| F59706 |
Rating:      |
2009-03-02 | |
| Really incredible |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Received in France on February 20 or 6 days later, I am now stuck in my Eton E1 to listen operators to the most distant.
And this in particular 20 and 17m. I note that the direction (in east-west slope) and slope (45 °) were tested to find the best compromise with the help of Dale (available even on Sundays HI!!).
Now some amazing results: Falklands islands 12400 kms, Australia 14300 kms , Paraguay 10035 kms, Brazil 9300 kms , Japan 9800 kms, Swaziland 8700 kms, Canada 8000 kms .
If you like Dx, the antenna is really excellent.
A big thank you to Dale !!
SWL F59706
Patrick |
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| WA4D |
Rating:      |
2009-02-05 | |
| Surprising & Excellent! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The old timers in my youth used to say, "It's all in the antenna kid".
I'm thinking this Par EF-SWL can't possibly be as good as these guys say it is. They're slobbering all over themselves. Still, in the hunt for a wire antenna to an Icom R-75. I buy the Par.
The old timers were right! And so are the previous reviewers.
mike
wa4d.net |
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| GW1MIL |
Rating:      |
2009-01-21 | |
| Excellent antenna |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Here is yet another positive review of the EF-SWL!
I use mine as a sloper from the chimney of my single storey house to a fence post about 6ft high. The #2 connection is earthed to a copper earth rod. This results in a low noise signal which is ideal for scanning using PC-ALE and my JRC NRD-535.
The size of the EF-SWL is ideal for a small garden such as mine and the build quality is excellent.
In fact I like the EF-SWL so much that I have just ordered another one! |
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| IZ4KBS |
Rating:      |
2008-12-11 | |
| excellent product and excellent service |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Well, there isn't really much else to say about the EF-SWL which has not already been said. I got it delivered a few weeks ago, but I did not have time to put it at work right away. I finally installed it last Sunday and I can attest that the electrical behaviour of the antenna keeps up with its mechanical quality. My QTH is quite noisy, with my ham shack being just one story of a bookshelf located inside my work office, which is packed with computers and other digital devices generating a lot of QRN. My TX antenna is a roof-mounted 31ft vertical with an AH-4 ATU at the feed point, and certainly it isn't the most quiet HF RX antenna of all. The EF-SWL is quieter than the vertical by 6 to 10 dB, that is one S-unit or more, and that helps a lot with the DX, in spite of not having put the antenna high enough, having shortened it by 10ft and having bent it into an L-shape to fit the available space. But I'm greedily looking at a tall street-light pole located some 60ft from my house, and if local authorities will not complain I may give the EF-SWL a better chance to show its true capabilities :-) Oh, and Dale's customer care was amazingly good. |
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| WD6ETC |
Rating:      |
2008-07-11 | |
| Truly Impressive! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
First, some background: I’m a recovering obsessive compulsive, but even still, very hard to please (just ask my XYL!)
So when I say I was extremely pleased with my PAR Electronics End Fedz EF-SWL, you can believe it. Out of the box, I was immediately impressed with this antenna. The materials were more commercial grade than consumer, from the plastics and all stainless steel hardware; to the coated flex weave wire. This antenna is built solid. The construction is top notch, with excellent quality control (the transformer enclosure is submerged underwater to test for leaks). The antenna is a great value, in that what you get exceeds your cost. I would have easily paid $100 for this antenna and would have considered that fair market value. The included installation instructions with pictures and illustrations are simple, clear, and complete, with an itemized parts list and four suggested mounting examples. No less than 8 Antenna patterns for 4,10,15, and 25 MHz for two configurations are included. Customer support, via phone or email, is excellent, with one-day or less email turnarounds typical.
Performance is, in a word, outstanding. Perhaps this is due to the 168 copper strands in the flex weave wire, or the exclusive binocular core matching transformer. I don’t know, but I don’t care. What I do know is that if you’re using a random wire, or even a dipole, the difference in reception is like night and day. Even with my non-standard installation (no ground rod) I am amazed at how this antenna pulls in signals and rejects noise. The antenna is mounted on the roof, with the transformer end attached to a 6 ft mast and the end of the flex weave attached to the top of a 15 ft Wonderpole mounted to a chimney. The antenna slopes upward about 30 degrees. The top of the Wonderpole is about 40 feet above ground. A 50 ft length of RG-8X low loss coax is used for the lead in. In direct A/B comparisons with a 45 ft random wire I see 4 “S” units less noise with a corresponding 4 “S” units increase in signal levels, consistently from 80 meters to 20 meters. Many weak signals that cannot be heard at all on the random wire are beautiful, clear copy on the EF-SWL. From Los Angeles, with the EF-SWL coupled to my Icom R75, I’ve logged SSB phone amateur stations in Ireland, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Moldavia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Japan, just to name a few. At night, “Zed L’s” in New Zealand and Victor Kilos in Australia running roughly 400 watts with 3 element beams routinely peak at S5 to S7, with clear, noise free copy as if they were stateside. All in all, I am very satisfied with this antenna, and incredibly, I have no suggestions for any improvements. If you’re currently using a random wire, I recommend getting rid of that “noise magnet” and upgrade to a PAR EF-SWL. You won’t be disappointed.
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| KB4BJM |
Rating:      |
2008-03-18 | |
| A best Buy!! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I use this antenna with my Icom R75 and the two together make SWL a pleasure. A quality product and service too. |
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| VK5ABQ |
Rating:      |
2008-03-18 | |
| Outstanding! Well made, easy to erect and performs superbly! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I bought a Kenwood R2000 HF Receiver (100 KHz to 30 MHz - see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Kenwood_R-2000/) and started using a 20 metre (60 foot) length of 16 gauge wire thrown over a tree branch 7 metres (21 feet) off the ground. I then ordered PAR Electronics's EF-SWL. While waiting for this to arrive, I bought a Kenbotong folded dipole (http://www.kenbotong.com/english/product_detail.asp?id=1453&sid=760&parentid=657&childid=760). These were being sold locally so I erected this antenna and tried it out. It was a chore to erect (25 metres long (75 feet), 10 metres (30 feet) off the ground) and performed well only above 2MHz.
I then erected the EF-SWL (End Fed Shortwave Listening antenna). Not only was the EF-SWL easy to erect, not only was it well made, not only was it well priced BUT the increase in reception performance relative to the folded dipole was amazing! The EF-SWL performed BETTER than the Kenbotong for half the price and also performed much better than the piece of wire I originally used.
I'm feeding the EF-SWL with 30 metres (90 feet) of RG-213 coax cable. The EF-SWL is configured as a sloper with the top of the EF-SWL at about 9 metres (27 feet) off of the ground, up near the crotch of a tree. There I have strung up a pulley. 5mm (1/5 inch) nylon rope from the EF-SWL then passes through the pulley and down to a very light counterweight about a foot off the ground. I've hammered in a 6 foot copper clad ground stake and grounded the antenna side of the transformer near the EF-SWL's feed point which is also only a foot off the ground. I've left the ground of the two sides of the transformer connected which produces the best results for me. I've also installed a 6 foot ground rod at the receiver though and grounded the radio to this.
I'm a very happy customer and Dale provided excellent service!
Most importantly the EF-SWL is very reasonably priced, very well made, very easy to erect and performs exceptionally well - this antenna ticks every box for a shortwave antenna. It's as simple as that and you can't go wrong if you're looking for a high quality shortwave antenna. The EF-SWL proves that a large dipole is completely unnecessary! |
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| KD0CAO |
Rating:      |
2008-03-10 | |
| WOW What a great antenna |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I have a Kenwood TS 830A.I installed EF20 meter antenna.I was thrilled with the contacts i made all over the USA.Swr.1.1 at 80 watts.I live in an apt,3rd floor,small balcony,I just run the wire around the balcony.I am north/south.I was a radio operator on a transport plane in the 50s/60s.I wish i had 1 of this antenna,GREAT ANTENNA. I ordered the 10 15 17 antennas today. |
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| KJ6FBA |
Rating:      |
2008-02-19 | |
| Excellent performer across the bands |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Very high quality components and very easy to install and set up. Dale is very helpful with quick personal responses to questions. The multiple grounding options with the supplied balun is a very nice feature.
I am getting pretty even reception across the bands, including AM broadcast frequencies. The RFI noise problem is vastly better than my long-wire. My installation runs 16 feet horizontally at a height of about 8 feet then turns 90 degree left at slopes upward to about 20 feet. All under the eaves of my wooden roof!
Best antenna money I have ever spent and I happily took down my old long-wire "noise magnet".
Neil Bell |
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| KU2US |
Rating:      |
2008-01-12 | |
| SUPER SIGNALS |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I would like to think I am an old pro at SWL, (29 years) but I still have a lot to learn! One thing I did learn and FAST, was how good this EF-SWL antenna is! I have a Kaito KA-2100 portable. I was using this radio with a 102' G5RV antenna. The "RV" was quite noisey. I came to this review and read all, so I decided to give the EF-SWL a try. This antenna made my KA-2100 come alive, and it recieves like a more $$$$ reciever! I emailed Dale, and he was very helpfull and answered in a matter of hours! The guy knows his customer service. EXAMPLE: I logged RADIO VERDAD in Guatemala. They use only a 1000 watt transmitter. A great catch. All on a $99 portable reciever, at the low end of the sunspot cycle and a EF-SWL sloped up to 50'.. A great antenna, A great price and SUPER customer service. I AM HAPPY.. |
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