Lamewolf please quote a minimum when replying to posts, thanks! Much appreciated :-)
Gil

Quote from: Lamewolf on August 04, 2016, 08:49:22 AM
I figured a high ratio, but on those you lose at one end to get the other.  I've played with the transformers some and could never get them to work the way I wanted them to.  Are you using ferrite cores - 43s or 61's or powdered iron ?  I'm thinking of playing with some using powdered iron because they don't saturate as easy, that is if I ever get time to do so.

Ferrite.  -43 material.  I forget the core size,  but I stacked 2 toroids together to get the inductance up with only 3 turns on the primary.  It's very flat and low loss at 100W from 7MHz past 21MHz but starts to fall apart after that.  I like wide band transformers for EFHW antennas simply because they don't have to be tuned for the frequency you use.

"... It's very flat and low ..."

Gee, just like my ex-wife's forehead.

Quote"... It's very flat and low ..."
Gee, just like my ex-wife's forehead.

That's what she says too..  ;D



Gil.

I have to admit that when I hear "no tuner needed" on a non-resonant antenna, I always raise an eyebrow...

Too many antennas used with 100W actually only radiate a few Watts.. Everyone touts their horns about them, they work great!.. No, QRP works, many "magic" antennas suck.

Gil.

Too many antennas used with 100W actually only radiate a few Watts.. Everyone touts their horns about them, they work great!.. No, QRP works, many "magic" antennas suck. <snip>

Yeah, feed line loss due to mismatch on the feed line, losses through a balun or unun, losses through the tuner, and losses due to the antenna being too short all add up.  A loss of 3db is half your power and I'm sure some of these antennas exhibit losses greater than that !  A mobile whip that is tuned to frequency can exhibit efficiency levels of 10% to 15%, so you know how lossy and inefficient a non resonant mobile size antenna can be !

Hello to all interested on HEF Antennas. Some ears ago i had a mobile QSO on 40m wid a DL Stn that sounds like a STN wid a bit mor pwr than 100 Watts. i asked him an he answered that he is experimenting wid an 1:64 HF trafo and END FED Antenna. now, some weeks ago i was remembering that QSO and orderd  at communicationsworld.nl a home brewer set wid all what is needed for around 38 Euros. my exemplar has a FT-140-43 and a (i think 120uH= coil near the antennas end. Is around 23m long, the coil makes a 1/2 wave for 80m.
Antenna is hangig from the roof to 12m high into a tree. With an MFJ 259 i "tuned" the wire to have all minimums for the classic Bands inside. And later on wid around 12m Koax the SWR's a bit "better". Can use this antenna also on 10Mhz wid using the internal Tuner of the IC7300. Most of the time the S-Meters gives around one S unit more than the 2 x 16,4 m Dipol with ladderline, feedet at same height, but wors as Invertd V. The HEF has also around one S Unit lower noise. So i've a gd 10dB better SNR.
Yesterday i played wid the new K2 and made 2 SSB-Contacts wid 5W - both wid Italian Stations. One gave me S9 the other S8 and an etremly gd audio report (used the build in Mike). So i'am deply contented wid that nice cheap home brew Antenna. Have orderd an other one wid FT-240-43 Toroid and will try a "short" vertical for 20/40m - around 10m wire wid a smal coil on a fiber mast.
73 Juergen

Half-wave end-feds are awesome. A coil would be better in the middle, but is more practical at the base. A half wave wire, fed at the end or anywhere else will beat everything else but a beam antenna. The only thing about as good is a large enough magnetic loop.

Gil

OP,

build your own. More fun... I build one from the link provided by Gil. Came about 42 buck and had a great time putting it together.

Xicaque, welcome to the forum!