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October 2025 - DX Commander Signature 9
I spent a very enjoyable day this month working with Geoff MW7GQB to erect his new aerial.
Geoff had driven up to the DX Commander open day and gotten a discount and a good day out.
When I arrived, Geoff had already fitted the pole with all the wire spreaders and attached the base "bracketry". He had also measured out the elements and marked them. Finally, he had also laid the earth radial wires. Lots of them!
So our job was inserting the right wires in the spacers and in the correct relationship with each other - as every one affects the other to some degree. The instructions (which Geoff had printed out) show one chart to cover all models and I admit that my eyes glazed over. I suggest that you mark up your chart so that you focus on the placement position for your particular model. (as I show below).
Callum has done all the donkey work in the design and if you assemble it as he says - it will work.
Keeping the wires from flopping around is done using "shock cord". This is elastic and there was plenty provided. Also heat shrink sleeving with glue inside. Marvellous stuff. We needed two hands to stretch the shock cord and two to tie the knot - until I came up with the idea of poking the screwdriver of my pocket knife in the hole (see photo). This kept the elastic stretched while tying.
Then we worked on each element bringing it into resonance and securing with tape and then once completed, we started again measuring and finally removing the tape and securing the end loops with the adhesive heat shrink. How you would do this without an analyser doesn't bear consideration!
Just after I left, Geoff worked Brazil on 10 metres with a 59 both ways!
Geoff is the perfect use-case for a vertical that does all bands 40 and down. He has a quite small plot and has done wonders with small horizontal aerials, but this vertical will open up new radio vistas for him.
Callum says that you will likely get two - perhaps three "bonus bands" of 4M, 6M and 2 Metres. He makes no great claims for the performance there but certainly functionality - with sometimes a nudge from an ATU.
We tested Geoff's aerial on 6M and he was certainly going to be able to use it there.
All the materials were first rate - as were the instructions. I was impressed.
The model that Geoff chose is self-supporting on the short pole that is included in the price.
All you have to provide is the concrete!
To make the antenna safe in the event of (say) a storm, all Geoff has to do us undo the PL259 and disconnect one spade terminal and he can lift the whole assembly off the pole and lay it down.
Read more at the DXCommander Website:
https://dxcommander.com/product/signature-9-dx-commander-all-band-vertical/
The finished antenna in Geoff's garden.
I think I would far rather spend money on this than a complex trap laden beastie that might corrode after a few years. There isn't anything in the DX Commander that you couldn't repair or get replacements for.