{"id":10696,"date":"2015-04-03T07:07:25","date_gmt":"2015-04-03T11:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=10696"},"modified":"2017-09-13T13:20:33","modified_gmt":"2017-09-13T17:20:33","slug":"portable-antennas-par-electronics-ef-swl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/04\/portable-antennas-par-electronics-ef-swl\/","title":{"rendered":"Portable antennas: a review of the Par Electronics EF-SWL"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last August and part of September,\u00a0I traveled\u00a0through the US with the CommRadio CR-1<\/a> and a couple of portable antennas: the\u00a0Par Electronics EF-SWL and \u00a0NASA PA-30. I had the opportunity to try both in the field, and took notes as I used them. Following is a short review of the\u00a0Par Electronics EF-SWL.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The EF-SWL ready to deploy with my Spec.-Ops. Brand “All Purpose Bag.”<\/p><\/div>\n

Par Electronics EF-SWL\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the Dayton Hamvention last\u00a0year, I had the pleasure of speaking with representatives of\u00a0the North Carolina-based LNR Precision Inc<\/a>. LNR is a mom-and-pop company with\u00a0a focus on providing antennas, keys, and transceivers for the ham radio and shortwave listener markets. \u00a0Indeed I have several SWL friends who use on a daily basis an antenna this company manufactures and retails: the\u00a0Par Electronics EF-SWL. LNR asked if I would consider reviewing their antenna, and\u00a0since I\u00a0was planning\u00a0a road trip with radios in tow–the perfect opportunity to test such an antenna–I agreed.<\/p>\n

The Par Electronics EF-SWL<\/a> is an end-fed shortwave antenna designed for 1-30 MHz reception. It’s a receive only-antenna–perfect for the SWL. The radiator is 45 feet of #14 black polyethylene coated Flex-Weave wire. When I first used the EF-SWL, I noted the quality of its construction: no doubt it can withstand many deployments in all weather conditions–and it’s manufactured here in the US.<\/p>\n

With a 45′ radiator, the EF-SWL needs a little space, but offers more gain than the other portable antenna I packed, the NASA PA-30 (look for its review in the near future). I put\u00a0the EF-SWL to use in New Mexico where several\u00a0large trees were readily available. I hooked the EF-SWL up to the CommRadio CR-1 and simply hung the end of the radiator as high as I could in a nearby tree. Though not a picture-perfect installation, it nonetheless certainly did the trick! I didn’t bother with a ground connection as I wasn’t in an area with much radio noise (RFI).<\/p>\n

In the past, when setting up\u00a0portable ham radio and shortwave listening, I’ve typically built my own antenna either for the specific meter band I hoped to use, or brought along a portable antenna tuner. It was quite nice having an antenna designed to be resonant on the broadcast bands.<\/p>\n

\"Par-EF-SWL\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Though I didn’t do this, I did noticed that the EF-SWL’s\u00a0radiator is attached via a stainless stud–Par Electronics did this so you can remove the radiator and replace it with a different wire length. With the stock 45′ radiator, I still find the EF-SWL quite portable, especially when compared with most of the portable amateur radio antennas I use, which tend to take\u00a0a dipole or delta loop configuration.<\/p>\n

After returning from my trip, I decided to hook up the EF-SWL at my home base for longer-term evaluation. These\u00a0past months I’ve had it on the air as an auxiliary antenna, and I’ve been impressed with its performance. In truth, it’s not in an optimal location hanging off the corner of my house, but I think this may actually represent with some accuracy the installation\u00a0most SWLs will likewise be able to provide–in other words, placement that must factor in\u00a0antenna restrictions or limited space. Of course, for any permanent installation, you will need to ground the EF-SWL for lower noise reception<\/em>.<\/p>\n

And yet, even in these suboptimal conditions, the antenna performs remarkably well.<\/p>\n

As with any exterior antenna, of course, take precautions against lightening if you live in an area with thunder storms. If nothing else, at least disconnect the antenna when not in use.<\/p>\n

Moving forward, I will plan to relocate the EF-SWL to a more ideal\u00a0permanent location and most likely purchase another\u00a0to keep in my antenna bag. I\u00a0hope\u00a0to use this antenna in a DXpedition I’ve planned later this year.<\/p>\n

The EF-SWL retails for $75 US directly from LNR Pecision<\/a>\u00a0or $72 US from Universal Radio<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Note that LNR also sells a number of QRP field-portable transceivers: the LD-5<\/a>, FX-4a<\/a> and Mountain Topper<\/a>.\u00a0Click here for more details<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last August and part of September,\u00a0I traveled\u00a0through the US with the CommRadio CR-1 and a couple of portable antennas: the\u00a0Par Electronics EF-SWL and \u00a0NASA PA-30. I had the opportunity to try both in the field, and took notes as I used them. Following is a short review of the\u00a0Par Electronics EF-SWL. Par Electronics EF-SWL\u00a0 At […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3607,3,129,43,1154],"tags":[3757,3755,3756,2831,2100,6499,4115],"class_list":["post-10696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-antennas","category-news","category-reviews","category-shortwave-radio","category-travel","tag-lnr-precision","tag-par-electronics-ef-swl","tag-par-electronics-ef-swl-review","tag-portable-shortwave","tag-spec-ops","tag-spec-ops-all-purpose-bag","tag-travel"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-2Mw","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":29665,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/off-the-shelf-affordable-swl-antennas\/","url_meta":{"origin":10696,"position":0},"title":"Off-the-shelf affordable SWL antennas","author":"Thomas","date":"December 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"One of our SWLing Post contributors recently sent the following message with a request: I have a suggestion\/challenge for a post: what's out there for low cost, off-the-shelf HF antennas? I simply can't drop $500 on a Wellbrook. The AirSpy HF+ and the new $100 RSP1A SDR are super enticing,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Accessories"","block_context":{"text":"Accessories","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/accessories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Par-EF-SWL.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Par-EF-SWL.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Par-EF-SWL.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19251,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/06\/guest-post-my-evolving-morphing-sw-listening-station\/","url_meta":{"origin":10696,"position":1},"title":"Guest Post: My Evolving, Morphing, SW Listening Station","author":"Thomas","date":"June 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, TomL, for the following guest post: My Evolving, Morphing, SW Listening Station by\u00a0TomL, May 26, 2016 My interest in radio listening has been rekindled after a long hiatus in parallel to my dwindling interest in Mainstream Media.\u00a0 It is now about 8 years without\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sony-2010","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Sony-2010-1024x632.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Sony-2010-1024x632.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Sony-2010-1024x632.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10677,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/commradio-cr-1-a-superb-travel-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":10696,"position":2},"title":"CommRadio CR-1: a superb travel radio","author":"Thomas","date":"September 8, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"If you're a regular reader, you'll know that I've been on the road for the past three weeks, and have enjoyed\u00a0some quality radio time in New Mexico and Colorado. While I brought four portables along (the CommRadio CR-1, the Sony ICF-SW7600GR, the Tecsun PL-380, and the Tecsun R1212A), when conditions\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The CommRadio CR-1 in Taos, New Mexico","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/CommRadio_CR1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/CommRadio_CR1.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/CommRadio_CR1.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28543,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/09\/larrys-variation-of-the-w6lvp-amplified-magnetic-loop-antenna\/","url_meta":{"origin":10696,"position":3},"title":"Larry’s variation of the W6LVP amplified magnetic loop antenna","author":"Thomas","date":"September 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Larry Thompson (WPE8EKM), who writes: I\u2019ve just finished building a variation of the W6LVP amplified magnetic loop antenna. I was able to purchase the preamplifier, power inserter, and the power supply separately. I then created my own loop antenna using LMR400Max coax and designed my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Loop-Antenna.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Loop-Antenna.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Loop-Antenna.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9153,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/04\/traveling-light-swling-right-the-best-shortwave-radios-for-travel\/","url_meta":{"origin":10696,"position":4},"title":"Traveling light, SWLing right: the best shortwave radios for travel","author":"Thomas","date":"April 3, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This article originally appeared in the March 2014 issue of The Spectrum Monitor Magazine. With spring around the corner, my thoughts drift toward the outdoors...and especially, toward travel. Those who know me know that I love travelling, anywhere and everywhere\u2013and that I prefer to travel light, with only one bag.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SWL Travel Gear - Grundig G6","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/SWL-Travel-Gear-Grundig-G6.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/SWL-Travel-Gear-Grundig-G6.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/SWL-Travel-Gear-Grundig-G6.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":41082,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/new-product-tecsun-an-48x-now-available\/","url_meta":{"origin":10696,"position":5},"title":"New Product: Tecsun AN-48x (now available)","author":"Troy Riedel","date":"December 6, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Anon-Co just announced that Tecsun has released their new portable, active loop antenna - the AN-48x (27.99 plus shipping) \u2013 and it is available for purchase.\u00a0 Copied below is their announcement: Tecsun has launched its latest antenna which is now available at Anon-Co! 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