G0HCI |
Rating:      |
2005-04-12 | |
Fine Biz |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
Just to report, despite comments about this is only for QRP portable operation, I have had my PAR EF20/40 up permanently for nearly a year with no problems.
Having played with locations etc, I have found best results and (full HF band coverage with onboard ATU) is with a ground wire from shack to copper earth pipe below far end of antenna. Sure dont have a problem getting out and I usually only use 10 - 25watts.
Just the job for a stealth antenna in limited space
:-)
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Earlier 5-star review posted by G0HCI on 2004-05-07
Very fast delivery.
Impressed with quality of build.
No customs duty to UK
I supported far end to a tree branch approx 20', attatched a 50 ohm patch cable to feedpoint and pulled up to 1st floor 'shack'.
No worry about antenna ground,(this gets better)
using my TS570DGE (permanently set to 5watts) I turned off internal atu & checked 20m swr - spot on! OMG? I couldnt help chuckling as 40m proved the same. OK, so what other bands can I tune?
Topband surely not????? YEP! This is crazy - lol
Bands with internal tuner;
(no atu required for 40m or 20m)
160, 80m, 40m, 17m, 15m, 12m
I really wanted the EF for portable qrp psk ops with a Small Wonder Lab PSK20 I have on order, but this antenna is also a fantastic qrp op base antenna.
With just a UK (typically small) rear garden, I have a 1/2 G5RV and a ground mounted Hygain 12AVQ. The EF seems to favour lower bands and with less noise and spot-on matching, it is now replacing my 1/2 G5RV (xyl will be pleased)
You qrp guys fed up with the hassle of trailing counterpoises, dodgy antenna grounds or just poor performance from little vertical coat hangers, try this little beaut, you will not be dissapointed.
Thanks to Dale (W4OP)for prompt email replies and a very fast trouble free delivery. |
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VY2REG |
Rating:      |
2005-03-12 | |
Great QRP Antenna |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I recently did some QRP DXing from the island of Maui with my 10 watt, Icom 703+ and the Par Electronics, EF-20/40 Dual Band QRP antenna. With one end of the antenna hoisted up to a tree(about 20ft above ground), I worked Japan, the Russian Federation, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa, Washington State, Mexico and Argentina. The Icom 703 easily tuned this antenna on 20, 17, 15 and 10 meters and I made at least one contact on each of these bands. The Icom 703, with its excellent internal tuner, appears to tune this antenna on all the HF bands except for 160 meters.
The antenna coils up into a very small package and is ideal for a traveller who wants to do QRP.
Reg
VY2REG
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W1MU |
Rating:     |
2005-01-01 | |
An Effective QRP Antenna |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I purchased an EF-20/40 after reading reviews of the antenna here on eham. In general I would echo the comments already posted – it is a clever design and, for a radio like the Elecraft K1 of KX1 it is an ideal portable antenna. I put it up in some trees at my home QTH, 50 feet above ground, and found its VSWR to be right on for both 20 & 40 with no pruning. Performance was solid and I was able to work out effectively with my K1. However, prospective users should take note that the manufacturer used lightweight construction techniques and materials with the antenna and it is not well suited for fixed station uses where it is under tension, strung up high between two trees (as was mine). A far better way to use it, as has been noted in other places, would be to hang the feedpoint-end from something like a DK9SQ mast and then loosely tie the other end to a tree or some other remote support. |
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N2DE |
Rating:      |
2004-12-31 | |
Perfect |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
For some time now an EF-20 has been my travel companion, and it has dangled from many a hotel balcony on the East Coast with an Elecraft K1 at its end. With the degrading band conditions, and 20m already dead most of the time when I check in, the EF-20/40 looked like an even better choice. The power limitation of 25W is no restriction that matters for me. Dale pulled out all the stops to get this antenna to me before Christmas, billing me and accepting a personal check – I haven’t seen that level of trust in a long time, and I sure hope that nobody is abusing it.
The EF-20/40 is as perfect for my purposes as I had hoped, and the addition of 40m in an antenna that is barely longer than a 20m dipole is great! I have also cut a 66ft length of wire, as suggested in the instructions, which provides 3-band capability for 40/20/15m, and even a half ways decent match for 30m with the K1’s auto-tuner, whenever I have the space – but for the most part 40m and 20m with the standard configuration is all I need. Looking back, I can almost kick myself for having wasted plenty of money on shortened verticals and portable dipoles which cost many times as much as the EF-40/20 and don’t even come close in performance. This is a great antenna, produced by a great guy, and you can’t go wrong with it for QRP operations.
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MM0DHY |
Rating:      |
2004-12-27 | |
Excellent piece of kit! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Great service.
Fast delivery, no import duty to pay in the UK.
E-mailed questions answered very promptly.
My main activity is \P usually from the summits of scottish mountains working QRP using an 817. This antenna was very easy to set up and tune. Have had some great contacts. Russia, France Italy, Netherlands as well as UK contacts. Took it on holiday to the Pyrenees in France. Worked a pile up into the channel island of Geurnsey! Everyone else using at least 100W, me on 5W.
I have compared the antenna with my inverted V dipole. Performs at least as well, probably better. It is easier to set up. Worked well even when the far end was only 12 feet off the ground with the near end a foot off the ground.
Great piece of kit for \P work. Thank you PAR electronics! |
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KC2GYP |
Rating:      |
2004-12-03 | |
Perfect Antenna |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Last year I built my own two band dipole. The thing worked like a charm. I got signal reports of 59's from as far away as Switzerland and Russia on my 5w rig. Most couldn't believe that my signal was just 5w headed their way. Well, the winter was harsh and my wonderful 20/40 dipole came a tumbling down in one big tangled mess. I was set to build a new one when it occured to me that maybe there were some other alternatives. Like..READY MADE. I looked at a number of designs but I wanted something that was simple. I liked the buddipole but it seemed to fussy with its taps and all. Similarly, with the famous outbacker line of portables. Change a band change a tap. What a pain. I liked just using the LDG point and tune tuner that made my two band dipole an ANY band dipole. So liking the concept of an antenna that specialized in 40/20 (from what I learned the TWO most versatile bands extant) I checked out reports on the rather unusual PAR End-Fedz on eham net. Well, they were all raves, and to this august list of raves, I'm adding one more. This antenna, in my opinion, performs as well as the opinions claim. Maybe not as well as my homemade dipole, but awfully darned close. Plus its simplicity personified. One end hoisted high and connected to coax. The other ends tied to a tree limb or two. Done. Fire up the rig and sit back and enjoy the 59's (and on CW 599's).
This antenna is highly recommended.
73
Peter
KC2GYP |
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M5AJO |
Rating:      |
2004-11-29 | |
First-rate product. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I fully agree with the ratings other reviewers have given the Par Electronics range of end-fed antennas. They are a quality product made from high-grade materials and work very effectively.
I have the EF20 (20m) and EF20/40 versions of these antennas. The monoband had low swr "straight out of the box" and has produced fine results used as a vertical taped to a 33' fibreglass mast. If anything, the EF20/40 is even more impressive. Designed primarily for /P QRP operation (max power 25w) it also functions well as a fixed station antenna if you are, as I am, a dedicated QRP operator. Just 40' long and end-fed this is a low profile antenna that should not offend even the sharpest-eyed neighbour. In the format supplied (with loading coil for two-band operation) the antenna can be trimmed for low swr on both bands in a matter of minutes and gives more than adequate results: it certainly compares very favourably with other /P antennas on the market - even the renowned Buddipole: I carried out some comparative tests against the Buddipole and found the Par dramatically better, notably on 30m and 40m. But there's a lot more to the EF20/40 than this. Following advice supplied by the manufacturer I replaced the 40' wire with a 66' length (without loading coil, of course) and found that in this format (half-wave on 40m, full-wave on 20m, etc) results were even better. Once trimmed, the 66' top and associated matchbox provided low swr on 40, 20 and 15m; and comparing results with the main station antenna (a 102' top doublet) I found that the PAr product was at least as good, and often significantly better, on the three bands. And as a bonus, with a tuner the antenna loaded easily on 30m where it out-perfomed the doublet on many occasions. Equally interesting is the suggestion from the manufacturer (although I haven't tried these ideas out yet) that the matchbox could be used with suitable length wires to provide monoband coverage on either 17m or 30m.
All this amounts to a highly versatile antenna, particularly as experiments with varying length wires is easy to carry out, it being just a matter of seconds to change connections to the matchbox. For the /P operator or the fixed staion operator who needs a low profile high-performance antenna, the Par range, in my experience, is ideal. I would recommend them very strongly, not least because of the efficient, courteous and informative service provided by the producer, Dale Parfitt. Dale clearly, and rightly, has great enthusiasm for his antennas and he shares this with his customers. This makes for a great buying and operational experience. |
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SV1JSB |
Rating:      |
2004-11-26 | |
Great QRP antenna |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I've purchased EF-20/40 directly from ParElectronics. Excellent and quick service. Set the antenna up on my roof as an orizontal dipole, cut a little wire at 20m and 40m to resonate at the CW portion of the bands and ready it was. Easy to install and tune.
With my K1 and 5w output I can work whatever I hear on 20m (America, Taiwan, Siberia, Australia).
On 40m it's easy to work all europe all day.
The antenna does exactly what it's promising to do. No more, no less. That's why it worth it's money. That's why it's getting 5/5. |
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K1KID |
Rating:      |
2004-09-22 | |
Best portable for 40/20 meters |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I have been operating portable QRP for several years now. I discovered this antenna last spring and I have been delighted with its performance. It is the easiest antenna to set up,only takes a minute or two, you only need to support one end and no radials are needed. I have been using mine as a sloper, but could easily be set up as an inverted L or inverted V if desired. All the previous homebrew and commercial antennas I have used in the past were much bulkier/heavier. most were much more expensive and none works as well as the Par. The neat thing about a half wave radiator is most of the radiation occurs around the center of the antenna rather than at the base as is the case in a quarter wave vertical. This is a much better way to get your watts out into the ether. |
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WB4TJH |
Rating:      |
2004-07-14 | |
Ideal portable antenna |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I just got this antenna from Universal Radio and it is first quality. I am impressed by the craftsmanship and design. I set it up 25 feet off the ground at the far end, and 8 feet at the feed end. It was flat across most of the 20 meter band and the swr was less than 1.5 to 1 in the cw part of 40, all right out of the box! The beauty of the antenna is that is only requires one support at the far end and being a full sized dipole on 20 it will run rings around the expensive little dummy load toy verticals being touted these days and for less than 60 bucks! I can precut other half wave lengths of wire for other bands and so can change to other bands in only a couple of minutes. If you like to oeprate portable HF and don't want to waste precious watts as heat with expensive tiny toy antennas, take a look at this one. It is simple to erect, gives you a NO compromise signal for portable operation, and is realatively inexpensive. Dale Par and his crew at Par Electronics have a real winner here. It is very well designed and made and you won't be sorry you bought it. I live in Sarasota, FL, and it will get a lot of use on the various palm studded islands near here. One end in a palm tree, and me at the other end working the world with my SG-2020adsp2. |
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