DX Engineering DXE-MBVE-1 User Manual Download

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Multi-Band
  Vertical Antenna

160 through 10 Meters

DXE-MBVE-1

DXE-MBVE-1-INS-Revision 16f

© 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 DXE-MBVE-1

Page 1: ... through 10 Meters DXE MBVE 1 DXE MBVE 1 INS Revision 16f 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 DXEngineering DXEngineering com ...

Page 2: ...ng 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 Sections to the Tilt Base 18 Raising The Vertical 18 Assembling the UNUN Mounting Bracket 19 Installation of UNUN Assembly to Antenna 20 Feedline Connections 22 Coaxial Cable and 160 Meter Notes 23 Tuning the Vertic...

Page 3: ...ency Power Handling up to 5 kW built to last WARNING INSTALLATION OF ANY ANTENNA NEAR POWER LINES IS DANGEROUS Warning Do not locate the antenna near overhead power lines or other electric light or power circuits or where it can come into contact with such circuits When installing the antenna take extreme care not to come into contact with such circuits because they may cause serious injury or dea...

Page 4: ...75 x 0 058 x 36 Tube Split one end 1 1 4 20 Hex nut 4 1 250 x 0 058 x 36 Tube Split one end 1 1 4 Fender Washer 1 OD 4 1 125 x 0 058 x 36 Tube Split one end 1 1 4 20 Flanged Nut 2 1 000 x 0 058 x 36 Tube Split one end 1 1 4 20 Nyloc nut 4 0 875 x 0 058 x 36 Tube Split one end 1 3 8 U Bolt Kits 2 0 750 x 0 058 x 36 Tube Split one end 1 0 625 x 0 058 x 36 Tube Split one end 1 Feedpoint Connection 0 ...

Page 5: ...d Impedance 200 ohms to 50 ohms optimized for 43 foot verticals Ratio 4 1 Power Handling 2 KW 5 KW Peak Handles rated power with minimal energy loss so there is no thermal related failure Silver Teflon SO 239 input connector Two 1 4 20 feedpoint connection studs with Stainless Steel Flat Washers Split Washers Fender Washers Wing Nuts High impact plastic weather sealed NEMA spec case 2 1 2 x 4 x 4 ...

Page 6: ...e in 20 Ft 32 Ft or 65Ft lengths DXE GUY 200 Guying Kit for Vertical Antennas Some vertical manufacturers indicate their antennas do not need guying During times of high winds or ice loading some of these verticals may sustain damage or fail altogether With the small amount of effort needed to install a four point guying system the risk hardly seems worth taking A four point guying scheme provides...

Page 7: ... radials should placed as symmetrically as possible straight from the feedpoint around the vertical antenna and spaced evenly regardless of how many radials are used Do not cross or bunch any radial wires as this nullifies their effectiveness If you have limited space put in as many straight radials as you can The radials must be connected to the shield of your feedline The DXE RADP 3 Stainless St...

Page 8: ... tubing sections an insulated U channel two DXE SAD 200A 2 U Bolt assemblies a backing plate a Tilt Base with two stainless steel V Clamps 15 stainless steel clamps a black vinyl cap and stainless steel hardware Carefully un box the antenna and separate the various parts All of the element sections are 36 long The 2 OD base element section is drilled for the feedpoint connection The top 3 8 OD sec...

Page 9: ...2 galvanized water pipe with 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 plate and the ground level This will allow easy access to install the radial wire hardware The DXE RADP 3 Radial Plate comes with 20 sets of stainless steel hardware for moun...

Page 10: ... copper stranded 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 black PVC insulation 40 Terminal Lugs and 200 Steel or Biodegradable Lawn Staples RADW 20RT 32RT or 65RT contain 20 each radial wires with 1 4 terminal attached These kits come in 20 Ft 3...

Page 11: ... Tilt Base and optional DXE RADP 3 Radial Plate are oriented correctly for the direction you wish to tilt the antenna See Figure 8 which shows the tilt action Tighten the clamps evenly so the length of the exposed threads is approximately equal Any clamp should be tightened evenly from side to side with an equal amount of thread above each nut Figure 3 NOTE If you are installing the optional DXE M...

Page 12: ...r 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 hex nut Tighten firmly but not enough to crush the insulated channel Figure 4 Using the 36 base section tube install the feedline 1 4 20 x 1 long bolt through the hole in the tube from the inside so t...

Page 13: ...se 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 tightening observe the split washers When they fully seat flatten out the clamp is tight enough Any clamp should be tightened evenly from side to side with an equal amount of thread above each nut Figure 6 ...

Page 14: ... loose Figure 7 Using a wrench or nut driver securely tighten the two Nyloc nuts at the bottom of the patented Tilt Base Then loosen them one half turn each This will allow proper movement of the Tilt Base while raising or lowering the antenna It is not necessary to tighten these nuts more securely unless further tilt operation is no longer required They should not be loosened more than one half t...

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 set the antenna on to aid in supporting the weight When the antenna is in the upright position ensure the mounting hardware reference Figure 7 is tightened Figure 8 Tilt Action Note A pair of sawhorse...

Page 16: ...ubing sections Oils or general lubricants can cause poor electrical connections for radio frequencies 3 Clean the outside of the aluminum tubing to clear any dirt or foreign material that would cause the clamps to malfunction during assembly 4 The use of DXE P8A Penetrox A is highly recommended Penetrox A is an electrical joint compound which effects a substantial electrical connection between met...

Page 17: ...ent clamp is positioned between the slits and tighten securely Repeat the procedure with the marked end of the elements and the other element tubes using one of the element clamps as you work your way up the antenna length Continue mating the smaller tubes inside the larger ones Double check the vertical sections you have just assembled Using a felt tip pen measure and mark the antenna sections as...

Page 18: ... 17 The top section may be adjusted to vary the length for fine adjustment if necessary Overall height is 43 Feet Figure 11 Finished Antenna Assembly Drawing not scale ...

Page 19: ...f Penetrox A 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 Raising the Vertical DANGER Make sure you have not inadvertently located the antenna underneath power lines Residential power lines are often less than 40 high Contact With Any Power or Utility Lines Can Be Lethal The tilt base certainly makes it easie...

Page 20: ... turn Once the antenna is fully raised tighten the tilt base hardware Top two Nyloc nuts and two flange nuts Bottom two Nyloc nuts Assembling the UNUN Mounting Bracket Using the 6 hex head bolts 6 flat washers and 6 Nyloc nuts attach the UNUN to the patented UNUN Bracket with the SO 239 connector facing down Tighten the Nyloc Nuts so they are snug Do not over tighten since the mounting tabs on the...

Page 21: ...n 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 hardware and the U Bolt as shown in Figure 14 Tighten the element clamps to hold the assembly in place Figure 14 A Clamps open Clamp Ends inserted to go around Base Section B Clamp Ends Starting to go behind Base Section...

Page 22: ...nsert the clamp ends into the worm drive of the clamps and using a flat 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 ...

Page 23: ...al antenna system Both braids are 1 wide by 9 in length Connect one braid from the antenna feedpoint located on the base section of the antenna to the terminal on the DXE UN 43 UNUN closest to the Red on the label as shown in Figure 17 Do not over tighten the wing nuts Hand tighten them only do not use pliers or other tools to over tighten the wing nuts Connect the other 9 braid from the terminal ...

Page 24: ...ot interfere with the tilting process Figure 17 Your coaxial cable from the radio connects direct to the SO 239 connector on the DXE UN 43 UNUN Weatherproof this coaxial connection using TRM 06132 Scotch Super 33 and DXE 3M2155 3M Temflex 2155 Rubber Splicing Tape ...

Page 25: ...se of 150 feet of polyethylene dielectric cable such as DXE 213U which has a Velocity Factor of approximately 0 66 will transform the 2 j183 impedance at the output of the UNUN to a more tunable 38 j180 at the tuner On the other hand if you were to use 150 feet of coaxial cable that has a Velocity Factor of 0 85 like foam dielectric LMR 400 the impedance on 160 meters would be transformed to only ...

Page 26: ... 25 Figure 18b Completed Base Assembly for Reference ...

Page 27: ...performance vertical antenna system Tuners which are built into transceivers lack sufficient impedance tuning range for this type of high performance vertical antenna system The actual impedance of the multi band antenna is affected by local conditions including proximity to structures other antennas number of radials or personal preference for the mounting location It may be necessary to adjust t...

Page 28: ... 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 raise or lower the antenna and only one guy line needs to be loosened The other guy lines will help guide the antenna on the way up Depending on your antenna system additional guys at points higher on t...

Page 29: ...rks with the DXE UN 43 UNUN or similar competitive UNUNs and Baluns which use the same weatherproof NEMA case Kit includes Aluminum Mounting Plate Studded Stainless Steel Element Clamps Stainless steel mounting hardware DXE TCB UNFK Feed Point Connection Kit UNUN to Vertical Antenna This kit consists of two tinned copper braid straps for connection between a DXE UN 43 UNUN and the ground radial sy...

Page 30: ...e Power Injector for 12 Vdc RG 8X 2 ft Coaxial Cable with PL 259 Connectors 2 Tinned Copper Braids 1 wide for connection to your optional Radial Plate Feedline wire 14 ga insulated stranded copper with Ring Terminal attached UMI 81343 DXE NSBT8 Anti Seize Never Seez An Anti seize compound MUST be used on any Stainless Steel nuts bolts clamps or other hardware to prevent galling and thread seizure ...

Page 31: ...riendly DXE 225RT 20 Ring terminal 16 14 Wire Gauge 1 4 hole 20 pk his is a set of 20 ring terminals for AWG 14 to 16 wire with a clearance hole for a 1 4 bolt These are the same crimp terminals supplied with the DXE Radial Wire Kits for 14 Radial and Antenna Wire SUM 900031 Automatic Wire Stripper Crimper Cutter 24 10 Ga Our DX Engineering wire stripper uses a spring loaded design to make quick w...

Page 32: ...hnical Support If you have questions about this product or if you experience difficulties during the installation contact DX Engineering at 330 572 3200 You can also e mail us at DXEngineering DXEngineering com For best service please take a few minutes to review this manual before you call Warranty All products manufactured by DX Engineering are warranted to be free from defects in material and w...

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