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Electronics & Antennas for Ham Radio

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End Fed Half Wave Antennas: Energy Efficiency and DX capabilities

Related reading:
Why We Push Dual‑Band EFHW for High Power (3–4 kW)
Why We Don’t Use Compensation Capacitors on EFHWs

End‑Fed Half‑Wave Antennas: Energy Efficiency and DX Capabilities

EFHW16080 — Inverted‑L

18 m Spiderbeam pole

  • 160 m: Efficiency modest (~56%) from ground/transformer losses.
  • 80 m: Higher efficiency (~93–97%) with greater radiation resistance.
Band Height Rel. to λ (Vertical) Low‑Angle (<15°) DX NVIS
160 m ≈0.093 λ Weak Poor Strong
80 m ≈0.187 λ Moderate Moderate Excellent

26 m Spiderbeam pole

  • 160 m: Efficiency improves (~65%).
  • 80 m: Very high efficiency (~99%+), low ground loss.
Band Height Rel. to λ (Vertical) Low‑Angle DX NVIS
160 m ≈0.16 λ Moderate Moderate Good
80 m ≈0.33 λ Strong Good Moderate

EFHW8040 — Inverted‑L

18 m Spiderbeam pole

  • 80 m: Moderate efficiency (~78%).
  • 40 m: Higher efficiency (~88–96%).
Band Height Rel. to λ (Vertical) Low‑Angle DX NVIS
80 m ≈0.187 λ Moderate Moderate Strong
40 m ≈0.375 λ Strong Good Moderate

26 m Spiderbeam pole

  • 80 m: Good (~89%).
  • 40 m: Very high (~94%).
Band Height Rel. to λ (Vertical) Low‑Angle DX NVIS
80 m ≈0.33 λ Strong Good Moderate
40 m ≈0.66 λ Very Strong Excellent Weak

EFHW4020 — Sloper / Flattop

Flattop @ 10 m

  • 40 m: ~0.25 λ height — balanced NVIS/DX; low‑angle moderate, NVIS moderate–strong.
  • 20 m: ~0.5 λ height — strong low‑angle DX; NVIS weak.
Band Height Rel. to λ Low‑Angle DX NVIS
40 m ≈0.25 λ Moderate Good Moderate–Strong
20 m ≈0.50 λ Strong Excellent Weak

Sloper @ 10–12 m feedpoint

  • Slope 30–45° toward target area for best DX focus.
  • Primary radiation is toward the low end of the slope; steeper slopes add upward energy for regional work on 40 m.

EFHW20 Monoband — Sloper / Flattop

Flattop

  • @ 10 m (~0.5 λ): strong low‑angle radiation, excellent DX.
  • @ 6–7 m (~0.3–0.35 λ): moderate low‑angle, good DX; some mid‑angle fill for regional QSOs.
Height h/λ (20 m) Low‑Angle DX Notes
≈10 m ≈0.50 λ Strong Excellent Best for DX
≈6–7 m ≈0.30–0.35 λ Moderate Good More mid‑angle energy

Sloper

  • 30–45° slope toward desired DX azimuth; keep feedpoint as high as practical.
  • Dominant lobe points toward the lower end of the wire; use to steer coverage.

Mini‑FAQ

  • Is the EFHW16080 efficient on 160 m? — Moderately; ground and transformer losses reduce efficiency, but NVIS is strong.
  • Does a taller mast help? — Yes. Raising from 18 m to 26 m improves low‑angle DX on 160/80 m.
  • Is grounding mandatory? — Yes. EFHW Inverted‑L needs a short counterpoise or ground stake (plus a choke).
  • Can EFHW8040 do DX on 40 m? — Absolutely. At ~0.66 λ vertical, low‑angle DX is excellent.
  • Why EFHW4020? — Compact 40/20 m dual‑band; easy sloper/flattop install.
  • Is the EFHW20 best for 20 m DX? — Yes. A true half‑wave; mount near 0.5 λ for top DX results.

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Joeri Van Dooren – ON6URE — RF, electronics and software engineer; founder of RF.Guru.

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