One of the most popular antennas today is the end fed long wire antenna due to it ease of installation, portability and stealth in various installations. It can be a condo dweller’s only access to the world of ham radio or the best alternative for a backpacking SOTA (Summits on the Air) mountaintop expedition.
The antenna is simple to deploy, folds up easily for transport, and weighs under a pound, yet, with the proper length of wire, can work the 80-10 meter bands easily with the built in antenna tuner of most current day transceivers. You will need several components for a successful deployment of the end fed antenna and these are shown in the diagram below:
The antenna impedance matching components (BOX “Z” above) to match the antenna impedance to the coax line impedance (usually 50 ohms). For non-resonant end fed antennas, the typical feed point impedance is 300 to 600 ohms and a 9:1 impedance transformer (e.g. 450 ohm average antenna impedance to 50 ohm coax, also know as a 9:1 unun). For do-it-yourself antenna builders, 9:1 impedance transformer information is HERE
With end fed antennas, the coax is meant to radiate as part of the antenna system (serving as the “ground” or counterpoise) and therefore you need to use a Feed line Choke (BOX “FC” above) to suppress the common mode current on the outside of the coax feed line so it does not enter the radio and cause garbled communication.. The Feed line (FC) acts as a stop sign for RF current flowing back on the outside of the coax. The higher the choking resistance of the feed line choke, the less the coax braid RFI common mode current, and the less noise enters the radio. Feed Line choke alternatives are HERE.
The radio station is also a key component of the antenna system and has two functions: transmit and receive. Matching the transmitter to the coax feed line is often done with an antenna tuner and receiver systems should be installed to maximize signal to noise ratio. Reducing receiver noise is critical for weak signal reception and the use of coax noise filters AND receiver power supply lines (AC or DC) noise filters is usually needed for optimum reception. Reducing RFI generated by the radio station (you are the SOURCE of RFI) or received by your radio station (you are the VICTIM of RFI) is an important aspect of radio station operations. Palomar Engineers has many solutions for RFI problems – Click HERE to develop alternative strategies depending on your particular situation.
Want to compare End Fed Antennas? See: End Fed Antenna Secrets (PDF)
The “Bullet” End Fed Long Wire Antenna
The key to end fed antenna success is the matching network interface between the long wire antenna and the coax feed line and feed line choke at the transceiver. Palomar Engineers employs a dual core matching system that offers wide bandwidth (1-61 MHz), 500 watt PEP rating, and a connection for a counterpoise or ground if desired.
The antenna can be used as a sloper, “L” with a vertical section and a longer horizontal section, or as a random horizontal antenna between two trees or supports.
Our network matching network is called the “Bullet” because of it shape and its effectiveness at taking down or contacting distant (DX) stations all over the world under the right conditions. The Bullet uses all stainless steel connectors and a dual core ferrite 9:1 unun for higher power rating then many competitive products.
We sell the Bullet components separately so you can add you own wire type and length or you can purchase a complete antenna system including wire and end insulator.
After many requests we have created a compact, special balun for Off Center Fed (OCF) , loop (Skyloop or Delta loop) , BBTD, T2FD, folded dipoles antennas. The CB-4-1-1500 is a CUBE(TM) enclosure containing a multi-core, broadband 4:1 impedance transformer in series with a 1:1 current balun for extra common mode current choking to keep RF current off the outside of the coax braid and on the antenna where it belongs. The extra choking action also means that the coax feed line will not act as a radiator causing unnecessary RF interference (RFI). Rated for full 1500 watts PEP and 1000 watts CW (ICAS). 1.8Mhz – 61 MHz.
CB-4-1-1500 is housed in a 4” x 4” x 2” waterproof housing with SO-239 input and stainless steel eye bolts on the side for ease of connection to your wire antenna. Top eye bolt acts as an antenna hoist.
5KW are in 4" x 4" x 4" enclosure. 1.5KW is 2 pounds, 5KW is 4 pounds.
For an 80 meter OCF antennas we recommend a (95 feet/79.5% and 40 feet/29.5% offset for best all band results. If you use 66%/34% offset, do not use on 15 meters as the impedance mismatch may damage the balun at high power levels. Loop antennas should be cut for 1005/F(MHz) in total length, where F (MHz) is the lowest frequency to be used. For 3.5MHz this equates to 288 feet.
We highly recommend a feed line choke (MC-1-3000) or coax noise filter (CMNF-1500) at the radio end of the coax feed line to reduce common mode noise picked up by the coax braid.
CB-4-1-5000EB/TS are custom made to order - please allow 7-10 days ARO before ship.
Customer testimonial:
Callsign: NE5U Your CB-4-1500 +1:1 Choke made my homebrew, hail mary, 3 times folded 75m resonant attic dipole into a functional antenna from 6m to 160m. Most bands I can operate with no RFI. I've installed ferrites at all of the usual locations but still have some problem bands. Considering that the antenna is, at best, an NVIS antenna, I have made a lot of DX contacts (SSB, FT8 and other digital modes, and CW). Happy customer here. 73
Typical installations are shown below:
Bullet End Fed Antenna Notes (PDF)
CAUTION
USE CAUTION WHEN INSTALLING ANTENNA AND KEEP AWAY FROM ANY POWER LINE WIRES!