Quote Originally Posted by Bulldog-Unit777 View Post
Sorry JJD for not getting back to you sooner. The Freedom DX-K has done me real well!! Many contacts, looks great and has been proven to work DX real well. Just like radios we like to make changes for one reason or another. Kale has always repeated the story about when he had a custom 1-1/4" X 36" shaft with a cut whip. Unfortunately he cannot produce on for me to see the effects of this. I contacted Noisemaker on making this custom prototype shaft/element. Chose to have a 1" X 54" aluminum shaft/element. Just looking to push the envelope, run the biggest antenna with a balance of aluminum tube and stainless steel whip. So after it was tuned for best SWR the whip was 64-1/4". Cool enough whip to flex. I wanted to see if I replaced more of the stainless steel with an aluminum tube what advantage if any compared to the Freedom DX 7/8" X 36" shaft/element. Noisemaker welded the upper and lower fixtures. Very sturdy but during testing the tube did bent. So we realized that the next prototype will have to include a thicker gauge tubing. My goal once again is trying a different configuration and chase more DX with what power the radios have to offer. It will take sometime to gather the differences between the Freedom DX, Special OPS and a MFJ 108".
Taller you make the tube, that's what your going to run into as a daily ride-around...Hit something, and with less stinger to flex, the more likely your going to bend something...or break a mount...I wouldn't think there should be any noticeable differences between any of these other than one flexing more than the other...They should all tune close to 108"...More tube, I would think it should tune shorter tho...

If you just want to experiment, get someone to build you a 102" aluminum tube, with a real short stinger, and see what happens...course what you will have then is a tune-able-fighting stick...