Category: DX Commander

See https://youtu.be/PV5GdAZ1nfo

This is my biggest antenna build yet! A full 160m / 80m fan dipole — from scratch, all the way through to WSPR testing.

In this video you’ll see:
✅ Preparing and painting the poles
✅ Building the dipole centre and elements
✅ Coax, balun and choke setup
✅ Raising the mast (the epic lift 🙂
✅ Tuning and first SWR tests

It’s rare to see a compact 160m solution paired with a full-sized 80m dipole, so I wanted to document the entire process in detail.

If you’re into low-band antennas, DIY builds, or just enjoy big projects coming to life, you’ll love this one.

📡 Subscribe for more antenna builds, ham radio experiments, and contest action.

💬 Drop a comment if you’ve ever tried 160m — I’d love to hear what worked (or didn’t!) for you.

0:00 – Teaser – The big lift (hook)
0:12 – Preparing the Poles – Painting, fitting, grinding, ramming sections together
6:31 – Planning the Dipole – Measurements, wire lengths, horseshoe layout
9:38 – Cutting & Prepping Wire – Kevlar cord, foldbacks, dipole centre
15:33 – Coax & Balun Setup – Patch leads, choke discussion, memories of Barry
21:00 – Coax Assembly – Measuring, cutting, connectors, testing continuity
31:20 – Adding 80m Legs – Fan dipole build begins
34:00 – Matching & Impedance Talk – 75Ω quarter-wave match explanation
36:05 – Mounting & Bolting Mast – Drilling, washers, test-fit
42:50 – Securing Mast – Bolts, levelling, wide shot
48:40 – Next Day Setup – Tensioning, knots, wind test
51:00 – 160m & 80m Alignment – Galvanised fixings, lifting elements
56:13 – 80m Wire Install – Cleats, pilot holes, tensioning
1:00:00 – Coax & Final Tension – Routing, connectors, self-amalg tape
1:03:30 – Testing & SWR – Adjustments, bandwidth discussion
1:05:30 – Wrap Up – Sign-off and next project
1:06:27 – Easter Egg – Intentional error / correction

Logging with my Captain’s Log Net Control Software – should be a fun demo – assuming it works!

Today’s job: holes, concrete, steel, and planning for two towers!

I unpack a new 12V winch, sort out the scaffold-pole mount at 45°, and dig in proper foundations with concrete and a dead-man anchor. This winch will let me safely lower the big tower and salvage one of the alloy poles.

At the same time, I’m sketching out a second, lightweight tower project — two poles, simple guying, base rotator, and even a budget bearing solution using UHMW washers and split bearings. The aim is to show how you can build a low-cost demonstrator mast that anyone could replicate.

Along the way:

Unboxing and testing the winch (Kevlar rope + remote)

Digging, cutting, concreting, and anchoring

The “dead-man” anchor trick explained

Planning the mini-tower with simple bearings and rotator setup

Updates on the ACOM 2020S amplifier and station progress

This is a proper “hands-on” day in the field — concrete dust, angle-iron, scaffold poles, and all!

👉 Have you ever pushed up your own mini-mast on three guys? Drop your stories in the comments — I’d love to hear how you tackled it.

Enjoy your radio, see you next time. 73,
Callum, M0XXT

0:00 – Winch unboxing & first look
0:28 – Scaffold pole mount idea (45°)
1:26 – Plan to recover alloy pole & use CB/10m Yagi
2:44 – Positioning the winch & anchor point
3:21 – Call to steel stockholder (angle iron sorted)
4:00 – Thinking ahead: lightweight tower plan
6:10 – Measuring guy triangle layout
6:43 – Digging the first foundation hole
7:28 – Cutting scaffold pole & mixing concrete
8:50 – Setting the winch mount pole
10:25 – Concrete mix going in
11:00 – Load calculations & safety margin
12:00 – Dead-man anchor explanation
13:05 – Laying out tower two with guy points
14:20 – Side quest: lawn mower service (spider included!)
14:25 – ACOM 2020S update
16:22 – Using scaffold elbow for base hinge
17:14 – Cheap & cheerful mini-tower design philosophy
18:00 – Rotator bearing plan with UHMW washers
19:30 – Bargain split-shaft bearings (£9 for two)
20:06 – Second hole and concrete base for mini-mast
22:50 – Checking alignment & straightness
24:09 – Cabinet and battery mount thoughts
25:30 – Big tower plans (20m Yagi coming soon)
26:30 – Spray painting poles (yellow → black & white)
27:26 – Wrap up & call for viewer experiences

In this video, I walk through all the tricks, traps, and tools we use to get multiband performance from our wire antennas – whether you’re working from a tiny backyard or a large site.

We’ll talk:

– How traps really work (and their downsides)
– Fan dipoles and verticals (and why they’re so effective)
– Foldback techniques for 40/15m matching
– Why loops are naturally multiband
– And whether smart tuners are magic or just a box of trigs!

Whether you’re building a homebrew fan dipole, eyeing up a Delta Loop, or wondering if a DX Commander is just "visual physics" in disguise — this one’s for you.

🔗 Mentioned builds:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLGtz5Px6g0
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4WzIgCvAbQ

Let me know in the comments what *your* multiband setup looks like – commercial or DIY. 73!

00:00 Intro
00:29 Dipoles
01:49 End Effect
03:05 The 40m/15m Trick
03:40 Traps
05:13 Fan Dipoles
06:36 What is a Fan Vertical
08:00 How does it work?
09:27 Easy to understand antennas
11:01 Full wave multiband loops
13:02 Automatic Feedpoint ATU system
14:28 Doublets and Manual ATUs

#hamradio #multibandantenna #dxcommander

Beaming 240 degrees from UK to VK

Today I’m prepping my compact 160m dipole project. I start by spray-painting a few fibreglass poles, then discuss some ideas for making low-band antennas smaller – from dipoles, linear loading, horseshoe shapes and even loops.

Along the way I fire up the modelling software to see some quick far-field plots and test how these designs might actually work in practice.

If you’re curious about compact solutions for 160m (or just enjoy a bit of antenna waffle), this one’s for you!

Tower Project (Discussed): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcC64tNkZB7yRBNMcXCPeOvxLR305kQpx

I’ve been experimenting with guying on my 18m fibreglass mast – and I’ve added 3 x 1m lengths of 12mm (1/2 inch) heavy shock-cord to the top guys. The result? Instead of the mast top shuddering in the wind, it’s now smooth and controlled.

In this video, I show you how I did it, why it works, and what I’m planning next for the station. If you’ve ever wondered whether shock-cord can tame verticals, this is for you!

Beaming 240 degrees from UK to VK

This is my biggest DX Commander antenna and needs careful planning and execution to make sure this goes up first time without a hitch. But the rewards are big! Enjoy the fun – and the mistakes.

This build uses this cut chart:

80m – 21.23m (For 3.8m and above, use 20.75m)
60m – 13.02m
40m – 9.77m (USA / Region 2 – use 9.7m)
30m – 6.88m
20m – 4.87m
17m – 3.86m

NOTE: 15m, 12m and 10m are not guaranteed – although your ATU will easily tune them – same with 6m band.

00:00 Intro
21:50 Crash
50:34 Result