My first radio was purchased from Waters and Stanton back in the early 90's it was an FT- 290R. They were very helpful then as there videos are now some 30 years later.
Thank you Peter, another wonderful EFHW video, loved the music. A most pleasant Christmas to you, and family, and all your supporters, also. 73 from VK4JDJ
Just love u PETER.THANKS FOR EVERYTHING..WE ARE THE SAME IN SO MANY WAYS.THE GREATEST GENERATION.KD9MSF LAKE STATION INDIANA USA.LOVE THE GREAT INSTRUCTION AND THE PIANO MUSIC.I REALLY LOVED THE SPY COVERAGE FROM WW2 AWHILE BACK.IM A RETIRED ELECTRICAL TECH WITH 44 YEARS SERVICE AND HAVE JUST NOW FOUND TIME TO ENJOY HAM RADIO. LIKE THE SPITFIRE PICTURE ON UR WALL,WE OWE THEM SO MUCH..
Great website it works well :) EFHW 20m long sloper is my best antenna. All of EU is easy and the USA and Australia when conditions are good QRP 10W. 4m long counterpoise just hanging down side of the house
I use a 40-meter antenna end-fed 49 to 1 transformer in my 36 feet of garden. I ended up feeding it at the bottom of the garden, swr was well within 1.5 and lower. I do use a counterpoise which runs along the fence. I also use a coil for 80 meters. again swr well within 1.5. I did try putting the transformer as suggested by Peter at the House end fitted just under the eves, but all I got from that was SWR off the scale on all bands and the noise level well above the normal. It works very well in fact, the best antenna for my situation. The transformer is just off the ground, runs up a 25-foot fibreglass pole then runs up to my main mast and then on the the main chimney stack. Thank you, Peter.
Thank you Peter! I've had success using a 71' stealth non resonant end fed sloper, 9:1 unun, 50' LMR 240 coax, common mode choke at transceiver on all HF bands including WARC bands for QRP & 100 watt SSB DX, & 80/40 SSB nets. Antenna tuner is needed on 160 - 40.
I really enjoy these informative videos about wire antennas. I’ve been intending to erect a commercial EFHW 80 meter that I acquired a few months ago, but something has always prevented me going forward. Hopefully , I’ve gained enough knowledge to tackle this job with confidence and can understand the pitfalls. Thank you so much, and Merry Christmas.
I am using the 75' of coax as my counterpoise with a choke at the radio. Good SWR from 40-10. 17 is a little wonky though but still tunable with internal ATU on FT-710 and the G90.
I definitely need to learn the patience side of this hobby even though I’ve been having a blast. We get some high winds here in Alaska and before winter hit I took down my crude fan dipole to upgrade it and preserve it for next year. I’ve since gone to a chameleon endfed half wave they say is 160-10 but at only 125ish feet it’s really only an 80-10 witch suits me fine since I’m only a tech that it studying for general and extra. On this antenna I’ve set it up in a sloper going north to south, and a sloper the other direction south to north. Now I have all of the antenna at 35-30 feet in the air and still don’t get half the signals of my dipole at the same hight but ends sloping to the ground. None the less enjoy your videos and I’ve been having a fun time on 10m when it opens for me
Antennas sometime defy logic. My dipole always outperforms my vertical . In the end, go for what works best for you! Thanks for your support. 73 Peter.
I've made lots of different end fed half antennas all works very well I've not done the 36:1 yet I will make it after new year it will be very interesting see how it performed for me. It been pleasure watching your videos this year I've learned some off things as we never stop learning with ham radio. Have good Christmas Peter.
Highly informative, as always, Peter! I love your style. My challenge with the EFHW comes down to a question of where to string 67' of wire without getting in other people's way. I'm 100% portable because my QTH, both by its physical design and by its location in the city, is hopeless foe radio: blanketed by tall buildings, overhead power lines and other sources of interference everywhere. Most of the open space here in Silicon Valley is pretty popular and it can be hard to avoid the footpaths with the wire, but I do frequently chat with people who are curious about what I'm doing or who know what I'm doing. The 40-10 EFHW has been my sole HF antenna until now. I've just received the Hustler 20m and 40m Resonators, 54" mast, and a Tram triple magnet mount. I'll be testing them tomorrow, prior to a road trip on which I'll have several opportunities for POTA activations. Hustler advertise the mast itself as resonant on 6m. The EFHW will be in my kit, as well. Radio is the IC-705. Merry Christmas to you and yours! 73 de AE6DD, Daryl, California
Thanks again Peter. One more thing.....You briefly mentioned the Yaesu FT-710. I'd love to see more of your thoughts about this new transceiver. Perhaps over the festive break? ✨️ 😊 🎉
A half wave centre fed doublet cut for 80M and fed with ladder line is much simpler and works on all HF bands superbly. All you need is a 1 to 1 current balun or a balanced antenna tuner and away you go. No earth required and no RF in the shack.
But you do need to buy an ATU and balanced linedangling down the middle of the garden. An EFHW has none of that and for portable operation can be run out in minutes. Horse for courses I guess.
I have a 20m long Resonant EFHW from UK Antenna's and it works well - i have 81 countries for my DXCC so far. Feed end atops a 8m steel scaffold pole and the other a metre over the chimney on my house. Fed with 213 with 10 clip on ferrites. It is as good as my old 13m vert, 40m full wave loop and various mono band dipoles. SWR is good on 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands. I use a TS590 and, if i used a cheap 'Max' chinese atu i can work 17, 12 and 80m bands If, like me, the wife has finally had enough and you are limited to one, reasonably stealthy, hf antenna you could do a lot worse.
My fun starts just after Christmas Peter, 80ft long garden45 ft wide & a Clansman150ft wire aerial, we bought this house with a huge garden, my wife said this garden should satisfy your hobby and her gardening hobby in retirement, I have had success, with end fed's sitting on top of the fence, so experiments will take place that is assured, if this fails I have 16 forty foot high trees, stealth all the way, Thank you for the video's Merry Christmas to you & Yours 73 Paul
Though I'm in the United States I sure enjoy your channel. I'd love to be able to pop into one of your stores. I assume you have more than one. I've gone back to a 9:1 End Fed so I can get on Top Band. On 80 meters it's almost as good as my 135' Doublet. Oh, the End Fed is 117' long in an Inverted V over a Maple Tree. Merry Christmas and thanks for your wisdom.
Thank you, Peter!! You are such a pleasure to watch and learn!! Always British 'CLASS' on display, here!! Have a GREAT Christmas, Sir!! I am looking forward to many more videos from you in the future!
With a 80m EFHW cut the wire in half and connect a capacitor of xxx value. the value will depend on where you want it resonant. i used a 270pf capacitor and it made it resonant around 3.900 ssb.your mileage may vary. thanks for the video pete.
I have not trued the 80m version but the drawing from CQ magazine showed to cut the antenna at around 32% which would result in a different harmonic result. If your version works then great. All the best for Christmas.
The comment about how the location of the feed point of an end fed antenna with respect to the ground and other objects changing the impedance at the feed point and thus the type of unun needed, reminds us that there is no “one size fits all” in antenna construction.
I’ve been away from ham radio for 25yrs + Re educating myself because it’s changed so much. Un Uns Baluns windings…. bursts my head, because I’m not clever but my mind asks…ok, put that here, an X, on the EFHW… and it works… ok, why does it work? How does it work? The maths has to be easy to follow and the explanation in English not Greek. Btw, antennas are my thing but the sciences are not… I’d like to understand but somethings don’t gel… practical science and engineering, then see IF it I works… if not, why not… fix it! I’ve been watching your channel for some time and enjoy the subjects also your presentation, I’ve learned a lot from watching… un uns baluns ….. I’ll just have to try harder. Believe it or not my call sign starts G0…. How did I pass the license exam ? sheer brute determination and desire back then. Thank you. 73
Another great and informative vid, peter! I run a EFHW for 40m in my yard at only ~6m or so in rough inverted L config, it works a treat for local and international contacts. Home shack is an FT 710AESS, which ive owned for just over 12 months now, a fantastic radio for beginner or advanced users, with plenty of features and latest technology at a reasonable cost I also run similar out portable, config depends on location and available facilitys, using an FT891 (another great unit!) Merry Xmas and happy New year from Downunder, Joel vk2moe
Off Center Fed (OCF) antennas are very convenient and they allow multiple bands of operation with a simple wire antenna which is fed off center. Not sure why this OCF dipole is not in the discussion. Plus, you don't end up "zapping" all your little furry friends in the area of your antenna.
The end fed half wave can also be considered the extreme case of an offset fed dipole. The actual transformer value only changes the amount of counterpoise a little. Merry Christmas from CA....W6QR
Great video Peter, I really appreciate you taking the time to give use some good information to chew on. 👍 I pray all the best for you and yours for the new year and a very merry Christmas.
Thanks for the video Peter you have nicely summed up the finer points of the EFHW antenna. I see some RU-vidrs experimenting with a core of a slightly different form factor to get increased efficiency. What are your thoughts on that? Also would it be possible to wind the transformer with tapping points to give access to the different ratios in one transformer?
A switched option would require both primary and secondary changes. Could be problem with losses. Check MM0OPX channel for core performance. He has done a lortof work on this.
@@redjohn20001 Yes, some people have done that, with different screw terminals at different taps. Colin (MM0OOX) reckons a 56:1 with the fat core is best for him.
another really useful video Peter - I really appreciate all of your posts and learn all the time from them... Merry Christmas to you and the family...Dave G0KPZ
Actually, if that core that you dropped only broke into a few big pieces (rather than shattering into dust), you can glue it back together, and probably not notice the difference. After all, it5 was just powder glued together in the first place.
I wouldn't mind winding my own except I have a tough time soldering the input to the SO239 without melting the insulation. What gauge wire do you recommend?
Merry Christmas Peter 🎄! As an operator who does a lot of portable work, mainly SSB with 5-20w, I’ve throughly enjoyed your videos on simple antennas and antenna theory. Looking forward to more in the new year. 73 de WD4DB
Doesn't the counterpoise essentially act like a section of the half wave? Thus making it essentially an off centre dipole with a balun feed? Thanks. Shane VK1NME.
Hi Peter. Using a capacitor to correct for the band slippage on an EFHW antenna. If you used coax as the capacitor and wired it length ways, that is the first part of the antenna wires to the centre of the coax and the remaining part of the antenna wires to the outer shield but at the other end of the coax effectively placing the coax in line and part of the antenna. Would this conceivably work?
Yes in theory it should. Coax is a good way of inserting a capacitor. I have pondered this idea but it is something that needs to be tested as there would be interaction between overall length, length of coax and capacity needed. I guess a bit of cut and try. But it should work. Maybe I will try it sometime.
As far as I Know we now can. I am working remotely at the moment and we are closed for Christmas. Send an email to Sales with what you are thinking of getting and they should get straight back to you.
