DX Engineering THUNDERBOLT DXE-MBVA-1UP Page 1 Manual Download

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DX Engineering
THUNDERBOLT™

160-10 Meter
Vertical Antenna

DXE-MBVA-1UP

DXE-MBVA-1UP-INS Revision 3

© DX Engineering 2012
P.O. Box 1491 ∙ Akron, OH 44309-1491 USA
Phone: (800) 777-0703 ∙ Tech Support and International: (330) 572-3200
Fax: (330) 572-3279 ∙ E-mail: [email protected]

Summary of Contents for THUNDERBOLT DXE-MBVA-1UP

Page 1: ...er Vertical Antenna DXE MBVA 1UP DXE MBVA 1UP INS Revision 3 DX Engineering 2012 P O Box 1491 Akron OH 44309 1491 USA Phone 800 777 0703 Tech Support and International 330 572 3200 Fax 330 572 3279 E...

Page 2: ...Pipe 8 Attaching Ground Radial Wires to the Radial Plate 9 Tilt Base to Mounting Pipe 10 Vertical Base Section 11 Base Section to Tilt Base 13 Assembling the Vertical Sections 14 Mating the Vertical...

Page 3: ...stomer supplied wide band tuner required Power Handling up to 5 kW Only 43 ft overall height Supplied Installation Items Tilt Base Precision laser cut from 3 16 in 304 Stainless Steel this patented ti...

Page 4: ...Band Vertical Antenna series Parts List for the DXE UN BRKT Qty Description 1 Patented Mounting Bracket for the DXE UN 43 4 6 x 3 4 long Stainless Steel Hex Head Bolts 8 6 Flat Washer 4 6 Nyloc Nut 2...

Page 5: ...2 ID x 3 25 leg w Saddle Hardware 2 DXE ECL 28SS Element Clamp 2 Black Vinyl Cap 1 Feedline Connection Qty 1 4 20 x 1 HH Bolt full thread 1 1 4 External Tooth Washer 2 1 4 Flat Washer 2 1 4 20 Hex nu...

Page 6: ...system is recommended for use with the DX Engineering Tilt Base because just one of the guy ropes has to be loosened when you tilt the vertical down The remaining guys help stabilize the vertical in t...

Page 7: ...this antenna Using 32 radials at 65 feet long is preferred and highly recommended The extra radials help overcome unknown poor soil conditions improve bandwidth and ensure the best performance possib...

Page 8: ...night Your location landscape and ground conditions may require different mounting solutions in order to have the steel mounting pipe and the vertical antenna in a secure position Note Galvanized stee...

Page 9: ...its 1 9 OD is just fine for this application and can usually be found at your local home building supply store Mount the Radial Plate so you have approximately 1 of space between the bottom of the pla...

Page 10: ...nded wire with black PVC insulation 20 Terminal Lugs and 100 Steel or Biodegradable Lawn Staples The DXE RADW 1000K BD Radial Wire Kit contains a 1 000 foot spool of 14 gauge copper stranded wire with...

Page 11: ...e of the DXE RADP 3 Radial Plate as shown in Figure 3 Make sure the Tilt Base and optional DXE RADP 3 Radial Plate are oriented correctly for the direction you wish to tilt the antenna See Figure 8 wh...

Page 12: ...nuts From the inside of the channel insert a 2 hex head bolt with a flat washer through each of the middle four holes through the backing plate Put on the aluminum spacer a split washer and a plain h...

Page 13: ...e section tube should extend 1 3 4 beyond the bottom of the U bolt clamp The feedpoint hardware should be coming out on the left side as you look at the lower section as shown in Figure 6 When tighten...

Page 14: ...htly loose Figure 7 Using a wrench or nut driver securely tighten the two Nyloc nuts at the bottom of the Tilt Base Then loosen them one half turn each This will allow proper movement of the Tilt Base...

Page 15: ...bind up and bend the lower bolts The Tilt Base is not made to support the whole antenna by itself when tilted When the antenna is tilted over ensure you have some sort of table stand or saw horse to s...

Page 16: ...minum tubing sections to bind during assembly Do not use any type of oil or general lubricant between the aluminum tubing sections Oils or general lubricants can cause poor electrical connections for...

Page 17: ...l assembly body of the clamp should be positioned between the slits in the tubes and 1 8 from the edge of each tube as shown in Figure 9 Figure 9 Using Figure 10 and Figure 11 for dimensions assemble...

Page 18: ...17 Figure 11 MBVA 1UP Section Dimensions...

Page 19: ...on the bottom section to make the fit easier Slide the band clamp down to the edge of the bottom section between the slits and tighten Overall antenna length from the top to the feedpoint is 43 feet...

Page 20: ...e never excessively loose before raising They should be first tightened securely and then backed off no more than 1 2 turn Once the antenna is fully raised tighten the tilt base hardware Top two Nyloc...

Page 21: ...e section open the upper and lower custom studded element clamps as shown in Figure 13 Figure 13 Position the UNUN Mounting Bracket so the bottom element clamp is located between the feedpoint hardwar...

Page 22: ...t blade screwdriver or nut driver snug them up as shown in Figure 15 Note position of lower clamp is between the feedpoint hardware and the U Bolt Figure 15 Position the UNUN so it faces forward Tight...

Page 23: ...to the terminal on the DXE UN 43 UNUN closest to the Red on the label as shown in Figure 16 Do not over tighten the wing nuts Hand tighten them only do not use pliers or other tools to over tighten t...

Page 24: ...most tuning problems are encountered One needs to examine the complex impedance R j to see the problem On 160 meters the use of 150 feet of polyethylene dielectric cable such as DXE 213U which has a...

Page 25: ...24 Figure 17 Completed Base Assembly for Reference...

Page 26: ...e capable of tuning this type of high performance vertical antenna system Tuners which are built into transceivers lack sufficient impedance tuning range for this type of high performance vertical ant...

Page 27: ...are tied to the earth anchors that are screwed into the ground at about the same angle as the ropes will be When using the Tilt Base position the guy wires as shown below This will make it easy to ra...

Page 28: ...d PL 259 and N connectors normally designed for RG 8 sized cables Attenuation 100 ft Power Rating Efficiency 0 4 dB 5 MHz 4 9 kW 90 0 6 dB 10 MHz 3 4 kW 87 1 0 dB 30 MHz 2 0 kW 79 1 3 dB 50 MHz 1 5 kW...

Page 29: ...st much longer in contact with soil than bare wire The DXE RADW 500K or 1000K kit provide everything you will need to build the perfect radial system 500 1000 ft spool of 14 AWG stranded copper wire w...

Page 30: ...ns 300 pack DXE STPL 100BD Radial Wire Staple Biodegradable 3 100 pack DX Engineering DXE STPL 100BD is a 100 pack of 3 biodegradable anchors that are produced from recycled PLA Polylactide Resin Depe...

Page 31: ...t can occur with the slightest roughness Only a couple of revolutions with very light pressure is needed to produce excellent results DX Engineering Tube Deburring Tools may be used to debur tubing an...

Page 32: ...tive by reason of improper installation damaged from severe weather including floods or abnormal environmental conditions such as prolonged exposure to corrosives or power surges or by the performance...

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