Simple Rules of Coax Fed Antennas 

It is amazing when the theory works like it should. BUT, more amazing is that the theory is always more complicated and practical application is just a bit different. When I first heard of your antenna I, like lots of others, thought that it was rather pricey and that I could make one much cheaper, maybe a third of the cost. Then I saw videos of those that actually tried it. They were 50% to 60% or more and then spent hours of trial and error to get their antennas to perform well. Now, that is fine if you enjoy doing that. If that is your hobby, God love you and have at it. But, I like to put something up and have it work, if not the first time, in short order. And, I put a value on my time. So, Cal, you make an antenna for people like me. I also applaud you for being so open with your information for those who want to have a stab at making their own I hope you continue to do well for many years.

In all honesty, i watch these Antenna builds all the time and hardly anybody talks about how to connect the wires. They just discuss lengths, layouts, propagation, etc., etc. But not the electrical connections. Beginners need to know that stuff! :)

One summer afternoon my Dad had me doing something in the backyard at the picnic table, I don't even remember what it was, while he put together the new barbeque grill. After about 30 minutes I heard him laugh at something. About 5 minutes later he was finished with the grill and came over to help me finish up. I asked him what he was laughing at. He pulled a small slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to me. It read "When all else fails...read the instructions!" He then said "If I had done that to start with I'd have saved myself about 20 minutes!" Perhaps you should include a similar slip of paper loose in the box with all the other bits and bobs as you guys like to call them. 😁

2 cycles ago in 1990 I spoke all over on 5w except to the East, as I was in a steel framed tower block at 120ft agl, 200asl. The front to back was superb. I once wired up the metal window frames up as a 2 window dipole with a tuner and made many US contacts on 10m! The good old days.

I enjoy listening to you stories you paint a good picture....I got lost while listening and could imagine myself in your shoes especially when you would add those pictures in time to time...nice work on the story telling. Thanks for sharing a part of you life with us.

I'm on a losing battle.. Lol! Harkens to the days of actually listening to a signal vs looking at a screen. Love it!

Thanks for your consistently positive and good humored approach!

Thank you for sharing you experience packed old man brain with us all Callum. I'll be saving this video as my OM brain tends to forget stuff.😆🍻👍

Your piano analogy was a perfect explanation. It made it really click for me. Thank you so much!

Good video. I have done a lot with Beverages and Beverages on the ground. On the low bands the signal is there but the noise is the problem. Most receive antennas have negative gain. The absolute most important thing is directivity. By that I mean one or more nulls in the direction of the noise. Direction being both azimuth and elevation. I use my K3 like you noted for my 160 meter contesting. Europe BOG on main RX in one ear and the other two BOG/Beverages on the sub receiver. I have worked many 160 contests with all receiving ( 6 or 7 hundred QSOs) done with wires laying on the ground! One guy in Europe sent me a note that he was running 5 watts when he called me on 160 and he was surprised I heard him!

Cheers, Callum! I'm an a American with a "stupid question", but a little background first. After been a CB enthusiast back in the 70's (I had a Penetrator 500 on the roof of my house for my RadioShack 23-channel radio). Recently, I "inherited" a 23-channel Cobra 138 that I want to get operational. I have a magnet-mount for my vehicle,, but I need a "base" antenna. I'm

Great stuff. Many thanks!

Always love to hear the Commander.

That receive idea seems like a good option for folks who are into shortwave listening.

Great you came up with the RST “Problem”. In that perspective I’m old school as well . For reducing noise, I built me a half square antenna and was surprised how good it reduces noise and gives you pretty good gain in 2 directions. Keep up your work, thanks de HB3XBL 👍🇨🇭

Thanks to you I made a 40 meter loop and it's phenomenal. Loving EFHW antennas also

Jewels of knowledge and experience as always DX Commder Rocks !

I'm a rare American Cal, I read the manual..I have ruined way too much expensive gear in my days by not doing so..I agree that a signal strength report is relative to each individual...To me as a guitar player it's like which Tubes sound better in my amp EL34's vs 6L6's, 10 people will probably have at least 5 different opinions..Anyway cool video!!

Great presentation! You explain things so exquisitely that it actually makes sense!

Awesome info Callum!!

Thanks for the explanation. I had a couple of good laughs. Adore your sense of humor Callum

If you have an HF rig with dead finals, but receive is good, you could use it for a receive radio at low cost!

Great presentation Cal! I must have seen everything you have published about the DX Commander by now, and yet I always learn something new! This time I picked up on the element "order", I had heard it before, but it did not sink in, time methinks to rewatch some of the earlier videos. Keep up the great work, your journey of RF discovery is not only instructive but fascinating, like putting a 10m antenna 18mtrs up a pole! Thanks for all your hard work and the effort you put into making these videos so much fun. 73 Jim M7BXT

great stuff Callum!

I’m a new(ish) ham - recently got my General - had a novice 25 years ago. Love your programming. Thanks for your content. I’m starting with a 10 meter mobile (Stryker SR-995HP) and a 4 element Yagi in the US - SW New Hampshire at the top of a 1200 foot hill. Not all set up yet and saw your piece on coax last night. Super helpful. Looking at Icom 7300 but investigating the Yaesu FT-710 and some older all bands.

Terrific presentation, Callum! I watched one of your original videos on Rudy's shortened radials a few years ago, use shortened radials them, and they work great. Thank you also for plugging the loop on the ground antenna. Your narrative about how you came up with the DX Commander is totally awesome. 73 de Jeff, KF5KWO

I've been watching you for some time. I just got my technician license here in the US. You make all these concepts understandable. I am happy to buy your antenna once I get more HF privileges and look forward to speaking with you someday from Massachusetts.

Good evening Callum, what a wonderful video and the beginnings of DX commander. That’s a fantastic journey that you’ve taken keep up the good work and take care of yourself. Thank you for your videos. WD5ENH Steve

Nice job

One of the funny parts of resonance and SWR is it's only a measure of the antenna and radio. The results is what's important and that's what gets out.

A little improvement could be a colour coded sticker on the base plate (or coloured dots). I would like to know what would be a good first antenna for DXing. I have just bought a RTL-SDR dongle and I love it although i now realise the antenna is crappy for shortwave listening. (so far my fave. thing is knowing what the boats near me are up-to and knowing what plane is flying overhead.

so basically its "RTFM" (read the ------- manual) well said, nobody seems to "have time" these days to look at how a manufacturer designed their product to work. one exception when its in chinglish, that can be problematic . thanks for another very informative vid.

Great Info as a new ham I now understand something! Scott KF0HRF Iowa usa

Now I know what you use for RX haha. I am noticing exactly the same thing with a 130ft EFLW at 10 feet with Chameleon Hybrid mini transformer on lower bands. The noise almost entirely goes away on it. Upper bands, the vertical is usually better. Due to trying to get a net about 1000km away, I am actually going to raise it in a couple of steps (18 feet, then 46 feet) and evaluate any differences. As discussed in email, I may go to a full wave loop for 80m (and 40 likely) with the guying style the power utility uses for their poles.

one of your best Callum - really enjoyed this - great advice...G0KPZ

I don't quite have a TS-990S, I've got the little brother, the TS-890S. But I have an old Yaesu FT-101ZD Mk0 from 1979 passed to me from my dad from his brother. I use it as a backup, but a fun radio to operate. But the 890 is just as difficult, I often go to youtube to figure it out. I sadly must admit, I just recently took my DX Commander down to keep it out of the weather from lack of use.

could your vertical be somewhat directional if you un hook half the ground radials on one side the half you left hooked up would receive and transmit better in that direction ????

I believe the vertically polarized QRM theory dates back to when most QRM was created by arcing and sparking of appliances, etc. These days with SMPS, etc. it's open slather.

Rudy N6LF lives on Oregon. He must be getting on in years now. Callum you really should try to interview him for the channel. Also, ZS6BKW (now G0GSF) who's in West Kirby, UK

Hi Callum Great video! I been thinking about a Wire Yagi for people to make cheap at home. 3 or 4 element. The driven and parasitics in an inverted v formation. hanging from a rope horizontal between 2 trees/poles... Not sure if you talked on that on other videos great videos! thought I'd throw it out there for ideas cheers !

You give me hope... you are about a year older than me and I have some business ideas I want to launch on.

I want to make a loop for shortwave. I keep forgetting to plan one. I need coax to even try it I guess. Never tried it. I recently strung out a simple 100 feet of insulated hookup wire from the end of my camper opposite the electric meter away from power lines to a tree. The interference in my camper was terrible so no radio. Then in my main living area I ran a wire out the window and connected it to a bolt on the frame of my metal camper roof that is anchored to the ground. No shielded lead in wire but it`s working great for shortwave and medium wave using a Tecsun PL-330. I`m gonna connect another 100 ft spool of wire to the end of it and try that next. I may turn left and make a partial L shape to see if I get more signals from other directions or just use two more spools to go both directions.

Do you recommend to always use a 1:1 current choke balun (or simply wrap turns of coax on pvc pipe) on unbalanced antennas like verticals to keep current mode rf off the coax back to radio ?

LMAO "What the hell is this word manual mean" Just did the Wikipedia search on sig report. Thanks Cal love your videos

What would happen if you fitted a 1:1 balun at the feed point of a DX Commander?

Always educational and fun. Another great video!! Jack K5FIT

I've been paranoid of my transmit overloading the RX preamp and blowing it on a secondary receiver- is this a real issue or am I imagining it?

100% on the RS report comments and the 120 radials myth! Pat Hawker G3VA SK believed that radials were largely pointless at higher frequencies and one good elevated counterpoise was far more effective.

Hi Calum hope you’re well … it does say on your site that the 7m pole is out of stock ? … I have your 7m pole already ! Would you have the plates and spreaders in stock I could purchase ? Thanks 2e1paw

Hello sir , Am planning to use Rg6/U 30meters connected to dual polarity feed by signalsky . It will be compatible

Enspiring story and how you got started. There appears to be a market for an auto RX / TX switch to provide an RX input for rigs with only one RF connector. DX Engineering has one but its expensive to source here in the UK. Maybe a new product idea for you?

Hi Callum - Is the paper by Dr George Brown on radials on the Internet?? Tony VK2IC

Man oh man. I got my 12.4 Signature up and wondered why it measured awful, then realized I had laid out the radials, but hadn't connected them. 5 minutes later, all was mostly tickety boo.

My first hf radio was a 101zd mk 3 great radio. I find if all else fails "RTFI"

With enough radials, it is not so much the tuned length of the radial as it is that you are coupling to the actual earth. The earth then carries on being the ground plane. Consider, if you put a two-meter antenna on the trunk of your car. Depending on which direction you go, the length of the ground plane will vary. But from a practical point of view that doesn't matter.

I despair when I hear such stories about people who have (allegedly) passed a radio license exam.

Working on a 40m loop, 4:1 balum, using temp electric fence posts. Seeing what that would Bo on both TX and RX!

Callum you gotta know that it's Unamerican to read the directions.

There's that 80/20 rule again lol

Have trouble understanding what your saying. Too much British accent..