AG4FC: MARS Operator's 28' Flagpole on Florida Coast

by Greyline Performance April 17, 2026

Operator Spotlight · MARS · Florida Coast

AG4FC: MARS Operator’s 28′ Flagpole on the Florida Coast

AG4FC runs a 28-foot Greyline DX Flagpole at his oceanfront HOA home in Satellite Beach, Florida. He passes Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) traffic and chases DX from the same antenna. One install, two missions.

The Install

Oceanfront. HOA-Approved. Working.

Look at this 28-foot HOA-approved flagpole antenna. It belongs to AG4FC, a MARS operator in Satellite Beach — or, as he might say, on the beach. The 28-foot DX Flagpole is the tallest free-standing model in the Greyline line, covering 160 through 6 meters from a single feedpoint with a tuner, and no buried radials.

Salt water in front of the antenna does what salt water does for any vertical: it is a near-perfect ground screen that strengthens the low-angle signal and gives it a clean path to the horizon. AG4FC puts that physics to work for both his MARS traffic and his DX chasing.

AG4FC's 28-foot Greyline DX Flagpole antenna at his oceanfront HOA home in Satellite Beach, Florida

AG4FC’s 28′ Greyline DX Flagpole — Satellite Beach, Florida.

Why This Install Matters

Dual-Use, in Practice

The Military Auxiliary Radio System is a Department of Defense-sponsored program of licensed amateur radio operators who provide auxiliary communications for the military and federal agencies. MARS members run real traffic on a schedule, and the antenna has to be there when the schedule says it does.

And then he chases DX with the same antenna. That’s the dual-use story in one install: the agency mission and the hobby from one pole, on an HOA lot by the sea. For the regional side of EmComm and where a vertical fits, see our EmComm page.

The Antenna in This Install

The 28-foot DX Flagpole: 6061-T6 aluminum, 2-inch OD, wall thickness and section sizing engineered per model, ASCE 7-10 wind ratings, built by hand in the Mountain West. No radials required. Near its 5/8-wave sweet spot on 15 meters. Within reach of salt air, 316 stainless hardware kits last longest.

View the 28′ DX Flagpole →

HOA & XYL Approval

Pretty Enough for the Garden

Fair warning: Greyline buyers have ordered the antenna for the back yard, started digging, and then heard, "Honey, that looks very nice — let’s put it in the front yard." We’ve heard the story enough times to recognize the pattern. The flagpole is part of the property, not an antenna apology.

The HOA Architectural Brief and Property Integrity Letter are ready to print and submit from Documents & Forms. Being straightforward with your board tends to work best.

More Operator Reports

Operators Speak for Themselves

“The other night I was on 60 meters and it felt just like the old days.”

Greyline Owner

“30W and a couple of hours, I worked the entire planet on FT8.”

Greyline Owner

“Got Mauritania, Dodecanese, Israel, and Cyprus on 80 meters. First Pitcairn since a 10-meter AM contact in the 1960s.”

DXCC Challenge Update

“Clean Sweep in November Sweepstakes with my DX Flagpole.”

K3WA · PVRC

Backing Every Antenna

7-year structural warranty — we stand behind the build
30-day returns, per our refund policy
Ships within days, free to the USA and Canada
International freight at carrier cost — details

Shop the 28′ DX Flagpole → All DX Flagpoles → Agency & EmComm →

Ham Radio is fun again! Pass it on… 73, Jon KL2A · 435-200-4902

The antennas behind these stories

28' DX Flagpole Antenna — 160-6M, No Radials

$1,295.00

24' DX Flagpole Antenna — 160-6M, No Radials

$1,195.00

20' DX Flagpole Antenna — 160-6M, No Radials

$1,100.00

See all →

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Great addition to My 20V!

After 2 weeks of use I can safely say that the 9' whip is a great addition to my 20V! My rough calculations show about a 2+ db improvement overall. On the receive side the most dramatic indicator is that I am getting approximately the same signal strength without the preamp on most bands. I am also getting more reports in the + range on FT8 than previously. I have used PSK reporter to get a general picture of my RF footprint and signal strength compared to to the original 20v w/ previous reports. I have also been able to work several new countries that I could not work previously...India, Franz Joseph Land, Kahazakistan. India is certainly not rare but it has taken me three years to eliminate my "blind spot". Swr is well below 1.3/1 on all bands 80m-6m using the LDG RT-100 at the antenna. All in all could not be more pleased with the 9" whip addition!

Franz Josef Land and Kazakhstan on nine more feet — that's the report every whip page wishes it had. Thank you, Craig. Your words are on the page now. 73, Jon KL2A

Worth every penny!

I added this tilt mount on my older (2.25") 28' flagpole and I couldn't be more pleased with how well it works for me. I can now drop down or raise my flagpole by myself in about 5 minutes in each direction. This mount is an engineering beast with how well it is constructed! Previously I had to wait and get another person to help lift the base out of the PVC pipe and help lower it hoping that it came down as planned. Going up was even more of a challenge getting the base into the hole and raising it back up. That's 33 feet of wiggling aluminum and not so easy to manage even with two people. With this mount I don't even give it a second thought about doing maintenance or lowering it for an impending storm. It's straight coming down and going back up with no overshoot. Or worries. This is an excellent investment in both time and money!

An engineering beast' is going on the shop wall. 33 feet of aluminum, one person, no overshoot — that's exactly what we built it to do. 73, Jon KL2A

Aperture makes a difference

I find that the added 4 feet makes a difference, along with the 9' whip and tilt base. Signals are stronger on receive, and my transmit reach appears to have extended based on signal reports. Still adding many DX contacts to the log! Looking forward to getting the aluminum cap for the 2" to whip transition. I believe that will help as well.

Christopher, the extension, the whip, and the tilt together are the full aperture system, and your log shows it. Thanks for taking the time to write this up. — Jon KL2A

Size Does Matter!

I was already happy with my DXF24 flagpole, but adding the 4' extension made a great thing even better! My setup is the 28' flagpole with the tilt-over base, 1:1 balun at the base with 40' LMR400 to my KAT500 tuner in the shack.

My first week after adding the 4 foot extension (a super easy job with the tilt-over!), I logged RI1FJL on 15m and P29YY on 17m, and discovered I could now make QSOs on 80 meters. I hadn't made a QSO on 80 meters I moved into this HOA community 21 years ago!

If I had room for the 9' whip on top, I would add that next and probably gain 160 meters. But this current flagpole setup is giving me 80 thru 6 and tons of QSOs, all with convenient band switching from my shack. Yes, it's fun again!

Tom, 80 meters for the first time in 21 years, from an HOA lot — that's the whole case for aperture in one line. RI1FJL and P29YY in the first week didn't hurt either. Thanks for the report, and see you on 80. — Jon KL2A

Doesn't get any easier

I've had my 24ft flag pole for about a year and each time I wanted to do any maintenance it required another person and even then as we get older it's a task and a half. The installation of the tilt up base was to easy. As described by others, loosen the three bolts, remove the second one and up or down is a cake walk. I always had a little wobble at the ground when the wind blows so I fashioned a shim from some aluminum flashing, shaped like a shoe horn and now it remains straight up in the wind. I have some experiments planed which I will now be able to do without help from another person.

Bart, no second person, no ladder, maintenance on your own schedule — that's exactly why the tilt exists. Thanks for the shim tip too; it's gone to our shop. Enjoy the experiments. — Jon KL2A

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