Port-to-Port Isolation of Remote Antenna Switches

Why This is Important!

When you select an antenna with your remote antenna switch you expect to hear all of the signals that are on that one antenna – and that is all you want to hear!

You don’t want to hear signals from any of the other antennas.

Port-to-port isolation is the property of the remote antenna switch that keeps you from hearing signals from any of the other antennas connected to your switch.

When you listen on a band, if you have more noise than you would expect then you may have a lot less port-to-port isolation than you should.

There is a lot of RF out there. All of your antennas are immersed in RF all of the time. When you select your 80 m antenna - for instance - your 40 m antenna is still picking up the RF from the 40 m Band, 160 m Band, AM Broadcast Band, etc. Your other antennas are doing the same thing. Sometimes, the signals from two or more of the antennas can mix to give you even more interference issues.

If the port-to-port isolation of your remote antenna switch is lacking, you are going to hear some amount of the noise and unwanted signals that the other antennas are picking up. The noise will “bleed over” from the other antenna ports. This raises the composite noise floor of your station and makes it difficult to hear that weak station that you are trying to work.

The Solution?

DX Engineering remote antenna switches have a port-to-port isolation of greater than 70dB between ports. This is the best port isolation of all of the coax switches that we have tested --- and we have tested ALL of the major brands. If you are not using a DX Engineering remote antenna switch, you are hearing more background noise than you need to.

Some customers have been amazed - reporting that their new DX Engineering remote antenna switch lets them hear different background noise levels from each antenna. Before changing to DX Engineering, they heard the same constant high noise characteristics from each antenna position. Now each antenna has its own “personality”.

NOTE: We have tested the switches from major manufacturers which have isolation as low as 30 dB!! None of the tested switches has a port-to-port isolation as high as the DX Engineering remote antenna switches.

DX Engineering remote antenna switches are constructed on a rugged Stainless Steel base mounting plate and are completely shielded from outside signals.

This is one component of your station where you need the very best! If you can’t hear the weak ones, you won’t be able to work them!

View this as a PDF:  Port Isolation (pdf 235k)