Description
EFLW-3K End Fed Long Wire Antenna
This is an End Fed Long Wire wire antenna that will cover all bands from 160 to 6 meters, including the WARC bands, as well as 60 meters and MARS frequencies. It utilizes a 9:1 UNUN transformer in order to bring the impedance of the antenna to more manageable values for your antenna tuner. For some frequencies, a wide-range antenna tuner might be needed. SWR values can be as high as 10:1 and low as 1.5:1 depending on the band, wire length, coaxial cable length, and configuration of wire.
This is an affordable wire version of a popular 43 feet vertical antenna. Our wires start at 44 feet but a longer length is recommended for coverage of 80m or even 160m band. It all depends on of available room you have to install this antenna.
It is a great antenna for HAM radio operators living in HOA-controlled housing, hams desiring a very stealthy RV antenna, Field Day operations, sailboats, portable operating, attic and backyard installations, ARES, RACES, etc.
- Frequency coverage: 1.8-54MHz
- Non-Resonant on any amateur radio band, TUNER is needed.
- Wire lengths 44, 60, 73, 88, 107, 140, 173, and 202 feet are available
- Standard #16 AWG XLPE wire with end insulator.
- Power Handling: 3kW I.C.A.S
- Stainless Steel Hardware
- Connector: SO-239
Additional information:
Terminated into 450 Ohms load, VSWR on 9:1 UNUN is almost flat from 1-30Mhz, This is not the SWR of the antenna. This antenna Needs a wide range of TUNER to operate.
- 9:1 UNUN has very low Insertion loss, from less than 0.1dB at 1.8MHz to 0.2dB at 28MHz, additional loss of the whole antenna system could be expected from mismatch on the coaxial cable and Tuner losses
- The transformer is wound with PTFE (Teflon wire) on two (2) 2.9-inch diameter Ferrite toroids in order to handle a legal limit of 1500W at any frequency.
- It takes only moments to deploy the antenna. Pull the wire end into a tree, hang it off the balcony, hook it to a pole, hook it to a building and you are on the air making contacts.
- Most HF ham bands can be tuned by the tuner on your radio. NOTE: to tune all HF ham bands an external tuner may be required.
- It could work without radials/counterpoise (Coaxial cable has to be at least 25 feet long) but grounding at the wing nut next to the connector is recommended if used close to the ground as an inverted L configuration.
- This antenna can be hung in many different configurations. It can be hung as a sloper, an inverted L, hung in a straight line, zigzagged, vertical, horizontal, etc.
- Antenna polarization is determined by your installation. Vertical, horizontal, or both can be accomplished.
- Due to possible common mode currents on your feeder, we recommend using a CMC-Common Mode Choke/Line isolator such as CMC-154-3K to keep RF away from you and your equipment. It will also help you receive by filtering induced noise from various sources.
Jon Perelstein –
I don’t have that big a plot of land, but wanted access to 160 meters and the low end of 80 meters, so I decided to try the EFLW. I’m glad I did.
In the last four days I’ve managed to work 9 new DXCC entities in the Pacific and in Africa from the US East Coast (including Namibia, Reunion Island, Fiji, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and a couple of others). In A-B tests against my old antenna (a multi-band dipole) I’m getting significant improvements in signal strength and reception. In fact, I’m hearing stations on the EFLW that I am not hearing on the dipole at all (such as those 9 new DXCC entities).
I bought the 173 foot model, so I have wire criss-crossing my back yard – vertical for 40 feet from the SW corner, then sloping up another 30 feet to the NE corner, then horizontal to the SE corner then vertical back down to the ground with a small 10 foot remainder pinned to the top of a wood fence.
Things you need to understand: with the vertical sections, it’s a lot noisier than a dipole. You’re going to need to learn how to deal with noise, including use of the radio’s RF gain control, the attenuator (if it has one), and noise reduction circuitry (if you have). Also, end-feds in general are a challenge with modern radios that have built-in computer USB ports — there’s enough RF coming down the feedline and back into the shack to kill the USB connection between the radio and the computer every time you transmit. It took quite a bit of reading articles, watching Youtube videos, experimentation, and learning how to drive ground rods to find a good strategy for chokes and grounding to protect that USB connection – but I’m now operating FT8 and other digital modes reliably and effectively. Interestingly, RF into the shack is much less of a problem with older radios connected with something like a Signalink and an old-style CAT/Accessory port.
I’m using an attached autotuner (the LDG AT-100ProII) at the radio and getting SWRs at 1.5 or below from 160 to 6 meters. I’m going to experiment with an external tuner out at the feedpoint to see if I can further improve my results. But even with the autotuner in the shack, it is a significant improvement versus that multi-band dipole.
KM4KY –
Would like to compliment you on the quality and performanceof these products. Am using the Unun and your CMC with an 81′ stealth wire antenna. After kweeking things this antenna covers approximately 6 to 30 MHz with an SWR below 3:1 across the entire 24 MHz width, and provides SWR less than 2:1 on 40/30/20/15/10 meter ham bands, and the SWR on 17 and 12 meters is slightly below 3:1. Given this performance I don’t need to use the built in tuner for all but 17 and 12 meters. With the wide bandwidth this antenna is good for SWR work also. The antenna is an inverted “L” about 15-20 feet high, I had to extend the length to 81′ inorder get decent SWR on 40-10 meters, SWR on 80 meters is bit below 5:1. Am using a 52′ long coax feed as the counter poise and connect this to your CMC prior entry into the dwelling. I’m seeing very good results from this low mounted antenna and really appreciate its’ performance for SWR work. Thank you for your great product and service.
albanojc –
My experience with the FT 991A Transceiver shown that the internal tuner will be useful on the 17, 15, and 10 meter bands. An external tuner is required for 40, 20 meter bands. Tuner required means External Tuner.
John N6TRC
Laura M. –
6-160 with external tuner with no problem, way better than expected for 44′, great for camping, portable, etc.
Anonymous –
Work Very Well
Rudolf Stadlbauer –
Ned B. –
Excellent hardware & unit is well sealed. Well pleased with performance , using 43 FT mostly 20M bands and up for me.
Frank Lucia –
Quick delivery.
Excellent construction.
Due to my situation here the antenna is being used indoors in my attic.
Using with IC7300 with tuner.
Keeping power to 50w maximum.
Perfect SWR om 40m through 6m.
So far, in two weeks have worked 45 countries.
No RFI detected yet.
Mustapha C. –
Excellent reception as long in you are in open field
Joseph Graif –
I purchased the model with 172′ of wire and the 9:1 balun. I have to shorten the wire to 140′ and was told that would be OK, Unfortunately, the antenna does not work ANYWHERE without a tuner.
Danny-E73M –
Of course it does not have low SWR anywhere and NEEDS A TUNER, can’t you read just a few lines of the antenna description, IT SAYS NEEDS TUNER!!!!
Andrew M. –
Working great. Simple to setup, just throw the line into a tree. Not a bad idea to also run a counterpoise line too. Hit some long distance on FT8 with this antenna, Antarctica from Michigan was a pretty good hit with this antenna.
John –
Better than what I could build
Tom –
I run it as an inverted L. It’s 40′ up the tower (from 8 feet off the ground) and then about 132 feet horizontal. The UNUN is strapped to the tower leg and grounded to it. It loads fine and I have worked stations on 40 and 80 that I cannot hear on the 80m EFHW. So far, it’s been good.
Borden Chapman –
Steve –
Edward N. –
Tack Anderson –
It’s difficult to rate any particular antenna based on the broad range of issues effecting antenna performance. By theory, this antenna is sound. By application it could be worthless, but not to blame the antenna design. In many cases, this antenna can be installed per instructions and it works as so designed. However, after installation, and in some cases, it may not produce workable SWR on any band. This is where obtaining the desired results is solely dependent on the installer/end user. The modifications to reach those results is vast and only limited to the knowledge of the installer/end user. So in the end, I would give this antenna a high rating based on the quality of materials and the accuracy of design to achieve resonance.
Danny-E73M –
BTW your comment is off a bit, this antenna is made NOT to have any resonance by intentionally avoiding the resonant lengths of wire and rely on conjugate match by your antenna tuner.