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Reviews For: PAR Electronics, Inc EF-10/20/40

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : PAR Electronics, Inc EF-10/20/40
Reviews: 93MSRP: 59
Description:
The EF-10/20/40 replaces the EF-20/40. Physically identical to the EF-20/40 (39' overall) it adds 10M operation. 25W power limit. No tuner is required.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.LnRprecision.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
25935
KB1GMX Rating: 2024-08-26
needed another.. 1 is not enough! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Years (about 15++) later update:
I still have both and use them. They perform well at moderate height of about 30ft. There is no need for a tuner when tuned according to directions. They have on occasion been over powered without fail but spec'd to 25W CW and that's often plenty.

The second one is part of my mobile/field kit. Easy to get one end in a tree and use a 12ft pole to keep people away from the feed point. Results are very pleasing for 20 and 10 daytime use and 40 is fine depending on conditions.

Ordered another as the one in the air is staying! I have a beam and all that but the EF40/20/10 is a great go to antenna.

It's robust, with I have Qrp radios I've used it on 40M running my HW101 and more than a few times forgot the back off the drive without damage.

The one in the air has done a few winters and no problems with ice pulling it down or being unusable with ice on it. The wire has not sagged
or stretched.

I string mine between a 32ft stacking aluminum military mast and a 22ft crappy pole for field work. Makes a good confined spaces antenna for 40M as it's 40ft length is easier to work with than a full size 40M (66ft).

It's a good portable antenna. Which is why I now have two of the EF40/20/10s and a EF40 and EF6 for utility work. The end feed makes the setup much easier. Get it in the air and 3 bands no sweat, no tuner. If I need an odd band outside 40/20/10 a spare wire trimmed to anything from 5 to 30mhz is easy to do.

Give it 5 all the way especially for customer service. I've recommended it and the monobanders
as easy to erect, easy to tune, and just works.

----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by KB1GMX on 2007-12-24

First review was back in April 2007 and it's been in the air since. Back in June I moved to a height of about 27ft above the ground.

I find I use it often even though I have a TA33jr. I don't have to turn it, it's always there, I can listen on other bands with it (even 80M) with acceptable results. It says up, has no problems with ice, snow or rain. There has been no need to tweek it over time the SWR remains low. On a few occasions when using my HW101 I forgot to turn down the power and hit it with 80+W peak, clearly over the 25W recomended and no failure. It's proven robust and reliable.

I have only one problem.. I was going to use it for portable operations after I got the TA33jr up. I like the EF where it is now I have to get another. ;)

My rating is I recommend it.


Allison
N4RSS Rating: 2024-08-26
Simple to Use Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Purchased the LNR Trail Friendly 10/20/40 in 2016. The current version appears much the same.

Use with Tentec 539 and a crappie pole at the beach every summer.

Never tuned it. Just works great. Wraps up into a little package.

I will buy another as a backup for when this one wears out. Never want to be without one of these.
KD2TTM Rating: 2024-04-24
Tune it per the instructions and it's great! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I used it straight out of the box and it was OK; my radio's antenna tuner was able to deal with it. But after proper tuning it is excellent and no antenna tuner is required.

I used my NanoVNA to tune it and, after a little trimming, it gives really excellent SWR through the 10m, 20m and 40m bands. The paperwork with the antenna gives easy-to-follow instructions on how to tune it; it involves trimming one of the wire sections first to get the lowest SWR for the 20m band and then trimming the other wire section to tune for the 40m band. Tuning for 20m insures the antenna is tuned for 10m as well.

It is very convenient to set up and use, and well-made. It seems to perform very nearly as well as my SOTAbeams Band Hopper dipole and seems a bit more rugged (although I love the Band Hopper!).

If something happened to it, I'd buy another one to replace it...

EDIT TO ADD: I bought a new Yaesu FT-710 AESS this spring and hooked the EF 10/20/40 MkII up to it. After about two months of operating at 100watts, I remembered the antenna is only rated for 25W!!! It never missed a beat... a tough little antenna! I would give it another star if I could!
N5CSU Rating: 2022-10-19
Great portable antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I’ve had this antenna for over 12 years and have been very pleased with its durability and performance. I’ve had this up for several years at a lake cottage, then started using it for portable ops. Great SWR and extremely portable. I’ve used it recently with my Xiego G90 running 20 watts with excellent results, even on 17 meters. Thumbs up!
AF7GJ Rating: 2022-07-24
*****PERFECT***** Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Review is for the Vibroplex PAR ENDFEDZ EF-20. 14.329Mhz, SWR @ 1.12 very low noise. easy to hang. the NNE Radio end is up 28' & the SSW far end 31' exactly. tight & taught using 1/4" shock cord. flat-top. feed with DAVIS RG8X about 10 feet in total coax length.. my Yaesu FT920 loves it!
K2TDR Rating: 2015-08-21
Contacts in Europe, South America, Asia, US Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Purchased the "EFT-10/20/40 Trail Friendly" a few weeks ago and am very happy with it. It works!

It deploys quickly, can be put away just as fast, and fits in my pocket when wound up (my HF kit all fits in a backpack so it's perfect, I actually keep this antena in a small microphone box).

I set it up as a sloper (one end in a tree tied off with some fishing line with the matchbox near the ground on a few plastic tent stakes). I run it with a Yaesu FT-857D between 5 and 25 watts and have been making some great contacts from Florida on 20 and 40 meters SSB - Dominican Republic, Colombia, US Virgin Islands, France, and just got Russia...and all with sub-optimal band conditions.

The connection is BNC so don't forget to have an adapter handy.
VK6JB Rating: 2015-05-23
Perfect for QRP portable work Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I wanted an antenna for portable work that was super quick to deploy and take down. This is the antenna for that, 2 mins setup, 3 mins take down, mind you I put some thought into this as well. Does the antenna work, yes perfectly, just as I would have hoped. I was dubious at first about the instruction to not use a tuner as it won't be needed, but if you take the small amount of time to trim the antenna correctly you won't need that tuner, at all. All I had to tune the length with was a good qrp swr meter, still not a problem, just take your time. I've had more contacts with this than I have had with any other portable antenna I've had.
I've spent a lot of time researching other portable systems, but none deploys as easy and quick as this and still performs so well.
Build quality is great, I haven't managed to break mine yet, and yes I've tried.
WB8VLC Rating: 2015-03-07
update on early review Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Ok I promised if I was wrong I would redo my earlier poor review and eat my words.

Some assortment of stupid errors but mostly using the efw 40/20/10 for the wrong use was my earlier problem.

I was trying 5 to 10 watts local, 300 to 500 mile, ssb when I found that 3000 to 10000 mile qrp ssb on both 40 and 20 were better.

Testing last nite running 5-10 watts on 40 ssb neted about 20 dx contacts from South cent America to numerous JA'S, SIBERIA, New Zealand and Hawaii.

Requesting honest reports responses were 53 to 59 from around 10 dx stations on 40 meter qrp ssb.

I had good results on 20 qrp ssb at 10 watts also with the honest report request generating 56 to 59 from South, Central Amer, South Pacific and Japan.
W2LJ Rating: 2015-02-20
Great for QRP Portable Ops Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought the antenna from LNR about two years ago. I have used it for the QRP To The Field, Flight of the Bumblebees, NJQRP Skeeter Hunt, QRP Afield and the NoGA Peanut Power Sprint contests. I'm not out to win these, but to enjoy a day out in the fresh air and playing radio. The antenna performed very well for me. The goal here is to set up quickly, make lots of contacts and tear down quickly. I want to spend my time operating, and this antenna allows me to do just that. One tree or even a 31' Jackite pole is all that's needed. It is quality constructed, stores well in my QRP "Go Bag" and works well every time. I get a very acceptable SWR without the need for my KX3's autotuner and I end up working just about everyone I can hear - and I can hear plenty. Is it as good as a beam on top of a 60 foot tower? Heaven's - no! But for a day out in the field, I think you'll be very satisfied.
K8QV Rating: 2015-02-20
Works Very Well Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I own other PAR endfed antennas and I have used this model as well, though I didn't actually own it. It seems to work great in the field no matter how you configure it (within reason!). So I just bought one.

I don't understand how someone can trash a product that has gotten 5 out of 5 rave reviews for years without realizing that the fault must with that one particular item, the coax, connectors or operator. Everybody else can't be so totally wrong about this antenna.