An end fed antenna consists of a wire fed on its end, the length of that wire is not resonant with any frequency or frequencies you will be using it on. Lengths of a half-wave or multiple must be avoided. The transformer usually used with an end fed wire is a 9:1 transformer. This transformer converts the impedance at the end of the random wire down to about 50 ohms, a value which any modern transmitter can transfer power to and has been designed for.
Notes from W1SFR:
In the case of the end fed random wire, some lengths are better than others because of the harmonic effect of the length of the wire and how that affects the various band on which you wish to operate. Counter to tuning a length of wire like you would with a dipole, with a random wire you don’t want the length to be harmonic on any band. There are ideal lengths that have been mathematically determined to be best for randon wires. Here they are:
29 35 41 58 71 84 107 119 148 203 347 407 423
I have chosen 35′ as the standard length for my antennas, but you can experiment. I have used up to 84′ and the KX3 will still tune all bands but as the wire gets longer so does the resistance so it becomes harder and harder for the tuner to do its job. At 35′ it’s not too short and not too long and works great in every configuration I’ve tried so far.
9:1 unun transformer:
my 9:1 unun using a T130-2 toroid:
