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Reviews For: PAR Electronics EF-SWL Antenna

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : PAR Electronics EF-SWL Antenna
Reviews: 45MSRP: 75
Description:
End Fed SWL antenna. 45' genuine #14 Poly coated Flex Weave, wideband binocular transformer. Includes field selectable grounding options. See Monitoring Times 9/03 issue for full review.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.LnRprecision.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00455
W8MQW Rating: 2021-04-02
Perfect for a remote RX station Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I gave up running HF mobile in my electric car --- too much chopper noise. So put together a remote RX-only station with a IC-7100 and a Raspberry Pi4 under MFJ's excellent RigPi2 software. Merely plugged the Icom into the RPi4 with a USB cable, the RPi4 into the router with an ethernet cord, and connected the PAR antenna. Noise was S9 until I applied 7 snap-on chokes at the feed point, connected the lower end of both the primary and secondaries of the 9:1 BALUN in the PAR to a grounding rod, and bonded the radio to ground inside. Dead quiet, no noise. Beautiful to listen to.
KC0EKQ Rating: 2017-01-26
More praise Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I wish I could add something new to the review thread here but alas -- I am just as impressed and pleased with the EF-SWL as every other reviewer!

Lower noise than just about any random wire *or* dipole I've ever used, especially grounded well (in my case, leaving the jumper and grounding through the #1 terminal).

Although it's not as quiet as the Wellbrook in general noise floor, and obviously can't be rotated to null or peak any signals by itself, it IS a wire antenna equal to the Wellbrook loop and that is saying one hell of a lot.

Of course, it *can* be rotated electrically -- with the EF-SWL and the Wellbrook connected to the Quantum Phaser (much better than the MFJ 1025/26), I can spotlight and rotate a noise-killing null or a signal quieting peak almost at will.

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool homebrewer when it comes to antennas and have always built and used my own antennas, and still do. But at the price, an antenna that can achieve the performance of the EF-SWL is too good to pass up (just like the ALA1530).

For the first time in decades of radio-ing, I am actually *proud* to own and use a wire antenna I did not make myself.

Just look at the amount of reviews here, and note the full, solid 5 rating all through... you just can't go wrong.
AK9S Rating: 2014-05-15
Second follow-up review Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I am using two EF-SWL antennas with an MFJ-1025 noise reduction/phasing unit.

After several experiments with different antenna configurations, the best success for my small lot was to use both antennas in sloper configurations. Both share a common attachment point 30 feet in the air and are separated 30 feet apart at ground level.

On the low bands, each antenna behaves as an omnidirectional and the largest single nulls occur when spaced 1/8th wavelength apart. With a common attachment point, I cannot satisfy that requirement for the entire length of each antenna, but they do work exceptionally well nonetheless.

I am experiencing between 2.5 to 13 dB signal gains with both antennas phased as compared to a single antenna. In general, I average 9 dB gain with sky waves. Remember that phased antennas will only give you 2.5 dB gain or less, but additional gains occur when dealing with sky waves.

I can now completely null out the WWV signal at 5 MHz to below the noise level or have the signals phased to S9 + 20 dB.

Some results using these phased antennas using a JRC NRD-545 receiver:

Greece, 9420 kHz, S9 + 45 dB
Romania, 7350 kHz, S9 + 50 dB
China, 9430 kHz, S9 + 55 dB
New Zealand, 9700 kHz, S9 + 45 dB
Australia, 9480 kHz, S9 + 55 dB

Weak African stations running 50 KW come in great, as does Radio Free Asia.

Excellent performance on 80 meters with many big signals and very good performance on 160 meters. Just amazing performance for a set-up containing such a small footprint.

I recommend this combination for its performance in terms of gain and nulling out local noise and interfering stations.
W2OMD Rating: 2014-04-13
Works great. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I wanted a better antenna for my bedside radio, and since I've had great experiences using LNR's other antennas, I purchased the EF-SWL. I replaced the stock wire that came with the antenna, and attached a 70' wire that is hung horizontally across my backyard. I connected the ungrounded antenna to my Grundig 750, and it just works great. Noise level isn't bad, and it works great from 10-80M. I'm sure if I grounded it properly it would work even better.
KK4XO Rating: 2012-08-08
This is the best! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've used the PAR SWL on and off for many years and it is, without a doubt, the best wire antenna for Short Wave Listening. All of the previous reviews attest to that fact. If you want the ultimate in SW listening, combine two PAR SWL antennas (one vertical and the other horizontal) using a splitter/combiner such as the RF Systems SP-1 or the Apex Radio SPL-2. I used this configuration for many years in Africa and it beat out every other antenna I had in the yard....wide-reception dipole, active antenna, vertical and sloper.
HIFIMAN Rating: 2012-06-07
Better than Expected Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have tried different SWL antennas with limited success. So I figured what the heck. Eham reviews gave the EF-SWL 5 stars and it would not break the bank to try one. Well I have to say it brought my IC-765 to life! I tried removing the jumper and running my ground to both the number one grounding post and then number two. Still was getting too much noise for my liking. I ended up putting the jumper back in and grounding to post one. So I drove an 8' copper rod in the ground at about 20' from the house. Moving the load end away from the house was like night and day. Noise level dropped 5 s units. I am running as a vertical because I almost have to in my situation. Very nice and better than anything I have tried. Im hearing many stations I was unable to receive before.
MAKO36 Rating: 2012-03-06
All I can say is WOW! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just restarted my love in shortwave after many years of "playing" on the 11 meter band (CB)SSB. I recently bought a Grundig 750 (no comments please!) and threw up different lengths of wire on my roof to absorb signals. It was "OK" considering all the static even after installing a balun and grounding. Looking through the web I kept seeing review after review of the PAR EF-SWL antenna. Final stop was eHam.net. After reading the reviews I gave it a shot. Grove's customer service is outstanding and their tech support is second to none. Got it in five days and on the roof it went about 25 ft. up N-S directions. QRM/QRN was reduced dramatically and signals I never knew existed popped out in my face. How the manufacturing process is done to provide such great reception is beyond me. Wire looks like it is made good as well as the controlbox. I left my setup ungrounded as there is almost no static or hiss. I even hear stations that my neighbor with his vertical couldn't hear! Now I know the 750 isn't all that- I can just imagine how many more stations I will receive when I get my ICOM! I highly recommend this antenna as well as Grove Electronics. If ratings were at 10+, that is what this wonder antenna would get from me.
STRETCHMAK Rating: 2011-11-13
WOW Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this for use with an ICOM IC-R75 and I am truly impressed. If I could rate it a ten I would. I am right in the middle of a small city of about 40,000 people in NE Ohio. Houses here are about 20 feet apart here and this EF-SWL antenna is really quite.

I have it strung as a sloper from the back of the house to the ground in a North to south direction ( only way I have room here ). The feed end is on the south end. The wire end is about 25 feet up on the back of my house with 8 feet of rope. The transformer end is mounted on an 8 foot ground rod about 1.5 feet off the ground. I used the ground lead for the jacket ground post with the jumper still in between transformer and jacket post. So far it is very quite. I have not grounded the coax before it enters the house yet and might not mess with it because it works so good.

If you are looking for an antenna give this one a try. This antenna brought my R75 to life. Very happy with it.

PU2NBU Rating: 2011-10-17
Celestial piece of wire Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
My domestic swl set-up is the Eaton Satellite 750 am/fm/air/sw generic receiver plus a Par Electronics EF-SWL antenna.

The deployment of this splendid antenna is 18 feet high in a slight slope configuration, in the backyard of my house, completely stealth for any regular guest.

The receiving performance is excellent with very few electric noise interference and with no antenna ground at all.

If there is any SWLing radio activity in heaven, certainly a Par SWL will be floating up there in the celestial sky!

Nilton
Campinas/SP/Brasil
K1GUY Rating: 2010-10-29
As Good As It Gets Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just purchased the Grundig 750 . It seem to be a bit deaf..so, i purchased the Par SWL antenna...
Wala ! Amazing sound. Makes listening a pleasure now. The radio can now do its best. If you want to do SWL, get yourself a Par. Period.

Its well built, and easy to use as a stealth antenna.

Dale did it again !