How To Build Pre-Production Signature 9 - Build Tips and Tricks 

So easy to put up and down!😲 That foldback is a great idea for fast and easy tuning.👍

I ordered a 100 meter of Callum Wire on Feb 10 and rec'd it today Feb 16!! Excellent service. Loki needs a raise 🙂. Thank you; Wallace KO4LFE, Powder Springs, GA USA

Looking forward to ordering mine soon! You do good work, Callum!

I really like the idea of being able to slip the mast over a ground pole so there is no need for guy ropes. The build detail was very useful too. Thanks for making this video. 😊👍

Top marks, you have put in so much effort to improve the quality of an already great product. Love your work!

Awesome Callum!!

I cannot wait for mine to show up.

Hi Cal, just put an order in for the Signature 9 (at long last, hi) just in time for Christmas ...yippee!, Whishing you & yours a very happy one .

My foldbacks are definitely longer on the Classic. I did trim them to tune that way. Can’t wait to try another version. Probably get the expedition for POTA next. Great product and love the videos.

Great design this antenna is with no guy lines sure to be a popular one ! Grand slam Calum !

This is so interesting Callum, you’ve got the grey matter doing overtime. As you state it’s normally the quantity of radials that matter as my Classic at home. Out in the field I’ve had a couple issues due to difference in the ground I put a couple of tuned radials down and that fixed my particular issue but back home as I say it’s a different. Setup with the 32 radials. Great this radio stuff isn’t it. I can only wish you all the very best with your new product - no brainer really. You deserve the success. 73 de M0AZE Mike

Cheers for the info today C hope the fine tuning goes well the next few days. Hope to catch you again this friday M7RLL 73's

Absolutely spot on! The pathetic attempt to be "different/clever" completely misses the point of using the accepted phonetic alphabet

Got HUGE DX this weekend on FT8 at 100w on the DXC Classic! Best I've done 40-10m on every band!!

I like the fold back idea. I've used longer fold backs on efhw to be able to tune 80 and it works great so your idea for the different bands should work great too. Thanks! I need to take my classic down and do some maintenance checks soon. I would like to mount it on a tube like you did with this one. Thanks. Jack K5FIT

I like the ideal of a longer foldback.

With my 12.4 modification I tuned the 10 and 12m elements by trimming the length of fold back. Started off with more then you recommend then kept using the calculator to give me educated guesses as to how much more to cut. Still need to get the 12m one "right" but it is near enough for now. I remember back in the Day, top loaded mobile CB antennas were all the rage, might be on to a winner Cal 🙂

Good job

Looks like an awesome antenna

Well done. I think you should sell built plans for the models too, saves on shipment costs. And yes, I would pay for the details like the cutting charts, measurements for the plates and so on...

Cal.. arn't you glad that I sent you them clamps about year ago to test. Will I get a discount? hahaha.. only pulling your leg on the discount! - cracking video bud.

Thanks for the tips Cal. The sale went well then 👍, all sold not long after the launch . May be a few weeks before I get mine built I'm waiting for some building work to be done.......hoping to get the builder to dig the post hole for me as well. One question would the radials be OK laid under artificial turf? I could get on with making them so they are ready for when its put down.

Hi Cal, congrats on great videos and antennas. Can you share more info on how to tune 15m independently? 3 turns around what diameter? Thanks. 73 from Croatia.

Were I live (HOA) I can have a DXCommander but no guys of any kind for it. This new Signature 9 just might be the ticket. I really like the design Callum. One question: If I get one of your antennas it will have to go next to a 4-foot Chain Link fence. When I say next I mean about 8-inches from it. Will that degrade the performance of the antenna? 73 Joe

it really looks a good antenna and well thought out i hope you sell many of them I only wish i needed one ,thanks for the video g0VVT

My guess, its the smaller ground system. Reason, I moved my classic today and added a hot galvanized steel, 1/4" square, construction mesh in the shape of a cross, using around 130 square feet of mesh. I'm using the same radials as before, which are around 20 (some got damaged during the move). around 1/8 wavelength long, based on 40 meter, so 10 meters long. I plan to add some more mesh, test again, then add more radials, test again. Overall, the SWR is lower on all bands with the largest change in the lower bands. The bandwidth seems to be broader as well when tied to the SWR value. There's more of the band available, on all bands from 40m to 6m due to the lower SWR values. This is not conclusive, however the initial data is interesting. More testing is needed, such as. Move antenna back to original location, and establish a repeatable test routine checking each band's SWR and Smith Chart Move to new location and repeat tests with no ground mesh Test with ground mesh and same radials Add more radials Remove mesh, maintain radial config Change radials to non-insulated, tinned copper 14awg. (I've been wanting to test insulated vs non-insulated, and review the capacitance/inductance plots on the smith chart) I saw huge changes when playing with the 20m element using insulated 8awg, bare copper 6awg, 14awg insulated DX Engineering, and DX10. The 8awg insulated wire was 2.1 to 3.1 SWR across 20m. The bare copper 6awg was 1.2 to 1.55 SWR. Measure ground conductivity at both locations

Looking forward to getting mine. I have a TINY plot so a guyed antenna would not work, hopefully this one will be perfect.

Measure twice cut once becomes more like measure 7 times cut 4 with antenna tuning. I'll be leaving the elements a bit long on my build and I'll let you know how it goes. Do you use a soft or metal tape measure? I'll be buying a new one since I don't own a metric one.

I would think that c) the hinge is to blame for the SWR change, because the inner part of the radials are elevated directly on the mast. And that, as we know, changes the SWR. The more radials there are, the greater the SWR change. I am curious whether I am right with my assumption.

Hi Cal, looks great, but would the ground mount pole also work for the Classic to add more stability? Cheers, G

A couple thousandths? Will there be a problem with thermal expnsion if you cut them in winter, and the antenna is baking at 40°C in an Arizona summer?

Hi Callum, I have a question regarding a 40m horizontal sky loop. It relates to when you wanted to get your own onto the 80m band and you chopped out a 6 foot section at the rear end of the loop to make a Halo loop 1/2 wave for 80m. A friend of mine has suggested I could use Vacuum Relays to electrically switch in and out this 6 foot section, via a simple "switch" in the shack. To easily go from 40m and 80m. My question is, have you ever delved into this/or know of anybody having success in this idea? Thanks Mike

What is your professional opinion of the CB version of the 'COMPACtenna' ? Hot or not?

sire , what will happen if you place the antenna on a metal sheet roof?

Possibly a bit of hinge (metal interacting plus base plate off the ground) and the reduction in radial volume…🤔

What do you recommend for us CBer's?

My guess is the radial field and ground conditions. On my classic I have 7 bunches of FIVE 3m radials = 105m Total in 360 degree config. (2,625 wavelength of 40m band?) All elements were done exactly according cut chart. WITH MY GROUND CONDITIONS AND RADIAL SETUP: 40m Was at 7.32 (SWR 1.16). 30m Was at 10.426 (SWR 1.01). 20m Was at 14.291 (SWR 1.14). 17m Was at 17.985 (SWR 1.08). 15m Was at 21.49 (SWR 1.14). 12m Was at 21.556 (SWR 1.10). My guess would thus be that ground conditions and radial field has substantial influence on element lengths to get perfect tuning. All readings with RE650Zoom

In this day and age it would be easier to have tx and rx at base of aerial and just use control signals from shack. From point of view of user, the rig would appear exactly the same, with all the control and metering and tuning as with the full tx/rx in the shack, but the big advantage is no long coax runs. More power into aerial and better signal to noise for rx. Surprised this isn't done, unless anyone knows otherwise?

ahhhh its getting closer boys qro++++

Since he's in the UK, can I assume a lot of rain isn't a problem?

Where does someone get decent fibreglass pole from.. Tempted to try an old fishing rod !

Fence