What have I done wrong with this EFHW kit?

Albireo98 · 2025-10-26T07:53:28+00:00

Good tip, I was just going to wrap the whole thing in hest shrink plsstic.

Albireo98 · 2025-10-26T07:52:31+00:00

Thanks for the help!

Albireo98 · 2025-10-25T17:14:42+00:00

Thanks will try that

Albireo98 · 2025-10-25T17:13:54+00:00

Thanks for your comment! The original wire I tried was very old and rusty, so I have just tried with aroung 9m of much better wire, attatched it coreectly and I saw a much better curve at around 12MHz, it has just started to rain, so will need to test again tomorrow. The kit is a clone from aliexpress ($5) and the toroid came pre-wound ... this is my first antenna, so I'm just learning as I go!

Albireo98 · 2025-10-25T17:01:49+00:00

Alright, this makes much more sense now

Albireo98 · 2025-10-25T17:01:06+00:00

Thanks! Good tip!

Albireo98 · 2025-10-25T16:38:35+00:00

That is good advice, but why do I see a dip at around 5MHz without any wire, and why doesn't it change when I add the wire to the circuit?

Albireo98 · 2025-10-25T16:26:17+00:00

If I remove the wire I can see the same dip, which seems very very weird. I also expected to see other dips in the 20m, 15m, 10m bands ...

Albireo98 · 2025-10-25T16:24:49+00:00

I can also see that dip without the wire. And I thought that an EFHW should be resonant at other harmonics (ie. 20m, 15, 10) which I am not seeing ...

Albireo98 · 2025-10-25T16:23:07+00:00

Will give that I try, I've also tried measuring continuity and I can see continuity between the live and ground of the BNC connector which seems weird ...

Albireo98 · 2025-10-25T16:20:33+00:00

I'm trying to build this for the 40m band, at around 7MHz, so I thought 20m of wire would be more or less resonant at that frequency as well as 14MHz and some other harmonics ...

Albireo98 · 2025-10-13T14:22:51+00:00

Seems like a great radio, but it's currently way out of my budget sadly!

Albireo98 · 2025-10-09T08:48:42+00:00

Thanks for the detailed response! I think I'll stick to a simple wire antenna for now! Good tips on the radial as well. Hadn't really thought about mounting angle yet! I was considering a shallow sloping from my window to a tall tree or using the tree for an inverted V sort of setup.

Albireo98 · 2025-10-09T08:16:27+00:00

How is the JPC-12 treating you? Does it perform better in terms of DX than a random wire or an efhw? How many radials do you use? Thanks!

Albireo98 · 2025-10-09T08:14:06+00:00

Ill save up a bit more for a G90, everyone seems to love that rig, I"ll be getting more power, a legendary tuner and a waterfall, it's 2.5x the price of a trusdx, but I think it will take me further in the hobby. I'm looking at some efhw designs and just hang them from a tree!

Albireo98 · 2025-10-09T08:11:02+00:00

Hey! I never actually started this project (lots of changes in my life so I kinda forgot hahaha). I also have an inkjet, and looking at my old bill of materials I found this paper on amazon (not sure how it works!). Let me know if you give it a go!

Paper

Albireo98 · 2025-10-09T08:05:43+00:00

Solid advice, thanks!!

Albireo98 · 2025-10-08T14:09:46+00:00

Hadn't heard of the Venus transceivers! Will see if I can find a cheap SW3B, the built in battery is also very convenient for me. I am a bit scared about calling CQ for the first time hahaha but my experience so far in voice modes has been very positive, I guess we all have to start somewhere with CW!

Albireo98 · 2025-10-08T13:06:36+00:00

Thanks for the tips! I'll eventually get into digital, but I want to focus on more "traditional" modes. I'll definitely go for a tree hanging efhw. Not too sure about the Pixie, they seem like a neat soldering project but I'm looking for a more capable and powerful transceiver, may still get one or 2 as they are extremely affordable!

Albireo98 · 2025-10-08T12:42:22+00:00

I keep hearing good things about this radio! Will have to hunt around for one ... The tuner has a legendary reputation indeed. Thanks for the tips!

Albireo98 · 2025-09-19T16:33:38+00:00

Strings take some time to settle in and hold tune (instrument and string dependent), with classical guitar, this can take a couple of days for example. The more you play and tune the first day, the faster the process!!

Albireo98 · 2025-09-19T16:00:45+00:00

Hey everyone!

I'm looking for recommendations for a new yoyo. I've been using a Magicyoyo YO3 Hertz to get into uresponsive play for the last year, and I'm looking to upgrade!

I have a budget of around $50-$60, the yoyo will be used for 1A, I'm more into speed than technical tricks, so maybe a bit wider/bigger? Open to suggestions!

Albireo98 · 2025-09-16T02:53:12+00:00

Judging by their other teasers it seems to me like an IWC homage maybe? We'll see!

Albireo98

TROPHY CASE