There are more than a few good reasons why DX Commander antennas, finely produced in England’s Midlands region and exclusively sold in North America through DX Engineering, are some of the most popular amateur radio antennas in the world.
Before we explore the latest addition to these proven performers (the Venture model, see below) designed and tested by company founder/director Callum McCormick, M0MCX, here are a few reasons, courtesy of amateur operators who have used them, why a DX Commander HF Multiband Vertical Antenna could be the perfect choice for your base or portable operations:
- Signature 9, 40-10M, 29.5 feet:
“Superb quality components. Complete and easy to understand user guide. Easy to tune. Functions as described. Follow the directions and you will be very satisfied with the results.” Dennis, DX Engineering Customer
- Signature 12.4, 80-6M, 40.7 feet: “The DX Commander 12.4 has proven to be an outstanding performer on all bands. From its efficient design to reliable operation, this antenna has exceeded my expectations. It’s well-engineered and straightforward to set up, providing excellent gain and consistent signal quality across multiple bands. In use, the DX Commander 12.4 has shown remarkable versatility, handling everything from casual QSOs to competitive contesting without a hitch. Its robust construction ensures it holds up in various weather conditions, giving you the confidence that your station will stay on the air.” Harley, DX Engineering Customer
- Signature 18 Nebula, 80-6M, 59 feet: “I love this antenna; the build quality and attention to detail are wonderful. Callum has created an amazing product line. I put this antenna up last fall and it survived one of the worst winters we’ve had in western NY in quite some time. We had up to five feet of snow around it most of the winter and many days with 60+ MPH gusts. Beautifully resonant on all bands, I can’t speak any better of this antenna. Like Callum himself says, do not build this alone unless you have experience. 59 feet is a lot to stand up and take down until you know what to expect. It also takes two people, or a way to secure one end, while you pull with all your weight to extend each section to full extension. I also have the DX Commander Expedition and the Signature 9, way easier for a single person and equally amazing!”
- Expedition Portable, 40-6M, 30.2 feet: “I’ve had impressive results with this antenna. Setup was not difficult and tuning was fairly simple. This antenna is very portable and I’ve been able to run 1.5 kW through it and get 59+
+signal reports. I’m very happy with this antenna.” Greg, DX Engineering Customer
Also, check out these OnAllBands reviews of the DX Commander Classic (40-2M, 33 feet) and DX Commander Rapide (40-6M, 23 feet) models.
Now to the Latest DX Commander Portable DXing Workhorse
The DX Commander Venture HF Multiband Vertical Antenna is built on the proven success of other DX Commander antennas but optimized for portable operation. Efficiently resonant on 40, 20, and 15 meters (operation on 10 and 6 meters is possible with an antenna tuner), the Venture employs the same principals as a fan dipole, with several vertical wire elements of various resonant lengths attached to a common feedpoint.
The wire elements and any supporting ropes are arranged on spacer plates with “speed slots” around the non-conductive fiberglass mast.
When a proper radial system is attached to the radial plate, the Venture will achieve quarter-wave vertical performance with natural resonance and low SWR on the bands it’s configured for with no antenna tuner required.
Band-hopping DXing and simultaneous multiband multiplex operations are supported. The Venture is rated at 1,500W SSB/CW and 400W for FT8 and other digital modes.
Standing at only 23 feet tall, the Venture is easy to set up in the field. SWR bandwidth is typically 300 kHz on the bands the antenna is cut for.
The DX Commander Venture includes:
- Fiberglass Ground Post
- Alloy Plates made from aircraft-quality 5251 alloy. They are laser cut in England before deburring to give that “hammered” look, which eliminates sharp edges and provides a nice finish.
- Spreader Plates made from marine-grade high-density polyethylene sheet material. The charcoal-gray plates are UV and environmentally stabilized to withstand the harshest of marine and high RF conditions. Spreader plates are machine-cut in England to DX Commander specifications.
- Marine-Grade Shock Cord with a UV and RF stable Dyneema woven exterior
- Hardware Kit includes stainless steel bolts, wing nuts, and spade connectors.
- UHF Female SO-239 Coaxial Connector made from nickel-plated brass with PTFE dielectric
- Fiberglass Poles made to DX Commander specifications in a spiral-wound fiber with high-quality epoxy and paint finish
- DX10 Wire has an outstanding reputation for both strength and extreme flexibility. The insulation is “arctic grade” and still flexible down to -40° F. Originally designed for military use, this insulation is particularly strong but highly flexible. The stranded annealed copper wire is approximately 19 AWG and is made from 24 strands of 0.008-inch wire.
Find the full lineup of DX Commander HF Multiband Vertical Antennas, replacements parts, and DX10 Antenna Wire 328-Foot Spool at DXEngineering.com.
