[Elecraft] PAR/LNR EFHW antenna

[Fred Jensen]

I use an end-fed wire [1/2 wave on 80] from MyAntennas.com run along the 
top of a wood fence about 1.8 meters high.  It has a transformer in a 
sealed box.  The outer surface of the coax seems to serve as the 
counterpoise.  It enters the house through a steel pipe near the ground 
into a closet and thence to the K3/100.

It works as good as one could expect on 80, 60, 40, 30, and 20. 40 seems 
to be it's sweet spot.  It works on 160 ... not great ... but I make 
Q's.  It's OK on 17 and 15, the SFI has prevented much testing on 12 and 
10 although it has SWR minimums [1.3:1 or so] there.  It has 1.2:1 SWR 
on 6 on which I have made exactly zero contacts when the band was open 
this last summer and could hear lots of stations.

Apparently low SWR does not guarantee low loss, however any antenna is 
better than no antenna. [:-)  I'd have to destroy it to see what's 
inside the box.

73,

Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
Sparks NV DM09dn
Washoe County

On 1/9/2018 1:33 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
> On 1/8/2018 8:19 PM, K9MA wrote:
>> I would be cautious about using a transformer above 40 meters, as the 
>> stray capacitance may be too large.  I haven't tried it, though, so 
>> it might work with some transformers.
>
> For years, we've been winding our transformers wrong. The windings 
> should be on opposite sides of the core, so that capacitive coupling 
> is minimized, NOT laying on top of one another. In a ferrite 
> materialthat is SUITABLE for use as a transformer, the mu is high 
> enough that a VERY high fraction of the flux in  toroid is contained 
> within the core, with very little leakage flux. Windings that lay on 
> top of each other maximize capacitive coupling, and thus maximize 
> common mode current. Windings on opposite sides of the core minimize 
> common mode current.
>
> Ferrites are semiconductors, so they act as a dielectric. When we 
> place windings on opposite sides of a core, we maximize magnetic 
> coupling and minimize capacitive coupling, which is from one winding 
> to the core and from the core to the other winding. That capacitance 
> is VERY small if the windings are widely spaced.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC