Reviewing the MFJ-1984LP EFHF with the Icom IC-705 during a Parks On The Air (POTA) activation

[@daveN2MXX]

Thank you for revealing at the beginning of the video that MFJ provided this antenna free of charge to you because of your KZbin channel. Many other self proclaimed internet experts and amateur radio influencers also receive equipment, but fail to disclose that fact.

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Thank you, I try to be as transparent as possible. I also stick with my frank impressions and criticisms of products despite support from retailers and manufacturers. If they don't like it, they can support someone else. All of the folks I work with are good with honest evaluations. The ones that weren't are now long gone! :)

[@rudyhardy370]

Thomas I look forward to your videos every week. Keep'em coming!

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Thanks so much, Rudy.

[@tommcmichael8679]

Always like your videos! I always gain insight and enjoy practicing my copying.

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Very glad to hear!

[@r0naldzuccala198]

Hello well great info. My 705 does not appear to be very fussy. I have only had the radio for a month now.two nights ago I picked up approx. 25 signals on sw with just a 30 dollar ant. Really learning alot from your videos. Thankyou. Ron z. The north American shortwave radio and toy robot museum..

[@K5QBF]

Great antenna, this is what I use for home and portable.

[@qrptedmac]

I almost got one of those. But when I saw your vibroplex trail friendly I bought one of those instead. My first antenna I put up in the trees in my backyard was and is a MFJ-2012 OCF @ 15ft. It has been great. Thx for the vid. My fav channel.

[@ThomasK4SWL]

The trail-friendly is an excellent field antenna! Great choice!

[@AE5X]

Nice video Thomas, looking forward to doing this myself with the new 705. BTW, NA5AR reported as being in TX not IN. 73 - see you on the air!

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Ha ha! Sometimes, there's a disconnect between my brain and my hand. :) Many times, ops will send "IN TX" or another state, and I jot down IN as the state. Guessing that may be what happened here, although I'd have to go back and listen. Don't get me started on how many times I've copied my own callsign suffix only to discover it followed by "DE" and the real callsign. :) See you on the air, OM! Thomas

[@gravestonemyth]

I caught that too! He said “in TX”, so it slipped by. It strikes me that many of your activations start with a TX station.

[@BikingHikingRadio]

Thanks for the review of the MFJ 1984LP. It's a nice antenna and I've had a lot of luck during the summer with it during POTA activations. 73 de KN3A.

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Thank you, Scott! We'll have to do a P2P with the same antenna this summer! :)

[@kellbodholt8986]

Another quality/instructional video. How did you deploy the MFJ-1984LP EFHF? Could not tell from the video, looked vertical/or sloper which you prob got up via your arborist throw line.

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Thank you! It was pretty much vertical with maybe 8-10 feet bent over the the tree limb.

[@WKMG365]

I have the 1982 and 1984lp. I use the 1982lp primarily from home at 10 Watts. I have hundreds of contacts on that antenna and it even survived the ice storms. Impressive antenna for the price. Good activation and good luck! Mat - K4OCY

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Very good to know. Thank you!

[@BargainBasementHamRadio]

Another inspiring activation video! I always forget to switch which account I am using, so I left two comments from both channels..haha! 73

[@Scif64]

You are very lucky being able to get out portable... We are still in lockdown in the UK so no outdoor activity sadly. Hoping they lift restrictions soon. 73s P.S. How do you find the paddle i was wondering, they have then at my local emporium, but pretty expensive I feel for a bit of plastic. I do have a straight key Hi-Mound HK 707 and a 1948 Eddystone S689 Bug that i am trying to get my head around.

[@ThomasK4SWL]

I do feel lucky, frankly. So many of my friends in the UK are chomping at the bit to do SOTA and POTA activations right about now. I love the CW Morse Pocket paddles. Don't be fooled by the fact they're 3D printed. They are of very good quality and very durable. the action is excellent. Cheers, Thomas K4SWL

[@Ira06002]

Once again - Excellent video! I too have the IC705 and MFJ1984LP paired w/ the LDG100 ATU. I’ve reached the UK AND Moscow w/ 5w from CT! Excellent review and agree, MFJ has a nice product there. 73 - Steve (K1KTF)

[@MM0OPXFieldRadio]

Excellent Thomas. The antenna is working Great. I notice my CW coming back quickly just listening to your video's. As you know you always try to preempt what's being sent next but you you really shouldn't. Look forward to the next video.

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Thank you and I'm glad it's helping your CW copying skills!

[@joeblow8593]

MFJ lists it at $49. They say it's for 40 through 10 . Can you make the wire longer and use it on 160 or 80? Or do you have to use the amount of wire that they gave you?

[@ThomasK4SWL]

I'm certain you could build a linked section and add wire to get 80 and maybe even 160. you could unlink it if not needed (in fact, thanks for the idea!). Without a coil, I'm guessing 160 would make for a very long antenna, though--perhaps a bit awkward for field use. 80 will be something north of 100', I'm betting.

[@kd8opi]

The 75- 80m version has a trap and is 130+’ long, 160m is double that and not manufactured. Personally, I would not bother with the 80 m version of this antenna. I think the minuses outweigh the pluses. You will only get a small portion, typically the CW/digital portion, of the that band to fall in to resonance and maintain a decent SWR on the 40/20/15/10 harmonics. Some manufacturers claim that you can achieve reasonable results on 17 and 30 with an 80 m version, but from what I’ve seen on KZbin, you have to use a tuner a lot of times on those bands anyway, and the SWR on the harmonics isn’t as neat as it is on the 40 m version. SWR Isn’t everything, and if you don’t have a long feedline you’ll still radiate out all of your power fairly efficiently with a tuner; but you have to ask yourself if working the minor bands it is worth the hassle of a 130 foot long antenna when you have a phenomenal 40/20/15/10 m antenna with no real compromises.

[@JosephAnthonyJosefius]

How ironic, I was looking at the MFJ-1982 MP for my new house since I don't have any trees and can't use my G5RV, will use a telescoping mast. I love MFJ, they make solid products. 73 de KI5JCO

[@ThomasK4SWL]

I agree, Joseph. People complain about MFJ, but I think their quality v price point is actually spot on. Their products work well. Cheers Thomas K4SWL

[@JonFlyTV]

I may have missed the explanation but how did you get the wire into the tree? I was thinking of maybe using my drone for this purpose. I may order this MFJ unit soon

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Great point! John (AE5X) once posted a video about using a drone and I was very inspired by that. Although my Mavic Mini isn't beefy enough, I have a friend who has a very large drone that could. Frankly, though, in the field for POTA, it wouldn't be necessary unless you wanted to hang a very large special antenna. I use an arborist throw line and it's an insanely easy way to deploy an antenna even in thick foliage (which we have here in the mountains of NC). I think a drone would be incredibly helpful for permanent installations where you want max height and optimal placement. For POTA that's usually overkill, but still certainly an option. With that said, many parks won't allow drones so that could limit options--you'd want to call in advance. Here's my article on the arborist line: qrper.com/2020/09/a-field-antennas-best-friend-the-amazing-arborist-throw-line/

[@JonFlyTV]

@@ThomasK4SWL Excellent.. I see the arborist throw line in my near future, thank you. Yes as for drone, I also have the Mavic Mini and that wont do the job except with maybe a fishing line lead. I also wonder if you could use a bigger drone to just hover with a long long wire or will the RFI just take out the drone. 73

[@ThomasK4SWL]

@@JonFlyTV you know--that's a great idea and good question. Amateurs have long used balloons and kites, but a drone would give some serious control (hypothetically). I suppose some could be influenced by RF, but unlikely if at QRP power.

[@artadams1]

Still looking for that key that you use, I keep draging my vibroplex out to the field. --... ...-- -.. . -.- .. ..... -... -..- -.

[@ThomasK4SWL]

So this is the CW Morse dual lever Pocket Paddle: cwmorse.us/product/pocket-double-paddle-morse-code-key/

[@artadams1]

@@ThomasK4SWL apprieciate the link, I found a few similar on Amazon but not exact. Thanks for the reply 73 - KI5BXN

[@jterrellcreative]

Great video! How does this antenna compare to the Par End-Fedz 102040 that you usually use?

[@ThomasK4SWL]

In terms of performance, it compares very favorably--I'm not sure I would notice a difference. The Par EFT-Trail Friendly has the advantage of being much more compact and sporting a shorter radiator (due to the inline coil)--I believe it's about 20' shorter. The MFJ antenna, is much less expensive, though. Both are great antennas--it's really more a question of how compact you'll like your antenna.

[@owlcricker-k7ulm]

Nice video Thomas, the EFHW 40m is my go to antenna for portable QRP with out a tuner. With a KX2 they tune up on 80m most times. A telescoping spinning rod with 10# flourocarbon fishing will put them in trees super quick. On the 7300 the twin pass band filter can be narrowed down to cut out a lot of noise on CW. Narrowing the band width on the KX2 is about the same for me. Been looking for a nice small computer for logging. Which one are you using?

[@ThomasK4SWL]

I use a Microsoft Surface Go and love it. Very portable, powerful enough for logging (of course) and running digi modes too. I bought mine used for $190--I think it's the best money I've ever spent on a computing device.

[@owlcricker-k7ulm]

@@ThomasK4SWL thanks bro

[@larryak0z672]

Love your videos. I am just wondering when you look at your SWR you don't have to calibrate it first. Is this no longer required like the old SWR meters where you had to adjust to calibrate, then throw a switch, then check the SWR? Asking for myself.

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Exactly. Most modern transceivers sort this out automatically. There are still some manual tuners, however, that use a similar adjustment.

[@potatoslim2332]

I just bought two (one additional one by accident) of the MFJ EFHW 40 meter antennas. Hung as a sloper, it's surprising how low the swr is right off the bat. It's a little high for me on the upper side of 40 (about a 2:1 but my rigs all have auto tuners near them). It's simple. It's a tad more than i wanted to pay for but it works and it's hard to complain : )

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Very good to know. I, too, would consider buying one for a permanent installation (after I weather-proof it).

[@Ron_C]

Enjoyed the activation! I have your call sign setup on Hamalert, but I only get alerts while I am ast work...lol. One thing I noticed is that you often get call from folks sending much faster than you are calling CQ, I thought it was proper form to try and match the speed...?

[@ThomasK4SWL]

You're right, Ron. So most ops will try to match your speed and most POTA ops float around the 17-19 WPM speed anyway. Since it's not a contest, it's very rare anyone sends north of 20WPM.

[@matiasmicenmacher1564]

Thoma, thank for the videos, what 😮 s the brand of your key? I like that!

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Thank you! It's this one: cwmorse.us/product-category/pocket-paddles/

[@uptechextreme2921]

That CW is impressive

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Although I'm not sure I deserve it, thank you!

[@johnnorth9355]

Here we have a beautifully engineered hi tech transceiver but to make it work best we recommend a bit of wire lol. Great job MFJ .

[@ThomasK4SWL]

That is actually one of the great thing about taking radios to the field. Wire antennas rule there. :) With no RFI to mitigate (typically) simple antennas tend to perform better than others.

[@n97223]

Awesome! Great activation! I'll have to get one of these for the back pack! Thanks as always for sharing! 73 de n1one

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Thank you!

[@barrykery1175]

Yet another very well done video. Nice not needing an ATU, isn't it? I use to use an OCF40 for years and then decided to look into some home brew HWEF's. I did an A/B test between my OCF40 and HWEF40. I found them to be equal in performance. Since the EF works on 15 and the OCF does not, I've changed to strictly using the HWEF. It's also easier to erect so the EF is the winner for me. Barry, KU3X/QRP

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Thank you for that feedback regarding the ACF and EFHW. Yes, it is liberating when an ATU simply isn't needed--especially on radios like the IC-705 that require an external ATU. Cheers, Thomas K4SWL

[@owlcricker-k7ulm]

Can you tune 30m on the 40m OCFDIPOLE?

[@barrykery1175]

@@owlcricker-k7ulm The SWR at the feed point of an OCF40 used on 30 meters is 18 to 1 SWR. That's eighteen, not one point eight. The losses are so high on the feed line on 30 meters that it fools you with the SWR you see at the radio end of the coax. Bottom line, don't use an OCF40 on 15 or 30 meters as it's not even close to resonant there. Barry

[@owlcricker-k7ulm]

@@barrykery1175 Thanks Barry I won't build one of those just yet.

[@dennispeake1877]

Thomas, at last we can see what you are writing with a "BLACK pen", not that dull light pencil that you can't see on your pages of all the call signs, in the video. THANK YOU SO much, just saying. cheers Dennis.

[@daveN2MXX]

12:02 the infamous "MFJ cold solder joint" suddenly changed resistance lol

[@ThomasK4SWL]

I'm convinced the heating system at the park visitor center is the culprit. I've had this happen to me twice before with different antennas. It's not frequent, but when it appears it wipes everything out. :)

[@daveN2MXX]

@@ThomasK4SWL Yes, no doubt that you are correct! I was just kidding about the MFJ quality control 🤭 BTW- mostly because of your videos, I have been learning code...I'm now about 75% @15wpm

[@Homer19521]

Witherspoon is scottish/gaelic & your written numbers look european? Yet I don't detect an accent. So you fully converted your language but not your handwriting. Paradox wrapped in an enigma. ;-) Nice vid as always.

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Ha ha! So yes the family has its roots in the British Isles (both Scotland and England). I lived in France for a year, Germany for the better part of a year, and in the UK for several years. For a good three years or so, I also traveled (for work) extensively throughout Europe (esp. in France/Germany/Italy). When I lived in France and studied at the university in 1992, it was all still very much written work, so I quickly adapted my 1s, 7s, and 9s. I never really lost that because years later I worked and lived in Europe again. It became muscle memory and even though I try not to use a European 1 or 9, for example, my hand often still does it. Living there also took a tool on my southern accent (I'm from NC), but if you ever hear me speak to another North Carolinian, I code switch without thinking about it. :)

[@Homer19521]

Very cool. I traveled to Europe a fair bit for work. I remember driving from Wiesbaden (near Opel HQ) to Tilburg (van Doorne) one day & as I passed thru the "interstate" border & asked the cute boarder agent: How fast is the speed limit here? Without skipping a beat she responded: How fast can your car go? So funny, it still brings a grin today.

[@Kevin-w8ni]

Thank you for showing your sending “struggles”. It helps me see everyone makes mistakes and has troubles from time to time. Hoping to get you in my log soon. de KE8ONI

[@ThomasK4SWL]

Absolutely! We're all human and I like showing that by not editing out my blunders. (And trust me, there are lots!). I hope to log you soon, OM!

[@on6uufrank]

Don't you find that key a bit clunky ? It is very clickerdeclack.... .. Personally I don't like the big travel the fingerpieces have to do. This is maybe good for slow CW but when you wanna go faster you will have to adapt that. Great video, I know you alone out there, next time you family comes along also film how you set-up the antenna, always nice to see. I noticed you don't do much of CQ'ing inbetween qso's, you end a qso with thanking the station you just worked and then immediately give your call followed by EE. This doesn't generate spots on the RBN which can help you working stations who follow RBN like I do. I already saw you call a couple of times on RBN on 20, pity I couldn't hear you. 73 on6uu

[@ThomasK4SWL]

I hope we can work each other someday, Frank! The pocket paddle is adjustable and doesn't have to feel or sound "clickerclack." :) I sort of prefer it that way, I suppose, because for ages my main CW key was a single lever Vibroplex that had a very mechanical feel to it. I like the feedback. You're right about the RBN spots, too. If I have a steady pileup, I don't always try to encourage POTA spots page to refresh my spot via the RBN. My spot will still be on there, but just a little further down the list. If things get quiet, I'm on the CQ calling again. :) Cheers, Thomas