The ZS6BKW antenna is a better match for our bands than the G5RV. The method of construction and tuning is essentially the same for both antennas but the dimensions are different.
Here is the ZS6BKW antenna installed at AK6R fine tuned for the CW/FT8 frequencies on 40-20-17-12-10 meters. An excellent antenna when installed at 30 feet or higher and no tuner required avoiding the tuner losses and constant retuning. If you want to work all bands from 80-10 install an antenna tuner between the 1:1 balun and the amplifier and ignore the 39/40 switch.
Is this the best FT8 antenna? – I think so as I has made over 70,000 contacts and it still is a proven winner -Good world wide DX, easy to install, no tuner and takes full legal limit.
Here are several different 1:1 baluns you can use depending on power requirements:
CMNF-1500HF for transmitter/receiver coax lines up to 1500 watts PEP - 1.8-60 MHz, -38 dB Common Mode Suppression
For coax feed lines with receive and transmit signals, you will love the small size, wide frequency range and excellent attenuation of common mode noise interference
- Reduces broadband common mode receiver noise* picked up on the outside of the antenna coax feed line.
- Wide frequency range works on all brands of radios and coax fed antennas from 1.8-60 MHz
- Common mode noise rejection up to 20-38 DB (3-6 "S" units) depending on frequency
- Simple plug & play installation: plug a short jumper from the CMNF-1500HF to your amplifier output and plug the feed line (or a jumper to your antenna tuner) into the other SO-239 CMNF-1500HF input. Either connector can be input or output. Rated at 1500 watts PEP.
- will work with Bias-T antenna switches and will pass DC voltage from input to output with no attenuation
* not effective for noise from AC power lines or noise received directly by antenna
Installation Note: For best results, and to reduce co-interference between choked and unchoked coax feed lines with multiple antennas, ALL antenna feed lines entering the radio room need to have a separate feed line choke particularly if they are at a different frequency then HF, like VHF or UHF.
If you use a antenna switch for multiple antennas in the 1.8-61 MHz range, place the CMNF-1500HF in the "common" line of the antenna coax switch and the antenna tuner/amplifier.
For additional common mode noise reduction, consider the CMNF-500HF (500 watts PEP) placed between the receiver and the amplifier.
Got Common Mode Noise? Not Sure - Find out now by clicking link below:
Here is the Coax Noise Filter used to suppress coax common mode currents (works for all type of antennas)
PDF of ZS6BKW at AK6R Construction Article HERE: My ZS6BKW Antenna