Sw antenna endfedz help

[darticus]

I bought this antenna EF SWL and I have it up with the box hooked on the house under the roof overhang and rain gutter about 25 feet up and the wire end sloping down to the pool fence 4 feet up from ground. I have it running from the house GOING North or slightly North West. Wondering if this set up is ok or could be improved for SW.
Can this antenna and box be used for 10 meters and how would I be able to do this? Anyone have suggestions. Thanks Ron

 

[w2xq]

I don't know the make or model of your antenna or whether it is designed for certain frequency ranges. And what receiver are you using? Basic antenna installation rules are two. Keep it away from near field radiation of the house (typically 5m/18ft) and get it higher if possible. Hope that helps.

 

[ka3jjz]

Tom the PAR line of antennas - since sold to LnR - are one of the most popular line of wire antennas anywhere, and their EF-SWL broadbanded antenna is a tremendous hit - it's been favorably reviewed quite literally wherever it's been tested. Just look at the eHam reviews, MT and many others...it's a good choice for small/moderate size spaces - and not everybody can go to French Creek, hi...

Here's the website...

Par EndFedz Antennas - LnR Precision Inc

Darticus this is a scanner/receiver antennas forum - ask amateur related questions in that forum, where the 2nd part of your question has been answered

best regards..Mike

 

[majoco]

I don't know why people line the pockets of antenna manufacturers when a good antenna can be made for peanuts with stuff from the junk cupboard - or the hardware store if the cupboard is bare

Low Noise Antenna Connection

 

[w2xq]

I don't know why people line the pockets of antenna manufacturers when a good antenna can be made for peanuts with stuff from the junk cupboard - or the hardware store if the cupboard is bare

Low Noise Antenna Connection

Ditto!!!!

 

[ridgescan]

FWIW I shot an order today for a PAR EF-SWL. I want to see if it'll perform better than that bastard wire I have now it seems like I will be happy with it as I have a good groundpoint up there ready and that 9:1 transformer just may be the ticket. I will let y'all know once I get it and install it

 

[Jhkayakr]

I think the key, no matter what wire you have up, is to get it as far above your house as possible. I have two wires one being a piece of bare wire run to a feed line of insulated wire to the 300 ohm input of my r75 and the other is a par endfed swl connected to a coax line. The wire is just above the roof line, the par wire is slopped to about 20 feet above the roof. It is much quieter, especially on the am broadcast band. When there is noise on the wire there is nothing on the par. it may be the antenna, but getting it as high as possible help tremendously.

 

[Fast1eddie]

I installed my Par end fed antenna in a sloping configuration with the RF connection mounted about 25 feet AGL. Using decently shielded RG 58 to my radio. I also ran a earth ground to the ground lug on the RF end as well, Par explains that very well in the instructions. With my R71A and Kenwood R2000, I enjoy excellent coverage and have had no problems with this product. It has been in service since 10/07 and has held up to ice, high winds, and crappy weather none of us would enjoy being in.

It's a very good product for the money. While it can be constructed at home, I found that once I tallied up the parts cost (no junk!) with shipping costs and involved time, it made more sense to purchase.

Works ok for 10 meters, but I did not listen much as I am not interested in ham radio. Keep it away from overhead electrical lines and other noise sources and you'll be fine.

Good Signals!

 

[ridgescan]

I think the key, no matter what wire you have up, is to get it as far above your house as possible. I have two wires one being a piece of bare wire run to a feed line of insulated wire to the 300 ohm input of my r75 and the other is a par endfed swl connected to a coax line. The wire is just above the roof line, the par wire is slopped to about 20 feet above the roof. It is much quieter, especially on the am broadcast band. When there is noise on the wire there is nothing on the par. it may be the antenna, but getting it as high as possible help tremendously.

I installed my Par end fed antenna in a sloping configuration with the RF connection mounted about 25 feet AGL. Using decently shielded RG 58 to my radio. I also ran a earth ground to the ground lug on the RF end as well, Par explains that very well in the instructions. With my R71A and Kenwood R2000, I enjoy excellent coverage and have had no problems with this product. It has been in service since 10/07 and has held up to ice, high winds, and crappy weather none of us would enjoy being in.

It's a very good product for the money. While it can be constructed at home, I found that once I tallied up the parts cost (no junk!) with shipping costs and involved time, it made more sense to purchase.

Works ok for 10 meters, but I did not listen much as I am not interested in ham radio. Keep it away from overhead electrical lines and other noise sources and you'll be fine.

Good Signals!

Nice to know how well it's working for you guys-I'm a little exited myself. I just got an email it's been shipped and to expect it by the 29th (Tuesday) so hanging in there.

 

[Fast1eddie]

You ever get the Hallicrafter up and running????

 

[ridgescan]

Hey Eddie I did back in Sept. last year. She's been happily active in the shack since.
http://forums.radioreference.com/all-other-receivers/220319-sx-88-alive.html

 

[W0YNF]

Par EF

FWIW I shot an order today for a PAR EF-SWL. I want to see if it'll perform better than that bastard wire I have now it seems like I will be happy with it as I have a good groundpoint up there ready and that 9:1 transformer just may be the ticket. I will let y'all know once I get it and install it

I ordered one of these along with an apex 302Wa-2. My impressions: The apex is of course a vertical.
where as the EF is a wire with a Balun. First of all when I recieved the EF I was immediatly disappointed.
It appears after Mr. Par sold the co. the new company started cheapening it up. The EF is/was advertised as
14 ga. flexweave, the new ones are not. They are 18 gauge wire similar to MTW wire.)machine tool wire)
it is supposed to consist of 137 strands of small diameter strands. The 18 ga. wire is 19 starnds of .010"
each. I put it up and grounded it well ( 8' grd. rod) to the balun. It was a sloping design 15' high down to
about 9'. Daytime reception was very noisy, the kind of hiss from the suns ionizing that you cant get away from. Night time was somewhat quieter but still not great. With that 18 ga. wire I doubt it will last thru a hard Iowa after the ice starts to build up on it. I do not like how they use the antenna terminal on the balun as a support for one end of the wire. I see this as a weak design. I put up the apex vertical and ran both coax's to a 2 position coax switch so I could switch back and forth on the same signal. After testing from 500khz to 30 mhz. The apex is a very finely made Japenese antenna with a built in impedance match
to make the antenna look like 50 ohms over the spectrum. After picking out weak signals all through out the band, my impressions are on some freqs. the EF had a stronger signal but with a corresponding higher noise floor. On the same freqs. the apex had a somewhat lower sig. but it was also quieter. In no case could I hear a station on one ant. and not hear it on the other. I will have to say I ended up preferring the apex, and will be taking the EF down. I would much rather listen to a lower but clearer
signal than one that is the same signal with more noise in it. I do have a 10 db preamp on my radio to make up the difference. Anybody that has space limits or apartment living I would heartily recomend
the apex any day. I'm retired now and have been a swl for at least 50 years and tried all kinds of antenna configurations, with varying success with each different antenna I have had up. 2 of them Im partial to.
Rf Systems MTA and now the Apex 303-2, both of them are verticals.

 

[ridgescan]

I appreciate your take on the PAR thanks for putting it out here for us. I love this antenna-I took out the 44' #18 wire and put a #12 stranded coated 100' wire to the PAR box and boy that balun ate it up. Very strong strong signals now-relative naturally to propogation. But now when they make the trip they make a bigger hit on the meter than before when I had the same configured 100' wire sans the balun. I personally am very happy with it and damm I wish I got one years ago.
Good to meet another avid SWL-I've had a place in my heart for the hobby since I was about 11 and took an interest in SW starting with my grandma's old Grundig Majestic console.
73s and good DX

 

[ka3jjz]

To W0YNF; did you try different configurations at the box where the transformer connects to the antenna? As I understand it, this can be varied somewhat - and this is where no one can predict exactly which one will work better, since everyone's RF and physical environment is different. This is mentioned on the second page of the assembly instructions.

Mike

 

[Fast1eddie]

Gotta endorse the previous replies. I also have the Apex vertical (bought it out of curiosity) and despite installing it 30' something AGL, I am not impressed. Obviously the length is a significant factor and will most likely remove it and use it for vacations and such. Back to the EF....spend some time going over your ground, if it is not right the antenna's performance will be mediocre at best. Review the different grounding configurations and adjust the antenna's installation. Moving it a few feet will sometimes make a big difference depending on the noise vs signal level.

Is your receiver properly grounded?? I wish you good success with the EF, mine has been up since 10/07 without incident and has not only survived harsh Pennsylvania winters but Junior's lawn mower activities as well.

Good Signals!

 

[majoco]

I also have the Apex vertical (bought it out of curiosity) and despite installing it 30' something AGL,

Shouldn't verticals be mounted on the ground? If it's designed to be a multi-band quarter wave, it needs a ground to act as the bottom half of a dipole. Sticking it up in the air just makes it into a bit of wire.

 

[W0YNF]

Shouldn't verticals be mounted on the ground? If it's designed to be a multi-band quarter wave, it needs a ground to act as the bottom half of a dipole. Sticking it up in the air just makes it into a bit of wire.

Well, technically it's at ground potential. The mast pipe is buried a good 3 ' into the ground with an 8'
grd. rod 2-3 "s away and bonded to it. Its a good bit more than a piece of wire, with what I consider
an excellent impedance match inside the base. All I know is it works quite well. I think you are "maybe"
confusing receiving with resonance for transmitting. Technically for receiving all you need IS a piece of
metal for capture area. Have you listened to any of 75-150$ portables with a swiveling telescoping antenna?
they work reasonably well all by themselves, and they are really nothing but a piece of wire. Of course a
resonant antenna will also be best for receiving, but when you take in to consideration "all" of the freq's
from 500khz to 30 mhz you would need a real antenna farm. I like the Apex, it is low noise (my goal in the 1st place) with acceptable signal strength. I would rather listen to a signal even at S-0 or S-1 that is free of noise and perfectly readable, than listen to the same station at S-6 or S-7 with a lot of noise mixed into it. I have almost always preferred verticals over horizontals. When I was a teenager I made a vertical out of an coke bottle stuck into the grd. up to where it tapers and found some 1" aluminum tubing in 5' chunks that were made to slip together. I slipped 30' of tubing over the neck of the coke bottle and guyed
the antenna 3/4s the way up with 1/4" nylon rope. Ran the coax from our basement 6"s below grd. surface
to the antenna and used the braid to attach to an 8' grd. rod and the center conductor to the tubing.
Worked wonderfully. I would love to duplicate that now.

 

[hfflunki]

well its best to get it high and amay from buildings but like you my long wire is hidden on the house due to home owners asos. fun fun anyways you can only do what you can and as long as its outside and your radio is properly grounded you should do ok you might try a preamp everyony has always tried to tell me the cause to much noise but if you use one with a pre-selector it should be ok

dan
73's

 

[ka3jjz]

One thing that should be mentioned is that Dale Parfitt (the Prez at PAR - and who is/was? a member here...) is quite famous for answering phone messages and emails when he was selling the antennas. Hopefully he still is - and he's a source of information that shouldn't be ignored....Mike

 

[Viking1]

Gotta endorse the previous replies. I also have the Apex vertical (bought it out of curiosity) and despite installing it 30' something AGL, I am not impressed.

Ground mount that thing and place about 200 sq/ft of cage wire under it and bond the cage wire to the ground plane. side of the antenna. I did that with a 43ft vert antenna and it works gangbusters better on rx and tx. I used a sod puller to roll up the yard, placed the cage wire down, bonded the wire and rolled the sod back out. All hidden & works great.