DX Engineering DXE-RADP-3 Instructions manual

SHORT TAKES

Reprinted with permission of ARRL

DX Engineering Radial Plate

If you have a ground-mounted vertical antenna, you can
never have too many radials (at least within reason). Radials
create the ground return that is essential to good vertical per­formance.

Bringing many wires together at a single point and ensur­ing a low-resistance connection to the ground side of your an­tenna isn’t always as easy as it seems. The more radials you
install, the more difficult the process can become. Thankfully,
DX Engineering has provided the means to install radials and
connect them to your antenna as painlessly as possible.

The Plate

The DX Engineering Radial Plate measures 12 inches square
and about
steel and features 60 holes around the perimeter for radial con­nections, as well as a vertical bracket for securing the plate to
the vertical antenna mast using the optional DXE-SAD-175A

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/4 inch saddle clamp and stainless U bolt. The Plate also in­cludes a cutout for an optional SO-239 coax connector. This
is a nice option for homebrew antenna designs. You could even
install a threaded bulkhead connector in the cutout and use it
as a kind of elegant coax “pass through.”

and washers. You can order more from DX Engineering, but
20 are probably enough for most installations if you connect
more than one radial per bolt.

Installation

Fluidmotion SmallIR vertical antenna. Installation was
straightforward—I removed the antenna from the base mast,
slipped the Radial Plate over the mast, then reattached the
antenna. With a little assistance from my wife, that operation
required all of 30 seconds.

laying them every which way across the new spring grass. I
combined each set of two radials at the Plate and secured them
with bolts and washers. Despite the use of locking washers,
the bolts still had a tendency to turn when I tightened the nuts.
I solved that annoyance by grabbing the bolt heads with
ViceGrips during the tightening process.

you definitely do not want to secure the Plate to a mast before
you’ve finished the last radial. You need to be able to lift the
Plate slightly to insert each bolt.

to attach all of my 35 radial wires in less than 30 minutes by
attaching several on individual bolts. There was only one more
wire to attach—a short piece between one of the Plate bolts
and the ground screw on my SmallIR antenna. With that ac­complished, I slipped the U bolt over the base mast, threaded
the nuts and tightened it onto the Plate. Done!

Conclusion

drudgery of installing a network of radials for your antenna
system. The connections are both electrically and mechani-

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/16 of an inch thick. It is made of laser-cut stainless

The Plate comes with 20

I used the DX Engineering Radial Plate with my

With the Radial Plate in place, I went wild with radial wires,

The bolts are inserted from the underside of the Plate, so

Thanks to Vise-Grips and an electric screwdriver, I was able

The DX Engineering Radial Plate substantially reduces the

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/4-inch stainless-steel bolts, nuts

The Plate in position at the base of the antenna, prior to
attaching radials.

The finished installation.

cally secure. And, if you have spare holes remaining, it is easy
to add more radials in the future.

44309; tel (orders only, Monday-Friday 1200-2030 UTC) 800­777-0703; www.dxengineering.com. Radial Plate: $49.95;

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/4 inch Saddle Clamp and Stainless U-bolt: $5.83; SO-239
Chassis Mount Socket: $4.90; Package of 20 additional nuts,
bolts and washers: $4.95.

Manufacturer: DX Engineering, PO Box 1491, Akron, OH

Steve Ford, WB8IMY

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From September 2004 QST © ARRL