MyAntennas EFHW-8010
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| Frequency | 3.5 - 30 MHz (resonant half-wave on 80 m and its harmonics: 80/40/30/20/17/15/12/10 m) |
| Bands | 80m, 40m, 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m, 10m |
| Power | Sold in power versions: the EFHW-8010-1K handles 1 kW, the -2K handles 2 kW, and the -P is a ~200 W portable. Choose the version for your power level. |
| Modes | multi-band end-fed half-wave (EFHW) wire antenna with a high-ratio matching transformer; no tuner needed |
| feed | SO-239 on the weatherproof matching transformer (about 56:1, ~2800:50 ohms), which steps the wire's high feedpoint impedance down to 50 ohms |
| radiator | 130 ft of antenna wire fed at one end, with a short counterpoise |
| power req | Passive antenna; no power. No antenna tuner needed - it is resonant on 80 m and its harmonic bands. |
A reference-quality end-fed half-wave: it covers eight HF bands with no tuner, thanks to a low-loss potted transformer and careful design, and it earns consistently strong reviews for efficiency and durability. It needs only one high support and a short counterpoise (no radial field), comes in 1 kW and 2 kW versions for serious power, and is a tidy way onto the bands in limited space.
It is a full 130 ft long (an 80 m half-wave), so it still needs real estate and height to perform, and like any end-fed its pattern depends on how it is hung. The transformer sets a power ceiling per version (pick the right one), it costs more than a bare wire, and a vertical-ish sloper install hears more noise than a high horizontal.
The MyAntennas EFHW-8010 is one of the best commercial end-fed half-wave antennas: eight bands (80-10 m), no tuner, a low-loss transformer, and 1 kW or 2 kW power handling, all from a single 130 ft wire and a short counterpoise. It is an excellent main or stealth HF antenna where you have room for the length and one high support.
The MyAntennas EFHW-8010 is a premium multi-band end-fed half-wave (EFHW) antenna, widely regarded as one of the best commercial examples of the type. From a single 130-foot wire it covers eight HF bands - 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 meters - with no antenna tuner. That works because the wire is a resonant half-wave on 80 meters, which makes it resonant again on the harmonically related bands above it, so one antenna lands close to 50 ohms across all of them.
The key to its reputation is the matching transformer. A half-wave wire has a very high feedpoint impedance (a couple of thousand ohms), and MyAntennas uses a carefully built, potted transformer of about 56:1 to bring that down to the 50 ohms your coax wants, with low loss and good consistency band to band. You feed it with a single coax through an SO-239 and add the short supplied counterpoise; there is no need for a radial field. It is offered in a 1-kilowatt version, a 2-kilowatt version, and a lighter ~200-watt portable version.
The practical considerations are those of any 80-meter EFHW: it is a long wire (130 feet) that wants height and a clear run to perform, and its radiation pattern depends on whether you hang it flat, as a sloper, or as an inverted-L. Pick the power version that matches your station, and accept that a sloping wire hears more noise than a high horizontal.
It competes with other end-fed half-waves such as the MFJ-1982 and, for QRP/portable use, the much smaller PAR EndFedz EFT-10/20/40.