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Snow and End-fed antenna don’t mix well.
14 February 2022 | by
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| Some snow removed from side to have access |
This year we have been getting our share of the snow as it seems each week they are forecasting storms with up to 60cm or snow. As a result the snow has been piling up around the property including the shed. The shed is where one end of my End-fed antenna is secured too. The wind seems to blow in a way that causes the snow to drift along one side of the shed. I began to have some SWR issues with the End-fed antenna nothing the antenna tuner was not able to deal with but I wanted to check out why. It seemed the snow drift now well over 9 feet high was getting very close to the End-fed wire and affecting the SWR.
The solution was easy, it was time to get the snowblower out to the shed and blow the snow far far away. With that done the End-fed antenna was happy and so am I. Seems I have to keep an eye on the shed regarding drifting snow. With just a small bit of shovelling here and there this issue will not be a problem again.
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| All done. |
This brought another question to mind.....I was thinking of getting a vertical antenna maybe the Hustler 4BVT. But I am now looking at this again as I see this being a high maintenance antenna when the winter comes trying to keep the snow away for the base.
8 Responses to “Snow and End-fed antenna don’t mix well.”
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I’ve used a 5-BTV and (currently) an MFJ-1795 mounted 10 feet above ground. They can be used with elevated radials if you have the room to hang them. (I live in a mobile home with a metal roof so that’s my ground plane.) Reportedly 4 wire radials are enough for an elevated vertical if they’re spaced correctly.
On the bands where it’s resonant the MFJ antenna performs about as well as my end-fed wire with the far end about 30 feet up.
Good afternoon Dave thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. A home with a metal roof for sure is the way to go for a ground plane. I still am thinking as to what plan I should go with. I am at this point open to ideas and it’s the winter so really can’t do much in regards to antenna anyway other than think and dream.
73,
Mike
VE9KK
Mike, how do you have your end feed antenna laid out? How high is the end at the shed and how high is the far end?
My end fed is 6 foot low end, upper end when stand by low end is at 35 feet but if standing under the upper end it is about 70 feet. I found out that ground radials sure make a big difference.
Oh the shack sets on a ridge on a creek bottom.
Still trying to get it tweaked but have to wait on a calm day. I only had it up a week.
Good morning Dan and very nice to hear from you, The low end of the antenna is about 10 feet off the ground the high end is about 25 feet off the ground. The antenna length is 44 feet or so.
I do have one counterpoise set out and at one point over the summer I did try multiple counterpoise but it made things worse. I also have a 1:1 isolation balun on the coax about 10 feet from the rig.
73,
Mike
VE9KK
Hi, i have had a Butternut Hf5v mounted on my car port here in Minneapolis for bout 20 years. I use 1 wire radial for each band. Total height for base and radials is 7 feet off the ground. I have never had any trouble with snow and swr problems even with heavy snow load on the flat roof.
Good evening Jack, for me the antenna will be ground mounted and I do have a friend who has the Hustler 4BVT and it’s ground mounted. He also recently told me the snow has not bothered this vertical either.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
73,
Mike
VE9KK
Hi
I hv a 130 foot l, 80-10 end fed at 20 feet horizontal.
With multiple counterpoise wires coming off of the ground rod.
With a light coating of snow on the ground, my antenna seems to tune up lower than usual!
What Im wondering, does the snow help the antenna wire to reflect better?? Or the c. Poise wires to do the same?
Best
William
Perrelliphoto.com
Good morning William, I no longer use the Endfed as my full time antenna anymore BUT I did have the same results you did when there was snow on the ground. I am using now a Hustler 4BTV vertical antenna and then the ground has snow and it’s very cold outside I do notice my SWR is better. In the summer when the ground is wet the SWR most times is a bit higher on the bands.
73,
Mike
VE9KK