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| Reviews Summary for PAR Electronics, Inc EF-10/20/40 |
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write your own review of the PAR Electronics, Inc EF-10/20/40.
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VE7HJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 1, 2008 20:36
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Unreal Antenna!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I purchased the EF -40-20-10 meter wire antenna to take to Hawaii with me. I must admit I was skeptical being and end fed antenna with no counterpoise. It arrived in plenty of time before my trip to my delight. I took the antenna over to a ham buddy down the street that has a MFJ antenna analyzer. We followed the instructions and tuned and trimmed a few inches of wire to get it centered on 7,150 and 14,150. Twenty meters seemed to take care of its self. I took the antenna home and soldered the wire lug and tightened it down on the transformer. Then I decided to give my Hawaii gear a work out so I strung the antenna up in a tree in my back yard and tied the other end down to a fence. The high side was at 30 feet and the low side at about 20 feet. I hooked up my K2, a battery, microphone and key and set it on the patio table. It was about 3 PM Sunday so I decided to check 20 meters. Wow!! I was hearing stations for the East Coast, Europe, South America, Japan and more from the West Coast just out side of Vancouver B.C. I then gave 40 meters a try and made contact with 2 stations from Alberta my 10 watts garnered a 598 – 599 report.
What a neat antenna it will fit into a zip lock bag, is very hard to see once up and seems to work quite well. I update this when I get back from Molokai Hawaii where I will be vacationing for 10 days. I plan to string the antenna from a second story balcony to one of the palm trees close by. The Ocean is about 50 feet in front of me so maybe it will help my QRP signal.
I would recommend this antenna to anyone wanting a low power (25 watts max) portable antenna.
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AC0DS
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 10, 2008 07:06
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Easy and Flexible
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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This product is a great portable antenna for low power work. I use it mostly in a sloper or vertical configuration so only need one support point and no radial system. Feeding at the end reduces the amount of coax and the complexity of getting coax to the mid-point. This antenna is more flexible than a quick glance at its name (EF 10/20/40) would indicate. The wire above the loading coil can be replaced with a shorter one to make an efficient 30 meter antenna. The entire wire can be replaced with a full sized half wave wire to make end-fed antennas for 12, 15 and 17 meters. I use this capability often for 15, 17 and 30. Instructions for these changes are included in the instruction manual. Just go down to your local hardware store and get a couple of SS wingnuts so that the wires can be changed quickly and conveniently. Given that this system will cover all bands from 40 through 10, I can't imagine a better value for a portable QRP antenna!
.... Craig AC0DS
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G8ITB
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 10, 2008 05:57
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Excellent with FT-817ND - For Summer Holidays!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have used the EF-40/20/10 with a Yaesu FT-817ND whilst on the usual family summer holidays to the Canary & Balearic Islands! (EA8 & EA6).
The antennas work (once you 'line them up' at home first) reasonably well - considering the restraints of hotel and villa set-ups! They are lightweight to transport and easy to set up in most situations.
I have found that use as a 'sloper' gives the best performance, even with such low power!
It must be remembered that these antennas will normally be in a 'compromise' situation and should not be equated even to a large, high up dipole.
I am extremely pleased with PAR and Dale's service - especially as many US outlets refuse to sell anything outside the USA and still label themselves 'world' dealers!
I have PAR single banders for use in temporary situations with a 50 Watt HF rig back in the UK -they work very well!
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WB0MZT
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 5, 2008 08:18
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Nice
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I wondered why this would be such a great antenna, after all, it is just another wire antenna, right? But it works better than just a wire, and construction is very good. I put it out a second story window, and sloped it down to a corner fence post. I live in a covenant controlled neighborhood, so I needed a stealthy antenna...this one is difficult to see from the front yard (it is black, and blends in well).
I've been off the air for many years, and last night worked a Ve2 from Denver, with 5 watts...this antenna works great!
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KB3OMJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 17, 2008 02:31
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Superb antenna!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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To me what is important is not only how well the antenna works, but customer support. Par Electronics rates a superior when it comes to support and buyer satisfaction. Out of the box 10M checked a 1.5:1 swr with 20M 1.0:1. Being a ham with only one and a half years experience I wasn't sure abt pruning for 40M (which you'll have to do) so a quick email to Dale at Par Electronics was all that was needed to clarify a question I had. Response time was an hour or so. Dale also invited further emails from me should I require more infomation. He takes care of his customers. If you are into qrp and looking for a multiband, I highly recommend the folks at Par Electronics for your needs. I can assure you satisfaction not only with the product, but also after the sale support.
73
Dick Williams KB3OMJ
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WB6I
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 4, 2008 13:51
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Great portable multiband antenna for QRP!!!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Very easy to tune (no tuner required nor should one be used) and low SWR across much of the band. I run QRP and own several portable antennas (Buddipole, Buddistick, MP-2, Diamond BB-7V, etc.) it beats the others hands down(provided you have a way to get some height). I use it as a sloper with the high end at 20 ft and matchbox at 6 ft. You can move it around too without having to re-tune. Antenna is very lightweight and the end fed connection for the coax makes for a much easier deployment than with a center fed dipole. My experience is all you need is a collaspable pole or tree to throw one end up into and the other end with the matchbox can be loose at ground level or slightly above. NO RADIALS REQUIRED OR SHOULD BE USED. My 5 watts allows me to work pileups and I consistantly get strong signal reports. Tech support is also great!! An added plus is you can configure this model only as a single band end fed dipole (60M-10M) by replacing the wire with a half wavelength section for the desired band. If you need to run higher power check out the single band versions (see my EF-40 review in the Par Electronics End-Fed Half-Wave Wire Antennas section.
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N2NEH
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 19, 2008 08:15
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Excellent antenna
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I reviewed the EF 10-20-40 before in 10/07....and,I loved it then. Since then, I have cut separate 1/2 wave wires for 12M, 15M & 17M...just like the instructions said. Once I pruned the wires to resonance, I experienced the same great results using my mighty FT-817 as I did with the tri-band model. Dale, you're a genius!
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W7GFB
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 13, 2008 19:30
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Thumbs up for the EF-4-20-10
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I caught Dale at PAR when they were swamped with government work. Even so, he went out of his way to be helpful in providing the antenna.
Installation directions were very good. It tuned right up with only about 1 inch snipped off the end.
It is mounted off the garage peak, 20 ft. up and rises to a 30 ft. pole. It is set north south, so propagation is to the east and west. Running the maximum 25 watts allowed I have had excellent signal reports from here in Montana to Japan, both coasts, the mid west and deep south.
Now if it could just handle 100 watts......
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KC0HKM
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 7, 2008 13:33
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Could not be better
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Installed 30 feet up and functions as designed. No need to use the internal tuner on my Icom 703 Plus. Follow the instructions and trim the two wire sections to resonance using your favorite brand of antenna analyzer. In my installation, the 10 and 20 meter band was as desired right out of the box and the 40 meter band was trimmed to resonance by clipping about 3 inches off the tip section.
Also, the instruction sheet mentions that this antenna can be configured for the 10/20/30 meter bands instead if the 40 meter tip section is replaced by only 25 inches of wire (rather than the supplied 74 inches needed to achieve resonance on 40 meters). Also, the instructions describe installation as a mono-bander by substituting the appropriate 1/2 wavelength of wire for any desired band.
If you want to mount this as a more or less permanent antenna in trees , take care to install an appropriate strain relief with weights and pulleys or shock cords to compensate for movement during winds
All in all, a very good product well suited for a low power operator.
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W5LXG
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 29, 2008 09:22
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Excellent antenna
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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My 3rd review comment on this interesting antenna,see 12/19/07 review. The instructions say you should not need or even use a tuner with this antenna. True, you should not need a tuner on its design bands as SWRs are quite low right out of the box. As I mentioned in earlier review, mine functions on 160/24/12 with fair results. I missed 30 and 80 however. Tried to let the TS-480 tuner match on those bands with no luck. Against my better judgement, I bought a used MFJ Versa Tuner II and found it matches well on 80 and with some patience,also on 30. Who knows what is going on here, but as long as the MFJ doesn't melt or mechanically fly apart, I don't care. A possible worry is heating of the matching device at the feed point of the antenna, so mind the power limit of the antenna. I now have 160 thru 10 that is designed for only 40/20/10. Your mileage may vary, so to speak.
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