Sunday, November 4, 2018

Model EFHW-8010 End Fed Antenna Characterization

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The EFHW-8010 End Fed antenna was recommended so we gave it a go.  The installation has the "business" end of the 130 feet antenna wire about 50 feet high sloping down to about 8 feet with some para-cord support from an overhanging tree near mid run to keep the antenna wire high as long as possible.  The inline choke and and matching transformer are located in the attic.  This is not the optimal setup, but the configuration was convenient for our QTH.  We are very happy with the performance and the Icom IC-7300 tunes it to well to all spec'd bands. 
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Once again, my Elmer friend let me borrow an antenna analyzer to test things out.  This analyzer is very nice kit with a sturdy case, touch screen interface, and an easy to understand user interface.  Go to this page and see the AQRP 8KHz to 440MHz Vector Impedance Analyzer kit #25 for more details.  It's well documented and a very slick package.  
 

April 2019 Update:  Added RigExpert AA-30 Plots.  The antenna was moved some between the two tests; the antenna wire "choke" was located outside the attic where it should have always been.
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Below are the SWR plots and a few Insertion Loss plots for the bands.  Remember, the EFHW-8010 End Fed antenna is spec'd from 10m to 80m.  We tested it on a few bands outside its design spec.  All measurements are made through 50 feet of RG8X, plus 25 feet of BNC cable, plus an Alpha Delta 4:1 coax switch.
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2 meters:

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6 meters:

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10 meters:
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12 meters:

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15 meters:

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17 meters:

 
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20 meters:


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30 meters:
 
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40 meters:


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60 meters:
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80 meters:


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160 meters:

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All Bands/Full Sweep:
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Regardless of how you interpret the data the antenna is working well for our setup.  73 and see you on the bands!
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