In celebration of DX Engineering’s 25th anniversary this year, OnAllBands will be taking an expansive look at how DX Engineering grew from a company carrying a small but highly regarded selection of products to a leading worldwide retailer of amateur radio gear.
Today, ham radio enthusiasts in every corner of the globe turn to DX Engineering for more than 30,000 products from over 175 manufacturers, products sold exclusively in North America through DX Engineering, easy ordering by phone or website, world-class customer service from active operators, the industry’s fastest shipping, and prompt technical support.
The Story of Building DX Engineering Began with Building Better Antennas
To use an apropos ham analogy, building DX Engineering into the company it is today didn’t happen overnight, kind of like constructing a ham radio station—one length of cable and connector at a time.
After Summit Racing Equipment acquired DX Engineering in 2000, high-quality antenna parts for DIY construction soon became the company’s primary focus after it purchased the line of well-regarded antenna hardware from Allen B. Harbach, WA4DRU (SK), of Melbourne, Florida.
WA4DRU was a prominent DXer (351 DXCC entities), DXpeditioner, and engineer who was well-known for his modifications to Heathkit SB-200 and SB-220 amplifiers (still available through Harbach Electronics) as well as his boom-to-mast plates, boom-to-element plates, element clamps, and saddle clamps.
DX Engineering began selling Harbach antenna hardware in the early 2000s on its website, DXEngineering.com, which boasted a “large stock of those hard-to-get items you need to construct Yagi and other types of antennas.” Selling fully constructed antennas would come later in the company’s history.
Editor’s note: It is important to point out that while much has changed over the years, DX Engineering’s website domain remains the same. OnAllBands will be covering the growth of DX Engineering’s user-friendly website in a future 25th anniversary post.
Some of the antenna-building parts sold by DX Engineering in its first years are still available, including:
- Saddle Clamps: The DX Engineering website from 2001 pointed out these advantages over competing products—still applicable for today’s antenna builders:
– First, they’re made in sizes that fit tubing—not pipe sizes like the clamps that you might be able to purchase at the hardware store.
– Second, the U-bolts that come with them are made of high-strength stainless steel, and they’re long enough to attach tubing to thick plates.
– Third, the saddles are cast with high-strength aluminum to hold the tubing securely. Unlike the stamped type, their as-cast rippled surface will grip the plates and the aluminum tubing for a secure fit that resists the ravages of weather.
Versatile DX Engineering Stainless Steel U-Bolt Saddle Clamps, V-Bolt Saddle Clamps, Heavy-Duty and Super-Duty Saddle Clamps, and Mounting Clamps with Studs have been used for countless antenna builds and hundreds of other applications.
What do hams say about DX Engineering Saddle Clamps? Here are reviews from yesterday and today:
“I highly recommend the DX Engineering stuff… it is the old Al Harbach stuff which I have used for years. The cast saddles are one-of-a-kind and make for a significant amount of surface contact of the tube versus a common ‘muffler-type’ saddle which is formed sheet metal and has a very narrow pair of edges that touch the tubing.”
K4OJ from TowerTalk forum, 2003
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Five Stars: “I have purchased many clamps from DX Engineering over many years. Good stuff! These clamps will not disappoint.”
Peter, DX Engineering Customer
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Everything You Need to Populate Your Antenna Farm
Over the years, the team of innovators at DX Engineering have improved upon existing antenna parts and expanded the lineup to address the concerns of just about any type of project. The current line of antenna plates includes universal mounting plates (below), boom element plates, vertical dipole antenna support plates, boom-to-mast plates, and more:
DX Engineering Element-to-Boom Bracket Kits come with a drilled plate and U-bolt saddle clamps. They are used to build long-boom monoband directional antennas for the standard bands, 20 through 6 meters. These bracket kits mount aluminum antenna elements to a three-inch boom for special beam antenna kits.
The DX Engineering BEB-2 Insulated Boom-to-Element Brackets come with a hardware kit and Gorilla GripÒ stainless steel clamp which holds it securely to the boom.
DX Engineering Goes Totally Tubular
In its seminal years, DX Engineering did not sell tubing. Today, the company is a valued source for high-strength 6061-T8 and 6063-T832 aluminum tubing in 3- or 6-foot lengths, offering superior corrosion-resistance and excellent surface appearance. Custom-made for DX Engineering, the .058-inch-wall tubing is available in diameters from .375 inches to 2.125 inches and comes un-slit or with one pre-slit end for telescoping applications. Also available is 0.120-inch heavy-wall tubing for booms and heavy-duty element designs.
Five Stars: “I decided to build a 6-meter LFA antenna and the cost of aluminum tubing from DX Engineering made the project attractive. Top quality, easy ordering, and very fast shipping made it a pleasure.”
Pete, DX Engineering Customer
Visit the website for the complete lineup of DX Engineering branded products for your antenna building, including:
- Heavy-Duty 4130 Chromoly Steel Masts
- Genius Clamps for creating a standoff tower to side-mount an extra antenna
- Resin Support Block Clamps
- Super-Duty and Heavy-Duty Reinforcement Plates
- Antenna Boom Brackets
- Antenna Boom Tubing Kits (below)
