New ham interested in CW

[Netdewt]

This looks interesting. It looks like they still sell it on their website. Weird that I don’t see it in any other stores.

https://qrper.com/2020/09/a-review-of-t ... d-antenna/

http://www.vibroplex.com/contents/en-us/p3411.html

[N8TGQ]

Congratulations on your licenses and welcome to the hobby! As you can see, there are many different options. I would like to suggest joining your local club. If you're lucky, there's one nearby and if you're real lucky, there will be some members with an interest in QRP and portable operations.
Since you're just staring your adventure, go slow. It's easy to start buying all these shiny objects and not have a full understanding of what they do. Try to get out with other operators to see all sides of things. It's not just how well something works. What's the warranty. How are returns handled. Has the company been around for a while with a good reputation.
Watch out for the "feeding frenzy" that may come with a new rig. Too many times I've seen delays, dissappointments and glitches. I wait a while to see how things shake out. Just because an "influencer" says it's great, it may not be.
I wont muddy the waters more by suggesting products. Think simple think about used stuff and things with multiple uses. A good antenna tuner is something you'll find handy to have.
Here's an easy one you can use to.match just about any wire you can get up in the air:

https://www.qsl.net/wb3gck/tuner.htm

Most important thing is to have fun!

Rick N8TGQ

[Netdewt]

I ordered the Venus SW-3B. Now working on picking an EFHW kit that is in stock, a battery, and coax.

[Netdewt]

The EFHW Kit from KM4ACK is a great option for that reason, all the parts you need are included and it takes maybe an hour to assemble. Make it the day it arrives.
[snip,snip]

Not a good idea to use a EFHW without a tuner?

I've never used a tuner with an EFHW, which is why I used and EFHW with the SW-3B. Testing my linked EFHW (the link is for 30m; all other bands I just use unlinked), here's how it tested:
40m: SWR < 1.5 across the entire band, with 1.24 and 1.14 at the CW portion edges.
30m: SWR < 1.2 across the entire band.
20m: SWR < 1.2 across the entire band, with 1.2 and 1.07 at the CW portion edges.
15m: SWR < 1.52 across the entire band, with 1.52 and 1.31 at the CW portion edges.
10m: SWR < 2.0 across the entire band, with 1.87 and 1.63 at the CW portion edges.
In other words, it's fine. 10m is maybe a little high, but the antenna is way good on 40, 30, and 20, which are the only bands my little SW-3B can use.

Hope that helps,
73 Skip K4EAK

So does the 30M section in your design add more wire? There is a trapped, built-in mini tuner design on QRP guys but it looks complicated.

I’m either doing a QRP guys kit or a Tufteln EFHW 49:1 kit. Nothing else is in stock. Trying to decide if I want the transformer built into the winder or an enclosure.

QRP guys say to use any 22-24ga wire. Any favorite sources for antenna wire?

I just received a vanity call, N0EIA!

[Andrew (grayhat)]

There is a trapped, built-in mini tuner design on QRP guys but it looks complicated.

I didn't see the schematic for the tuner you're referring to, but the simplest one imHo is here

https://pa0fri.home.xs4all.nl/ATU/FRIma ... tcheng.htm

if you look at the various builds images you'll see that for QRP all it needs are a pair of "polyvaricons" and a coil and the latter can be wound on a toroid or on some support, no switching, just two knobs and the antenna can be coarsely tuned w/o transmitting which for portable QRP is a bonus since will allow to further spare the precious battery juice; sure, the tuner only covers 10...80 (or may cover 6...80) but if you aren't interested in going down to 160 meters, then it's simple and easy to build

I’m either doing a QRP guys kit or a Tufteln EFHW 49:1 kit. Nothing else is in stock.
Trying to decide if I want the transformer built into the winder or an enclosure.

Didn't you consider building your own ? All in all it just means winding some wire around a toroid, no "rocket science" needed ! Other than that, if going portable, using a coax feeder and (in such a case) an impedance transformer will allow you to use the antenna w/o a real counterpoise, since it will use the coax braid for that, the only thing you may consider adding is a choke, that may come handy in case the RF coming back to the TX over the shield (remember it's working as a part of the antenna) causes issues, in such a case you may connect the choke between the TX and the coax going to the antenna

[Netdewt]

There is a trapped, built-in mini tuner design on QRP guys but it looks complicated.

I didn't see the schematic for the tuner you're referring to, but the simplest one imHo is here

https://pa0fri.home.xs4all.nl/ATU/FRIma ... tcheng.htm

if you look at the various builds images you'll see that for QRP all it needs are a pair of "polyvaricons" and a coil and the latter can be wound on a toroid or on some support, no switching, just two knobs and the antenna can be coarsely tuned w/o transmitting which for portable QRP is a bonus since will allow to further spare the precious battery juice; sure, the tuner only covers 10...80 (or may cover 6...80) but if you aren't interested in going down to 160 meters, then it's simple and easy to build

I’m either doing a QRP guys kit or a Tufteln EFHW 49:1 kit. Nothing else is in stock.
Trying to decide if I want the transformer built into the winder or an enclosure.

Didn't you consider building your own ? All in all it just means winding some wire around a toroid, no "rocket science" needed ! Other than that, if going portable, using a coax feeder and (in such a case) an impedance transformer will allow you to use the antenna w/o a real counterpoise, since it will use the coax braid for that, the only thing you may consider adding is a choke, that may come handy in case the RF coming back to the TX over the shield (remember it's working as a part of the antenna) causes issues, in such a case you may connect the choke between the TX and the coax going to the antenna

This one:
https://qrpguys.com/qrpguys-multi-band-end-fed-antenna


For now I only want 40, 30, 20. And if I am honest, mostly 20 because the antenna is shortest. I question my need to get anything other than a single 20M antenna. I'd love to explore 17, 15, 12, 10, but the simple CW radios don't do those bands. Sometimes I think I should just build a 20M dipole.

I mostly like the kits because I don't have to source parts, they just send me what I need. My brain goes blank when I try to read the schematics of these things in order to build from scratch.

[Andrew (grayhat)]

https://pa0fri.home.xs4all.nl/ATU/FRIma ... tcheng.htm

This one:
https://qrpguys.com/qrpguys-multi-band-end-fed-antenna

I see, too complex imHo, just compare it with the FriMatch



notice that the switching is optional, but eases the use of the unit and then it will work with whatever antenna

[SkipRD]

(snip, snip)

So does the 30M section in your design add more wire? There is a trapped, built-in mini tuner design on QRP guys but it looks complicated.

No, 30m is shorter than 40m, so one doesn't "add" wire; there's just a link at around 50' on a 66' antenna (roughly). The 66' antenna is resonant on 40m, 20m, 15m, and 10m. Pulling the link makes it resonant on 30m. So, all in, that's 5 bands with no tuner. It's very rare (essentially never) that I've done a POTA activation and needed more than 5 bands.

73 Skip K4EAK

[Netdewt]

@skipRD That makes sense. I thought I read that you added something for 30.

There is a Par Endfedz antenna that uses some trickery for the 30M. I don’t know how it works. They say you just need to add an SMA plug to convert it.

http://www.vibroplex.com/contents/en-us/p3411.html

[SkipRD]

@skipRD That makes sense. I thought I read that you added something for 30.

There is a Par Endfedz antenna that uses some trickery for the 30M. I don’t know how it works. They say you just need to add an SMA plug to convert it.

http://www.vibroplex.com/contents/en-us/p3411.html

A friend has that antenna and likes it a lot. And it would be a good match for your SW3B. I used my SW3B, my first QRP radio, with a simple end-fed on 40-30-20m and got hundreds of contacts.

Your call, but I'd keep things simple in the beginning, and focus on operating rather than equipment. As time goes on, especially on cold winter days when you can't operate, you can always add other pieces of equipment, even building things from schematics, but at first a simple setup, just enjoying the parks and learning the CW ropes, will be a ton of fun.

73 Skip K4EAK