Assembly Documents & Installation Guides | Greyline Performance
Setup & Support
Assembly Documents & Installation Guides
Your Greyline system is designed for a clean, fast install. One person, one Allen wrench, 30–60 minutes. Everything you need is below. If you get stuck, call us: 435-200-4902
I. Core Assembly Manuals
Download Your Manual
12–28 ft Models
DXF & DXV Flagpole / Vertical
Full parts list and assembly instructions for all 12, 16, 20, and 24-foot models.
🖶 Download PDF28 ft Model
DXF28 & DXV28
This is for the 2.25" OD model. Full parts list and assembly instructions for the 28-foot model.
🖶 Download PDFII. Installation Requirements
What You Need
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Time to on-air | 30–60 minutes, one person |
| Tools required | One Allen wrench (hex key) — that’s it |
| Ground prep | Standard 3-foot fence post hole, 10–20” diameter, matching the included PVC sleeve |
| Pro tip | Use Antenna Grease (Noalox) on all metal-to-metal connections — available at any hardware store for ~$5 |
Before You Dig
Step 0: Run a Noise Audit
The VDA’s 2-inch pole footprint is the smallest ground signature of any full-HF-coverage antenna. A traditional vertical’s radial field extends hundreds of feet on 160 meters — running toward every noise source on the property. The VDA goes where you put it. So before you dig, find the right spot.
The Noise Audit — 10 Minutes, Massive Payoff
1. Grab a battery-powered AM radio — no connection to house wiring, that's important.
2. Tune off any broadcast station so you hear only noise, no signal. Daytime for less noise, evening for when everyone is home and everything is on.
3. Walk the property — front yard, back yard, side yards, corners.
4. Note the quiet zones (away from the meter, HVAC, neighbor's panel, LED lighting).
5. Note the loud zones — near anything switching or motorized.
6. Install in the quietest spot your lot allows. Your on-air experience will be much higher quality.
Footprint. Noise. Smart, Strong, Elegant.
III. Configuration & Feedline
System Configuration & Feedline Precision
Getting the feedline kit and balun configuration right is where most questions come from. These resources cover it precisely.
System Configuration Graphic
Visual overview of the complete antenna system configuration.
View Guide →Feedline Kit Assembly — Step by Step
Ladder line to PL-259 adapter kit, step-by-step with images.
View Guide →Parts Visual Walkthrough
Pictures of every part of the flagpole antenna — identify components before you start.
View on Google Drive →Do I Need a Base Tuner?
The case for remote vs. shack tuner placement — answered directly.
Read the Article →Sample Assembly with Video — Alaska Install
Real-world assembly walkthrough with video from a field installation in Alaska.
View on Google Drive →Feedline selection guide: coax, loss, and what to buy → Signal Lab
IV. Customer Installation Examples
Proven in the Field
See how other operators have installed their systems — useful for planning your own approach.
N6RPG — 28’ HOA Flagpole Install
Customer video tutorial, great detail on the 28-foot model.
Watch on YouTube →KQ4EXO — ARC Radio Club Presentation
Custom install walkthrough with helpful pictures. 12–28’ models.
View Presentation →Step-by-Step
Building the Flagpole Antenna — Assembly Order
Before you start: Confirm you have the total height of your antenna plus an extra 3 feet for ground insertion. All hardware should be pre-attached — there should be no loose hardware loose in the box. You will also have a Feedline Kit and, for DXF models, a Flag Kit.
Section note: Thicker wall sections go at the lower portion of the antenna. Thinner, lighter sections are for the upper portion. Each section has its splice or transition bolted to it. Remove only the top two bolts (not the lower two — they may be supporting internal components). Lower the next section down, line up the holes, and re-fasten. Tighten all bolts.
Noalox vs. Loctite — Two Different Jobs (and One Trap)
Noalox is an anti-oxidant grease for the metal-to-metal mating surfaces (Step 4): it keeps the aluminum junctions electrically clean and corrosion-free. Buy a fresh tube — old ones dry out.
Loctite is a threadlocker against wind-loosening (Step 5) — and the grade matters. Blue is the right one: medium-strength, holds against vibration, breaks free with hand tools. Red is the trap: it is the permanent formula and takes a torch — several hundred degrees — to release. Red on antenna bolts turns your first season check or whip swap into a blowtorch project.
Keep the two apart: surfaces get Noalox, threads get Blue — never both in the same spot. Grease on the threads defeats the threadlocker.
Top of the Pole
The Truck, the Whip, and the Flag
Every Greyline — flagpole and vertical alike — ships with a flag truck at the top of the pole. It threads in where a gold ball would sit on an ordinary flagpole, and on ours it does double duty: it is the mechanical top of the pole and the electrical junction that receives the 9-foot DX Whip. American-made, bench-tested, and proven on well over a hundred field installs.
Flagpole (DXF) owners
The truck’s pulley carries your halyard, and the flag flies from the pole below it. Adding the whip? It threads into the truck above — by hand, no tools. The flag and the whip fly together; nothing about the whip displaces the flag. One wind note: the flag is the biggest wind-catcher on the whole system, so in a real blow, lower the flag and let the aluminum ride it out.
Vertical (DXV) owners
Your antenna ships with the same truck — just leave the pulley empty. No rope required, and it works great: the whip threads in exactly the same way. If you want a cleaner look, we are manufacturing a premium machined cap right now — sleek, no pulley, and it receives the whip identically. It will be available as an optional swap; call to get on the list: 435-200-4902
V. First Tune-Up
Tuning Your Antenna — The Step That Makes Everything Work
Your Greyline is a non-resonant antenna by design — that is what gives it 160M–6M coverage. It depends on your tuner to make the match on every band, and a tuner that has never been commanded through a tune cycle has never made one. The symptom is unmistakable: one or two bands seem workable, everything else seems dead. Nothing is broken — the tune cycle simply has not run. This is the single most common support call we get, and it ends the same way every time: the operator runs the procedure below, and the whole spectrum opens up.
Remote Tuner (RT-100 Class) — You Don’t Hear It, You See It
1. Confirm the control box in your shack has its 12V power connected and its light on. The tuner at the antenna is powered through the coax from that box — no power there, no tuner, period.
2. Pick a band, find a clear frequency, select a steady-carrier mode (RTTY, FM, or key-down CW), and set power low — 10 to 20 watts.
3. Key the carrier and, while transmitting, press the Tune button on the control box.
4. Watch your SWR meter: the reading starts high and falls as the tuner cycles, settling low within a few seconds. That falling needle is you “hearing” the remote tuner. Unkey — the match is now stored in memory for that band.
5. Repeat once per band you work. After that, the tuner recalls its memories instantly and you just operate.
Shack / Desktop Tuner (Manual or Auto)
Same principle, your side of the coax: re-tune at every band change. Auto tuners: press Tune with a low-power carrier flowing. Manual tuners: adjust per your tuner’s procedure until reflected power dips to its minimum. A manual tuner never tunes itself — a band you have not tuned will look dead, and it is not.
Remote tuner won’t respond at all?
Check the DC path. Anything in the coax line that blocks DC silently kills a power-over-coax tuner — and most lightning arresters and surge protectors are DC-blocked by design. If you run one, it must be the DC-pass type. Verify “DC pass” on its spec sheet, or call us: 435-200-4902
Need help? Call us.
We’re operators. We know this system inside out. 435-200-4902 or the contact form. We’d rather spend 10 minutes on the phone than have you frustrated on the bench.
Ham Radio is fun again! Pass it on... 73, The Greyline Performance Team