There are a number of things that are evident in this video from The DX Commander. One is Callam's love of antennas. Two is his real world testing of the designs in his antenna farm. Third thing is the strength of the antennas to stand up to 60MPH wind which has a force of about 10 pounds per square foot. Fourth thing that I noted is Callam's willingness to share where things went wrong because a clamp was left off or a short cut was taken in the construction. And lastly, it shows how hard Callam works even on a wet, cold, windy day. 73 Callam from Jim W6LG in Rocklin California!
I think I mentioned before that my Classic w/80m survived direct 102 mph winds last spring and held up fine. I had to tweak a couple of bands and tighten things back up but it still worked and was still standing. Perfect example of a quality product.
My Classic kit has arrived and I cannot wait to get it assembled and on the air! Thanks to everyone at team DX Commander for the super quick order fulfilment and shipping! 😃 And to see the survival of the antenna at 60mph wind loading is very re-assuring. Cheers Callum!
My classic pole with guys been up 7 yrs now I think, a few 80mph storms. No problems at all. TIP, I always leave a slight bit of slack on the guys, when it was tightened right up, the old one broke. Great product, thanks.
You busting a move over those guy lines was "blooming funny" 🤣🤣😂 Thanks for the qso the other day. It was intense to say the least. Hit the bell and Thumbs everyone. 73 de oy1r
Regin! Amazing Pile Up you had.. I also heard the JA stations.. I could hear them maybe better than you. He called a few times.. I nearly shouted "JH CALLING REGIN" but then that's like being a Band Policeman!
Hello Callum I’m pleased you didn’t get wiped out, genuinely, I was thinking about everyone who had big antennas and yagi arrangements. Being a restart up Ive got a doublet around the gutter and a 35ft 6inch random wire and so far been quite unsuccessful in ‘proving’ my station, 🤨 😠 but some road I’ll get there. The wind in Wigan Lancashire was howlin bad…trees down, branches in the road and I followed the advice to stay in unless absolutely necessary as I’m sure most folks did. It was a hell of a storm and I hope everyone is ok. 😧 Re the vid… the trip made me smile 😊 🤣 I enjoy how you narrate and treat the camera as someone actually there with you… that is a talent in itself ✅… I look forward to your next video along with some others who I follow ( Mike m0msn + others ) which is about the total of my ham radio at present… but, it’s still ham radio innit. 🤔 Best wishes to everyone.73. 💙 G0uvl
Calhoum , I always put tape at the junctions and my poles are up for many years on stacked military poles and only guyed at the base. Of course on top of each junction I use hose clamp, no problems, and my poles are 10 meters long.
Hey Cal, this is George (AF8K) we made a contact a month or two ago while you were live streaming. I just thought I'd let you know the 160m delta loop is still doing awesome! Just made my new farthest contact from my QTH to S79VU (Ravi) at a distance of 8,869.5 miles on 20 meters with 100W and the ol' IC-706MKII. Great videos. Thanks again and I look forward to talking with you again, sir! 73s
Callum, very glad you're getting the damage repaired; more importantly, this displays that the design of the DX Commander antennas show that they hold up very well. By the way, that day I had had a brief contact with one ham on the southwest coast of UK and he was getting gusts to 77...then went off the air. I know that an hour and half later a Emirates A380 gave up after 3 attempts at landing at LHR went on to Frankfurt. Funtimes~. AA7MO
My DXCC has been up since April 2019 and still works great. Never taken down here in the snow belt of PA USA. I guyed it out not down and it has never moved.
Nice work .I saw storm damage in UK on my news in NY . Quite a mess . Grid down and cell network out in parts. This happens in NY as well. We getting back to back snow storms. I set up in deep snow and had fun on 10/11/12 meters. Them bands wide open. Getting Japan and Norway and many outher was fun portable with 5/8 wave and 4:1 UNUN just laying in the snow. I just put my 10 meter pole in deep snow. 300 watts and a wire got many world wide contacts. I just threw my ground radials in the snow , Ran coax into the car and had fun. That M & P Pota flex 7 coax really stands out in the snow. I had my own 200AH LiFePO4 battery so I don't kill car battery . I don't run car much. save on gas and it makes noise in my radio. My amp makes a nice hand warmer . FT8 is good for that . Snowy parks on the air was fun. The things we do to stay or get on the air ! It can be quite fun. I just hate cold wind. Cheers from NY !!!
@@DXCommanderHQ It did work very well .DX Engineering bright PINK antenna wire as well . All stands out in snow and gives 3DB boost and matches girlfriends knickers giving 6DB more ! Cheers from cold NY ! 7F now !
My Sig 9 was damaged in the recent storm, just a broken element (40M/15M). Easily repaired. The funny thing is that I now have a better tune across every band than before. Didn’t touch anything else. Weird and wonderful!
Yup ... mine stayed down on its cradles for 5 days up here in the Borders and all was well once returned to normal. Now to cut the new elements and fit the new grey plates received last week. By the way Cal, I do now identify the elements using the plastic number 'beads' as your recommendation a couple of years ago.👍
Had to go out in the night to re ratchet strap some timber that was being a wind plaything, it was that strong that the pigs did not come out the sty and just looked at me as if I was some kind of mad fool. The walk back up the hill was a crawl face into wind, I was glad to make the top having had doubts I would make it back. Belt and braces are definitely a worthwhile solution when living in a windy nook.
For the second time this month, this week we had an actual blizzard with 80 km winds, -10C temps creating Lake effect squalls from the open water of the great lakes. Snow accumulation up to 80CM in some places..Zero visibility, Roads closed..It's not always common to be that bad but happens with cold winds blowing across the massive expanse of open water.
Good job mate , as we used to say in Telstra Nothing more permanent than temporary...hihi, don't envy your cold weather though ,Merry Christmas from down under peter de vk2nn
My hf vertical survived the wind, but a 20 x 10 foot polytunnel with wooden edge boards landing on it killed it. Strange thing is i didn't have a polytunnel before 😂
On my 12.4, I can't use clamps like that. Head/adjuster is too big. Elements move around too much in high winds. Even normal ones will catch the wire. I 3d printed two standoffs out of PTEG that snap on the mast and are secured with zip ties. They hold the problem elements in place so they don't catch on the hose clamp.
You realize that when , you see your physician, you will have to report that trip as a fall? (Doctors can then say, "Oh, he''s getting old and can no longer maintain his balance") --- at least in the US they do that. "Have you fallen in the last 90 days" is always a standard question medical examinations these years .... 😀
There are a number of things that are evident in this video from The DX Commander. One is Callam's love of antennas. Two is his real world testing of the designs in his antenna farm. Third thing is the strength of the antennas to stand up to 60MPH wind which has a force of about 10 pounds per square foot. Fourth thing that I noted is Callam's willingness to share where things went wrong because a clamp was left off or a short cut was taken in the construction. And lastly, it shows how hard Callam works even on a wet, cold, windy day. 73 Callam from Jim W6LG in Rocklin California!
Haha! Perfect Jim!! Yep.. cold!
Boy those DX Commanders do hold their own in strong winds.
It’s almost like the guy who designed them knew what he was doing! 😉👍
Yeah.. Never met him!
I think I mentioned before that my Classic w/80m survived direct 102 mph winds last spring and held up fine. I had to tweak a couple of bands and tighten things back up but it still worked and was still standing. Perfect example of a quality product.
The old saying (at least in North America) is "There is nothing more permanent than a temporary solution that works." 😁
Not heard that! But it's true!
My Classic kit has arrived and I cannot wait to get it assembled and on the air!
Thanks to everyone at team DX Commander for the super quick order fulfilment and shipping! 😃
And to see the survival of the antenna at 60mph wind loading is very re-assuring.
Cheers Callum!
Enjoy!
My classic pole with guys been up 7 yrs now I think, a few 80mph storms. No problems at all. TIP, I always leave a slight bit of slack on the guys, when it was tightened right up, the old one broke. Great product, thanks.
Great tip Brian!
You busting a move over those guy lines was "blooming funny" 🤣🤣😂
Thanks for the qso the other day. It was intense to say the least.
Hit the bell and Thumbs everyone.
73 de oy1r
Regin! Amazing Pile Up you had.. I also heard the JA stations.. I could hear them maybe better than you. He called a few times.. I nearly shouted "JH CALLING REGIN" but then that's like being a Band Policeman!
Hello Callum I’m pleased you didn’t get wiped out, genuinely, I was thinking about everyone who had big antennas and yagi arrangements. Being a restart up Ive got a doublet around the gutter and a 35ft 6inch random wire and so far been quite unsuccessful in ‘proving’ my station, 🤨 😠 but some road I’ll get there. The wind in Wigan Lancashire was howlin bad…trees down, branches in the road and I followed the advice to stay in unless absolutely necessary as I’m sure most folks did. It was a hell of a storm and I hope everyone is ok. 😧
Re the vid… the trip made me smile 😊 🤣 I enjoy how you narrate and treat the camera as someone actually there with you… that is a talent in itself ✅… I look forward to your next video along with some others who I follow ( Mike m0msn + others ) which is about the total of my ham radio at present… but, it’s still ham radio innit. 🤔
Best wishes to everyone.73. 💙
G0uvl
Yeah, it's fun when the crew turn up..!
Calhoum , I always put tape at the junctions and my poles are up for many years on stacked military poles and only guyed at the base. Of course on top of each junction I use hose clamp, no problems, and my poles are 10 meters long.
Glad your safe, antennas back up.. We've had our share of Hurricanes for this past 2024 Season.. #Caribbean 73 🎙Ira
Ugh! Good luck.
Hey Cal, this is George (AF8K) we made a contact a month or two ago while you were live streaming. I just thought I'd let you know the 160m delta loop is still doing awesome! Just made my new farthest contact from my QTH to S79VU (Ravi) at a distance of 8,869.5 miles on 20 meters with 100W and the ol' IC-706MKII. Great videos. Thanks again and I look forward to talking with you again, sir! 73s
Good work George!
Callum, very glad you're getting the damage repaired; more importantly, this displays that the design of the DX Commander antennas show that they hold up very well. By the way, that day I had had a brief contact with one ham on the southwest coast of UK and he was getting gusts to 77...then went off the air. I know that an hour and half later a Emirates A380 gave up after 3 attempts at landing at LHR went on to Frankfurt. Funtimes~. AA7MO
Yes, unusual for us.
My DXCC has been up since April 2019 and still works great. Never taken down here in the snow belt of PA USA. I guyed it out not down and it has never moved.
Good evening Cal…. Your weather looks like what we are having in NY right now. Have a great weekend. Bill, KC2KNA
Thanks, you too Bill!
Nice work .I saw storm damage in UK on my news in NY . Quite a mess . Grid down and cell network out in parts. This happens in NY as well. We getting back to back snow storms. I set up in deep snow and had fun on 10/11/12 meters. Them bands wide open. Getting Japan and Norway and many outher was fun portable with 5/8 wave and 4:1 UNUN just laying in the snow. I just put my 10 meter pole in deep snow. 300 watts and a wire got many world wide contacts. I just threw my ground radials in the snow , Ran coax into the car and had fun. That M & P Pota flex 7 coax really stands out in the snow. I had my own 200AH LiFePO4 battery so I don't kill car battery . I don't run car much. save on gas and it makes noise in my radio. My amp makes a nice hand warmer . FT8 is good for that . Snowy parks on the air was fun. The things we do to stay or get on the air ! It can be quite fun. I just hate cold wind. Cheers from NY !!!
POTA Flex + Snow.. Yes, that would work!
@@DXCommanderHQ It did work very well .DX Engineering bright PINK antenna wire as well . All stands out in snow and gives 3DB boost and matches girlfriends knickers giving 6DB more ! Cheers from cold NY ! 7F now !
@@robertmeyer4744 Ha!! You are funny!!
My Sig 9 was damaged in the recent storm, just a broken element (40M/15M). Easily repaired. The funny thing is that I now have a better tune across every band than before. Didn’t touch anything else. Weird and wonderful!
Magic!
It is the tiny cracks that lead to trouble 😊
Yup ... mine stayed down on its cradles for 5 days up here in the Borders and all was well once returned to normal. Now to cut the new elements and fit the new grey plates received last week. By the way Cal, I do now identify the elements using the plastic number 'beads' as your recommendation a couple of years ago.👍
Oh yes!
You survived it well. We had 95 mph winds here in North Shropshire, we lost power for 2 days with trees falling onto power lines.
Gulp! My oh my..
Had to go out in the night to re ratchet strap some timber that was being a wind plaything, it was that strong that the pigs did not come out the sty and just looked at me as if I was some kind of mad fool. The walk back up the hill was a crawl face into wind, I was glad to make the top having had doubts I would make it back. Belt and braces are definitely a worthwhile solution when living in a windy nook.
Clever pigs! LOL
Went through Helene and Milton. I can definitely relate. STILL fixing up the QTH...-73 KQ4KIO Talmadge
Oh goodness. Good luck.
For the second time this month, this week we had an actual blizzard with 80 km winds, -10C temps creating Lake effect squalls from the open water of the great lakes. Snow accumulation up to 80CM in some places..Zero visibility, Roads closed..It's not always common to be that bad but happens with cold winds blowing across the massive expanse of open water.
Wow
Nothing more permanent than a hams “temporary” solutions that are functional 😂
HA!
Good job mate , as we used to say in Telstra Nothing more permanent than temporary...hihi, don't envy your cold weather though ,Merry Christmas from down under peter de vk2nn
Very true! Mery Xmas
Antennas you sure do fall for them ! 😁
HAHAHAHA
happy to say my lightly guyed Sig9 rode out the weather no issues at all whereas my 12m spider pole with a t2lt taped to it telescoped itself down!!
Oh
Do you have a wind monitor in place to get the 62mph figure or is that what the weather forecast said.....
Someone on the site has one. We got it light!
My hf vertical survived the wind, but a 20 x 10 foot polytunnel with wooden edge boards landing on it killed it. Strange thing is i didn't have a polytunnel before 😂
Woah!
So is it better to keep the guys tight on a dxcommander, or leave some slack in them to let it bend in the wind to keep it from collapsing?
I have mine with a tiny bit of slack.. CHeap paracord works great because it has some stretch.
what is that fold over hinge? size, where to get one etc
Barenco do hinges - but so do scaffolding connectors.
@@DXCommanderHQ thanks for the tip. Merry Christmas
On my 12.4, I can't use clamps like that. Head/adjuster is too big. Elements move around too much in high winds. Even normal ones will catch the wire. I 3d printed two standoffs out of PTEG that snap on the mast and are secured with zip ties. They hold the problem elements in place so they don't catch on the hose clamp.
Callum, what wind??
We had 98mph in Devon
..... and don't I know it! My antenna collapsed mid-QSO! It remained collapsed for the rest of the weekend,
Howdy all
Another John! You chaps get everywhere!
You always mention the at button , is that the one in the radio or do you have an external tuner as well ?
Internal.. I do have an external one - bit it's not wired up.
Nooo😢😢
The blue hair was a red flag for the other flag.
If you put up an antenna and it doesn't fall down it wasn't big enough. 73s
HAHAHA
Love seeing the 🏳🌈 in the office/workshop 🙃💜 - And glad to see the SWR calculator is useful 😊
That's the kids..! And yeah - thanks for the SWR thingy old friend!
You realize that when , you see your physician, you will have to report that trip as a fall? (Doctors can then say, "Oh, he''s getting old and can no longer maintain his balance") --- at least in the US they do that. "Have you fallen in the last 90 days" is always a standard question medical examinations these years .... 😀
I have! Hahaha
If its not temporary then you need planning permission, ut you're working with their idea of what temporary looks like 😂