Topband: 8 circle: DXE vs Hi-Z

[Bob Tabke]

I'm new to 160 and am planning to add an 8-circle. I would like to buy 
commercial preamps and the controller. I would greatly appreciate any 
advice on the choice of preamp/controller vendor.

I live in a rural area and have a 4-direction 3-ele vertical array for 
160 with a 20+ dB f/b. So I'm looking for a beamwidth improvement on 
receive.  Here are a couple questions:

- Are the functions of the control network the same or similar between 
DXE and Hi-Z? (so I could use either one?)

- DXE wants a 320' diameter and Hi-Z wants 200' for optimum performance. 
It's hard to tell what DXE performance is because it does not disclose 
RDF, beam width or F/B. And neither vendor supplies EZNEC files so I can 
see the effect of varying the layout. So I'm not sure how to decide what 
array size is best for me. It would be wonderful if someone has a model 
for these two systems.

- If I use DXE, is it a no-brainer to use 24' verticals instead of the 
shorter supplied whips?

- are there any best practices for weatherproofing the Hi-Z components?

- are there any build-quality differences between the two that I should 
consider? I live in MT, so it is a harsh environment.

Thanks!

Bob, N7IP