Very interesting James! In my video of our QSO I describe my antenna set up. I was also using an EFHW and 49:1, but in a different configuration and with a shorter mast. Different radio too, with just 10 w. It was great to get you in my log on the 15 m band that day! All the Best, Fraser MM0EFI
Config for my EFHW is a shorter vertical section about 3m usually on my walking pole tied up in a bush if one handy. Still makes an inverted L and I run the rest of the antenna wire up to my 6m pole at the tie off or far end. Thanks for all the videos HNY vk5cz ..
You can usually run directly no tuner needed with a 49 to 1 UNUN feeding a halfwave 40-meter antenna Harmonically related bands so 40, 20, 15, 10 and 6 meters should have a low SWR, of less than 2 to 1 and just use your tuner to tweak it or if you must no tuner and trim the wire for best match. The antenna will perform very well either way you can also use your tuner and operate, 30, 17 and 12 as well and make plenty of contacts I have even been able to even tune 80 meters on mine but of course the antenna is short for 80 but many contacts can still be made, 73 J.
Thanks James! I mostly use a similar antenna configuration but try to keep the horizontal part as high as possible. Note, that on 20m, the antenna has a deep null, exactly in the direction of the horizontal wire. But on 40m, this inverted-L is pretty omnidirectional. 73 Stephan
Hi James, I just ran across your video. Great job! Question: what did you use to attach the guy wires to the mast? I couldn’t see it very well in the video.
I use a Jubilee clip (I think they call them hose clamps in most other parts of the world) with a bit of aquarium tube slide over the top of it to prevent it from damaging the fibreglass mast. It's quite an old video (one of my very early videos which I should probably re-make) but you can see it here:- ruclips.net/video/xsp_4rWYFK0/видео.html
Good video James and looked like you were quite comfortable sat there. Interesting antenna setup and I like the idea of using some aquarium tube to support the wire on the mast. Couple of nice pile ups there and well done working Fraser who was on holiday. As a QRP fan I find your Icom 703 impressive, and it's in excellent condition too. 73 Chris M0RSF
Thanks Chris. The Icom 703 was my first HF radio which I bought when I got my foundation licence. After a few years I sold it and very quickly regretted that decision. So much so that I went out & purchased the radio that you saw in the video. I can't remember what I paid for it but I recall paying more than it was actually worth. These days they are becoming very hard to find & sell for a small fortune if you are lucky enough to find one on the second hand market. It's one of those radios which I won't be selling. It's staying with me!!!
Another good one, James. Can't beat the 40m EFHW for convenience. It's my go-to choice for my occasional SOTA activations. You mention kite antennas in the video... Any plans to do a video on that topic?
Hi Ronan. I activated a summit with a kite antenna in Wales 2 days ago! I need to review the footage to see if it can be cobbled together to make a video. Unfortunately the weather was much worse than forecast, so I didn't get as much footage as I would have liked & what I did get wasn't great (rain water on camera lens etc). I'll have a look to see if it's salvageable.......otherwise I'll have to go out & have another attempt! You may have seen them already but there are a couple of videos of my early attempts on my channel.
Another good vid James, particularly the ease of setting up. What power were you using? It also shows the versatility of the efhw. I also helically wind around the mast as it prevents the wire swinging about. All the best, 73
Morning James great video mate nicely done. Great setup 👍🏻. I will have an antenna up for the weekend for CQ WW.. Just need to decide if I am doing a inverted V or L efhw in my small garden. Started to setup last night then found one of my feeder leads slightly down to the shield. Depending on how I setup I need to use one or two feeders. One of the pl259 plugs are faulty. Fingers crossed I will be on the air for weekend. Again mate great work. 👍🏻 😁 Ps loved the end cap issue 😁 Motters M7TRS 73 👍🏻
Hi Leigh. Hope you get your feeder & antenna issues sorted for the weekend. I'm also hoping to be on air over the weekend. Probably not heavily but will do at least a couple of sessions. There is a trail of thought that a couple of us may operate from my 3 acre field but that's very much weather dependant. If it rains too much over the next couple of days the ground will become soft & we will end up getting motorhomes stuck in the field (which is what happened last year). I don't want to end up dealing with that again! I might also do a livestream from the field if we do manage to get down there. We'll see how things go. Plans are currently extremely fluid!
@@AmateurRadioUK hi mate. Yeah me too I will not be on for the whole weekend solid. Just in the process of trying my 10m mast in different areas of the 8x8 garden before I try and find another pl259 in the house. If no joy I have a 2m slim jim floating around somewhere I can cut the plug off. Should be alright if o use my 10m feeded and efhw close to the house and I can pass it through the window. Oh exciting times ahead then yes of course weather permits and water levels. Very windy here blowing the mast about. Yeah sounds good with the livestream will always try and join if I am home plus got an antenna up. Motters
Hi Chris. I've got a couple of DIY lithium packs made from 18650 cells. It was a while ago now but I made a playlist on it:- ruclips.net/p/PLFgm1CoA6ptwclbMO8hncbr_7-_YI-Avq When running more power from the FT-857D I have a bigger version with a larger capacity.
The mast that I was using is fibreglass (as opposed to carbon fibre), so not a problem. I've always steered away from carbon fibre for precisely that reason. I personally have not tried this with a carbon mast but anecdotally I have heard of people finding that the carbon detunes their antenna. My guess is that you would probably be able to compensate for this by adjusting the length of the wire.
Cheers Brian. I also watch Fraser's channel with interest. I talk to Fraser fairly often (we have a little WhatsApp group), and we do like to exchange a few ideas here & there.
Very interesting James! In my video of our QSO I describe my antenna set up. I was also using an EFHW and 49:1, but in a different configuration and with a shorter mast. Different radio too, with just 10 w. It was great to get you in my log on the 15 m band that day!
All the Best, Fraser MM0EFI
Config for my EFHW is a shorter vertical section about 3m usually on my walking pole tied up in a bush if one handy. Still makes an inverted L and I run the rest of the antenna wire up to my 6m pole at the tie off or far end. Thanks for all the videos HNY vk5cz ..
Brilliant vid. You have it setup really well. 73
Thanks Mike.
Great one James! Nice location, content and production. I think you’re inspiring many! 👍📻⚡️Cheers!
Thanks Tommy.
You can usually run directly no tuner needed with a 49 to 1 UNUN feeding a halfwave 40-meter antenna Harmonically related bands so 40, 20, 15, 10 and 6 meters should have a low SWR, of less than 2 to 1 and just use your tuner to tweak it or if you must no tuner and trim the wire for best match. The antenna will perform very well either way you can also use your tuner and operate, 30, 17 and 12 as well and make plenty of contacts I have even been able to even tune 80 meters on mine but of course the antenna is short for 80 but many contacts can still be made, 73 J.
Thanks James! I mostly use a similar antenna configuration but try to keep the horizontal part as high as possible. Note, that on 20m, the antenna has a deep null, exactly in the direction of the horizontal wire. But on 40m, this inverted-L is pretty omnidirectional.
73 Stephan
Hi Stephen. Good point about the directionality on 20m. I didn't mention that in the video.
Great stuff James!
Hi James, I just ran across your video. Great job! Question: what did you use to attach the guy wires to the mast? I couldn’t see it very well in the video.
I use a Jubilee clip (I think they call them hose clamps in most other parts of the world) with a bit of aquarium tube slide over the top of it to prevent it from damaging the fibreglass mast.
It's quite an old video (one of my very early videos which I should probably re-make) but you can see it here:- ruclips.net/video/xsp_4rWYFK0/видео.html
Good video James and looked like you were quite comfortable sat there. Interesting antenna setup and I like the idea of using some aquarium tube to support the wire on the mast. Couple of nice pile ups there and well done working Fraser who was on holiday. As a QRP fan I find your Icom 703 impressive, and it's in excellent condition too. 73 Chris M0RSF
Thanks Chris. The Icom 703 was my first HF radio which I bought when I got my foundation licence.
After a few years I sold it and very quickly regretted that decision. So much so that I went out & purchased the radio that you saw in the video. I can't remember what I paid for it but I recall paying more than it was actually worth.
These days they are becoming very hard to find & sell for a small fortune if you are lucky enough to find one on the second hand market.
It's one of those radios which I won't be selling. It's staying with me!!!
Another good one, James. Can't beat the 40m EFHW for convenience. It's my go-to choice for my occasional SOTA activations. You mention kite antennas in the video... Any plans to do a video on that topic?
Hi Ronan. I activated a summit with a kite antenna in Wales 2 days ago!
I need to review the footage to see if it can be cobbled together to make a video.
Unfortunately the weather was much worse than forecast, so I didn't get as much footage as I would have liked & what I did get wasn't great (rain water on camera lens etc).
I'll have a look to see if it's salvageable.......otherwise I'll have to go out & have another attempt!
You may have seen them already but there are a couple of videos of my early attempts on my channel.
Another good vid James, particularly the ease of setting up. What power were you using? It also shows the versatility of the efhw. I also helically wind around the mast as it prevents the wire swinging about. All the best, 73
Hi Gary. 10 watts from an old Icom 703.
Nice video, great to hear myself at around 10:50 with my 5 Watt from the FT-817ND. 73 de ON4MGY
Well, the placename was indeed a spectacular fail. But the antenna and video's good.
Morning James great video mate nicely done. Great setup 👍🏻. I will have an antenna up for the weekend for CQ WW.. Just need to decide if I am doing a inverted V or L efhw in my small garden. Started to setup last night then found one of my feeder leads slightly down to the shield. Depending on how I setup I need to use one or two feeders. One of the pl259 plugs are faulty. Fingers crossed I will be on the air for weekend.
Again mate great work. 👍🏻 😁
Ps loved the end cap issue 😁
Motters M7TRS 73 👍🏻
Hi Leigh. Hope you get your feeder & antenna issues sorted for the weekend. I'm also hoping to be on air over the weekend. Probably not heavily but will do at least a couple of sessions.
There is a trail of thought that a couple of us may operate from my 3 acre field but that's very much weather dependant. If it rains too much over the next couple of days the ground will become soft & we will end up getting motorhomes stuck in the field (which is what happened last year). I don't want to end up dealing with that again!
I might also do a livestream from the field if we do manage to get down there. We'll see how things go. Plans are currently extremely fluid!
@@AmateurRadioUK hi mate. Yeah me too I will not be on for the whole weekend solid. Just in the process of trying my 10m mast in different areas of the 8x8 garden before I try and find another pl259 in the house. If no joy I have a 2m slim jim floating around somewhere I can cut the plug off. Should be alright if o use my 10m feeded and efhw close to the house and I can pass it through the window.
Oh exciting times ahead then yes of course weather permits and water levels. Very windy here blowing the mast about.
Yeah sounds good with the livestream will always try and join if I am home plus got an antenna up.
Motters
James , what mast have you used ? Im looking for one.
I use the 7m mast from Spiderbeam.
Great setup James,what battery do you use for your portable ops? 73s Gm4zji Chris
Hi Chris. I've got a couple of DIY lithium packs made from 18650 cells. It was a while ago now but I made a playlist on it:- ruclips.net/p/PLFgm1CoA6ptwclbMO8hncbr_7-_YI-Avq
When running more power from the FT-857D I have a bigger version with a larger capacity.
@@AmateurRadioUK thanks James
Does having the vertical section along a carbon fiber mast cause any issue? Thanks for the video!
The mast that I was using is fibreglass (as opposed to carbon fibre), so not a problem.
I've always steered away from carbon fibre for precisely that reason.
I personally have not tried this with a carbon mast but anecdotally I have heard of people finding that the carbon detunes their antenna. My guess is that you would probably be able to compensate for this by adjusting the length of the wire.
Oh, missed that it was fiberglass. Cheers!
Hope you dont get hypothermia wearing jeans in the hills.
Great video James, nice to hear Fraser also, I watch his channel also.
73 zl3xdj
Cheers Brian. I also watch Fraser's channel with interest. I talk to Fraser fairly often (we have a little WhatsApp group), and we do like to exchange a few ideas here & there.