EFHW stands for End-Fed Half-Wave, a highly popular wire antenna used in amateur radio. Operators choose this antenna primarily because it allows you to get on the air across multiple bands using a single length of wire without needing an antenna tuner.
This past Sunday, the 31st of May, 14 OARC members (including a parent-child team) participated in assembling the key component of an EFHW antenna, namely the 49:1 Un-Un transformer. Led by Harrie (VE3HYS), each participant followed a comprehensive build process, learning and helping their fellow participants along the way.
For some seasoned members, the build proceeded smoothly. For others, it was their first time soldering anything. Some were missing tools. But regardless of experience or equipment, everyone made good use of the 4+ hours to learn a valuable skill, and they did so in a warm, welcoming community environment.
Everyone who proceeded to the testing station came away smiling and toting their very functional 49:1 transformer they had just built.
Many thanks to Harrie for sharing his expertise and considerable knowledge, special thanks to Thane (VA3TTM) and Guy (VE3GOI) who ran the testing station, and thanks also to all the participants and helpers who helped make this workshop a resounding success.
We Want to Hear from You
For the participants, let us know how you set up your antenna to get your first contacts! And consider bringing your transformer to our next Homebrew night and sharing your build experience.
Upcoming Workshop
There’s still time to sign up for our last antenna building workshop before summer, namely the 14 June: UHF/VHF Ground Plane Antenna Build. Click the link to register.
Photos from the workshop (coming soon!)
Last Updated on 2026-06-04 by Eve