Everything you need to know about Wolf River Coils antennas.

A ground stake mount works alot better. Tripod isnt reliable. You will end up with a bent or broken something...
Chameleon or super antenna sells them.
I personally think operators dont always have lots of time to fiddle with stuff. So i went with the mp1c super antenna and you get a gauge thats pretty accurate to quickly tune the coil without guessing.
Plus it handles alot more power and seems better made. Not so home brew like the wolf

 

Affordable solutions for deployable antennas!! What more could one ask for? IMHO, affordability is a goal too few manufacturers seek. Thanks, Wolf River!! Well done!

 

My experience with WRCs is that they are a nice design with a poor choice of coil material. Stainless steel is not what you want to put RF through at the current node of a vertical antenna. On the higher bands where you use less of the coil, they seem to work ok, but as you go lower in frequency you use more of the coil and the losses become more substantial. Anyone who has one can see for themselves. Simply put an ohm meter across the coil and see just how much resistance the stainless steel really has. It's been a long time since I had mine and did this test, but I recall the coil having approx 10 times the DC resistance in the 80m position as my Hustler 80m coil. A 30 second key-down of 100W CW into the WRC caused it to be quite warm. This is probably where the reports of melting coils comes from.

 

Great video, thanks es 73 de N5PU

 

I tend to think 80/75 is pushing the envelope for a portable vertical. I won't do ragchews on 80 with the screwdriver on the truck. Cranking 10o watts in low band digital modes is excessive too. These were designed for portable work so there is always a compromise. Anyone who goes by the rules turns the power down and only runs what is needed then you can go digital on 80 all day long. Don't think I have ever needed more than 25 watts for any digital modes.
If you need so much power just go home and run the legal limit. Rest assured other hams will love you for it.

 

Yeah, that portion of the video was cringe worthy.

 

what you want is a large open wound air coil, these small coils might have a high Q but thats it

 

this is Gary KB9AIT we replace any problem anyone has with our coils, 3 year warranty no question asked will replace even if it the users own doing. send a email we will replace what you purchased.

 

With the coil in the middle, calculate the Radiation Resistance, you will see why it works better.

 

That's why I use your stuff. I have an idea that you will never hear from him though. LOL

 

"All you need to know" about these coils includes adding a shunt inductance for low-band work, and it's not covered in the video.

 

I bought a Wolf River portable vertical several years ago. using it now as I type on 30 meters digital about 20 watts. Bent and burnt a coil using too much power on 40 meters(100 watts) digital Wolf River Coils replaced it at no cost. Go to antenna in the camp ground. many contacts using it, great product. Used it all last winter here in Northern MN but just on 30 meters to cold to got out and change the jumper in the snow.

 

I have a bunch of Wolf River stuff. I think I spent quite a bit on it all TBH. For those wanting some tuning data, here is some information along with a rag chew.

QRP VERTICAL:
For QRP, it started with the SOTA special in 2016. No issues making QRP contacts on an FT817ND. No need to have a tuner, but tuning is a matter of patience and practice.

I now have an Elecraft KX2 with internal tuner and it's just easier and lighter using a random wire for SOTA.

I find the SOTA special is too heavy for big SOTA hikes if your goal is packing light. I am talking > 3,000' elevation gains and 10+ miles round trip hikes. I would probably find an end-fed with big transformer "too heavy" as well, so it depends on the person, and the trek.

I found that I had to guy, or at least anchor, the vertical antenna in windy conditions. It worked very well on 20 and 17m, even with only three radials.

PORTABLE VERTICAL:
For Portable, using an Icom 7000 and 35Ah AGM battery in the Maine wilderness, July 2020.

I moved up to the larger 24" tripod and coil extenders for portable ops (not hike SOTA). I found these to extend the low frequency tuning range a little bit, and it probably makes for a more efficient antenna, that's about it.

I found the need to guy this extended setup in wind gusts over 20 Mph. Lightweight twine and stakes are all you would need.

I tried three different whips (102", 113", 213"). For the test, I used the "Standard" 102" whip. I could not get a "perfect" match on 20m no matter what whip length I tried. I got something like 2.5-3:1. Once I played with the ground radials, (I folded the 33' lengths in half) and moved the coil closer to ground, I was able to get a more acceptable match on 20.

Band conditions were awful the the days I tried it out, so, like ANY antenna comparison, it's not easy to tell how well it performed against antenna B, if antenna B was used on a different day.

I will tell you, the 40m coils are resonant on 40!

Using a 102" whip, 40m coil, 24" tripod, 48" coil extensions and 6 varying length radials on the ground:
40m (coil clip at 50%) Whip at 100% = 1.2:1
30m (coil clip at 80%) Whip at 100% = 1.5:1
20m (coil clip at 90%) Whip at 80% = 2.5:1
20m Without Extension rods (coil close to earth) (coil clip at 80%) Whip at 100% = 2:1
17m (no coil) Whip at 100% = 1.2:1

Using a 213" whip (this needs to be guyed)
80m (Coil clip at 0%) Whip at 100% = 1.2:1

DIPOLE:
I then put two 40m coils and 102" whips on the Wolf River dipole mount. I put the antenna about 20' in the air on a painter's pole and it worked out real well. I wish they included a different screw type over the hex head that you need an allen wrench for. If you are operating portable, you have a tool box handy anyway, right?

CONCLUSION:
I am happy with the kit, but I spent a lot of money on the lot. Price would be comparable to a Buddipole, and is probably on par for performance. you do get a nice pole and tripod with Buddipole Deluxe.

 

I used a Silver Bullet Mini mounted to a railing with 2 counterpoise wires on a Jaws clamp mount to a deck railing at a beach house in 2018 and managed to work the Baker and Howland Island Expedition on 20 CW. These antennas can work well but you do need to use the counterpoises and have them in a good location. My only problem with the Wolf River Coil was that I got a burn spot running 75 Watts on FT8. Wolf River did replace it under warranty. Their customer service is excellent.

 

I've talked to a few folks using them. I just wish they could handle more power. I wonder how the performance would be compared to a hustler mobile set up....