The home brew bug has bit me, besides it keeps me off the streets and for the most part out of trouble. ;) I am building a RockMite 40m. I am looking for a compact quick deploy antenna. I was leaning towards a LNR Trail-Friendly, but I came across a home brew 40m end fed http://www.earchi.org/92011endfedfiles/Endfed40.pdf. I checked and can order all the parts I don't have and will cost about $35.00, the LNR goes for $75.00. :o
Just looking for feedback on if this would be a good build as described.
73 Joe
Hello Joe,
Look at this: http://betterqrp.com (http://betterqrp.com)
Works like a charm and you get a SWR indicator...
Gil.
Or for only $30 you could buy a SOTA Tuner kit - http://www.qrpkits.com/sota.html (http://www.qrpkits.com/sota.html) - which will result in the same thing plus the ability to tune a 40-15M EFHW, plus you'd get an SWR indicator. That's what I'd do if it were me............. come to think of it that's exactly what I did 8)
Whoops, I wasn't paying attention. I see Gil just recommended pretty much the same thing just a different brand.
Hello Gil and KK0G, Thak You for the feedback I will look at both kits.
I really like what Gil did, buying just the wire (with loading coil) from LNR. Getting 63' of wire off the ground can be a pain. If I get lazy I'll do the same, otherwise I'll play with winding my own.
QuoteI really like what Gil did, buying just the wire (with loading coil) from LNR. Getting 63' of wire off the ground can be a pain. If I get lazy I'll do the same, otherwise I'll play with winding my own.
That worked really well! Larry art LNR precision sold me the wire/choke for $44. It is a lot, but combined with the BetterQRO end-fed tuner, you get a great combination.. I also have the SOTA tuner, but never use it.. Easier to hoist one end of the end-fed..
Gil.
Thanks for all the links; the build manuals for the little tuners are neat. (Oh for more time but in 51 days that lament will be academic.)
Some folks eschew end-feds, but I really like them up at the farm property where I hunt. Besides being simple, when away from RFI-HellSuburbia, they're not as noisy as some make out. The shorter end-fed at the back of my property is a great listening antenna too being away from any utilities, 484 lasered yards away from the fairground lights, etc.
I might build one of these 2 tuners someday just because, or do it with a grand-daughter. (The Elecraft T1 is always in the bag anyway, bought along time ago when all I had was the 817 and this. (http://www.qsl.net/wb3gck/dollar_store_special.htm))
One thing I've noticed with my end-fed at the back lot line: I had the luxury of a long piece of superb coax and so climbed up & raised the fed end (at the south) to about 16' in the spruce, and the wire rises to about 27' in another tree to the north. I noticed that not only does it still play good back "over the shoulder" to the south & Gulf but, because both ends are off the ground noticeably, it also goes E-W really good like a dipole, almost a tri-directional. Just wondered if anyone has noticed that phenomena in playing with end-feds. It makes sense, I get it, but was just one of those bonus things that was, "Oh... cool!"
;D
As I ditch that 'w' word I just might have to build one of these little tuners, so thanks again.
Ordered the EFHW tunner from Better QRP.
What type of coax should I use for the feed line from radio to tuner, and what length should I start with? In the manual it states lengths of up to 3 feet give the most constent results.
I was thinking of using 18 AWG insulated strand wire for the antenna. But open for suggestions.
Thanks for all the help !!!
72 Joe
Hello Joe,
I use 25' of coax (RG-174) with mine, no problem. My wire is 26AWG from http://thewireman.com/antennap.html (http://thewireman.com/antennap.html) #534. You don't need something as thick as 18AWG. That wire is thin but being copper-clad steel has a break strength of 25Lbs. Good thing is, it is hard to see... I used to buy the 18AWG (#532) but decided it was too thick.
Gil.
Quote from: gil on May 14, 2013, 01:49:24 AM
Hello Joe,
I use 25' of coax (RG-174) with mine, no problem. My wire is 26AWG from http://thewireman.com/antennap.html (http://thewireman.com/antennap.html) #534. You don't need something as thick as 18AWG. That wire is thin but being copper-clad steel has a break strength of 25Lbs. Good thing is, it is hard to see... I used to buy the 18AWG (#532) but decided it was too thick.
Gil.
Thank You Gil.
I will be ordering from them soon. Have to nock out some jobs before I can get back to building.
Joe
An old ham once said "tuners are for wussies."
That said, tuners make life much more convenient. My main antenna is one 180' long wire connected to a tuner and I can work 160M - 10M with it. Yes, it's a low performance compromise, but for me it beats making my yard a spider's web of resonant wires.
Quote from: cockpitbob on June 05, 2013, 09:22:48 AM
An old ham once said "tuners are for wussies."
That said, tuners make life much more convenient. My main antenna is one 180' long wire connected to a tuner and I can work 160M - 10M with it. Yes, it's a low performance compromise, but for me it beats making my yard a spider's web of resonant wires.
Annnnnd....Roger!
I know some of those guys; the same ones that, according to them on air, wouldn't be caught dead owning a balun or unun of any kind either. Digging a little bit I find they have the luxury of big acres and run lots of open-wire line to so many wires and obstacles in the air it looks like Heinz Guderian defending against Brit gliders on D-Day (at this writing 69 years ago the Dakotas were taking off for the French coast with their LGOPs about to bring the rain down on the Wehrmacht).
I don't have such luxuries, I don't' like RF in the shack or getting bit, and with the small circuits available today I'll happily pack a few extra ounces to toss up one piece of wire and be
versatile.
8)
I've got acres, but no trees or poles (besides the power pole), so a big antenna is out for me, too. Doing research into my future HF antenna I decided I could put an inverted V, bent leg, multi freq fan dipole on the gable end of my house and wrapped around the sides, or, a tunable magnetic loop, like gil's. I suspect the mag loop will win.
QuoteI've got acres, but no trees or poles (besides the power pole), so a big antenna is out for me, too.
A magnetic loop might serve you well.. See the antennas section.
Gil.
Quote from: KC9TNH on June 05, 2013, 05:55:09 PM
Quote from: cockpitbob on June 05, 2013, 09:22:48 AM
An old ham once said "tuners are for wussies."
That said, tuners make life much more convenient. My main antenna is one 180' long wire connected to a tuner and I can work 160M - 10M with it. Yes, it's a low performance compromise, but for me it beats making my yard a spider's web of resonant wires.
Annnnnd....Roger!
I know some of those guys; the same ones that, according to them on air, wouldn't be caught dead owning a balun or unun of any kind either. Digging a little bit I find they have the luxury of big acres and run lots of open-wire line to so many wires and obstacles in the air it looks like Heinz Guderian defending against Brit gliders on D-Day (at this writing 69 years ago the Dakotas were taking off for the French coast with their LGOPs about to bring the rain down on the Wehrmacht).
I don't have such luxuries, I don't' like RF in the shack or getting bit, and with the small circuits available today I'll happily pack a few extra ounces to toss up one piece of wire and be versatile.
8)
In this modern world of no tune rigs, a tuner is for folks that still like to twiddle knobs like in the old days !
Tuners are convenient and useful when you are not trying to tune an antenna that's way off... I only use end-feds, so my tuner is an end-fed matching device. It is not meant to be used with a non-resonant antenna. I use very little power as it is, I can't afford to lose any with a non resonant antenna... The tuner is also at the base of the end-fed, so that limits coax losses. Generally, I always try to avoid tuners, but sometimes if it means operating or not, of course I will use one.
Gil.
Quote from: gil on October 04, 2014, 04:37:00 PM
Tuners are convenient and useful when you are not trying to tune an antenna that's way off... I only use end-feds, so my tuner is an end-fed matching device. It is not meant to be used with a non-resonant antenna. I use very little power as it is, I can't afford to lose any with a non resonant antenna... The tuner is also at the base of the end-fed, so that limits coax losses. Generally, I always try to avoid tuners, but sometimes if it means operating or not, of course I will use one.
Gil.
Oh I know all about end fed half waves - they are one of my favorite antennas for field operation and the EFWA tuners are easy to build from scratch too. But I always have to laugh when I here someone mention that ladder line and tuners cause RF in the shack when in fact coax is much more likely to cause such problems due to common mode currents on the outside of the shield. I call the outside of the shield in coax the "third wire". I've used tuners and balance line fed non resonant antennas for years with no RF in the shack and never been "bit" by RF. My main antenna is a 40 meter extended double zepp that is 178' long and center fed with 450 ohm feedline and will work 10 thru 160 meters. Then I have an Antron 99 for 10 meters and an Eagle one vertical that will work 10 thru 40 meters via a tuner - no problems with any of them causing RF in the shack. And by using balanced feedline, losses are pretty darn low.