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Reviews For: ARRL EFHW 40m, 20m, 15m and 10m antenna kit, made by HFkits

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : ARRL EFHW 40m, 20m, 15m and 10m antenna kit, made by HFkits
Reviews: 3MSRP: $70
Description:
ARRL has partnered with HF Kits to bring you this easy-to-build four-band antenna kit: an end-fed half-wave (EFHW) antenna. Unlike the dipole antenna, which is comprised of two quarter-wavelength wires and fed at its center, the EFHW is a half-wavelength antenna with the coaxial cable for your transceiver attached at one end. It has become popular with portable operators because it’s very simple in its construction and deployment. This antenna, which works on 10, 15, 20, and 40 meters, has a very high impedance of around 2,500 Ohms. The kit includes the parts needed to construct a 49:1 impedance matching network, which will transform the impedance to 50 Ohms, which will suit most transceivers
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.arrl.org/shop/End-Fed-Half-Wave-Antenna-Kit-for-10-15-20-40-Meters/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0034
WO8J Rating: 2023-08-27
Works as well as commercially available EFHW antennas. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have bought and tried 9:1 and 49:1 EFHWs over the years. I built the ARRL EFHW kit at a hamfest workshop this spring. It is mounted about three feet high in an inverted L configuration at 18 feet at the highest point. The SWR where the antenna comes into the 2nd floor shack is below 1.5:1 on 40, 20, 17, 15, 24, and 10 meters. 30 meters is 4.1:1. I work exclusively at 10 watts or less. Last night I worked Japan on 20 meters. This afternoon I worked Belize on 15 meters. Rig is IC-705. I was using the internal battery so both were worked with 5 watts. I have worked more than 2700 contacts in the last 22 months. It works as well or better than the other EFHWs that I have used over the years. I thought I would use it since I built it. 73.
K9RJ Rating: 2021-07-11
Works for me Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is the first time I have used an EFHW antenna. Normally I use mono-band dipoles or full wave loops. An addition to the house required taking down the full wave 40 meter loop and replacing it with the ARRL version of the HF Kits antenna. My setup is different from the previous poster. The feed point is 10' off the ground attached to a 10' piece of schedule 40 PVC pipe which is supported by a 6' steel "T" fence post driven in the ground about 2'. This is located next to a 6' high concrete fence about 40' from the house. The far end of the antenna is about 30' high. It is tied to a black dacron rope that runs through an Eye bolt that is screwed into the edge of the roof. The antenna is fed with about 150' of coax, most of which is ABR equivalent to LMR-400.
initially I cut off 18" of wire and later cut off another 3". The results on 40 were odd. Cutting off 3" should have very slightly raised the resonant frequency but it seemed to have slightly lowered it. I had also changed the far end a bit in terms of overlap of the wire so that must explain this unexpected outcome. My results as currently installed are 1.3 VSWR at 7.0 and 2.0 at 7.290MHz. SWR on 20 goes from 1.3 - 2.0; 15 meters is 1.3 - 1.4; and 10 meters is 1.4 at 28.00 and 1.2 at 28.600 MHz. I have decided not to trim it anymore. Signals seem to be at least as good as the loop.
WA7ARK Rating: 2021-06-28
Hi quality parts, instructions on multibanding incomplete. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I shown the compensation network that is required to make the ARRL/HF-kit into a useful 4 band antenna. I further show, that if you are capable, you don't need the kit, just home-brew the entire antenna from scratch. I also suggest better ways to fabricate the transformer, and show a way of leaving the transformer open to eliminate trapping heat inside a sealed box.
Read my report, here:
https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/the-arrl-end-fed-half-wave-antenna-kit-and-doing-it-cheaper-and-better.770104/