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What is an end fed antenna?
As the name suggests, an “end-fed” antenna is just that: the radiating element is fed at one of its ends, instead of somewhere in-between its two ends (i.e., center-fed like a standard dipole, or off-center-fed). A special case of this, is the End-Fed Half-Wave (EFHW) antenna.
How long should an end fed antenna be?
A standard recommendation (see QST, March 1936, p. 32, “An Unorthodox Antenna”) is an 84′ long end fed and a 17′ long counterpoise (6.5′ for 20m)….Wire Lengths for Various Band Combinations.
| Group | USA Bands |
|---|---|
| b | 40-30-20-17 |
| c | 40-30-20-17-15-12-10 |
| d | 80-40-30-20-17-15-12-10 |
| e | 160-80-40-30-20-17-15-12-10 |
Do you need an external tuner for an end fed antenna?
Some antenna lengths may require use of the internal tuner on your transceiver or an external tuner if no internal tuner is available. Counterpoise lengths of 1/4 wavelength on bands difficult to tune may be helpful.
Why do you need a resonant antenna tuner?
And the transmitters do not work as well into a non-resistive load. With a resonant antenna these are in balance such that the characteristic radiation resistance of the antenna is presented to the transmitter.
What is a tuner attached to an antenna?
The equipment used to maintain this impedance “match” over a relatively wide frequency range is called an Antenna Tuner. Inasmuch as mounting and adjusting an antenna tuner attached/connected directly to the antenna feed point is normally frightfully awkward, it is normally at the radio equipment end of the feedline.
What makes a Palomar end fed antenna successful?
The key to end fed antenna success is the matching network interface between the long wire antenna and the coax feed line and feed line choke at the transceiver. Palomar Engineers employs a dual core matching system that offers wide bandwidth (1-61 MHz), 500 watt PEP rating, and a connection for a counterpoise or ground if desired.