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Author Topic: EFHW vs. random length wire  (Read 1047 times)

WB6BYU

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    • Practical Antennas
Re: EFHW vs. random length wire
« Reply #15 on: January 14, 2023, 06:11:33 PM »

Quote from: N7EKU

...With 80m of wire up, you can make a 160m EFHW and run it on 80m also (and of course other harmonics too).




Just a note that, while you may have a low SWR running a
160m EFHW on 80m, you might not get the performance you
are expecting, depending on who you are trying to talk to.

I had a 160m EFHW wire coming in the upstairs window of
the house at one point.  On the local 80m net is was rather
mediocre, but afterwards a station 250 miles away called me
to ask what type of amp I was using.  (I was barefoot at 100W.)

Turns out that the 160m EFHW used on 80m has an overhead
and broadside null in the pattern (typical of a 1-wavelength
antenna not fed in the center, so it also applies to an OCFD).
Most of the local stations were in that null, so signals were weak. 
Maximum radiation was at an angle of about 50 degrees off the
ends of the wire
, which happened to be pointed at the more
distant station.

That's not to say that either antenna is "good" or "bad", just that
the radiation patterns are significantly different, and which one is
"better" depends on your specific application.

N7EKU

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Re: EFHW vs. random length wire
« Reply #16 on: January 15, 2023, 07:01:04 AM »

For sure,

Most everyone is familiar with the standard "half wave dipole one half ways up" but the patterns change a lot with relative height and when using anteanns longer than one have wavelengh.  If one puts one of these up, it would be really useful to model it on all the bands so you can get some expectations.  One interesting thing is as you increase the number of half wavelengths of an antenna like this, the pattern become more and more end firing rather than broadside.

73
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Mark -- N7EKU/VE3

GEORGEMINK

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Re: EFHW vs. random length wire
« Reply #17 on: January 15, 2023, 03:01:52 PM »

Also the list to Bob Brehm video was excellent.

I've been researching putting up my end fed non resonant for the last month. I've read lots of articles and watched several videos, but he summed up everything you need to know in one video. 
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