Check out this fun, simple, and useful hands-on project, plus see more new products available at DX Engineering—an antenna sketchbook from Salty Walt and an easy-to-use end-fed half-wave portable antenna from Spooltenna Parks.
DX Engineering Low Power Portable Dipole and Winder Kits supply the parts for a fun DIY build of a lightweight resonant HF antenna designed for fast portable operations on 40 meters or higher frequency bands.
Making your own single- or dual-band linked dipole is easy. Once it’s built, you can repeatedly and quickly unwind the dipole, install it for POTA or other activities, make contacts on the air, wind it up when you’re done, and take it home for the next adventure.
Typically set up as an inverted-V, the DXE-LPB1-DWHF series portable dipoles are a perfect match for use with DX Engineering Nomad Portable Telescopic Masts.
Here’s what you receive:
- Center insulator with a 1:1 low power balun, 50-ohm (max. RF power 250W PEP SSB, 100W CW or Digital); BNC female right-angle connector pre-installed
- 24-gauge stranded hi-visibility yellow insulated wire; 80 feet (two 40-foot sections)
- 4 link insulators for supporting the wire; they may be used to “break up” the dipole into multiband sections
- 4 alligator clips (two per link); one link per side makes a two-band dipole
- 4 clip hooks for user-supplied rope
- Snap hook to support the center insulator balun on a NOMAD Portable Mast
- 3 easy-to-hold DX Engineering Red Winders for the portable dipole wires and user-supplied coaxial cable; winders have notches and holes for a variety of uses
- BongoTies (available in a variety of colors) to secure wires onto winders
Some Notes on the Low Power Dipole and Winder Kits
Resonant, low-SWR operation is accommodated on two bands by adding a pair of “band links.” Changing bands is done easily by linking or unlinking pairs of clips on opposite sides of the dipole. With the center of the antenna at 15 to 20 feet high and the ends of the dipole a few feet above the ground, the links are easy to reach.
The center insulator 1:1 balun feedpoint BNC can be easily connected with super thin DXE-174VDB cable or special adapter DXE-8XVDXB DX Engineering Hi-Visibility Orange Coaxial Cables, available in various lengths.
Here’s What Else is New at DX Engineering for July 2025
- “Salty Walt’s Portable Antenna Sketchbook”: Join popular YouTuber Salty Walt, K4OGO, of the “Coastal Waves & Wires” channel as he brings his beachside radio adventures to life in this unique and inspiring sketchbook. Featuring 15 hand-drawn portable antenna designs, this book is perfect for hams who love to experiment, explore, and operate in the great outdoors.
Spooltenna™ Parks End-Fed Half-Wave 40-10M Portable Wire Antenna: This compact and lightweight antenna makes a great addition to your POTA, SOTA, and Field Day activations. Its innovative spool design ensures rapid deployment and teardown, providing a worry-free operating experience that doesn’t compromise performance.
The antenna’s spool delivers easy winding and unwinding, allowing you to spend more time on the air and less time dealing with tangled wires. Simply place a screwdriver, pen, or whatever you have handy in the center hole of the antenna to act as an axle. As you hold the axle, walk toward your operating location, letting the spool unwind as you go. Plus, take advantage of low SWR on all supported bands with no antenna tuner required. Features include:
- 65-foot 20 AWG tinned copper wire
- 100W SSB/50W CW and Digital power handling
- Winding knob makes setup and teardown a breeze
- 4mm banana jack provides quick connection/disconnection of radiating element
- 10mm mounting holes on the face and back side provide flexible mounting or hanging options
- Strain relief loop on both ends of the radiating element
- Right-angle BNC connector aligns with direction of the feedline
- Supplied with BongoTies tie wraps for retaining wire on the spool
- Comes with assembled unit, field testing report for that serial number, owner’s manual, and Quick Start guide
Look for more OnAllBands features on new products available at DXEngineering coming soon.
