Today’s OnAllBands post is a lesson in “you get what you pay for.”
As prudent consumers, it’s not unusual for us to compare pricing without fully exploring why one offering may be more expensive than the other. It behooves us to step back and make a thorough assessment before assuming all products are created equal. In many scenarios, it can be a case of judging apples to oranges, mangos to artichoke hearts, or whatever produce-based analogy you’re into.
Are the materials used in each product comparable? What was the level of engineering involved? Have the products in question undergone real-world testing? What do other hams say about each choice?
DX Engineering recently received this comment from a customer who was thrilled with his purchase of the DX Engineering designed and manufactured Mount Plate (DXE-TB-3P) for its Tilt Base Antenna Mounting System.
“I wondered why this bracket had a cost over $60, but when it arrived today I was blown away. Heavy duty doesn’t do this beast justice. It’s heavy-plate stainless steel and one of the best mounts I’ve ever owned. It’s big and heavy and by my measurement it’s 1/4 inches thick and ultra-heavy duty. I will mount it up to my Hustler 5B HF antenna so I can drop it to ground level for maintenance, adjustments, and SWR tweaks. Thank you.”
The U.S. patented (#7,432,875) DX Engineering Tilt Base Antenna Mounting System enables a single operator to raise or lower an antenna simply and safely by walking it up or down. The base of the antenna stays securely attached to the mounting plate and post. DX Engineering Tilt Bases make it easy to tune your vertical, make repairs, or lower your antenna to a horizontal position without the need to remove brackets from the support posts or lift the entire weight of the antenna to tilt it up or down.
Precision-cut from 3/16-inch 304 stainless steel, the Tilt Base Antenna Mount conveniently mounts to the same ground pipe or tubing that you use for the antenna and radial plate. You could use lag screws or carriage bolts to mount the tilt base and the radial plate to a wood post, but typically they are securely mounted to a two-inch maximum O.D. pipe using optional SSVC-2P saddle clamps.
The DXE-TB-3P model—with included stainless steel hardware—is specifically designed to mate with the antenna mounting bracket of Hustler 4, 5, or 6 BTV vertical antennas. Other versions include:
- DXE-TB-4P Tilt Base Mount Plate: This model includes a mounting plate and clamps for tilting a customer-supplied antenna support mast up to 1.75-inch O.D. and 10-feet tall, for mounting elevated no-radial vertical antennas that weigh less than or equal to 20 pounds and have a height of no more than 28 feet. The TB-4P is the tilt option for legacy DX Engineering vertical antenna models DXE-30VE-1, DXE-40-VE-1, and DXE-40VA-1.
- DXE-TB-6P Tilt Base Mount Plate: This model mates to the antenna mounting bracket of the Hy-Gain AV-14AVQ (HGN-AV-14AVQ).
- DXE-TB-7P Tilt Base Mount Plate: This model is specifically designed to mate to the COMTEK 30 Meter (COM-30VA) and 40 Meter (COM-40VA) Vertical Antennas.
- DXE-TB-8P Tilt Base Mount Plate: The TB-8P is specifically designed to mate to the COMTEK 20 Meter Vertical Antenna (COM-20VA), which may be tuned to resonate on one band—20, 17, 15, 12, or 10 meters.
