Moving on


 We are moving on. A couple weeks out of lockdown and we are full speed ahead. Lockdown should not slow down or stop our ham radio, but everyone has a different recaction to the same stimulus. When our mobility is under threat we all experience adverse reactions. At V44KF, I got into the planning and building mode. I developed an interest in the EFHW, "end fed half wave" antenna. Many people seem to build it like an inverted "VEE" or a long wire of sorts, but I am interested in it as a vertical. Vertical antennas, installed correctly and properly, posses the lowest signal take off  angle. The half wave vertical has a lower take off angle than the quarter wave vertical. Check your vertical antenna handbook for take off angle data, or knock yourself out with a 'Google search' for "vertical antennas take off angles".

40-meters is my favorite band, 7.0 mhz  to 7.3 mhz, but that amateur radio band is not useable for amateur radio communications because of RF interference, noise and frequency jamming generated by the electricity company's smart meter ststem equipment in Saint Kitts. My other ham radio band of interest is 80-meters, but that is also subject to the RF interference, noise and frequency jamming generated by the electric company. This RF interference has been generated for the last four years. To me, it looks like the electric company do not intend to comply with the LAW, to stop generating any illegal signals which interfere with legitimate services on other frequencies.

Since my favotite ham band [40-meters] is unuseable, I decided to exeriment on 20-meters instead. The vertical antenna is 33-feet tall,made from 1.5-inch aluminum tubing, mounted on my fold-over gizmo, which facilitate raising/lowering the antenna without help. The EFHW is fed with a 49 to 1 balun. I did not have one of these 'expensive' commercial 49:1 baluns so I decided to build my own air core balun using a piece of 4-inch waste water pvc pipe. After experimenting with the number of turns I finally got it right using a 4700-ohm resistor, and the Rig Experts antenna analyer.  The designer said 3000-ohms but I used what was available. Here is a link to a typical EFHW balun supplier.

https://www.balundesigns.com/model-49131-49-1-80-10m-efhw-up-to-1kw/

Now that we are out of lockdown, I am working with my ham radio buddy V44KW to furter set up and test out this EFHW antenna on 20-meters. We are still tuning up the antenna system, it is actually the balun. We have removed two turns so far and the dip is now just outside the ham band at 13.9 mhz.  This SWR is useable but I like to operate at the best possible, so the experiment continues later. Here is the Rig Experts scope print of this last antenna test.


This EFHW vertical antenna system is very easy to build. All that is requred is the vertical antenna tubing, or whatever wire for the antenna configuration that suits the terrain, and the balun. Check YouTube to see how this antenna is used by ham radio operators around the world. I would like to test and compare this antenna side by side with a top and bottom loaded half wave vertical antenna. I put my money on the top and bottom loaded half wave vertical antenna any day. Here is a picture of the balun setup on the experimental 20-meter EFHW antenna.


I believe that this EFHW antenna is a good experimental antenna for  most hams radio operators who are just geting into DX on a budget, low cost, no high gain commercial antenna, no amplifier, no tower, etc. The higher that the far end of the antenna is mounted above ground, the better. Installed as a vertical is the best way. Here is a picture of the experimental 20-meter 33-foot aluminum tubng EFHW vertical antenna at the V44KF radio station.


Do not be afraid of your antenna experiments, if they do not work as you figured, change them out, keep building antennas until you find one that suits your style of operating. If you have space for a few antennas you are lucky, many of us do not have the space. If you have a favorite band, go for it, build the most powerful DX antenna that can fit your space. Keep moving forward. Only you can keep you back. 

[to be continued]

 

Location: 35 dorset basseterre St. Kitts, Brumaire, St Kitts & Nevis

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