QRP Guys EFHW No Tune Antenna Follow-up Video

[@w4mkh]

The coax shield is serving as a counterpoise and thus part of the antenna. That is why when the choke was on the antenna end it isolated or removed the length of coax you were using. And consequently when it was on the other end of the coax it allowed the antenna to "see" the coax so the SWR was the same as with no choke. A shorter or longer coax length would have had the same affect but with a different SWR. Still it was a good video and thanks for doing it.

[@tulenik71]

Quite oppositely, with 1:49-1:100 (typical impedance of EFHW is slightly below 5000 ohm) unun you often don't need a counterpoise when using QRP power, but you should prevent the CMC on the feedline. Thus at least applying the choke (on the antenna side) is a must (before tuning). If you'll use a counterpoise, it will be l/4 or less (mostly 0,05 lambda of the lowest band will be OK). In no case it should be random length of coax shielding. Quite oppositely, coax shielding should be grounded (grounded shielding can be ok even without counterpoise). With more power, you really must do something with CMC by applying counterpoise AND grounding (with higher power, choke would not be enough). Also, SWR measurements should be done by direct connection to the antenna, using very short pigtail. When using analyzer attached to the feedline on the radio side, SWR is falsely lowered by feedline loses.

[@HR4NT]

I wanted to get the update video done and wanted to experiment with it a bit using various techniques to see if I could get it to cooperate. Thanks for watching. 73!

[@w4mkh]

@@tulenik71 You may not need one and you may not want one but without the choke at the antenna end the antenna is going to "see" that coax shield and it will become part of the antenna. You are right about putting the analyzer at the antenna. Though your proximity to the antenna can affect it.

[@usernamemykel]

@@w4mkh Now I'm confused - do we or do we not want to include the coax/counterpoise in the SWR reading???

[@firewaterforgeofarizona4304]

What length of coax do you suggest?

[@ys1rs]

I also bought this antenna and have done all the same experimenting you are showing in your video. In other words... have done same you are showing here. Man, Glad I'm not the only one! Conclusions from my testing: 1- All EFHW need a counterpoise. All of them! Even if the manufacturer claims not to need one. In this case, the coax shielding is the counterpoise. You need 0.05 lambda counterpoise for the band you want to operate. 2- QRP guys also offer another kit called QRPGuys 40m-10m Mini UnUn Tenna. Look at it , it is the very same antenna with same specs, same schematic, but only in a different package. That one comes with a counterpoise screw for you to use it for a counterpoise. They say counterpoise is not needed because the coax shield is what you use. But what the... use it with a real counterpoise and you'll see the difference. I like your video. It is a honest review. Abrazo (a hug) from Central America. 73 de Rob. YS1RS

[@HR4NT]

Hi Rob, Glady you liked the video. Honestly the antenna is too much trouble to deal with in my opinion with other EFHW antennas out there that perform just fine. I like experimenting with antennas to see what makes them work, but for practicality, I prefer something I setup once and it works on multiple bands without the hassle. The QRP Guys stuff is great if you want the experience in building and learning, but that's about it, at least for this particular antenna. You are correct on the counterpoise situation and the coax does serve as such. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!!

[@ys1rs]

@@HR4NT Just one tip here…. Look for an Elecraft T-1 auto antenna tuner. It is pricey but will tune everything you throw at it. I have had good experience with it together with a Sotabeams Band Springer Midi Antenna. 73 Rob YS1RS

[@AA0Z]

I suspect your probably done with the antenna, but I had totally opposite results. I use this antenna with my MTR4B radio and it works great. I feed it with around 10ft of RG-400 and use it as a linked end fed with 1:3 or better on 20, 30 and 40. I didn't read all the comments, but you probably figured out the coax is the counterpoise and putting the choke at the antenna end defeats this purpose. Also raising the end fed off the ground helps. You can play with the spacing between the coils of the roid to help with getting that SWR down if it's too high. Good video.

[@HR4NT]

That is good info and glad you were able to make it work for you. I did think about the spacing with the wires around the toroid and played with that a bit off camera, but for me, at least, it didn't seem to make much difference. I may try again using the configuration you mention and see if I get better results. I don't like to generally bash any antenna unless it is just useless, so info like this is great to add to my notes and try out. Thank you for the comment and for sharing Kyle! 73!

[@warplanner8852]

Scott, you did a great job with your two videos. You also showed that antennas are NOT just formulaic! As you build more and more antennas and experiment with them you'll develop a sense of what works and what doesn't. Don't get discouraged. Your antenna worked just fine. The 1:49 balun is an impedance matching device that transformed the approximate 2,500 ohm impedance of the END of the half wave to the 50 ohm impedance of your transceiver matching circuit. A tuner will reduce that down to 1:1 right enough. Anyway, 1:1.8 is just fine. You should just make sure the VSWR doesn't stray much above above 2:1.

[@HR4NT]

Thank you very much for sharing that! Since this video I have built probably 5-8 more EFHW antennas and have become rather proficient in it. I really enjoy building them now and do so every chance I get if the need arises. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@warplanner8852]

@@HR4NT you're quite welcome. Please keep up the fine effort. 72 de William, k6whp

[@chrisherd991]

Hi it will work, eventually. You could try to measure 5 metres from the antenna back toward the transceiver and then coil up the rest of the coax ( say 6 inches in diameter, secure with tape of some cable ties) and transmit from there. Doing this you are creating a choke balun.

[@HR4NT]

Great tip. Thank you for sharing ! Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!

[@TheScottClifton]

Unless the antenna is balanced (i.e.: a dipole) there should always be a ground at the feedpoint of the antenna. In this case you clearly identified the coax acting as a counterpoise and was basically part of the antenna. If you think about this, you basically built a dipole that had a series-inductive tuning network on the center conductor. Being that radio waves are alternating, it was unbalanced and electrcial properties were not equal on both sides; thus the suedo dipole you made did not work as advertised. Despite cutting to get a reasonable SWR at the radio end, the impedance at the antenna/balun was drastically off, thus creating a great deal of loss due to the mismatch. Stake a ground and get that balun properly grounded and put your choke at the antenna end of the coax and you'll experience a true end-fed antenna. This is the case regardless of what type of antenna you're using, vertical or otherwise. This being an end-fed or long-wire (harmonic antenna), you need a ground reference for that radiation to get properly transformed through the balun and all the RFI off the coax. The coax should never be used as the antenna. Tuners in rigs that are feeding 50 - 75 ohm cable do nothing more than make the radio happy; they don't make the antenna work any better. 50 ohms should be the impedance you see at the point the coax connects to the antenna. So mover that antenna analyzer to the BNC of the the QRP Guys unit with a ground stake attached to it and make it read correctly there. Then you will have a true end-fed antenna that can do some pretty amazing things!

[@HR4NT]

Thank you for that explanation. I will give it a shot. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!

[@randlecarr3257]

Great video. I really appreciate the experimentation and troubleshooting. It really helps us noobs understand all the variables. I'm sure it drives the Elmers slightly nuts as they already have the skillz... but for me right now it's perfect! Keep up the good work.

[@HR4NT]

My channel is aimed at helping out new folks as well as experienced ones. I am glad that these videos are helping you out. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for watching and for the comment! 73!

[@jbird4h30]

Good stuff. These sort of basic experimentation/trial and error demos are where it's at for really helping me stay motivated. If not for the rf properties and theories involved: for the simple fact of seeing other people run into the same head-scratcher moments. Thanks, Boss. 73's

[@HR4NT]

Hey it happens sometimes. For some chasing the problem until it is resolved is feasible. Personally, I will do that to a point, but i want a quality antenna that isn't going to make me work on it all the time. Thank you for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@MagicRoosterBluesBand]

For 20m I use the 28'8" length and use a 25ft coax on the ground, no choke, into the radio, and seems to work fine.

[@HR4NT]

That's good to know. Thanks for sharing. I may go back and revisit this antenna again and see if I can get better performance out of it. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@Bob814u]

I built it and worked with it. Then forgot about it until looking through a bag for a connector. It is an antenna I would build and hang onto and if someone I am activating with forgets their antenna I will loan them this one. In an emergency I would throw this one up as it packs small. Great video! 73! de KE5ES

[@HR4NT]

I agree...I have so many other EFHW antennas that work flawlessly that this one just doesn't get used that much anymore. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@cbbyers]

I own this antenna and have had a lot of success with it in POTA. I cut mine for 40 meters and have used it on other bands with the KX3's ATU. I was able to get mine to 1.4 SWR on 40m with a 12' coax jumper on the design frequency, but that really only matters for radios with no ATU. As long as the SWR is less than 3:1 and a short coax jumper is used, feedline losses will be minimal. With an ATU, 1.4 vs 1.9 is of no concern. Obviously, matching an extremely high SWR with longer coax cables can result in greater feedline losses. Even so, I have made good contacts in the field tuning this antenna at 5:1 or greater. I want to try making mine a linked EFHW with links for all bands 40-10 so that I can have an optimum radiation pattern for each band, but that'll take some experimentation.

[@HR4NT]

Well, I am glad to hear that someone else had better results with this antenna than I did. Good to know. I may go back and try some new configurations down the road. I don't like to bash any antenna unless they just do not perform as advertised. Thank you for sharing that info and for watching. 73!!

[@cbbyers]

@@HR4NT I didn't think you were bashing it. You should keep it in the arsenal and try it again sometime. It's nothing special compared to other wire antenna options, but I think it performs as well as any other EFHW. Thanks for the vids...

[@lousadventures2111]

Yup coax does make a big different. 73s de n3lou

[@usernamemykel]

How is "linking" accomplished? Hoe is it done? Thank you.

[@GreyGhost-r4z]

ABR Coax is great. All of it is Direct Buriable, so it's tough stuff. That Balun piece is about $35 normally in RG8X size. They also do make a LMR 400 size also. Also that Toroid is a Mix 31... it blocks 1-300mHz. And it screws into the Antenna.... You also don't need an adapter. It has a PL259 on one side and an So-239 on the other. I have a bunch of them. Great video.

[@HR4NT]

I appreciate the info. I am good friends with the folks at ABR as I use their coax pretty much exclusively now. I am glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!

[@chrisb012]

Learned the hard way that these EFHW are not great without a counterpoise, even with a tuner. I’m now using a SOTA beams band springer which comes with a counterpoise and run it on my 705 via a wonderwand widebander ATU, and get great results.

[@HR4NT]

That may be the case with this one, but all of my other EFHW's operate just fine without a counterpoise attached. Maybe having a counterpoise will improve performance to a degree, but most of the time I just don't use them on that type of antenna. I am glad that you found a technique that works for you. Thanks for sharing and for watching. 73!

[@chrisb012]

@@HR4NT No problem. You’re one of the best channels out there, and I certainly learn a lot from you. Thanks for the work you do!!

[@twohandsandaradio]

Yep.. .finicky. Because the coax is acting as the counterpoise. Your choke was inconsequential on the 1.8 swr BUT.... since the antenna is using the coax that chock keeps RF from coming back into the radio. Fun of antenna experimentation! Not trying to sound like a know it all windbag because I don't know jack. Love the video! 73

[@HR4NT]

Oh I get it...and this was totally about experimenting with this antenna to see what I could do with it. I like to try and micro-adjust things to see how low an SWR I can get. I appreciate the comment and for you watching. 73!

[@usernamemykel]

I know Jack, he's a pirate captain.

[@pascalf5pnp310]

great chance to have a better swr higher or lower on the band !! keep fingers crossed !! 73 s pascal

[@usernamemykel]

Gorgeous dog photobombs! Need more dog!!

[@HR4NT]

LOL...thanks for watching. 73!

[@tommycheshire5508]

Thanks. I was about to purchase one, and you saved me a great deal of frustration and bad feelings. I did not catch who you get your 49:1 units from. Thank you for your time.

[@HR4NT]

There are a few 49:1 antennas out there to choose form. If you want to build your own, I highly suggest the KM4ACK EFHW antenna kit. Just google him, but his antenna stock runs out very quickly.. Otherwise you have the spark plug antenna from sparkpluggear.com and the Packtenna EFHW Mini which is also in limited supply but very highly sought after. Hope this helped. Thanks for watchng and for the comment. 73!

[@hamradiotube]

There is a reason you haven’t seen me do a review of this antenna on my channel. Bought straight from QRP guys. Can’t tune the thing to save my life. Big thumbs down from me.

[@HR4NT]

Yeah I bought this one too....thought about taking a 12 gauge to it earlier...LOL It is what it is. Thanks for the comment. 73!

[@JReed305]

What does it do with a wire tuned for 40? What do the harmonic bands look like that way? Regardless it really makes you appreciate resonant antennas like the DX Commander and dipoles doesn't it?

[@HR4NT]

Honestly with all the crap I dealt with just on 20M, I didn't want to deal with adding a longer wire and tuning to 40. As you say though, you really appreciate other antennas like the DXC. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@cbbyers]

Other bands aren't optimal SWR like the band you cut it for, but they are less than 2 or 3:1 on harmonic bands. I've used mine on 30 and 17 with good results too. Don't use the 468/f in MHz formula. The PCB says 61.5 feet for 40m and that was exactly correct for 7.05 MHz.

[@mssippijim]

Chokes aren’t meant to reduce swr, they are made to provide isolation for current coming into the shack.

[@HR4NT]

Thanks for the clarification. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!!

[@davem7847]

I could be wrong, but if the SWR goes lower on the sweep I am pretty sure that means it's too long. Have you tried coiling/wrapping the wire back on itself to shorten it and see if the SWR goes down.

[@HR4NT]

I have tuned this antenna three times as of now and it just isn't a fantastic antenna. For those wanting to try a first build, it may be ok, but I have so many other EFHW's that perform flawlessly that this one has just been shelved for now. Thanks for the suggestion. 73!

[@ClimbingColorado]

Your RigExpert analyzer would provide really valuable charts if you used it with a computer and their AntScope software. Using a 61.5' wire length, I get an SWR less than 2:1 (as low as 1.1:1) on 40, 20, and 15m (I use a 6' feed line). While this isn't my favorite antenna, it's pretty good for $20.

[@HR4NT]

I have tried using the software for the RigExpert and have not had much luck in understanding what I am looking at. I am sure for a more experienced user it can do some great things. The QRP antenna is not terrible, but it does take a bit more work than some of my other antennas that were more plug-n-play as far as tuning them up and just being able to go out and use them. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@genemitchell8948]

If you ad a counter poise wires of about 10 feet it really helps this antenna out

[@HR4NT]

I may give that a shot. I generally don't use counterpoise with EFHW antennas. Thanks for the suggestion. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!

[@beowolfso.6096]

I'm having the same issues. SWR goes up the higher I raise the feed point. Also, depending how you route the coax, you'll get different results. This is not a good antenna if intended for park or mountain QRP contacts. Too many variables affect the outcome.

[@HR4NT]

I agree. I have quite a few EFHW antennas now and they all perform very well without the issues this one has. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@jamesgeorge1709]

You should be around 33ft for 20 meters and tune it from there. I use 64ft and it tunes 10,20 40 and with the loading coil 80 will work. Don't sell it short. Yhe ones I build are good for 100 watts and I use the 140/43 cores and wing the 49/1 or 64/1. 73's KI0AD

[@HR4NT]

Thanks for that info! I will give it a shot sometime son and see what results I can get from it. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!

[@ssyoumans]

Would I see different results if I wound this as 49:1 instead of 64:1? What end result would that accomplish. I have the kit but haven’t built it yet.

[@jamesgeorge1709]

@@ssyoumans scott the 49-1 works great as well Ican't tell the difference. 73 ki0ad

[@cowboy6591]

ABR no longer sells the choke. Will six or more regular ones work?

[@HR4NT]

Actually that is incorrect. I just got off the phone with Shannon at ABR and she said they do not have them ready made as different hams have different needs for connections and lengths and so on. So you go to their cable customizer and custom build one, or she said that you can call her up at [phone] and she will assist you in getting one ASAP. I know at the hamfests they attend you can buy them premade right there as well. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching and for the comment.

[@ghostmandka5498]

Good information on the video and the comments. What is the white pole you're using to secure the base of the antenna??? 73

[@HR4NT]

That pole is an electric fence pole from home depot for about $4. It works great to attach your antenna if you have nothing else around. (((LINK: www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-in-x-1-in-x-4-ft-Step-in-Plastic-Fence-Post-901120EB/206690318 ))) Thanks for the question and for watching. 73!!!

[@pinkunwizard]

I love mine, it's cut for 40 mtr's and runs at 1/1 to 1/3 across the entire band with no tuner.

[@HR4NT]

I am glad to hear that someone has one that works fine an that they enjoy it. This was just not the case with mine and I have moved on to other antennas since this video. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!

[@ea6wu]

Thanks for the video!

[@HR4NT]

You're welcome! Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@edgonzalez3271]

What size wire did you use for the antenna? Looked on QRP site and did not see it.

[@HR4NT]

I use 26 gauge for the majority of all my antennas. Cheap, easy and lots of it. I get mine from Sotabeams for about $17 for 300 feet. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73! www.sotabeams.co.uk/antenna-wire-lightweight-100m/

[@dannybryant4440]

Great Video as are your others, What Soldering Iron and Solder are you using for these projects? thank you W5CI

[@HR4NT]

I went on Ebay and bought the 853D soldering station. At the time they were about $80. I went on Ebay today and they are up to between $125 - $189. They are solid and good soldering irons with a bunch of other features. Another quite popular model (but doesn't have all the features mine does) is the Hakko FX888D-23BY for around $105. Hope this helps. Thanks for the question and for watching. 73!

[@radiotec76]

The fault is not with the EFHW kit. It is designed to convert by an impedance ratio of 49:1. Based on your results it looks like the coax is acting as a counterpoise. That’s a place to work from. With no extra gear you could wrap the coax into a common-mode choke just 5 feet from the antenna and see what results you get. Also, if you haven’t done this, and my apologies if you have its good practice to cut the radiating element for more than you need then shorten it by folding the wire back on itself for lowest SWR first. A good earth ground at the 49:1 transformer is important as well. I would still spring for this given the price is so low and you have nothing to loose for trying.

[@HR4NT]

Thank you for those tips! I will give it another shot an see what results I can get from it. I agree that the coax is probably acting as a counterpoise and that was reflected when I would move the cable and see the SWR jump up and down. For those looking for an antenna that doesn't require so much attention to get running, I just don't think this is the answer unless it is someone who likes tinkering with different setups to get rolling on the air. Thanks you for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@usernamemykel]

How many turns for the coax choke, and which toroid?

[@ssyoumans]

@@usernamemykel I think the choke he showed uses ferrite beads clamped onto a piece of coax jumper cable.

[@KC5UNL]

Have you tried putting the spider pole in the middle (so you have a true inverted-V)?

[@HR4NT]

With this antenna, no. But I have set the pole up just for that purpose with other antennas. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@shaofuchang515]

I wonder if 66ft of wire on it it'll work 2:1 from 40-10m

[@HR4NT]

Might be worth a try sometime. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!!

[@fredcatcreedy980]

I understand wavelength is drive by dividing the frequency by the speed of light and antenna size is usually half that relating to the amplitude. But why would a quarter of that also known as a quarter-wave antenna work? Surely it would resonate for some other frequency?

[@HR4NT]

I have only built one quarter wave antenna and that was for 2 meter, but it consisted of four quarter wave radials to make it work. Not sure if it would work on multiple bands as you are cutting the radials for a specific band. That is something I will have to research and see if I can get an answer to. I appreciate the question and comment. Thanks for watching ..73!

[@lousadventures2111]

Try it in a vertical position. Seems the further you go away from the mast the higher swr goes up.

[@HR4NT]

Thanks for that tip. I appreciate that. I will give it a shot and see what happens. Thanks for the comment and for watching., 73!

[@TheNoCodeTech]

Good information, Thanks. I dig the video.

[@HR4NT]

Awesome, thank you! Building it was fun, just wish using it was just as fun. LOL Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@45auto]

I looked briefly at that but as a newb I didn't want to start with a QRP antenna. That would have been a nightmare for me.

[@tulenik71]

in reality there is no difference between QRP and "normal" antenna other than wires (higher W = stronger wires) never used more than 100 W basically majority of my antennas are 300 W max and on the top of thar I have QRP versions for portable activity with thinner = lighter cables

[@45auto]

@@tulenik71 Agreed, I was scared off by their statement that this kit is rated at 20 watts.

[@tulenik71]

@@45auto for example, I am working mostly portable (SOTA is my favourite activity) and most of my radios are 4-15 W. Worked countries all around the world. Only when I am working from my mother's apartment (free space and trees around, good grounding) I am using Yaesu FT-991 (100 W). At home, I am in concrete pit between apartment blocs unable to deploy wire antenna so I am using magloop rated 20 W max.

[@HR4NT]

If you wanted to try building an antenna, this would be ok, but I think you would get more satisfaction being new from the KM4ACK EFHW when they are in stock. Better performance and you still learn about building antennas. An antenna is an antenna. QRP or otherwise.

[@jamesgeorge1709]

My no tune antenna works great are you sure you wound your toroid correctly you don't need a tuner if you build it right.

[@HR4NT]

It is possible there is an issue in the build. This was one of my first antenna builds. I used it for a while on FT8 when I first built it and it seems to work, but after getting it on the analyzer and tryin got tune it up it just didn't cooperate with me at all. I may have to revisit it down the road. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@jamesgeorge1709]

Elevate the feed end up the pole and put the end slightly elevated off the ground. Try that will still act as vertical.

[@jamesgeorge1709]

Another; The end you had at the top now goes on the slightly elevated gound end and the feed goes up the pole.

[@pascalf5pnp310]

did you scan the ROS a little higher or lower to see the differnces ???

[@HR4NT]

I did not. Might have to give that a try. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@jamesgeorge1709]

You need to try different approaches I got mine down to 1.15 to one on 40 and it tunes on 20 and15. I have a home built efhw up 30 ft up and i love it used a 2.40 by 43 mix toroid 16 ga wire and made it a 49-1 and for antenna wire I used 64 ft and then built the 110 mhenry coil and have it on 75. very very impressed with the performance. On my qrp guys I'm going to change the transformer to a 49-1 and think it will make it a more efficiant antenna. hint your wire needs to be 1/2 wave. 73 ki0ad/jim

[@HR4NT]

Thank you for sharing that! I followed the instructions almost to the letter with tis build. I think upgrading it to a 49:1 is a good idea...might have to borrow that idea from you...LOL Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73

[@py2bnd-sota411]

Just replace to core too and place a genuine Amidon 82-43 in it. 1:49 is right since 1:64 is much to high. QRP Gays kits came with a junk core that does not perform. I had two of this Gay kits an the desk, from OM who could not make them working. The radiator matched very poorly on one band, and on the upper harmonics no match at all. The kits came with a junk core. After replacing them wit a genuine FT82-43 they work. Asking QRP Gays about the finding they answered: "Its our best selling kit. Have fun with Your experiments" ...That was the answer from them, in both cases ....

[@echo-hotel]

1.7 isn’t bad… And i’m sure you could do better if you wanted to. I get out and do pota and the last park was 1.2 and the next is 1.7 I don’t really care. My radio can handle it and I still make my qrp contacts. I guess it’s just a difference in what you like. Seems like you want something perfect at home. But this is perfect in the field. I make my own, but its 100% the same design.

[@HR4NT]

Chasing SWR is not always a good thing. You are right, 1.7 isn't bad and I could probably live with it. I have since moved on to other antennas that have been performing very nicely, like the K6ARK EFHW kit...that is a sweet antenna! Thanks for the comment & for watching. 73!

[@robertwood657]

Good job!

[@HR4NT]

Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!

[@mattyice4547]

Do you have a video making it?

[@HR4NT]

Yes there is a video a few months back from this one where I built it live. LINK: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYDOhZZrmtuqf9k

[@RedNeckSurgeyTech]

How is it "no tune" if you have to tune it?

[@HR4NT]

You tune it once with an analyzer as opposed to having an auto tuner to tune it each time you use it. By tuning it you make it resonant on certain bands and when done right, you are good to go. I hope this helped explain that for you. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@daniell8387]

I bought mine premade because at the time they didn't have any kits available

[@HR4NT]

Maybe you will have better luck with it than I did. To me it is just too much to deal with when I just want to get on the air and do my radio stuff. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!

[@daniell8387]

The RF gods probably smiled upon me, I've made,my own efhw transformers as,well as 9:1 ununs, half work great, the other half go into my "maybe try turning it into a cb antenna" pile

[@pascalf5pnp310]

hi sir.... would like to know, why 8.72m length wire ?? on 14.260mhz, i have : 300,000/14.260=21.037m...we want half wave so 21.037 /2=10.51m ...and at worst x0.95 = 9.992 m for the velocity coefficient so the wire would be too short... and then, i think that putting an rf choke on long wire is a good idea !! thanks.. 73 s Pascal

[@HR4NT]

The kit comes with a precut length of wire that is supposed to work on 20M, so I used the full length and took my readings and then adjusted the length from there. The choke didn't really help much. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@CoveiraoPS3]

I built the same antenna, using the sotabeams wire, 5 meters of coax and I got 1.0 from 14 to 14450 mhz. There's something wrong in your build

[@HR4NT]

Thanks for the comment. I will go back and see if there were any issues. 73

[@CoveiraoPS3]

@@HR4NT hi! You probably know this better than I do. Just commenting in case other hams read this. I have this antenna and the ununtena. With the antenna of this video I didn’t have any issues, I just had to trim because nanovna showed me it was perfect from 13700 to 14200, so I trimmed the wire just to bring this interval to the useful frenquencies. But with the 9:1 I learned that putting some tension on the wire to make it really straight does improve the swr. Same for the counter poise.

[@loraz0]

That big coil of coax you had near the analyzer probably had a lot to do with your results.

[@HR4NT]

I do not think it had that much of an impact. The antenna is just not that great. I have 10 other EFHW's that work just fine without the hassle I got from this one. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@lampshadesneeded]

lol choke removed counterpoise, plus the 50m of coiled coax on the deck

[@HR4NT]

Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!

[@Tom-W7TMD]

Are you a bbq guy to? I'm down to 4 smoker's now. Awaiting delivery for my lonestar grillz . Sorry off topic!

[@HR4NT]

Yep...GUILTY. I have four pits here for various tasks. If I had room for more I would probably buy them...LOL I appreciate the comment! Have a good one! 73 KI5NPL

[@CarNRadio1]

Got same weird results. Its going...

[@HR4NT]

Yeah I am not impressed with this antenna at all so far. Different folks are having varying experiences. I may have to go back and mess with the toroid a bit more and then retest it and see if I can improve the performance on it. Either way, at the least it is a good kit to gain experience in building antennas. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!

[@CarNRadio1]

@@HR4NT toroid material seems to be weird. I made 49:1 balun with it, same results. Mine was a aliexpress copy, maybe that is the problem. 9:1 copy works great.

[@mortimersnerd801]

...so many questions... does it have a 100pf compensating capacitor? Where did you buy your kit... EBay? Could be a cheap Chinese clone with a poor quality useless core. did you check the wire build with others on the net.. go to one of Steve Ellingtons KZbin primers..

[@HR4NT]

Hello Mortimer! Yes it does have a 100Pf capacitor. I purchased the kit from qrpguys.com/qrpguys-end-fed-wire-antenna . When buying stuff like this, I prefer to buy from the source, not a third party if at all possible. I have spoken to other fellow youtubers about this antenna and they have had similar issues, not all the same, but issues none the less. Since this build, I have built quite a few other EFHW antennas, including one I designed myself that handles up to 500 watts! This was a fun first build but knowing what I know now, I would have gone with another option. Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!!!

[@joeblow8593]

I always looked upon it this way. If you have to set the antenna or coax in a certain way and you can't move it without the SWR going wacky, the antenna is not worth it.

[@HR4NT]

I think many antennas react that way, but if I have to give special attention to any one particular antenna for that reason, I agree, not worth it. Thanks for the comment and for watching...73!

[@w4mkh]

You can always send me that antenna. I'll play with it and wring out all the issues

[@HR4NT]

LOL...careful, that could happen... Thanks for watching. 73!

[@w4mkh]

@@HR4NT I was only half joking as I could put it to good use. Keep up the good work. You come across as a good ole boy and that makes people believe in and trust you.

[@py2bnd-sota411]

If You have a good performing EFHW transformer you find with a approximate 21m long radiator on 40m band a SWR of 1.7 - 20-15-10m a SWR of less of 1.2. Problem on the QRP Guys transformer is first, that they clame that there product use a FT82-43 ferrite, and it is not. It's a something else ferrite core that does not perform. May be You can tune it on one band but it does not match on the outers. Second is that a 1:49 transformer performed better than the 1:64 from the kit. But the main problem is a wrong ferrite that is coming with the kit. I asked them about and supplied also measurements with a resistive load on the output showing a total wrong transformation behaviour. The answer from them was ignorant, telling that's there best selling kit and wished me some fun with my further experiments. So that from this Guy gays selling a non working product. So what to do? Buy a good genuine Amidon FT82-43 core and rebuild the kit with a 1:49 turn ratio (3 turns primary, 21 secondary) Then it works perfect. The shoke You place in 3-4m close to the transformer. Problem on this kit is a unknown non subtitle ferrite core that is coming with the kit causing a non resonant wire length to come to a reasonable SWR. But on this case the radiator is not resonant, and even unable to tune on the same way on the upper harmonics. And SWR becomes also very unstable tweaking around with the coax. On a good performing transformer you have almoste no effect moving the coax from one side to another. It's definatly trash kit that they are seling. But with a DIY transformer with genuine core you would be very happy - I hope You understood what I've tried to explain to you explaining Your problem's..But for shure, with this what You have You never ever will get what they advertise, a working multiband EFHW antena. And, If you would have good performing transformer wirer combination You would be very surprised how well this antena is performing. Very good contacts and a super nice and stable low SWR, without any need for a additional tuning device. The problems that You have does not come from You, it's simply that You can not active any good result from what they are selling, this QRP Gays. I hope You could make something out of my explanation - 73 my friend 👍👍

[@HR4NT]

Thank you again for watching. I replied to your other similar comment on my follow up video. 73!

[@py2bnd-sota411]

@@HR4NT Thanks, cool!!

[@brianhall137]

28ft 7in for 20m??? your antenna is between 4-5ft too short. Also, the rf choke should not be necessary if you're close to resonance. If used, you should always place it near the radio end. If you install it at the feedpoint of the antenna, you choke the entire length of coax, which is used as a counterpoise for this type of antenna. I'm sure if you used the proper length of radiator, you'd see dramatically better results.

[@HR4NT]

Thanks for the comment. According to the print on the actual antenna (link: qrpguys.com/wp-content/gallery/end-fed-wire-antenna/IMG_3972b.jpg) they recommend 28' 8" for 20M. I was just following what they recommend on the antenna itself. You may be correct and maybe I should go back and give that a shot again and see what results I get. Thanks for watching. 73!

[@vladtepes481]

The antenna you have does not appear to be made by QRP Guys, If you did not purchase the antenna directly from QRP Guys then it is a "fake". Don't blame QRP Guys.

[@HR4NT]

Since I bought it from the QRP guys website, I am sure it is not a fake. It simply is not that fantastic of an antenna. Thanks for watching and for the comment. 73!

[@chipweather]

I bought a knockoff because it was two dollars and it works perfectly. 1:1 across rhe entire band. I have made great contacts with it.

[@HR4NT]

Hey that is fantastic! Thanks for the comment and for watching. 73!