Serious DX With a Dipole

[chrissim]

I'm curious how many of you manage to work real DX with a simple dipole.

I won't bore you with details, but the beam is down and won't be reinstalled for a while. I've always used wire antennas on 40 and 80, but the beam served me extremely well on 20 through 10.

I've tried various wire antenna ideas, including arrays, but finally settled on a simple two band fan dipole along with a single band dipole near the fan.

I'd like to hear how those of you who use only dipoles fare during real DX pileups and how much power you're running. If not using a dipole, what type of wire antenna are you using? The question precludes something along the lines of a hexbeam or spiderbeam - I know they're constructed of wire (no cheating).

By the way, by serious DX I'm referring to rare entities, such as the currently operating Comoros (D67GIA) or similar.

Hoping for and looking forward to your stories/information.

 

[N2AL]

I run a 230 foot center fed zepp, hung about 60 feet in the air between two trees. I have made many contacts, including two from Antartica, which completed my run for all continents on the globe. It has worked quite well, and I am only running 100 watts of power. I use a Yaesu FT-857D with a MFJ 993b antenna tuner, running to the antenna. I use ladder line to supply the antenna, which only boost the capabilities of great DX work.




Andrew | N4AWL
www.n4awl.com

 

[elk2370bruce]

I've been running a simple dipole for 40, 20, 17, and 15 for five years and only four short of a DXCC running barefoot at ~ 80watts. It can be done and has been done for many over the years. You just have to work at it and the challenge can be rewarding.

 

[N2AL]

I've been running a simple dipole for 40, 20, 17, and 15 for five years and only four short of a DXCC running barefoot at ~ 80watts. It can be done and has been done for many over the years. You just have to work at it and the challenge can be rewarding.

I have been running 100 watts on 10/15/17/20/40/80/160 meters no problem. It works great on 30 meters but I never do anything on that band.




Andrew | N4AWL
www.n4awl.com

 

[K3DRQ]

I have had the DX-EE (40ft, 40m-10m, WARC needs tuner) in a sloper config in my yard for about 15 years. I've never had a rig over 100W. The performance is great on all the bands, the manual says something about problems with 40m, but I use 40m all the time and it works great!

I have a 1/2 wv 6m dipole and it doesn't do too well SWR-wise, but people always tell me on QSLs and sked pages that they're surprised it works at all, and it does! It also makes a great scanner antenna.

I am a few lots away from a ~1500 ft mountain peak so it might be different for everyone else

 

[AC2OY]

I'm curious how many of you manage to work real DX with a simple dipole.

I won't bore you with details, but the beam is down and won't be reinstalled for a while. I've always used wire antennas on 40 and 80, but the beam served me extremely well on 20 through 10.

I've tried various wire antenna ideas, including arrays, but finally settled on a simple two band fan dipole along with a single band dipole near the fan.

I'd like to hear how those of you who use only dipoles fare during real DX pileups and how much power you're running. If not using a dipole, what type of wire antenna are you using? The question precludes something along the lines of a hexbeam or spiderbeam - I know they're constructed of wire (no cheating).

By the way, by serious DX I'm referring to rare entities, such as the currently operating Comoros (D67GIA) or similar.

Hoping for and looking forward to your stories/information.

Chris what's your QTH? That one came up tonight in my DX spotter but I could barely hear him. My only antenna is a Comet 250 vertical up about 45 feet mounted to a flagpole in my yard. I'm located in Nothern New Jersey about 13 miles west on NYC. Heard the guy in Alaska better but there was a pileup and I had to come to work.

 

[chrissim]

Mike: I'm in SC. Comoros will be hard to work. It's # 81 on the DXCC list of most wanted/needed, so it's pretty rare. I got extremely lucky and worked him last night with the dipole, but I had to use all of the bells and whistles on my transceiver to really hear him over the typical nonsense and nuts (including the dude who was rag chewing two up from him and was splattering).

I've found that the pleasure derived from making such a contact is much more intense using a minimal antenna. It became expected if not standard for me to log rare ones using the beam. Now I have to keep my fingers crossed and really work for it. I've forgotten what a challenge it can be to use a dipole in certain circumstances. Before the beam came down, my last rare DX was Cocos Island during July. I remember logging it and being emotionless doing so. But when I made the Comoros contact, I was actually elated. Brought back some of that magic I used to feel when I first started in the hobby - not that long ago.

Sounds like those who have responded are doing great using simple wire.

 

[WA8ZTZ]

When 10 is open........it's open, and a dipole is all you need.

My 10 meter dipole is a sloper up only about 15' at the feedpoint. Fed with RG-6, no tuner.

It's fun to bust a pile up and contact the DX station on the first call using only 50 watts into a dipole.

 

[kj3n]

I'm curious how many of you manage to work real DX with a simple dipole.

I won't bore you with details, but the beam is down and won't be reinstalled for a while. I've always used wire antennas on 40 and 80, but the beam served me extremely well on 20 through 10.

I've tried various wire antenna ideas, including arrays, but finally settled on a simple two band fan dipole along with a single band dipole near the fan.

I'd like to hear how those of you who use only dipoles fare during real DX pileups and how much power you're running. If not using a dipole, what type of wire antenna are you using? The question precludes something along the lines of a hexbeam or spiderbeam - I know they're constructed of wire (no cheating).

By the way, by serious DX I'm referring to rare entities, such as the currently operating Comoros (D67GIA) or similar.

Hoping for and looking forward to your stories/information.

If by "real DX" you mean anything in the top 100, then I can provide you with the following list of DX, their current Club Log ranking, and date worked:

KH8 AMERICAN SAMOA #94 2007-09-04
3B7 AGALEGA & ST BRANDON ISLANDS #46 2007-09-09
FO/M MARQUESAS ISLANDS #75 2008-01-14
TI9 COCOS ISLAND #27 2008-02-11
VP6/D DUCIE ISLAND #42 2008-02-15
VK9W WILLIS ISLAND #32 2008-10-12
KP5 DESECHEO ISLAND #43 2009-02-16
PY0T TRINDADE & MARTIM VAZ ISLANDS #29 2009-10-19
E4 PALESTINE #99 2010-06-04
TL CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC #55 2011-04-25
E6 NIUE #97 2011-11-07
HK0/M MALPELO ISLAND #79 2012-01-14
C21 NAURU #72 2012-02-05
E5/N NORTH COOK ISLANDS #57 2012-04-04
7O YEMEN #84 2012-05-03
T5 SOMALIA #69 2012-05-15
A5 BHUTAN #85 2012-06-02
D6 COMOROS #81 2012-08-11
1S SPRATLY ISLANDS #71 2012-08-12
AP PAKISTAN #70 2012-09-24
3D2/C CONWAY REEF #48 2012-09-28
5U NIGER #82 2012-10-03
ZD9 TRISTAN DA CUNHA & GOUGH ISLANDS #68 2012-10-03
TT CHAD #92 2012-10-04
T30 WESTERN KIRIBATI #98 2012-10-21
FO/C CLIPPERTON ISLAND #77 2013-03-06
KH9 WAKE ISLAND #45 2013-11-06
T33 BANABA ISLAND #52 2013-11-14
S2 BANGLADESH #64 2013-11-21
VU7 LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS #66 2013-12-01
FT5Z AMSTERDAM & ST PAUL ISLANDS #54 2014-02-02
ZL7 CHATHAM ISLAND #91 2014-03-24
FT/T TROMELIN ISLAND #33 2014-11-05
EP IRAN #53 2015-01-23
KP1 NAVASSA ISLAND #22 2015-02-04
E3 ERITREA #36 2015-03-09
FW WALLIS & FUTUNA ISLANDS #74 2015-06-06

Some of that was worked with just 100w, others were done with the help of an AL-80B. All of them were worked on simple wire antennas. The list of antennas includes:

An 80m doublet (134 feet long) at 65 feet. (80-10)
A 40m full-sized horizontal loop at 35 feet. (40-10)
A 51 foot doublet at 45 feet. (40-10)

I have never had a tower. I can't afford one. There's not much chance that I'll ever be able to afford one. Even if I could afford one, the wife wouldn't tolerate it. For whatever reason, she's more tolerant of the 6 wire antennas than she is with the idea of a 70 foot tower.

All things considered, I think I'm doing fairly well.

 

[AC2OY]

Yeah I would say so. Like Chris said I could bearly hear the guy from South Africa. I might have to open up the manual and figure out how to adjust my receive equalizer and the noise reduction perhaps. I heard him but he was faint and just above the noise.

 

[AK9R]

The key to working DX with a dipole is the antenna.

A properly sized dipole at the correct height above ground can work very well as KJ3N demonstrates. Those of us with compromised dipoles at less than optimum height experience great frustration trying to work DX...especially with 100 watts on SSB. There's just no substitute for a good antenna.

 

[chrissim]

KJ3N: that's an impressive list and I congratulate you for achieving that using wires. Almost all of my DX in the top 100 came when I got the beam, I can't imagine doing what you have with wire. In fact, from A/B tests, some of those I couldn't even hear without the beam. Sincerely, you've done very well.

I noticed from your QRZ page that use data modes - seems almost exclusively. Regarding those contacts you listed, did you make those phone, data, CW or a combination?

 

[N0IU]

I can't imagine doing what you have with wire.

I got one of these with 100 watts and a vertical:

And I am 14 short of my 150 contact endorsement.

And speaking of digital, I also have one of each of these on various digital modes, mostly RTTY.

So yes, it can be done WITHOUT a beam!

 

[kj3n]

KJ3N: that's an impressive list and I congratulate you for achieving that using wires. Almost all of my DX in the top 100 came when I got the beam, I can't imagine doing what you have with wire. In fact, from A/B tests, some of those I couldn't even hear without the beam. Sincerely, you've done very well.

I noticed from your QRZ page that use data modes - seems almost exclusively. Regarding those contacts you listed, did you make those phone, data, CW or a combination?

I've only been on JT modes since May of 2014, so anything before that is either SSB or RTTY. I'd have to go back and find out which is which, but I'd say that roughly 80% is SSB and 20% is RTTY. In several cases, I've worked the same DX on both modes.

Only 2 on that list were CW and I used a computer to send and receive both times. I don't do CW otherwise. I actually hate the mode. Guess that means I'm never making top of Honor Roll.

Only Wallis & Futuna was done on JT modes, and all 3 times (40m, 17m, and 15m) I was running under 50w.

 

[chrissim]

Well, I think you're all doing extremely well. I suppose the point of my inquiry was to give myself some encouragement since it's been so long since I just used wire 20 through 10. If I remember correctly, I had about 70 entities toward the DXCC before I got the beam. I had the beam for roughly 1 1/2 years and blew through to 239 DXCC worked (not all confirmed). My point is, without the beam, I don't feel I could have worked so many using just wire in my location.

Saying that, I can't stand the idea of using weak signal modes, such as JT. I tried it for a couple of weeks and found it exceedingly boring. I can send CW, but have difficulty deciphering it. I've often thought of using the built in decoder on my transceiver, but I feel like I'm cheating. I've tried PSK and Olivia and didn't find those that entertaining. RTTY is acceptable for me, however.

 

[AK9R]

RTTY is acceptable for me, however.

RTTY is my secret weapon.

Last year when the W1AW/p stations were on the air from around the country, I was having trouble breaking pile-ups using 100 watts SSB into a dipole. So, I taught myself how to operate RTTY and started seeking W1AW/p stations that were operating RTTY. It made a huge difference in my success rate.

When Navassa Island was on the air earlier this year, my first contact with them was on 30m RTTY.

I find that I really enjoy operating RTTY, have completed WAS on RTTY, and have even entered a few RTTY contests.

 

[kj3n]

Well, I think you're all doing extremely well. I suppose the point of my inquiry was to give myself some encouragement since it's been so long since I just used wire 20 through 10. If I remember correctly, I had about 70 entities toward the DXCC before I got the beam. I had the beam for roughly 1 1/2 years and blew through to 239 DXCC worked (not all confirmed). My point is, without the beam, I don't feel I could have worked so many using just wire in my location.

Well, you might not have worked as many in such a short time frame. It's taken 24 years of casual operation for me to reach 258. Most of that total has been since we moved to the current QTH in 2003. Before that, I was on a typical 60 foot by 100 foot lot. Here, I have about 0.7 acres and lots of 70 foot trees.

Saying that, I can't stand the idea of using weak signal modes, such as JT. I tried it for a couple of weeks and found it exceedingly boring.

JT modes are like contesting at the speed of molasses in January. If that fast. Still, I've worked signals that couldn't even be heard, including a VK3 on 160m JT65.

I can send CW, but have difficulty deciphering it. I've often thought of using the built in decoder on my transceiver, but I feel like I'm cheating.

Yeah, I don't bother with such purist rubbish. K1N wasn't doing 160m SSB, so if I wanted another notch in my DXCC total on that band, it was computer decoded and generated CW, or nothing. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

 

[KD8DVR]

I'm curious how many of you manage to work real DX with a simple dipole.

I won't bore you with details, but the beam is down and won't be reinstalled for a while. I've always used wire antennas on 40 and 80, but the beam served me extremely well on 20 through 10.

I've tried various wire antenna ideas, including arrays, but finally settled on a simple two band fan dipole along with a single band dipole near the fan.

I'd like to hear how those of you who use only dipoles fare during real DX pileups and how much power you're running. If not using a dipole, what type of wire antenna are you using? The question precludes something along the lines of a hexbeam or spiderbeam - I know they're constructed of wire (no cheating).

By the way, by serious DX I'm referring to rare entities, such as the currently operating Comoros (D67GIA) or similar.

Hoping for and looking forward to your stories/information.

Totally doable. Geographical location, height and design of antenna, band conditions all play into it. If you are on the air on the right day, you have unlimited potential.

 

[WA8ZTZ]

Propagation does most of the work.
A good antenna is next on the list.
Then comes a sensitive RX... can't work 'em if you can't hear 'em.
TX power is least important, but nonetheless, nice to have.

 

[K5MPH]

Been working 10 Meters for 20 years on a home made dipole works great........