6/1/2017: Note: Throwing line for antenna kit will now be 100′ of mil grade 2mm BLACK line with 5′ of Orange florescent 2mm leader line.
Get the complete kit and get on the air in minutes! NO CLIPS, NO COILS, NO MUSS, NO FUSS.
If you know what you want, scroll down to the bottom to purchase.
Read this review from QRPZone of the W1SFR End Fed.
Update from Brian (QTH Virginia) from QRPZone.com:
Had another opportunity to try out the endfed over the New year holiday while at my in-laws house in PA. Ran the coax out the window (UnUn was hanging about 3 feet off ground) and sloped the antenna up a tree about 25 feet high and caught an amazing opening on the upper bands. 10m to New Zealand and Austrailia with QRP… I am ecstatic!
The EndFed 40 m to 6 m Antenna is arguably one of the best field antenna choices you can make for QRP ops and is especially well matched with the KX3, FT-817, the KX1, and any other QRP rig with a tuner.
Rich—K2UPS said: “The antenna arrived Saturday via priority mail. It is considerably lighter than the one I built which is perfect for when I go hiking. I took it down to the beach today ( it was partly sunny and 51′) and made over a dozen contacts in a few hours. Greece, France, Italy, Brazil, Belgium, Mexico, Canada and also AL CA NC IN & PA. Had a blast! I operated 30, 20, 17 & 12 meters. It is so nice to have both a rig and antenna that allow QSY’s and band changes as fast as you can turn the knob. Thanks for a great product!”
Got a note from my buddy Tony the other day. “Having been Field Day Director five times, team leader of four DXpeditions and having worked for three antenna compaines I can say with some degree of authority that your antenna is the most compact and easiest to get up and get on the air I’ve ever seen. It will definitely be my next SOTA antenna!”
“Your antenna Is a real gem. I have used it horizontal, sloping and dangling vertical from my hotel balcony. I usually use 20′ of surplus fiberglass masting to support the unun by running the coax down inside the mast. I bungee the mast to whatever is available and toss the other end into a tree. On 40-10 meters it tunes easily with my PFR3 and KX3. This weekend we operated Winter Field Day my KXPA100 easily tuned the antenna on 10-160 meters. Better yet, it worked, I made contacts on all bands. I wouldn’t have believed using a 35′ antenna on 160 but I made a 500 mile contact with one call.”
The W1SFR End Fed Antenna is 35′ long and made with 18 ga Davis RF “PolyStealth” antenna wire, or Wireman “silky” 18ga. The wire is more expensive than others but resists kinking and has a very rugged PVC coating.
- Ideal balance of strength and flexibility
- Low-Gloss finish and small size makes wire disappear into the background
- Superior abrasion resistance for running through trees
- UV & Weather resistant for use on the seacoast or in other harsh environments subjected to acid rain, high wind, or high snow and ice loads.
The 9:1 UnUN and antenna wire together only weigh about 7.5oz. (give or take a tad).
The first time I threw a line and hoisted this antenna into a huge maple tree in my back yard (in Vermont) I fired it up and heard Brazil coming in loud and strong on 20 meters. I was impressed enough to decide to make them and offer them up to the public.
The matching transformer is a 9:1 UnUn which is trifilar wound. The antenna wire is attached to a stainless steel stud and the unit has a BNC connector so no SO-239 adapter needed. The toroid is held in place internally with a generous amount of hot glue and high density foam as added insurance against severe handling. There is a custom made black delrin rope connector which is hand cut, turned and drilled on the end of the antenna to attach ropes or to mount on top of a pole like a Jakite or similar fiberglass pole.
The wire is folded over about 3 inches, after the custom made rope connector is soldered, attached, then secured and sealed with double walled adhesive lined heat shrink. I have spared no expense and make these just like I would for myself.
You just can’t get a better made End Fed antenna!
Here’s a new video of how to deploy this antenna.
Download EndFed antenna Info Sheet
Pair the antenna with our throwing line kit and you have a complete solution to getting on the air quickly and reliably. The kit consists of the Antenna with UnUn and 35′ wire, a line winder, throwing line, throwing weight and heavy duty antenna stake.
A note about the throwing line and weight:
It is strongly suggested that you use a glove or at the very least some sort of protection for your index finger of your throwing hand. The 8oz weight creates a lot of velocity and dragging it across your finger at a high speed can create rope burns. Ask me how I know that 😉
This antenna requires at least 25′ of coax feed line with no chokes. The shield of the coax acts as a counterpoise. You do NOT need an additional counterpoise or ground wire with this antenna. Tests show that laying the coax in a straight line is best. Length of the coax is not critical beyond 25′.
Maximum Rating of this antenna with 18ga antenna wire and 9:1 UnUn is 100 watts
Click here if you need a BNC to SO-239 Adapter
THIS ANTENNA REQUIRES A TUNER
35′ Antenna wire plus 9:1 UnUn ONLY Price: $64.95 + $6.50 Priority Mail shipping
25′ RG-174 Coax with BNC Connectors only $25 when ordered with your antenna
UNUN ONLY without wire Price $49.95 + $6.50 Priority Mail Shipping. Shipping to CONUS and US territories.
Antenna Kit, which includes the 35′ Antenna Wire, 9:1 UnUn, 135′ Throwing Line, Throwing Line Holder, 8oz. Throwing weight and Antenna Stake with luminescent safety tape. US buyers: $102.00 plus $6.50 Priority Mail Shipping
DX ops email for shipping info
Hi Steve, sticker received!, I was using your antenna with my new TS-480 on 90 watts over the weekend at my summer trailer. I had the end about 15 feet in up my flagpole connected to it by fishing line. The un-un was connected to my Muskoka chair, antenna was on a 45 deg angle. I worked a special events station in Indianapolis and got a 5-9 report.I am located about 45 miles north and east of Toronto. As I was running on battery power I was very happy. I am very pleased with my purchase and plan on using it up north at our trailer all of this summer. I hope to brush up on my CW next winter and get on the CW portions and crank my TS-480 down to QRP levels.
Thanks again for a great product Steve!
HI Grant. Glad to help. I hope you have a great summer with the antenna and definitely encourage you to spiff up your CW and enjoy some QRP action! 73, Steve, W1SFR
Is it possible to use a shorter coax (3-4 ft) between radio and UnUn and use a lightweight counterpoise wire to keep down the weight without affecting performance. If yes, what length and gauge wire would be sufficient for the counterpoise? Thanks, Tim
Yes, that would work fine. You will have to add another lug to the UnUn to attach the counterpoise which I would be happy to do for you. I could also make a coax cable at the length you want as well as provide the counterpoise wire. Let me know. 73, Steve
Will this antenna tune up with a 100w Yaesu FT-991 internal tuner which is 15 ohm to 150 ohm capable with 25 ft of RG8X? or what is the necessary range of the tuner to work with this antenna?
I don’t have any experience with that particular radio, but I will say Yes. 30m has the highest SWR…around 8:1. Some tuners only handle 4:1, but there is a lot of anectdotal evidence that these tuners also can do the job depending on local conditions. If it doesn’t work, I will refund your money 100%. Steve- W1SFR
Hey Steve i bought one of these beauty antennas a few years ago 201e i think. I see you have made a few tweaks to the design….different insulator at the tree end…and a new product sticker. I have the original paper label. Could u please send me a new label….makes the unun look even better. I took it and my 857d hooked to a small tractor battery to my trailer north east of toronto and checked in on the marine net 14.300 and got a 59 signal.report on 50.watts!. I had the non feed end attached to.the halyard on my 20 ft aluminun flag pole via 5 ft of fiishing line. Very happy😊
Steve you able to help me with the sticker?
Sure….sorry, I thought I had already sent that out to you. 73,Steve
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Received your unun today works as you said very well made 35 foot end fed wire using Wiremans 18ga silky wire have 24 foot mast with pulley so we went on the air during the CW0PS CWT made many contacts with battery power and KX1 4 watts working coast to coast I was setup in the woods back here on the farm had really great time now we are ready to head out to some new location working portable QRP thanks for your excellent product and work Bud W8BUD
Hi, your antenna requires a tuner, while a similar (?) one does not – http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/5105. What is the difference between the two of them, if you know and can share. Thank you! 73! Konrad de SQ6GIT
Sorry for the late reply but I didn’t get your original comment.
That is the LNR end fed dipole which is for specific bands, ie. 10/20/40. I can tell you that it is marginal on 10 and 40 cuz it was the first antenna I had when I got my ticket. My antenna is NOT an end fed Dipole. It’s a random wire antenna and it isn’t resonant on any band which is why you can use it from 40 to 6m and on all bands. It gives you access to all bands, but the negative (if you want to think of it that way) is that you need a tuner. With most modern rigs, their internal tuners can handle the antenna with no issues. Oh…the other thing is that the LNR has a max of 25W. My antennas can handle 100W. Hope that helps. 73, Steve, W1SFR
When you write that the antenna requires a tuner, do you mean an external antenna tuner in addition to the KX3’s optional internal antenna tuner or does the KX3’s tuner get the job done?
Just saw your comment. Sorry for the delay in answering! the KX3’s internal tuner will tune all bands but 160 with this antenna. Internal or external tuners are fine. There are some internal tuners that won’t tune up more than a 4:1 signal which can be a problem on 80 and 30m, but typical tuners that tune up to a 10:1 SWR work perfectly with the end fed random wire antenna. 72/73, Steve, W1SFR
My absolute favorite. Goes every where with me.
Hi Wayne,
Thanks for the kudos. Hope you have many happy QSO’s with it! Steve—W1SFR
I ran this thing between two bookshelfs on opposite walls in my office/shack, doubled back about three times. Into a Z-817 QRP tuner, then to an FT-857D. Made contacts on 80, 40, 20, 17, 15 & 10 in the first couple days, running 10 watts. Can’t wait to get it outside and setup properly. So far so good for my QRP station.
Hi Mike, great to hear the antenna is working even in those somewhat less than ideal conditions HiHi. I think you’ll find it’s really FB once you get it outside and up in a tree or something. I get all sorts of stories from ops using this antenna in their attics, running along the eaves of their apartments, dangling off of condo balcony’s etc. Have fun with it in the upcoming QRP “season” OM! 72/73, Steve—W1SFR
WoW, was so eager to get this thing up in the air and give it a try at the house before I took it into the field this upcoming weekend..and I wasn’t disappointed. Was so happy it wasn’t a pain to tune like the SOTA BEAMS antenna I got for SOTA activations… more than likely I’m doing something wrong with that one but I can’t for the life of me get it tuned.
I can honestly say this one is an awesome little antenna. All I did was chuck the thing up in a tree, sloping down at about 45 deg angle over the front of the house to the back, the UnUn is about 3 feet off the roof (only tree we have is in the front yard) and then hooked up about 35′ of coax to it (which is laying on the roof) and then to the radio in the shack in the back room of the house.
I didn’t even have it tuned properly and it started decoding an SSTV image. By the time I did get it tuned, that image was by far the best quality image I have gotten yet. Did a couple more test with PSK31, both reports were 100% copy and clean signal, then did 3 SSB contacts, one 40m, one 20m, and one 10m, all very clear qso’s.
Needless to say I’m HAPPY with it and it’s performance.
Robert (W0QFW)
Well, that’s what I call a glowing report Robert! Thanks for that and I’m happy that you have joined many hundreds of others that are finding that effective antennas for portable ops can be simple and efficient. 73, Steve-W1SFR
I was thinking of putting the antenna on a vertical mast anchored to the earth, then run a feed coax from the base up to a second story window about 12′ up and 35′ across a roof top. My question is if the coax needs to be on the ground to act as a counter poise versus running up the side of the house and across the roof. thx
Thanks for your comments. Yes, that would work. It seems like this antenna is effective in many different configurations. I have positive reports using it under gutters, across roofs, in attics etc. Try it. If it doesn’t work, send it back for a refund. 73, Steve-W1SFR
Arrived today. Very well built. SWR as claimed except mine were lower. Surprised 20m was 1.3 across and 18 was flat. Mostly z around 50. Tried it qrp from home as a slopper at 20 feet. Got into California from VY0 land on 20 m on cw. Noise level same as my windom. This will be good in my field kit! Good price and seller communication. Fast delivery.
Thanks Mike! I just had a 1mw QSO last night with a solid 579 with S57V in Slovenia on 17M with this antenna. About 41,000 miles per watt. Gotta love that. Cheers. 73, Steve-W1SFR
I just tried to add an UNUN only with no wire to my cart. The price on your web site shows as $39.95 + $5.50 Shipping. PayPal then shows a price of $45.45 + $5.50 Shipping. What’s up. Roger, W1EM
Sorry Roger, that button was messed up for some reason. Couldn’t have been my fault 😉 It’s that damn helper of mine HiHi. Anyway, all fixed now and thanks for letting me know there was a problem. 73, Steve, W1SFR
I work on an offshore oil rig. I am wanting to purchase your antenna for this purpose with my KX3. I read that I should leave approx. 16′ of coax on the ground as a counterpoise. With the rig being an all metal super structure, how would this work?
I want to let it hang down approx 70′ above the water line and ground the unit to the structure however, I did not see a ground terminal.
What do you recommend for this application?
Could you add a ground terminal?
Thanks,
KD5TTZ
Hy Kyp,
No ground is necessary and the rig will act as a terrific counterpoise, so just lay the coax anywhere on the structure and you’ll be good. The coax is the “ground”.
So grounding the KX3 to the rig would ensure a good ground with your antenna?
Yep…again, there is no specific wire ground. The outside of the shield in your coax works as your ground/counterpoise. 73, Steve W1SFR
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Hey Steve I would like to buy a compete end-fed antenna … Will you ship to Italy ? At what cost ? Thanks for your attention.
Luca IW2CZG
Shipping to Italy is an additional $15. You can send the additional fee to w1sfr.qrp@gmail.com when you order.
73,
Steve, W1SFR
can i get a 58 footer from you?
Sure. Shoot me an email and I’ll give you the details. 73, Steve-W1SFR
What wire length would you recommend for 6 thru 20 meters? I’m willing to give up 40 meters if that would help the 6 meter performance.
I’ll be honest with you, I have very limited experience with 6 meters, but my “standard” 35′ wire is excellent from 40-6 and really shines on 30, 20 and 17.
I am only interested in 40 and 80M…would a version with 68′ or so wire work for that?
Hi Ron,
I would recommend a 58′ wire for 80.
72/73
Steve
I tried swapping out my 35′ wire for a 58′ Works great on 80/40 and seems to be fine on other bands as well. Actually, watching my auto-tuner in action I’m not for sure it’s even getting a workout. I love this antenna. I have a lot of time on the 35′ version and have some great QRP contacts that you wouldn’t believe using my FT-817 and it in sloper with the high end at 15 feet.
Hi Chuck! Thanks for the comments and Yes…if you want to work 80 a longer wire is better and the 58 footer is a good way to go. It’s quite a bit more wire to manage, but if you have the space and a good place to hang it, it’s a great addition to the 35′ wire. 73 OM. Steve, W1SFR
What are the dimensions of the box?
N8FNR
Hi Zack,
Dimensions of the box are: 3.12 X 2.13 X 1.58. Weight 3oz.
73,
Steve
What are freight costs to Australia for the antenna?
Hi Jack,
Rate would be $23.50 Priority Mail International.
Steve, W1SFR
What do you get with just the Antenna ? What do you get with the Kit? I don’t see see a full product description anywhere or I am just blind :). Is there a manual available?
tnx & 73
Paul
Hi Paul,
Sorry about that. Well…With the antenna you get the 9:1 Unun (Black Box), a 35′ antenna wire with a rope connector on one end and a soldered lug on the other, and a bnc protector cap.
With the kit, you get the antenna as described above, 130′ of throwing line wound on a line winder, an 8oz throwing weight with ball bearing swivel, and a ground stake with luminescent safety marker.
Hope that answers your questions and thanks for pointing out that aside from the photos on the top of the pages, I should put a detailed description on the appropriate pages.
Best 73,
Steve, W1SFR
HAY ITS ME AGN . I ALSO HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT MY LONG WIRE XMT LINE.
I BEEN USING 25 FT. RG 8/U, WITH A HOME BREW CHOKE BALUN. 4″PVC
WITH 18 TURNS OF RG58/U.SHOULD I TAKE THE CHOKE OUT?WITH UR ANTENNA?
I THINK IM OVER WORKING MY TUNNER.THATS WHY I HAVE UR END FED 6M-80 COMING. THANKS.
EARL WB7DDI IN UT.
THANKS STEVE
I WAS WONDERING BECAUSE OF THE COUNTERPOISE, AND NOTHING ON THE GND. SIDE OF THE BALUN. I ORDERED ONE. I WAS WONDERING HOW IT WOULD
LOAD WITH ABT. 80 FT. OF WIRE NR. #12.LONG WIRES ARE THE BEST ANTENNAS
FOR DX. I HAVE BEEN RUNNING A HOMEBREW 80 FT.AND I HAD ABT 2 FT. ON THE GND SIDE, WITH A TUNNER,JUST FINE.BUT EVERYTHING I HAVE READ SAYS GET A 9:1 CURRENT BALLUN?SO I BOUGHT IT FOR THE BALUN?THANKS FOR THE HELP.
EARL WB7DDI IN UT.
Hi Earl,
Well, it’s technically a 9:1 UnUn. Since random wires are unbalanced. No balun is needed. No Counterpoise is needed. I’ve used wires 25.5, 31, 58 and 84. The KX3 will tune all bands but of course the performance on various bands differ. This antenna seems to work best for me on 30, 20, 17 and 15. I’m in Vermont and was up at my cabin recently with this antenna sloping from a nearby tree and I was inundated with EU stations and was easily making contact with just about everyone I could hear at 5W. Sooooo, NO choke balun, NO counterpoise and yes a longer wire is fine and will get you better coverage of 80m if that’s what you’re looking for. Personally, I prefer a simple tuned dipole for 80. It’s just better. Steve-W1SFR
Earl,
No problems there with the coax. Because it’s shielded coax shouldn’t be an issue with interference.-Steve, W1SFR
WILL THE 50 FT. OF COAX FEED LINE CAUSE TVI FOR THE NEIGHBORS ?
EARL
Hi Gary,
We’ll, this antenna is not meant to be resonant, but a random wire with a simple transformer which allows your tuner to achieve acceptable SWR at the radio. To be honest, I’m not sure how your setup would work, but I’d be happy to send you an antenna unit and you can try it, and if it doesn’t work…send it back. It’s the best way to see if the variables in your system will work.
73
Steve
Steve:
I use a MFJ remote antenna switchbox (4 Port) with about 75′ of coax into the shack. The actual connection to your antenna (fence mounted) would only be a few feet of coax from the 4 port switchbox. Will this negate the required counterpoise effect portion of the coax shield. The coax SO239’s (5) are all common grounded, the center conductors are relay switched. I tried some PAR End-fedz antennas using this arrangement and found difficulty
getting resonant dips below 2:1 on an antenna analyzer. The metal common plate on the remote switchbox is grounded with a short earth ground wire. I am wondering if this arrangement isn’t going to work on 1/2 wave end fed antennas.
Thanks for your opinion.
73,
Garry
Hi Bob,
This kind of antenna is not good for 160m. The UnUn can’t handle the high impedence of such a long wire so most tuners wouldn’t be able to find a match.
Steve, W1SFR
If I use 125 feet of wire, can the antenna be used to RX/TX on 160 meters ?
Bob McKeever, KA3AYY
nagraman@comcast.net
Richard….Awesome! It really is a blast to throw up such a simple wire antenna and immediately work distant stations. Glad you like your new antenna and hope you have many many more FB QSOs!
Ken…I usually can ship the next day.
Steve, I finally got to play with the antenna I bought from you. The bands were crazy busy that weekend (3/1 – 3/2). After about 15 minutes of cruising the bands I made contact with my first ever DX station, 9A5BWW in Croatia! A few minutes later another contact in Canada. Not too shabby, my friend! Not too shabby at all! 🙂
What is the wait time between order and shipping
Arnie,
I haven’t tested the unun under a heavy load like RTTY or PSK31 at higher wattages. CW and SSB at 100W should be fine. Continuous duty modes at high wattages is not recommended as the toroid is probably not large enough to take the heat.
Steve, W1SFR
oops…never mind. I see you have it posted as 100w. Is that rating for SSB or for RTTY/PSK31?
Thanks.
What is the power handling capability of your 9:1 unun?
Hi Steve,
I have 50′ of 50 ohm coax but my question was more around setting up the coax as counterpoise. Does it need to be laid out straight or can it be coiled up? I apologize if this is such an odd question but I’m very new to this stuff. Also, I didn’t get your private message and it wasn’t in my spam folder either.
Thanks
Hi Alan,
I answered this privately, but thought I would post a reply here as well. The length of the feed coax isn’t an absolute, but I think 25+’ would be fine. Most folks will make or purchase a 25′ 50Ohm coax feed line with BNC connectors.
Hi Steve,
I’m very new to Ham radio and recently bought your antenna. I understand the antenna can be setup in a tree vertically, horizontally across branches, or in other ways and that would connect to the wingnut on the little black box.
Can the 30+ ft of coax be coiled before it runs into my antenna tuner or does it have to be laid out in a straight line? I want to know if the coax acting as counterpoise is reduced depending on how it’s setup.
Thanks
Can I put an adapter on the connector so I can use my coax that has PL-259s (BNC to SO-239)
Sure….no problem.
Hi Rick,
You don’t want to coil the coax. Just snake it around if you’re closer to the matchbox.
Steve, W1SFR
Quick Q. I see that you mention t use at least 30ft of coax as a counterpoise, could this be coiled or could it be snaked on the ground? Just ordered it and just wondering.
Tnx
Rick WA6ES
Steve, thanks for a great product. Well built, strong, and light weight… goes up on less than 3 minutes. For anyone wondering if this antenna works, read my full review at http://qrpzone.com/qrp-portable-sota-w1sfr-end-fed-antenna-review/ I put it through some great test both indoor and outdoor and activated SOTA summit – Devil’s Benchmark W4V/HB-025 in VA with 49 QSO’s in 2 hrs on 4 bands both CW and Phone and never had to mess with the antenna or move it once. Perfect for SOTA, field day, mountain topping, or the traveling ham!
Thanks Brian for your fantastic review!! 73-Steve
What is the Wireman part # for the wire you use in this product?
It’s part no #532
Yes, it’s as weatherproof as I could make it within reason. Internally, I have embedded the internal BNC connection in electricians putty which is inert. The internal stud is stainless, so should be fine. I learned after building a balun in some PVC that using other sealers like silicone caulk can outgas and corrode the components. I erected a G5RV antenna at Field Day last year and it failed. After testing all of the components, we found that the silicone had caused the chrome on the SO259 to corrode to the point where it was no longer making contact. There is a commercial wireless tech in our club that turned me on to the putty and it seems to do the job. If you want to make it permanent, I would smear some caulk around the external BNC connector where it mates with the body of the UNUN, just to be safe, and also put a dot of caulk in the screw holes, then re-insert them. The lids are a very tight fit, and I run a bead of cyano glue around the entire lid so that’s extremely weathertight.
Is the UnUN weatherproof to use as a permanent antenna?