For more than two decades, the hams at DX Engineering have invested a great deal of time and brainpower toward enhancing the performance of Hustler BTV Series 4-, 5-, and 6-Band Vertical Antennas. This commitment has resulted in a slew of complementary DX Engineering-produced Hustler antenna products coupled with smart advice about installing ground radials for optimal results. 

This combination of add-ons and operational wisdom continues to result in spectacular results for hams around the world. Here’s just one of many favorable opinions:

Five Stars (4BTV 4-Band HF Vertical Antenna): This antenna performs above and beyond what I expected! I hadn’t made any DX contacts in a very long time on the voice portion of the HF bands. After installing this per instructions and laying down 24 ground radials of various lengths due to confined space I easily made a contact into Germany through a pileup first try! Got a good 5-7 report with great audio! I also added the 17M add-on kit which performs flawlessly! Best antenna I have purchased!! Highly recommend this antenna if you are limited on space!

Ronald, DX Engineering Customer

Hustler BTV upgrades available at DXEngineering.com include the DX Engineering Direct Coax Feed Add-On Kit; BTV Series Antenna Packages, which come with OMNI-TILT Base, DX Engineering patented Radial Plate, clamps, and hardware; DX Engineering Vertical Antenna Matching Network; and the 64-page instruction manual, which one customer called “the most important part of my antenna package.”

OnAllBands plans to cover all of the above in later posts, but first we’re checking out customer reviews of Hustler BTV Series add-on kits. In part one of this series, we explored the 17M add-on kit.

Today, we’ll be heading to the low bands for a look at the 80M add-on for the Hustler 4-BTV antenna (40/20/15/10M).

The 80M add-on is tunable for operating across a small segment of the 75/80m band with an SWR of 1.5:1 or less. Larger frequency excursions are easily made by lowering the antenna and adjusting the length of the top rod. A DX Engineering DXE-TB-3P Tilt Base Antenna Mounting System (sold separately) makes this a simple job. A good SWR meter or antenna analyzer will allow you to check the overall performance of the antenna while making final adjustments.

The DX Engineering 80M add-on kit requires no disassembly of your existing antenna. Simply add one of these kits to the top of the existing installation, make some minimal tuning adjustments, and enjoy getting on the air with an additional band. These kits come complete with Hustler RM75/80 resonator with large corona ball whip; Allen wrench for the two Allen set screws on the 80M resonator; and three-bladed spider assembly (above).

What Does the Customer Say About the 80M Add-On Kit?

Five Stars: Excellent! Simple to install and tune. Best reports ever with locals. Then worked Puerto Rico first night.

James, DX Engineering Customer

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Five Stars: Easy to install and tune. And nice to get all the needed parts in one kit with good instructions.

Aaron, DX Engineering Customer

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Five Stars: Easy to install, especially if you have the Omni-Tilt base on your 4BTV. Tuning was simple, took about three tries to get it centered on the frequency I wanted using the MFJ-223 analyzer. Performance with 32 radials is not bad. Expect about 45-50KHZ of usable 2:1 SWR bandwidth.

Samuel, DX Engineering Customer

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Arrived quickly, well packed. 80M resonator and whip in one box, three-leg spider in second box shipped separately. Easy to install on my 5+ year old 4BTV. Required a bit of retuning the vertical, mostly 40M (top section was shortened a bit). SWR about 1.5:1 80-40-20M and 1.2:1 15-10M with my 36 radials. Have had a few 80M QRP QSOs so far. Signal reports about one S unit weaker than my full length 80M dipole—not bad for a shortened radiator. QRO probably better.

Paul, DX Engineering Customer

The post What Does the Customer Say? Hustler BTV Series Vertical Antenna Add-On Kits: Part 2, 80M Add-On Kit appeared first on OnAllBands.

OnAllBands has been taking a close look at products that can help you get more out of your Hustler 4BTV, 5BTV, and 6BTV vertical antennas. We’ve got quite a bit of ground to cover, so we’re starting with the DX Engineering add-on kits that let you easily and effectively expand coverage. Check out this article on the Hustler BTV Series 17M Add-On Kit. Later this month we’ll be exploring what operators say about the 80M add-on kit.

Today, we turn our attention to the latest addition to DX Engineering’s lineup of devices that have turned the Hustler BTV verticals into an affordable and proven DXing juggernaut for hams around the globe, especially those dealing with limited space and HOA restrictions.

The updated DX Engineering 12 Meter Add-On Kit for Hustler 4BTV, 5BTV, or 6BTV HF Vertical Antennas (DXE-AOKC-12M) adds 12 meter coverage (24.890 through 24.990 MHz) without giving up existing band coverage. Simply install the kit, check the tuning, make minimal tuning adjustments, and you’re on the air with an additional band.

Users on eHam.net have called the DXE-AOKC-12M a “great product for the money,” “first-rate made,” “a superior product that performs, “very easy to assemble,” and “a straightforward way to add 12M to the Hustler without it looking like a Rube Goldberg contraption.” Check out all the reviews at eHam.net.

The RF power handling of the DXE-AOKC-12M 12 Meter Add-On Kit is conservatively rated for 1,500 watts PEP SSB, 1,000 watts CW, and 375 watts RTTY and Digital modes (including FT8) at an antenna SWR of 2:1 and below. This rating is for 12 meters only; it does not apply to BTV antenna trap or resonator frequencies where the use of less power is advised.

A Note About Installing Both the 17M & 12M Add-On Kits

The 17M and 12M kits work together because they do not interact with each other. Further, installing them on your BTV antenna will not drastically affect other bands. The 17M and 12M kits match each other, except for the coil on the 17M, and they add negligible wind loading to the antenna. The kits can mount on opposite sides of the Hustler BTV vertical and may be installed at the same time or at different times.

The above photo shows the following:

• DXE-AOK-DCF Direct Coax Feed Add-On Kit for BTV Antennas and a DX Engineering coaxial cable jumper connected between the DXE-AOK-DCF and a DXE-UHF-FDFB-KIT SecureMount Bulkhead Connector
• 12M Add-On Kit
• 17M Add-On Kit
• DXE-OMNI-TILT-1P Tilt Base
• DXE-RADP-3 Radial Plate

TIP: The use of the OMNI-TILT base is recommended for BTV ground mounting when both 17M and 12M kits are installed.

The 12M add-on kit includes:

• Pre-assembled 12M element wire with soldered ring terminals
• Four stainless steel band clamps with threaded studs
• Upper insulated bracket
• Two 14-inch tuning rods
• Bottom aluminum stand-off bracket
• Spring-loaded end insulator for the 12M element wire, which lets the antenna move naturally
• Scotch-Brite® pad for cleaning the 12M element connections to the BTV antenna
• Stainless steel hardware

Tuning the 12M Add-On

Installation of the DXE-AOKC-12M can have the effect of narrowing the SWR bandwidth of 20, 15, and 10M—a reasonable tradeoff for adding the extra band. After the 12M kit is installed and tuned, any required shift to the usable SWR frequency ranges on those bands can be accomplished by trap sleeve repositioning on the respective band trap. SWR may be optimized for CW and Digital or SSB segments by careful trap sleeve tuning adjustments.

For more about tuning, assembly instructions, and further details, read the DXE-AOKC-12M manual. Visit DXEngineering.com to order this impressive Hustler upgrade.

The post Product Spotlight: DX Engineering 12 Meter Add-On Kit for Hustler 4BTV, 5BTV & 6BTV Vertical Antennas appeared first on OnAllBands.

As we’ve said many times at OnAllBands, if you want the real scoop on a ham radio product, ask someone who has used the device to make QSOs during a heated contest, fight through a pileup while chasing a rare station, operate from a temporary setup in the middle of a park, or get on the air through their local repeater.

Listening to honest opinions from folks who have spent their hard-earned money on equipment is a smart step in making sure you’re buying products that will deliver as advertised. You’ll find many opinions online and at DXEngineering.com, where customers rate their purchases from one to five and often include a detailed explanation of how they use the product, their advice on installation and operation, and the results they received.

Sometimes the reviewer will offer informed criticism or make a suggestion for an upgrade—something the team at DX Engineering takes very seriously when assessing our own branded products to make them easier to use and more efficient. In short, your thoughts on what you buy from us matter. Today, we’ll be looking at reviews of the BTV-AOKC-17M DX Engineering 17M Add-On Kit for Hustler 4/5/6-BTV Vertical Antennas

Let’s start with this link to a detailed eham.net review by WB0KWJ of the 17 meter add-on kit, which notes that the kit is “easy to assemble, works well, and is worth the price.”

Rather than homebrewing an add-on that may or may not work, the review says you’ll save a lot of time (the reviewer was able to use the kit within an hour of opening the box) with a “tested, effective design made of weather-resistant materials.”

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17M Add-On Kit Reviews from DXEngineering.com:

Five Stars: “Easy to add to my 4-BTV. Has a flat SWR without tweaking and did not affect SWR on the other bands. Worked seven countries with 100 watts in the first week, so I’m happy.”

David, DX Engineering Customer

Five Stars: “This is a very simple add-on kit made of high-quality materials with excellent assembly and install instructions. After installation on my 4-BTV, no tuning was needed for 17m. I was satisfied with the 1.3:1 SWR across the band. Also, the add-on did not alter any other bands as far as SWR or performance. I have the antenna on a DX Engineering OMNI-TILT so install was simple. As far as cost, price is in the mind of the buyer; yeah, DIY will be cheaper, but the convenience and quality of this kit makes it worth it in my mind. Now with the 30m and 17m add-on, I have a very low visual impact installation that performs way better than I thought it could on every band.”

Stephen, DX Engineering Customer

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Five Stars: “Assembled and installed on my Hustler 6-BTV in less than two hours. Used the initial settings derived by the 12m kit, and out of the box I had a 1.5:1 and lower SWR across the band. This install actually dropped my already good SWR across most of the bands on my antenna. After the install I proceeded to establish a QSO with a DXpedition in Uganda in FT8 with 35 watts. Fantastic!”

Mark, DX Engineering Customer

***

Five Stars: “Followed the instructions that came with it, got it installed, and checked the SWR across the band and it was below 1.5 across it. Works great.”

Dennis, DX Engineering Customer

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Find complete details of the DX Engineering 17M Add-On Kit for Hustler BTV Series Vertical Antennas at DXEngineering.com, along with Hustler vertical antennas, antenna packages, resonators, antenna matching network, replacement parts, and BTV add-on kits for 80M, 60M, 30M, and 12M, which we’ll discuss in future OnAllBands posts. 

The post What Does the Customer Say? Hustler BTV Series Vertical Antenna Add-On Kits: Part 1, 17M Add-On Kit appeared first on OnAllBands.