This is our first in a series of blogs about DX Engineering’s performance-boosting accessories for the Hustler 4-BTV, 5-BTV, and 6-BTV Multiband HF Vertical Antennas. We begin with perhaps the most valuable accessory of all: the 64-page DX Engineering New Assembly and High Performance Installation Instructions, which serve as a replacement for the manual originally supplied by the manufacturer.
Some History
The durable Hustler 4-BTV (4-Band Trap Vertical; 40-10M) antenna was introduced 60 years ago as an easy-to-install, inexpensive antenna designed and manufactured by the Hustler Antenna Company of Cleveland, Ohio. By 1979, the company had added the 5-BTV (with an 80M resonator), and expanded its capabilities to 30M with the 6-BTV. Since 1985, the New-Tronics Antenna Corporation in Mineral Wells, Texas, has been manufacturing the Hustler BTV Series.
While these wide-bandwidth antennas required minimal grounding and little or no tuning, the BTVs had a lot of room to grow when it came to HF performance.
The team at DX Engineering explored ways to improve the BTV Series Antennas by lowering resonant frequency and altering the impedance at resonance through adding a radial ground system. This enhancement necessitated the need for trap adjustments and the possible addition of a shunt coil at the feedpoint.
Since 2003, DX Engineering has offered custom manufactured optional accessories that enhance the BTV’s HF operating performance. These include Add-On Kits for 80M through 12M; and BTV High-Performance Packages, which come with DX Engineering’s patented Radial Plate, patented OMNI-TILT™ Tilt Base for raising and lowering the antenna, SecureMount™ Bulkhead Connector, Low Loss RG-8/U Coax Cable with PL-259 connectors, hardware, Radial Wire Kits, Direct Coax Feedpoint Kit and instruction manual.
Other DX Engineering accessories for BTV Series Antennas include Reinforced Lower Tube Assembly, Vertical Feedline Current Choke, Vertical Antenna Matching Network, and Vertical Antenna Guying Kits.
What’s Inside the Manual
Written by Amateur Radio operators with years of hands-on experience, DX Engineering’s comprehensive guide to installing and using Hustler BTV series antennas goes way beyond the basics. It includes instructions for installing your antenna out of the box without enhancements, along with advice on how to add high-performance antenna modifications to maximize its capabilities. The manual is included with purchase of an antenna or is available for free download at DXEngineering.com.
It features clearly written step-by-step instructions, full-color photos, tables, and detailed diagrams. Some topics include:
- Getting the Best Performance from Your New Quarter-Wave Vertical Antenna
- Ground Mounting, Elevated Mounting, and Radial Wires
- How to Put Radial Wires Down without Digging
- Understanding Trap Calibration
- Resonance Adjustment Procedures
- Radial Plate to Mounting Pipe
- Mounting the OMNI-TILT™ Tilt Base to the Ground Mounting Pipe
- And Many More
What do Hams think?
“When you buy a BTV vertical from DXE, you get this outstanding manual with it for free. This is a great resource to help you get the most from your BTV antenna system. I found the tuning instructions particularly helpful. It replaces the basic manual provided by the manufacturer. The printing quality and content of the DXE manual are both awesome!” Find the complete manual at DXEngineering.com.
