The popular End-Fed Half-Wave (EFHW) Antenna is an easily portable, high-impedance (2,000-4,000 ohm) wire antenna that resonates on its fundamental frequency and all harmonics above. Several ways exist to bring the wire’s high impedance feedpoint closer to the desired 50 ohms, including use of a 49:1 or 64:1 unun, which eliminates the need for an antenna tuner in most instances. The length of the wire is dependent upon your frequency of interest (e.g., 16′ 7″ on 10 meters up to 135′ on 80 meters). You can calculate the necessary length through this simple equation: L (foot) = 468 / f (frequency in MHz).
DX Engineering now carries a range of full-length low-power end-fed half-wave dipole antennas from the Amateur Radio pros at Par EndFedz®. A go-to choice for worry-free portable ops or stealth HOA installations, these versatile antennas can be mounted horizontally, vertically, or as a sloper, with no need for ground plane or counterpoise. They feature a unique match box coax connection at the end of the wire for convenient and quick setup, whether hung from a tree limb, out of a hotel window, or in an attic. Stainless steel hardware and end insulators are included.
Other features include:
- Standard single-band and multi-band versions handling 100 or 200 watts and high-power versions handling 300 watts
- UV-resistant ABS plastic housing with support rope attachment hole that encloses an efficient matching network to allow the antenna to be fed with standard 50 ohm coaxial cable with PL-259 connectors
- Stainless steel hardware
- Silver-plated SO-239 connector with PTFE dielectric
- Either 18 or 26 AWG stranded Copperweld® antenna with 200 pound breaking strength and a tough, 100% UV-stable black polyethylene jacket
Click here for details on the full lineup of 23 antennas These include the PEZ-EF-QUAD, covering 40/20/15/10M, 200W SSB/CW; the PEZ-EFT-102040, covering 40/20/10, 25W CW/SSB; single bands from 80 through 10M, plus 6M; and the PEZ-EF-SWL 0-30 MHz receive-only model.
Note: The manufacturer refers to these antennas as “End-Fed Dipoles” based upon the assertion that a “half-wave radiator is a dipole.” This is a variant of the classic definition of a dipole that is a center-fed antenna with two radiating legs running in opposite directions from the feedpoint.
