| BADMEYERS |
Rating:      |
2010-10-28 | |
| Superb |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Not much I can really add to what others have written. The antenna is dead quiet compared to a random wire and pulls in signals on par (pardon the pun) with my DX 1.
Dale is a great guy, easy to talk to with terrific customer service. When I had an issue with my transformer (my fault not Par's) Dale replaced it quickly for less than $30. What more could you ask for. |
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| A9MP11 |
Rating:      |
2010-07-26 | |
| It is as good as all the reviewers claim. |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| I got a new radio and wanted a new antenna. So I started my internet reseach. The EF-SWL kept showing up. After reading the reviews, I concluded, this many positive reviewers could not be wrong. And at this price point, I didn't have much to lose. At this point, my praises will simply be redundant. I was more than surprised. So pleased, in fact, I bought a second for my beach condo. Which by the way is a very noisy environment that this antenna helps overcome. I have always prided myself as a "build you own" antenna type, but this antenna performs as well as anything I have built, plus works well in limited space, which has become increasingly important for me. As others have commented, Dale Parfitt offers free advice as well. I emailed him with a few installation/orientation questions, he emailed right back. You just don't find that kind of service much these days. If you are in the market for an affordable/high performance antenna in a small package, this one delivers real value. Do yourself a favor and get one. You are not likely to be disappointed. |
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| K1PJR |
Rating:      |
2010-07-09 | |
| Outstanding! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I purchased the PAR EF-SWL after reading all the great reviews. I erected it as a sloper, 60 feet from my home and ran RG-6 Quadshield to my radios.
At the antenna base I installed a 4 ft ground rod. Due to the rocky soil I have I wasn't thrilled with the idea of driving in an 8 ft. rod so I cut it in half. Before the RG-6 entered my home I installed the other half of the ground rod and attached a grounding adapter.
I connected the antenna to my R-1000 and FRG-7. Wow! I could not believe the performance. No noise and the stations just poured in. I had emailed Dale with a few questions and he replied ASAP. Great customer service. Worth every penny!
Phil
K1PJR |
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| WB6LDL |
Rating:      |
2010-04-19 | |
| CREAM OF THE CROP |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
FOLKS, THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS, I WILL TELL YOU ALL THE RATING SHOULD GO TO A 10 SO I COULD RATE THIS ANTENNA AS A ++++10
MOT TO BORE YOU WITH MY ELECTRONIC QUALIFICATIONS, LETS JUST SAY I AM A RETIRED 37-YR SENIOR EE.
I JUST CELEBRATED MY 69TH BIRTHDAY AND HAVE BEEN AT THIS HOBBY SINCE I WAS 14. FIRST LICENSED AS W2WFG, BROOKLYN, NY, EONS AGO.
THE BOTTOM LINE: IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE BEST NO-PROBLEM OUT-OF-THE-BOX ROLLS ROYCE OF A WIRE ANTENNA, GO NO FURTHER. THIS ANTENNA WILL MEET AND EXCEED EVERY EXPECTATION YOU EVER HAD FOR A PRODUCT OF IMPECCABLE PERFORMANCE AND MIL-SPEC CONSTRUCTION. IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THIS ANTENNA CAN BE PURCHASED FOR THE MOST REASONABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY THESE DAYS. NOW, THE PROBLEM. DALE PARFITT, OWNER AND ENGINEER, HAS NOW BEEN SO SWAMPED WITH GOVERNMENT ORDERS THAT IT IS ONLY HIS LOVE OF THE HOBBY HE STILL PRODUCES A VERY LIMITED AMOUNT OF THESE WONDERFUL ANTENNAS, AND TO BE LUCKY ENOUGH TO ACQUIRE ONE, HE HAS CREATED A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY EVERY FEW MONTHS TO PRODUCE A LIMITED QUANTITY OF THEM. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH DALE AND AM SO HAPPY FOR HIS SUCCESS WITH GOVERNMENT ORDERS BUT AS I SAID, IT IS A BITTERSWEET SITUATION. I WISH DALE'S ORDERS NEVER CEASE WITH THE GOVERNMENT, BUT PLEASE, DALE, DON'T FORGET WHAT BROUGHT THE LIMELIGHT TO SHINE ON YOU.
I HAVE ONE LAST COMMENT. NOT ONLY IS DALE AN INCREDIBLY FINE INDIVIDUAL, BUT HE IS ALSO A TRULY DECENT, CARING INDIVIDUAL AND REALIZES HIS BLESSINGS COME FROM A HIGHER SOURCE. THANK YOU, DALE FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE TO ENHANCE THIS WONDERFUL HOBBY, AND MY ENDING COMMENT WILL HOPEFULLY CREATE A DEMAND FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR YOU WILL HAVE TO SATISFY. TO MY FELLOW HAMS, GET ON DALE AND MAKE HIM PURCHASE ANOTHER 35 MILES OF WIRE. HE WILL KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT, BUT THIS WIRE MUST BE RESERVED FOR US. I AM WRITING ALL IN CAPS AS MY VISION IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO SEE TO USE LOWER CASE.
73S FOR NOW. BARRY WB6LDL |
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| STEVEQ |
Rating:      |
2010-01-25 | |
| Outstanding Antenna |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I am adding my voice to the previous 30 positive reviews. The antenna arrived a few days ago but due to bad weather I could not get it outside.
I made a few small adjustments to my current antenna a few weeks back (dipole as inverted V) which help a good bit with reception so a comparison was in order
(Please Note: As an avid SWL I was very pleased with the current dipole but one can never have too many antennas, right?)
So for fun, I strung the PAR EF-SWL antenna around the inside of the house and hooked it up. Wow, simply wow ! It only took one comparison, I tuned in a strong CW signal on my vintage Drake R4 then switched from the dipole to the PAR. The signal provided by the PAR was brighter and much more crisp. And as I said the antenna is not even outside yet !
Sure there was plenty of noise from all the electronic gizmos in the house, one would expect that, in other words the PAR antenna was picking up everything and this is said in a very positive manner. I do not expect any noise issues once I get this antenna mounted correctly and grounded.
Oh yes, with the antenna strung around the inside of the house I did not have the PAR grounded, I was using it straight out of the box. Wow, simply wow.
Whatever Dale is doing, he is doing it right ... add my solid 5.0 rating .... yes it is that good. |
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| SLJ2137694 |
Rating:      |
2009-10-30 | |
| WOW, a whole new world has opened up for me!!! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| Great reception on SW and MW. Mine is mounted as a sloper with the far end 22 feet in the air and the other end 2 feet off the ground. The construction is first rate and should last a long time. I called PAR and spoke to the owner (Dale) about some other options I might have with his antenna and he was very patient and informative. I own 2 of these antennas and I use the other one as a portable at other locations. |
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| VE4AMN |
Rating:      |
2009-10-24 | |
| Excellent |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Easy to deploy. Mine is an inverted L with the feed point right on a 10' copper pipe for ground. Very fine reception on SW and BC bands. |
|
| K6HOM |
Rating:      |
2009-10-21 | |
| Wow! A Quiet Wire Antenna! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
My new EF-SWL is mounted as a sloper, 30' up at one end and 10' up at the other. Using an 8', 3/4" diameter solid copper ground rod driven into the ground as my ground connection, the soil in my neighborhood is normally damp. The antenna is oriented NNW to SSE.
After using it on my Drake R8A for the past two weeks, all I can say is WOW! What a great, quiet antenna. Whatever PAR does in its design to make such a quiet wire is incredible. I am now picking up many weak Asian and Pacific SWL stations that I didn't hear before on a long wire from my QTH (Sacramento, CA), and can easily read them out of the background noise. Amazing.
Before trying this antenna, I thought that "a wire is a wire is a wire." The operative word for this antenna is Quiet. Don't know how PAR did this, but I'm now a believer. Well worth the purchase price!
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|
| WPE9FNN |
Rating:      |
2009-07-31 | |
| How can it be THIS good?! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| I read the reviews on eHam.net, studied the technical articles and finally ordered a PAR EF-SWL antenna wondering how any piece of wire could be as good as the reviews indicated. Let me be the 27th or so person to testify that this antenna is GREAT! I've called PAR Electronics twice, Dale answered both times and spent time answering questions and making recommendations for my installation. It was shipped quickly. It installed easily - sloper from my TV tower to a post with an 8' ground rod next to it and direct burial coax back to the house. And...it works unbelievably well compared to my prior outside and attic random wires (40' and 70'). I often get noise floor levels under S1 and can listen to signals which barely get above S1 since the antenna is so QUIET w/r/to ambient noise. All of my problems with wireless router, power line, plasma TV and other unidentified noise sources have vanished. I've more than doubled my number of logged stations since I put the EF-SWL up. I now routinely listen to transmissions which are beamed totally away from my location in southern Indiana using moderate power levels including programs from Europe and Asia beamed to Africa, India and SE Asia for example. Daytime reception on low frequencies and night reception on 19m, etc. is now quite good which allows receiving transmissions on frequencies optimized for the other side of the world. USB/LSB reception of radio amateurs and marine/aircraft bands has improved remarkably. I listen on a Kenwood R-1000. The PAR EF-SWL provides as much bang for the buck as any product I've ever purchased. I cannot adequately express how pleased I am with it. |
|
| G0UUT |
Rating:      |
2009-07-25 | |
| fantasic antenna |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
after using this antenna for some time
i found it to be the best i ever used
it is much better then the Titanex 80m and i can hear much better then any other i had .
Dale is a Great he will answer any time .
i sent e-mail after 1hr or less he will answer nice company i am ordering 2nd for my 2nd station , and yes i am using SDR and other high end rx from R&S Germany thank you Dale and
PAR Electronics |
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