You’re looking at my favorite view in Oahu- one you’ll likely never see in a travel guide, never take a tour there, and probably never know you could even get there-till I let the secret out. The folks who live on Oahu know it as Ka’ena Point, an outdoorsman’s little slice of Heaven. Between the locals and the ha’oulis four wheeling, the zero dark thirty fishermen looking to snag the next giant ulula at 0300, or the beachgoers looking for a private cove for an uninterrupted private day at the beach, to a certain wild-eyed Platoon Sergeant taking his guys out to kill pigs with his Hoyt bow (he was a feral man), this little secret on the other side of Hale’iwa is an amazing place with a lot of great memories.
Fun stories, very fun times. Oahu or ‘The Meeting Place’, the capital of the Hawaiian islands, is truly one of the coolest and most unique places on Earth to visit. Hawaii also was a big leap forward in my skills with radios- both as an Infantry RTO as a young Joe and an avid CBer doing stupid things in a rusted out $600 K5. But from there, I really started learning the science behind a lot of the skills I’ve gained since, including having to build improvised low band VHF antennas from breaking the ASIPs Whip (blackhawk door on the way to Kahuku…whoops…). Regardless, it laid the foundation amid seemingly endless cycles of road marches, KoleKole runs, and deployments to Iraq with a tight Brotherhood united by the bond of the hardships of training (and tearing up Kemo’o Farms).
Moving on to the EARC-HI design, it’s probably the simplest antenna out there. The matchbox houses a still relatively small torroid with one critical difference- it handles 100W. The design is simple and robust, with just one sole strand of #18 AWG. Put an insulator on the run end and attach the lead end, hoist, and you’re set. While it doesn’t pack up quite as tight as LNR’s antenna, it’s still nothing to complain about, and is simpler to fix should something break. Also built into the design is an attachment point for a counterpoise wire, turning this antenna quickly into a dipole if so desired. It’s feedpoint is a standard UHF connector vs. LNR’s BNC, which is likely a little more versatile for using pre-made runs of coax but that’s really a matter of personal preference. A lot of the SOTA and NPOTA guys love BNC connections, and it works fine too, so this really is a moot point, but a data point nonetheless.
Performance
As a shortwave listening antenna, the End-Fed once again shines. WWCR came in stronger than the local FM stations, with zero fade that’s usually the case when listening on shorter length wire antennas or whips. Many other stations were coming in very clear, including several foreign stations, but I didn’t take the time to log any of them as I moved back to 40 to continue working. Compared to the LNR, the EARC-HI has less noise, likely due to the larger torroid. In both tests the antenna was placed in the same tree, albeit at different times.
Concluding Thoughts
This is an antenna you should have. Both this and the LNR are great pieces of kit, but if I only could have one, this one edges out due to it’s absolute simplicity. While the LNR is smaller and marketed to backpacking QRP-only radio enthusiasts, this model is more general purpose having the ability to handle up to 100w and being very simple in design should repair ever be necessary. It disappears into trees making a very stealthy package, and is so rapid in its method of deployment that its ideal for EMCOM and disaster preparedness, as well as those restricted by HOAs or the occasional operator who can’t justify investing in a tower.
The EARC-HI club and the antenna’s designer, Charles Hanebuth, made this antenna for all of the reasons it was tested and posted here. It’s a heck of a good design by folks who take amateur radio and it’s role in disaster preparedness very seriously. For what it costs ($40 for the kit/ $56 pre-assembled, both prices include shipping) it’s an excellent investment. The plans are available here as well, for those who wish to source all of the components locally and roll your own.
A huge Mahalo to the EARC-HI club…you guys rock. Have some Maui Mike’s for me!