Rapide PLUS Self-Supporting (40m – 6m) Kit

Description

NEW!! 2024 Colour Change to reflect same as Expedition. Still with grey plates but now cool military brown/green colour.

Rapide PLUS comes with the new special Ground Post, similar to how we support the Signature 9. The ground post needs to be dug into the ground and will make your Rapide totally self-supporting.

• Grey high-density polyethylene marine UV stable Plastic Spreaders
• Alloy Screw Base
• 2mm 5251 Alloy Ground Plate
• 1.15m / 4-feet ground post supplied

Based on exactly the same principles as the All Band Classic, this version – the Rapide is based on a 7m telescopic DXC pole (physical length of circa 6.5-6.8m) which delivers exactly the same result as the Classic.

Pure quarter wave elements for 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m and 10m (with 6m band delivered by the 30m element as a 1 1/4 wavelength element).

In testing, we achieved perfect matches for all bands and a fabulous pattern for DX.

Swap out 30m for 40m with a coil. See user guide.

Because it’s slightly smaller and almost half the weight, the Rapide is easier and faster to build than the original Classic and is also supplied with 100m DX10 wire.  The Rapide uses only 25m of wire for the elements leaving you with 75m of wire for the radials. That’s almost 4-wavelengths of wire for 20m band. Works superb on 30m or 40m (you choose).

Concentrating on the Rapide’s new features, this delivers every band from 30m up to 10m (6m with slight nudge of ATU) on a 6-element arrangement. For speed, users may choose to run less elements, say 30m, 20 and 17m – or any other pattern you may wish for.

Properly tuned, this antenna does NOT need any tuner, it should give you better than 1.5:1 on pure quarterwaves on: 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m and 10m with legendary DX Commander performance – and optionally 40m in place of 30m.

You want CB bands and not 12m? Fine, make the 12m element a tiny bit shorter and you have CB at your fingertips. Alternatively, cut the 30m element longer for a 5/8 (actually 3/4 wave) on 10m and with the spare slot, cut an 11m element. But you lose 30m.

You still want 40m band? You can do this my making a coil half-way between the base and the first spreader. See video at the top of page. ALL detailed in the user guide.

After making up the elements, cut the remainder into 24 x 3m (about 10 feet) radials, you will have 4 x wavelengths of radials for 20m on the ground, possibly the most efficient you can achieve without burying lots of money or moving by the sea. Why 24 radials? You have 6 ground connections on the ground plate and if you crimp (or solder) 4 radials per fork connector, there’s 24 radials. This is fast to deploy.

Can’t do 360 degree circle of radials? This will work on 180 degrees – even 90 degrees.

In the box:

• 7m telescopic DX Commander pole
• Sturdy Ground Post
• Plenty of fork connectors
• Stainless wing nuts, bolts & washers
• Some paracord for guying
• Marlow Dyneema Shock Cord
• Hex HCL EzyClamps as the stay-up kit
• 100m DX10 Wire
• Aluminium Ground Plate
• Aluminium Driven Plate
• 3 x Marine and fully UV stable 9.3mm / 5/8 inch thick heavy plates
• SO239 assembly (with flying lead and fork connector attached)
• Glue Lined Marine Shrink Wrap tubing

Actually everything you need apart from guy stakes.

Note: We don’t supply those little plastic carabiners for the shock-cord ends any more. They becomne brittle and break. We moved to a superier solution of stopper knots and loops. See User Guide.

NOTE: Tested at 1,600W key-down for 65 seconds at 14MHz. For QRO proof experience on 12m and 10m see user guide.