanding noise reduction to get rid of a bunch of that band noise. 73! Scott N1SER
Hi Scott, Thank you for the tip!
How to pull a ground rod out quickly. Tools if you have and old bumper jack or a floor jack. Then a good pair of vise grips and a small chain. The rest you should be able to figure out.
Capt. Darren, very cool and great install video. This is the antenna I need! Thanks for sharing. 73. WI9RHC, Milwaukee.
Robert, thank you for watching! Good luck on your Zero Five antenna!
Great video.very interesting 👍
Capt Darren I received ZF 27' vertical and UNUN (which he seems to outsource from Balun Designs, LLC) last week, and unpacked it today. Everything looks *very* sturdy and high quality. We have a few days of nice weather forecast here in east TN, so I plan to get it installed this week. This is going to be replacing a trapped "WiMo" WARC band vertical that I installed a couple of months ago and haven't been very happy with due to water getting into the trap and throwing the SWR way off. Upon initial examination, the ZeroFive antenna is *far* more sturdy and better constructed. I already have the mounting pipe concreted in the the ground, as well as a DXE radial plate and 8 radials installed, so the ZeroFive antenna should be a drop in replacement for the WiMo. I plan to add more radials, up to at least 30. I'll let you know how it goes. 73 de WB4DW
Douglas Williams
1 hour ago
Got it installed this morning. I was again impressed by the quality of everything about this antenna. Since my main antenna is a Hustler 5BTV, I'll mostly be using the 27' ZeroFive antenna on the WARC bands. I fed it with 50' of LMR-240. The SWR is around 2:1 on 30 and 12 meters, and around 4:1 on 17 meters. The built in ATU in my Kenwood TS-890 is able to tune it to 1:1 SWR on all three bands, which results in a mere 1 dB loss at 18 MHz (0.6 of which is due to the 4:1 SWR), so not worth installing a remote ATU.
Awesome! You will need a tuner to bring the SWR's down to 1.5. I'm using the Palstar AT2K and tweak my SWRs down to Nil. Let me know how it works! I'm templed to get another one for my dedicated FT8. I still need to work out with my local city about having more than one aerial. Haven't been home long enough to take actions. 73's de N4VFR Capt Darren.
@@DarrenN4VFR Capt Darren I've been using it on the WARC bands on FT8 for the past week, with a mere 8 ground radials and, so far, have been quite impressed. I've made many contacts, including a lot of DX, on all three bands, just using my TS-890's built in antenna tuner. FB on your Palstar tuner. Those are high quality. Thinking of buying one myself. Good luck on your battle with your city government. I live in a rural area and, thankfully, don't have to deal with such things. Best 73 de WB4DW.
@@douglaswilliams6834 Awesome to hear that the Zero FIve is doing more than you expected. I just got a new IC7610 that I just set up for Remote Control... I noticed that I'm experiencing a lot more power line noise again. Maybe a different source. I will have to submit a trouble call next time I'm back in Florida. Right now, I'm at the JAX airport heading out back to DFW. 73's de N4VFR
I have the same antenna , no ground radials needed , I did 2 4'grounds one on each side of the antenna with 8"of 10 ga wire to each one , that ia all I did , excellent receive and transmit ,that ia one antenna that don't need all the radials like others do
Wow, Good to know it worked out that way. I guess I went over the top with ground radials. When I get back home, I want to add a 10' grounding 1/2" copper pipe. Right now, I only have 1 8' grounding rod.
@@DarrenN4VFR hey its ok as long as it works lol. I hate putting radials down
@@DarrenN4VFR You did not go "over the top" with the ground radials. Ground radials will definitely help this antenna. One or two ground rods at the base of the antenna will get you on the air, but, for optimum performance on this type of antenna, the more ground radials, the better. I am thinking of getting one myself, and, if I do, will certainly use ground radials. Thanks for the video. 73 de WB4DW
@@douglaswilliams6834 I have enough ground radials for my setup. It's time consuming but worth it! Take a look at the 43' Zero FIve antenna. It covers 10-160m. I should of bought that one.
@steve patterson Steve, this antenna is simply a ground plane vertical that uses the transformer ("UNUN") at the base to help match the impedance since it does not use traps to make it resonant on the various bands it is designed for. It relies on the antenna tuner in your shack to finish matching the impedance so your transceiver does not see a high SWR, but your coax will, so using good quality coax is imperative. It will, of course, work with a couple of ground rods connected at the base of the antenna, but, unless you live in a saltwater swamp, I can guarantee you that you can achieve better performance from this antenna by installing ground radials. The more, the better. Ground radials aren't all that hard to install. There is no need to dig into your lawn. Simply lay them right on the grass and use lawn staples every couple of feet. The grass will grow over and hide them in a matter of weeks. 73 de WB4DW
Two comments and one question on your installation:
1.) Good to see you use the SS-30 to keep the connections clean and corrosion free. I never knew about the stuff until I started watching Tim Duffy, K3LR from DX Engineering and On All Bands. There was one antenna Tim showed coming down last summer to be replaced that had SS-30 on it for I think twenty years and there was no corrosion at all and the elements came apart easily.
2.) Don't use the flat braid outside where it can absorb water and deteriorate. Again Tim goes over this on a couple of his videos about grounding and bonding. Between the ground rod and the DX Engineering ground plate you should use minimum number six stranded copper wire, you can buy it by the foot at Home Depot.
Did you bond the antenna ground rod to the house electrical panel ground with a minimum of number six stranded copper wire? See NEC section 810 for details. You may also want to review Grounding and Bonding by Ward Silver available through the ARRL or DX Engineering. Ward also spoke last year at Contest University and I believe those videos are still on-line.
It looks like that antenna can be easily tilted down during a hurricane or other high wind event.
Thank you for the recommendation. I will replace my antenna ground tomorrow. No, the antenna mast is not grounded to the house service panel. It has it's own grounding rod. My station ground is grounded to the house service panel and also my coax shield from the antenna. And yes, it can tilt down easily for maintenance or for severe storms.
Aloha Darren, if you can find a copy of the ARRL Technician manual from 10 years ago, they had an aerial shot of the US Coast Guard tower located on the south point of the Big Island of Hawai’i. It’s the same concept of the antenna you just installed. In that aerial photo, you’ll see that there is a highway that runs next to that antenna and it makes the cars as small as ants, it’s simply amazing. You can see the ground radials spread out in a circle but you can’t see them while standing right on top of them. Check it out!
If it were me doing the install, I would of dug about 6-8 inches down first and hammered in the galvanized pipe and the ground rod 6-8 inches from the pipe and used a square green plastic irrigation plate and frame for easy access, either flush or elevated, it would of looked very professional. Plus you could of added those 27’ radials about 1-2” down and never have to worry about mowing the lawn or damaging the antenna. I was hoping you would of mentioned in the video the total cost of the antenna and your total costs. I love this antenna design and set up, easy to raise and lower if ever needed, which I doubt you’ll ever have to do. BTW, where did you buy that antenna? This would be a great antenna for my Xiegu G90 also for QRP. 73’
Aloha Braddah Todd! I'm from Oahu and now live in Florida. Thank you for the recommendations and I need to check out that antenna you described about on the Big Island. The Zero FIve Antenna I used is here, "zerofive-antennas.com/product/27-foot-hoa-10-40-meter-no-radial-multiband-foldover-vertical-with-unun/" I did bury my ground radials, I've lost count on how many I laid down. I think it was 46 radials? As far as costs, the Antenna System cost $399.00, plus 500' ground radials from DX Engineering $99.00, DX Engineering Ground Plate, $80.00. Total estimate is around $578, not including the cost for Coax and Antiseize (SS-30). Thank you for watching!
@@DarrenN4VFR
Aloha brah, it was funny how someone else thought you lived in Hawaii too. I was wondering what HF rig you used at the end of your video also. A big Mahalo to you for the link.
I will check it out. BTW, maybe you should get a Hawaiian vanity call, it’s not the same as living here but it could be the next best thing. 🤙🏻73’
@@digitaldreamer5481 Yeah, my "Almost Spouse" has a Hawaiian Phone number and she's Mexican. The HF Radio I use is the Yaesu FTDX-101MP. Barefoot, 200Watts. I now have an OM2000+ HF Amp and maybe I can't force my signals to KH6 land. Man, I'd get a KH6 callsign but I think I would have to live there if I apply for a vanity call. Idk though.
@@DarrenN4VFR
Aloha Darren, you are allowed to pick a KH6, AH6, NH6 or a WH6 call, no worries. If I didn’t have my A-1 Op Award, I would get an AH6 or AH7 call for sure but at this point, I think I will keep my WH6 call for life. I’m a 3rd generation ham after my grandfather and uncle, both SK now. Got my first ticket in 1973 at age 11. Trying to get my 6’4”, 15 year old son to get his ticket but thinks his iPhone is it.
BTW, I’m good on QRZ and you’re welcome to drop me an email, no worries. I have some great pics on QRZ but would like change some of them to feature my battery banks, wind turbines and solar panels. I’m the NCS for the NWS SKYWARN Program because I am completely off grid w/ 5 battery banks. I’m located high above the eroding sands of Waikiki, lol. 👍
Very clean and neat installation. Hope the Antenna works out well 💪😎✌️73's kp4cz-Jose.
Excellent video. I hope the antenna has been working out for you. My only technical comment is that you have used braided ground strap to the ground rod. Supposedly, the stuff will deteriorate outdoors, particularly if it is buried. I like the way that your ground rod access is hidden. I've done exactly the same thing with most of my grounds, too.
LVL, thank you for the observation about my grounding rod. That was temporary and have since changed my grounding wire to 6 gauge stranded wire.
@@DarrenN4VFR OK great! KC4TEO in Alabama here!
Hi Darren, you have made a nice job of the Antenna install, thanks for showing us fellow Hams! A few days ago I had a nice contact from here on the Essex coast to South Australia on 20m with 20watts using the Chameleon 17 foot whip, I guess propergation was good! Just one comment, as far as I'm aware the earthing conductor is better being flat braid, as the currents travel on the out side surface of the conductor, so the larger area the better!! I stand to be corrected as I'm no expert Hi Hi! 73 Alex M0KVA
Great stuff Captain!
They make a very good product.
Great ZeroFive install video. Appreciate you sharing your install. 73, Mark WU6R
Thank you for watching Mark! 73's N4VFR
Gorgeous installation! It looks like it was done by a professional! It just goes to show that you can get excellent results if you spend the money and get the right components for the job.
One question - why not use a hoe and just create a very narrow trench for each of the radials so they’re at least 1/2 to 1” below ground? I’d be worried that running a lawn mower is going to chop up the wires (and probably destroy the lawn mower).
I got a better idea... If you have one of those lawn edgers, it can also make a trench for those ground radials. Thank you for your comments.
@@DarrenN4VFR good point! The more power tools - the better! I think Tim Allen said that. Or something to that effect. lol
Please do a follow up video after a couple of months of use and let us know how the antenna performs, any issues that have come up, and your analysis of the efficiency of the antenna. Also, how is your noise levels?
John, will do. Right now, my noise floor on 20 and 40 meters is too noisy. I'm thinking about getting a Common Mode Choke. The SWR's straight from the factory using the built in ATU is 1.5 as advertised. When I use my Palstar AT2K Tuner, I can tune the SWR flat, 1:1. Today, I changed out the braided ground to a 6 gauge stranded wire; recommended by one of my viewers. Thanks for commenting!
Nice job on your install.I am also considering getting a zero 5 Antenna.I think he makes a great product.
Keep in mind you will need to have an antenna tuner. The Zero Five website says that and it will being your SWR to 1.5. That is what I experience with the built in ATU on my FTDX101MP.
Nice 🤙🏻
Great looking antenna!
K2CJB, thank you! 73's de N4VFR
Nice video. Good job
very cool nice job
Try adding a longer base pole for leverage when leaning down .
Thanks for the video. New sub here. I am thinking of using the same DX Engineering ground plate and I like the tilt over feature. All the best, 73 de KI5HXM
Hello, enjoyed your video on the Zero=five vertical antenna. I am limited for the radials.
Did you try the antenna without radials first? Appreciate it. Mike
I dont remember. I did use my Dx Commander without radial and it worked. I mowed the grass and forgot to install them. You can try it with just a couple of grounding rods. Best bet is to call Tom at Zero Five. He has lots of experiences with various setups.
Very cool!
Well done.
That’s a nice setup! I think I heard on your videos that you own a DX Commander antenna… I’m in the process of moving mi e since the previous location didn’t allowed me to set radials facing north, but I’m trying to make a new base without using guy ropes… is there any videos you can point out that can help me with my project?
Maybe cement a pipe just bigger than the circumference of the DX Commander. Perhaps drill a hole and put a set screw in the pipe so it wont rotate. Just an idea.
I’m thinking of Zero Five’s 43’ groundplane 10-80m antenna. How do you like your antenna?
Like your videos. I’m a retired L-1011/747 guy.
73 to you.
N1OII
Is that "anti-seize" goop conductive?
Nice installation Cap. How much did that set you back? 73
Here is the link: zerofive-antennas.com/product/27-foot-hoa-10-40-meter-no-radial-multiband-foldover-vertical-with-unun/ It's pretty expensive but works for me. I now use my Horizontal 40meters skyloop as my primary antenna at my QTH in Texas. Here in Florida, I use my DX Commander as my primary HF and use the 43' Zero Five as my diversity antenna for my Anan 7000DLE Mk3.
9:36 there is an engineering error in the production. no stress release holes. If it is possible then drill holes at the end of cuts with a diameter at least twice the gap. If you do not understand what am I talking about look at how the seat post is mounted into a seat tube. another mistake made is copper grease with aluminum. At first, the grease is insulation, which means capacitive coupling between elements. second copper particles mixed with that grease will corrode the antenna over time - a tight connection is good enough.
that cover over the grounding rod is a brilliant idea. You could go further and recess that rod a bit more. Use a wide PVC pipe to prevent soil from sliding over. The purpose for covering it is that when deeper the ground has bigger moisture. The cap will prevent evaporating or allow access to water the rod like a plant.
Thanks for recommending the stress release holes.
I will remove the Jetlube that I used in this video and clean it well and then use Naolox instead.
that ia a lot of work
Yup! Sure was. I worked at it a little at a time.
Hey Capt Darren, did you use an antenna tuner with this setup?
Yes. I'm currently using Palstar Hf Aulo.
For the vertical experts, how does a vertical perform with metal trailers about 20' away on two sides of the antenna? Will the trailer have any effect? I actually could mount the vertical on the roof of one of the trailers, about 15' above the ground. Will the solid metal roof eliminate the need for radials?
Capt Daryn, are you still.using this or the DX Commander? What was you before-ATU SWR like? Thanks de WO8USA🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Yes, I'm using the DX Commander connected to my IC7610 and use it remote. When I'm at the control point, I either use both the Zero Five 43' Vertical or DXC. Both can handle 1500 watts from my OM2000+ Amplifier. My DXC's SWRs are really low but I still use my built in Antenna Tuner of the IC7610.
Can you please tell me if the radials made a difference on the 27hoa I have one but haven’t done any radials because it’s not supposed to need them. However I will if it made a noticeable difference. Keep up the great videos. Ps I managed an fbo for a long time so I love and miss aviation
Yes, the more radials you use the better efficiency your antenna will be. My lengths that I started with is 27' in length with quantity 37. The more the better. The radials can be at various lengths to fit your situations.
The website says that antenna doesn't need any radials but it uses two ground wires instead. So, I'm curious why you installed radials.
After I bought the 27' HOA vertical whip, I called Tom at Zero Five. He recommended to me to have ground radials and therefore, I bought the Ground Radial Plate from DX Engineering. Goto the FAQ page (zerofive-antennas.com/q-and-a/) and you will see the information about ground radials.
@@DarrenN4VFR OK. Thanks for the reply. Still, I wonder why they advertise it sa "no radials". Seems kind of misleading. No doubt though, it will work better with radials.
Nice clean install, did your HOA respond at all yet?
Thanks for watching. We don't have an HOA however, the city gave me a notice saying that I'm only allowed to have one antenna. I will Camouflage my antenna later and remount and hide my antenna 2m/440cm jpole.
@@DarrenN4VFR Thank you for your reply, great example ! 73
Nice install, but I have only one comment. SS-30 is great stuff, but I would not recommend using it on aluminum. Aluminum and copper have too great a galvanic index difference (-0.35 for copper and -0.75 to -0.90 for aluminum ... you really want to only have a 0.15 difference, unless you are in a temperature and humidity controlled environment). I personally would recommend taking the antenna apart, cleaning the SS-30 of and use Penetrox A instead. PS, I love the FTdx-101. 73 W9HJ
Thank you for the advice. I will definitely do that.
W9HJ Yet I wonder why DX Engineering always recommends SS-30 for aluminum antenna joins? When I put together my Hustler 5BTV I used GB Ox-Gard, which is basically zinc infused petroleum jelly, between the joins, but that stuff is pretty slick and you really have to tighten the hose clamps to keep the tubes from slipping. When I put together my 27' Zero Five antenna I used the Jet Lube SS-30, just like Capt Darren did. It's a lot thicker than GB Ox-Gard. Hopefully I won't run into problems on down the line. 73 de WB4DW
Yes I agree. Anti-seize is for the mounting bolts and clamps whereas Penetrox should be used for preventing oxidation on any antenna elements. I used it also on my radial hardware as well. I own the ZF 10-40 GP and it's still going strong after 12 years.
Have you ever disconnected the radial field while receiving, and then hooked ot back up, to see of there is a discernable improvement?
No I haven't tried that yet. That would be a good experiment. It will be a chore to diconnect all ofl my ground radials. I'll do a video some day.
@@DarrenN4VFR OK. Wasn't sure if you could simply loosen the u-bolts from the radial plate, or disconnect one main conductor from base of antenna to the plate. After I asked you about this, I saw another video of a guy doing something similar with a WSPR setup. The findings were very similar and not really noticeable, which was surprising. Thanks for the reply!
Good video Darren. Do you connect the radial plate to the ground bolt on the unun too? Or is the u bolt on the ground plate to the pole enough? Thx! Scott
I didn't make another connection from the DX Engineering grounding plate to the ground bolt of the unun. The u bolt on the grounding plate was sufficient enough. I have no problems making QSOs with this setup. Thank you for commenting.
Thx Capt Darren!
Scott
I love the install but do the radials get buried? I’d be scared to run over with my riding mower.
I buried mine.
@@DarrenN4VFR Roger that, I kind of assumed that. Great install!
Thanks Capt. getting back in to Ham after years when I was a teen. 61 now, lol passed the Tech and grandfathered to General. Looking to buy that antenna but have a swimming pool in center of back yard.
Thanks….and 73’
@@ed370zx3 Thanks Ed and welcome back to Ham Radio. Good luck in finding an HF Antenna. See if you can fit a DX Commander Classic in a corner of you property.
Everything is ok except the connection between cables to ground and to driven element. They have no lug connectors crimped and solder and what you did is a big mistake that will bring you high swr when those Cooper connection expiden to enviriment will have oxidation.
Wow..pretty nice video. Congratulations for your efforts. But did I see this right ? Do you have a S7 / S8 of ground floor noise ? Is that normal ?
Yeah, it's a high noise floor. A technique is to increase the RF Gain so that you eliminate most of the noise to where you only have S1-S2 units displaying. That's what I'm now doing when I got Remote HF Control to my IC7610. Where I live in Florida, there's still so much Power line noise.
@@DarrenN4VFR How would a mag loop antenna perform in your high noise environment?
@@viralsheddingzombie5324 I would need to get a cheap tv rotator so I could null the noise. I haven't been home long enough to test the Loop for receiving.
I’m thinking of Zero Five’s 43’ ground plane antenna for 10-80m. How do you like your antenna?
Really like your videos. I’m a retired L-1011/747 pilot.
73 to you.
N1OII
Good day fellow Captain! I like both of my 27' and 43' Zero Five Antennas. I'd get the 43' version if you have the property to lay down ground radials. You will need to have an antenna tuner though.
Do you work 80 meters ok?
@@georgiathai4961 I use the Palstsr AT2K to tune down to 80m. My built in tuner wont match the antenna.
I’ve got an MFJ-962D. Haven’t tried 80 meters. I’ve often second guessed myself about not buying the Palstar.
Thank you for taking the time to correspond. Really appreciate it.
👍👍👍
Well done, could I ask how many radials and what length? Thanks Robbie
Hello Robbie, Tom from Zero Five recommended to start with 32 radials at 27 feet each. For my setup, I added a few more and I think I'm up to 35 radials. It's a lot of work to bury them in the earth so I did a few at a time. Thank you for watching!
Great video! Best of luck with the antenna.. What bands will you operate with this antenna? What is the SWR on those bands BEFORE you match it at the transceiver with a tuner?
I operate primarily on 40m on 7178khz. Without a tuner my SWR is > 5.0:1 I don't know why therefore, I use the built in tuner on the FTDX101MP. With 200w barefoot, I get an SWR of 1.5:1. I just received a Palstar AT2K and will try a manual tuner.
@@DarrenN4VFR I'm glad it works well for you! Smart choice using good coax- the loss in the coax due to 5:1 mismatch won't be too unreasonable on 40M. Just know that at a 10:1 SWR mismatch (if the tuner is at the transceiver), you will likely lose about 50% of your power in the coax before it reaches the antenna.
@@DarrenN4VFR I would suggest you get an antenna analyzer and check where the antenna is resonant. You may need to adjust the amount the elements are inserted into each other to get your SWR down to a more acceptable level.
@@rogerp5816 Thank you for the recommendations. The Zero Five antenna had marks on the antenna elements when I connected them together. The Zero Five websites says it must be used with an antenna tuner and the SWR's will be 1.5 which is what I show on my ATU.
My Palstar AT2K bring it down to a 1:1.
Nice install sir! I'm guessing you're in Hawaii? Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching. I wish I was in Hawaii. This is actually in Atlantic Beach, Florida.
Paint the pvc cap orange
I did something similar with a 6BTV about 2 years ago; I used the DXE radial plate and their tilt mount and "disguised" it as a flagpole. Recently the 6BTV is having some severe SWR spikes that shut down my IC7300, so I stopped using it and am planning on taking the 6BTV down to see if I can find the problem. I was thinking of perhaps replacing the 6BTV with the Zero Five 27', since I already have the radials and grounding rod in place from the 6BTV. Can you tell me the circumference of the base (widest part) of the Zero Five - including an allowance for the clamp? You can see my QRZ page to understand why I am asking that question.
Thank you for a very thorough and informative video.
Frank W1ZAH
Hello Frank, It will be a while until I get back home in Jacksonville, FL however, according to the Zero FIve website, the dimension is 42" x 8" x 8" and the maximum pipe diameter to use is 2". I used a 2" galvanized steel pipe. It's 10' long and I hacksawed it to 5' long. Buried 3' in the earth and the remaining 2 feet to mount the Zero Five base. I hope that gives you more information for your set up. Perhaps watch my video again and zoom in on it to get a perspective estimate. Or call Tom at Zero Fiver Antennas. Good Luck!
What about polyphasers?
Hey Dork! You never replied to me!
hi darren luv the video allways thought about getting a vertical whats it perform like mate. oh and have you got rid of that noise yet lol
Hi Steven! I love the antenna. It works very well and great for DX contacts. As far as Power Line noise, The majority of it is gone but, there's still some. Some night on 40m, I can hear the power line noise and some nights I don't. Good luck on your search for the perfect HF antenna. For me, I love my zero five 27'.
@@DarrenN4VFR yes ill look more into the zero,5,27 and hope you sort the noise probiem because its not nice because you can,t enjoy your radio. love the video,s so im your new subscriber lol 73 and enjoy your radio M7BYF YOUR FRIEND IN ENG
@@stevenaustin2860 Thank you for the kind comments.
does it matter if the radials are insulated or not? Never had an antenna that needed them so i dont know.
I dont think it would matter just if the bare ground wires are exposed in the elements, it may corrode sooner thank insulated ones.
Darren, how would you compare the performance of your old cha250b with the new zero five vertical?
The CHA250b was okay. I hear stations better with the Zero Five antenna. It was just a lot of work to install all the ground radials. I like the fact that the Zero Five antenna can fold over so you can take it down before a hurricane.
I'm pretty sure the CHA250b uses resistors inside the "matching unit" at the base of the antenna in order to keep SWR low, so a significant portion of your transmit power is wasted heating those resistors.
What is the SWR like????
With the 5ero Five antennas, it's mandatory to use a built in antenna or external antenna tuner. With a tuner, it tunes the antenna to 1.5. I use the Palstar AT2K and it tunes down to 1.0.
I went to my HOA and said I was putting up an HOA Antenna. They laughed at me and asked me to leave.
How do you deal with cutting the grass over the radials?
Since the video, I've decided to bury my ground radials.
@@DarrenN4VFR thanks for the reply.
I was under the impression the HOA model didnt need radials?
Their website says you don't need them and have 2 ground rods. I went ahead and put the radials in because I had room for them. I only have 1 ground rod next to the antenna.
@@DarrenN4VFR hope that it made good even better.... 73
KI5GEV
I enjoy your content. What do you do DX COMMANDER is it for sell KQ4CD Paul
No Paul, My DX Commander isn't for sale. I have that antenna at my other QTH.
That's a lot is noise, S8+, were you able you reduce that any?
I checked this morning and my noise level was S3 on 40M and S5 on 20M.
@@DarrenN4VFRthanks, that's acceptable. Do you have any other antennas to compare it to?
@@elkbow prior to the Zero Five antenna I had a Comet CHA250B multiband vertical. The receiver on the Zero Five is much better and also can handle full legal power limit where the CHA250B is only 250 watts.
@@DarrenN4VFR thanks for the info. Maybe I'll get you on the air some day. Dave, AC5N.
@@elkbow Good Luck and hope to have a QSO someday. I hang out in the evenings on 40meters on 7178Khz, 7188Khz, and on 20M 14277Khz.
Do you need a tuner with this antenna?
Yes you do in order to bring the SWRs down to 1.5.
@@DarrenN4VFR Thank you 73's K1CXS
@@DarrenN4VFR Can I ask why you didn't go with the 33ft that would do 80 meters?
@@thomashenderson603 I wasn't planning to do 80m. I hang out on 40m. But, if we're to do it again, I would of gone 10-80m.
just ordered the 33 ft , have the pole all in.. :)
Why so close to the ground? Mount it to a 10 meter pole. Give it some good height. 😂
@Capt Darren N4VFR Are you affiliated with ZeroFive antennas? If so, I just purchased an antenna from you. :-)
@Douglas Williams, Hahahaha, Not affiliated. I'm an Airline Pilot based at DFW Texas. I just like the simplicity of the Zero Five. Thank you for asking if I'm affiliated with them. There wasn't much TH-cam videos on the Zero Five and decided to make a video.
@@DarrenN4VFR Yea, your video is what made me purchase it. It looks very well made. Thanks. Edit: I'm going to try it "stock", using 30 ground radials to start off with. At some point I may try putting a remote antenna tuner at the base of the antenna. That way, only a very short section of coax (between the tuner and the antenna) will be subjected to high SWR. That piece can be a high quality jumper, such as LMR-400.
@@douglaswilliams6834 Right on! What brand of remote antenna tuner will you use?
@@DarrenN4VFR Haven't decided yet. Perhaps MFJ? All the ones I've looked at provide DC power to the tuner through the coax, so you don't have to run a separate power line, which is nice.
You have a few problems with this installation, Unfortunately, a couple of them are rather serious.
First, your ground needs to be bonded to the service entrance. All grounds must be bonded.
SS-30 Is a Cu paste. This is not appropriate for aluminum. You have unnecessarily introduced two dissimilar metals and this will encourage galvanic corrosion. There are other products that will work, including Noalox. In this case, you would have been better off using nothing at all.
DX engineering incorrectly recommends this for aluminum antennas and that is patently wrong. DO NOT USE SS-30 here.
With regards to grounding. Your saying that the Mast ground must also be bonded to the Station Ground? My Station Ground is bonded to my Service Ground at the house. I thought the mast and station ground had to be seperated.
Thank you for the feedback on the SS-30. Frinking DX Engineering recommending that product. I'll look at Noalox.
@@DarrenN4VFR Yes, all grounds must be bonded. The NEC (National Electric Code) will confirm this. Warning: Reading the NEC will make your head explode. :) Rather than a long and boring explanation, check out Mike Holt, here on youtube. He is a great resource for the NEC.
JetLube may have an appropriate product for aluminum to aluminum. I have always used Noalox, but there are other suitable products.
I don't know why DX Engineering recommends this product. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Tim Duffy also owns Summit Racing, and that product has applications there. That's pure speculation.
One last thing I probably should mention - There's a law diminishing returns for ground radials. Generally 4 times the lowest band’s wavelength is optimal (balance of work v performance) for the total length of all ground wires. Unlike elevated radials, the actual length is not important as they detune on the ground. It is the total length of the wires that is important... this, of course, is without exaggerating one parameter or another. Nothing wrong with doing more than that. You're just not going to get a lot of dB for the work.
Otherwise, nice job and clean work!
NB Checkout the Motorola R56 Standard. :)
Please drop the Captain . That is not your given name. You are gifted , intelligent, and do great work. It is a distraction.
...so much noise?
Well, I live in a noisy and RFI infested neighborhood.
@@DarrenN4VFR OK, Darren.....thats bad....
It's a fantastic antenna but way over priced.
Try speaking Russian not Spanish would help . Lol
Awesome video! Manny- k0mo should help you that day! 😆 Exellent quality information and awesome, I enjoy your videos! 73's de kp4cz-Jose
Thank you Jose!