WB8UIN's 28' DX Flagpole. The MFJ-993BRT remote tuner is hidden inside a faux landscape rock at the base. From the street: a flagpole and a rock. From the operating position: 160 through 6 meters from a single feedpoint.

The Station Architecture

WB8UIN's setup is a study in deliberate choices. Every piece of the signal path was considered, and the result is a station that punches above its 100-watt weight class because nothing in it is fighting the rest of the system.

Antenna: Greyline 28' DX Flagpole

The 28-foot is Greyline's tallest pole and the largest aperture in the DX Flagpole line. At this height, the 5/8-wavelength sweet spot lands on 15 meters — a prime DX band when the sun is active. The off-center feedpoint lets one feedpoint cover 160 through 6 meters with a tuner, with no buried radials.

Construction is 6061-T6 aluminum with graduated wall thickness. Wind rating per ASCE 7-10: 55 MPH at 28 feet, flag down. And the part people miss: the pole itself is the antenna. There is no wire hidden inside a flagpole — the aluminum you see is the radiator.

Transceiver: Kenwood TS-2000 at 100 Watts

The TS-2000 is a long-running Kenwood multi-mode rig — HF, VHF, and UHF in one chassis. WB8UIN runs 100 watts maximum, with no amplifier in the chain. Every result on this page was made at the power most operators already run.

Tuner: MFJ-993BRT Remote at the Base

The MFJ-993BRT is a remote automatic tuner mounted at the antenna base. Matching there means the coax behind it runs close to 1:1 on every band, so it pays only its spec-sheet loss. WB8UIN's choice predates our current LDG RT-100 bundle, but the principle is the same: match at the base and the coax stays quiet and efficient.

Plenty of owners run a desktop tuner in the shack instead, and both work: a shack tuner asks for lower-loss line. Either way the tuner does the matching and the 1:1 choke handles common mode — no 4:1 or 9:1 anywhere. See Indoor vs Remote Tuner: Where the ATU Belongs for the full breakdown.

Feedline: LMR-400-DB with Common-Mode Choking

LMR-400-DB is the direct-burial version of LMR-400 — jacketed for ground contact and far lower loss than RG-8X. WB8UIN added six clip-on ferrites along the feedline as a common-mode choke, keeping RF off the outside of the coax and out of the shack.

It is cheap, effective, and often skipped by operators who don't realize the shack RFI they're chasing is a feedline issue. Every Greyline now ships with its own 1:1 choke — five snap-on ferrites for the feedpoint — in the box. Whether LMR-400, larger coax, or ladder line is right for your own run, the Feedline Loss Calculator will tell you.

The Hidden-Tuner Move

WB8UIN's MFJ-993BRT lives inside a faux landscape rock at the antenna base. From the street, you see a flagpole and a rock. No box. No enclosure. No visible RF hardware. This is the install detail that separates a competent ham from an artist.

For HOA-restricted operators, or anyone whose XYL appreciates a clean yard, the hidden tuner is one of the highest-leverage aesthetic upgrades there is. A faux landscape rock costs about $30 at a home improvement store. The goodwill it buys with neighbors and boards is worth far more.

The DX: Four Years of Real Results

On 100 watts, WB8UIN has worked stations across Europe, the Atlantic, and the Caribbean. The list below is a representative sample from one operating year, not a complete log:

• Russia — a long-haul path, and a satisfying one at 100 watts.
• Slovenia — Central Europe, a common target during European openings.
• Italy — Southern Europe, workable on multiple bands.
• Scotland — the UK and the northern Atlantic.
• Puerto Rico — the Caribbean.

The Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) screenshot below documents WB8UIN's signal as heard by automated skimmer stations on multiple continents. RBN data is the closest thing amateur radio has to objective signal measurement — algorithmic, timestamped, and geographically distributed.

RBN signal reports for WB8UIN — 28' Greyline DX Flagpole, 100W, heard on multiple continents

The Four-Year Longevity Report

Most antenna case studies are written a few weeks after the install. WB8UIN's antenna has been in the ground for more than four years:

• Still standing, still performing. Four years of weather, and his report is the same as on day one: fantastic.
• Still matching. The remote tuner at the base continues to match the bands he operates.
• Still invisible. The hidden-tuner rock is still in place. The flagpole still flies the flag. The neighbors still see a flagpole.

"Performance has been fantastic." — WB8UIN, four years in