I finally got my #DXCommander finished and installed. Fantastic antenna design and working so much better than my old Alpha Delta DXCC.

Construction of my DX Commander on hold for a little bit again due to excessive heat 110°.

#DXCommander
#Vegasheat

@alex @kr8e Made some progress today building my DX Commander Classic. Between being legally blind, temps 110°/43.3° + every day progress is slow.
#HFantenna #DXCommander

Never mind #morse, if you want real old school then INTERCO flags are the way to go.
76, for my birthday, outside the shack with #DXCommander in background.

Taken down the #DXCommander Wind here currently Beaufort F8 with F9 forecast for later.
The base had moved. Will look into some sort had peg driven into the ground to slot it over, and also guy the top spreader.

Second QSO! On 17m this time. Got 59 from Slovenia on 15W from the new 17m element I added to the #DXCommander following advice from @DL9DX and @F1RUM
1500km - getting exciting.

POTA: LA-2535 Slottsfjellet Historic Site

https://lb5jj.no/2023/05/01/pota-la-2535-slottsfjellet-historic-site/

#hamradio #pota #parksontheair #ft891 #dxcommander #heilpro7

@F1RUM @DL9DX Thanks for #WRAC band advice.
I will add an element for 17m to my #DXCommander and give it a try.

Thanks for #WRAC band advice.
I will add an element for 17m to my #DXCommander and give it a try.

@stevehutchings @Katy I have a #DXCommander, which I am only now deploying, after years in the shed. Early thoughts: I didn't like the way the top 4m waved about in the wind (we are 800 m in from the Atlantic). I am sure it is not unsafe - my objections are aesthetic and unjustifiable. So now it's only 6m high. Seems to work but I still need to sort out radials properly: clear the area; dig them in; and seed with grass.
Oh yes, and there is the iterative tuning that aways goes with fans

I made a contact! First one in 10 years ON my elderly #sgc2020. About 1200km on 20m to northern Italy. They gave me 55 which I am pleased with for my measly 10W (not sure my SLAB will cope with heady 20W)
Looks like the #DXCommander fan vertical does work, even with only 12 random length casually laid radials.
Everything is so *quick* compared with marine radio!
#QSB
#LID

Got my #DXCommander up finally. Only 6m high because I didn't like the top 4m waving about. 12 radials at present. Looks as if 10m,15m,and 20m have fairly flat SWR and I can certainly hear lots of stuff but a few casual CQ calls didn't yeild any responses.

Now have the elements installed on the #DXCommander. #DX10 antenna wire is great - very flexible. Working on #radials: currently up to 8 in bundles of 4 - aiming for 32. Some 4m long some 6m, due to 8m wide plot. Plan to turf over when done.
Will get 100m RG213 next payday (less likely that Mrs G8GDS will notice) to site antenna as far away from digital noise as possible. Buried most of the way to the shack.
Agonised over color for guys: olive to disappear or hi-viz to avoid hanging myself.

Building my #DXCommander. Measuring, cutting, crimping and wrapping. All a bit of a challenge someone who has never been good at DIY and now has poor hand control. The granddaughter is coming down from London next week and can be roped in for #soldering. +1 for gender neutral craft tech in schools!

LA-2532 Fredriksten festning

https://lb5jj.no/2023/03/12/pota-la-2532-fredriksten-festning/

#2m #10m #20m #cg3000 #ft891 #pota #parksontheair #dxcommander #ft8 #ssb

#introduction
Been off the air since we sold our boat some years back. Nothing like the low noise floor of a sailing boat well offshore with everything shut down!

Now putting together #DXCommander fan #vertical to use with elderly #SGC2020.

Very rural village-edge location with reasonable take off, so high hopes....

10m 20m 40m SSB to start then CW when skills improve.

Upgrading DX Commander classic to the DX Commander Nebula. Time to get out the soldering iron and measuring out the elements. With any luck it’ll be up by the end of Feb. No reason to rush it. #dxcommander

I'm sure there's better ways to measure a hallway than using a 12.8m pole that's been glued together but hey, this works for me. I would like to see my #HamRadio #DXCommander Signature slip at the joints now!

My 12,4 #dxcommander fixations did not resist the actual wind. Like a tree with its roots. No damage, the antenna is smooth and flexible but will remain at least one week down due to the bad weather. Moving to long wire end-fed antenna. 73 friends, and happy new year.

Followup: I went out and pulled all of the slack there was in the coax, wrapped it around a tin can about eight times and duct taped it. It's a pretty terrible but traditional way to do a coax choke, and unlike the snap-on chokes this seems to have done the job. Mostly. I can crank out maximum power (just shy of 100W) and not crash anything, and the lights only flicker when dimmed.

Getting a #DXCommander soon. #EFHW are probably best suited to QRP, preferably POTA/SOTA.