EA5AVL 40m

40m N E

W
.
s
Capacity Hats

Guy Guy
Ropes Ropes

1/4 wave
Coax
1/4 wave
Coax

Relay Box
1/4 wave
Coax
Perspex
1/4 wave connection
Coax plate

Counterpoise
Radials

500pF housed in
4' 0" (1.5m) plastic box tunes
Copper earth the 3 reflectors
Rod Anchoring point

50 Ohm coax
to radio
Antenna select
Control cable

NOTES
1. The four 1/4 wavelength coax feeds are approx 21' 11'' tip to tip of the PL259 connectors.
2. The four spoke stiff wire Capacity Hats are fitted 12" below the insulators using electrician's terminal blocks.
3. The Relay Box & Capacitor Box are earthed using a 4' 0" copper earth rod close to the mast base.
4. Four 1/4 wave coaxes from relay box to Perspex bottom plates .
5. Four Anchoring points to just stretch out antenna wire e.g heavy brick or long tent peg., (little tension in these wires)
6. The guy ropes are tensioned to support the whole mast.
7. The cross arms can be oriented to any compass bearing to suit personal needs.

EA5AVL Compact 4-Square 40m Antenna - Overview

Drawn by MC - 27 Feb 08
 COMPACT 4-SQUARE 40 METRE ANTENNA TECHNICAL INFORMATION

The antenna has been in use for a number of years, and regularly works amateur
radio stations in Japan over the North Pole, Nova Scotia, Alberta, Mexico, Cuba,
Uruguay, Columbia, Nigeria, Chad, Perth, and other VK & ZL stations on the short
path. It produces excellent 5/9 Reports even during the Sun spot minimum. Further-
more the antenna has stood up well to high winds.

1/4 Wave Length ( Feet) = 234 / F MHz

Front to Back Gain = 25/30dB
Forward Gain = 5dB
6.900 MHz = 33 ft - 11 ins

Vertical Polarised
Mono-Band 6.950 MHz = 33ft - 7.0 ins

Power handling = 1Kw + 7.000 MHz = 33 ft - 5.5 ins

SWR & Bandwidth
1.5:1 & 700 KHz
SWR 1:1 at centre frequency 7.050 MHz = 33 ft - 2.5 ins

No Antenna Matching Unit Required 7.100 MHz = 32 ft - 11.5 ins

No rotator required
Direction change immediate
7.150 MHz = 32 ft - 9.0 ins

Low wind resistance

7.200 MHz = 32 ft - 6.0 ins

Scalable for any HF-Band limited only

by the space you have 7.250 MHz = 32 ft - 3.0 ins

FINAL VSWR READINGS AFTER TUNING ALL THE ANTENNA ELEMENTS

SWR SWR SWR SWR

Frequency Adjustment
NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST Reqd.
6.900 1.2 :1 1.15 :1 1.1:1 1.15:1
6.905 1.15 :1 1 .1 :1 1:1 1.1:1
7.000 1.1 :1 1:1 1:1 1.1 :1
7.050 1.25 :1 1:1 1.1:1 1.1:1
7.100 1.2 :1 1 .17:1 1.2:1 1.1:1
7.150 1.25 :1 1.2 :1 1.2:1 1.15:1
7.200 1.3 :1 1.25:1 1.25:1 1.17:1
7.250 1.3 :1 1.3:1 1.3:1 1.2:1
7.300 1.3 :1 1.3:1 1.3:1 1.27:1

F-Res 7.000 F-Res 7.000 F-Res 6.975 F-Res 7.000

 drawn by MC - 18 Feb 08
Antenna wire
approx 33.25 feet
PERSPEX
FEED POINT .
PLATE
SO 239
Connector

Wingnut used to fine tune the

antenna wire

link wire

Perspex Sheet
Square

4- Square 40m Antenna - Plan View

Wing Nut to
connect Radials

4 off Counterpoise
Radials
each 33' 3" long
3D elevation

4 off Counterpoise
Radials
each 33' 3" long Perspex Feed
Point Plate

North
Mast Top
Spreader
1/4 Cross 4 off Counterpoise
Wavelength 16' 0" arms Radials
50 Ohm each 33' 3" long
Coaxes
EA5AVL

17' 0" 17' 0"

West East
4 off Counterpoise
Radials NOTES
each 33' 3" long

Antenna 1. All 4 antenna wires are cut to

Insulator length using the formula
L= 234 / F MHz feet.
South Antenna South
wire see Note
2. All 4 1/4 wave coaxes are cut to
length using the formula
4 off Counterpoise L= 162.3 / F MHz feet.
Radials
each 33' 3" long
Total wire = 665 Ft or 202 metres
PLAN VIEW OF ANTENNA SITE
 Antenna 1 Antenna Antenna Antenna
North 2 East 3 South 4 West
ANTENNA 50 Ohm 50 Ohm 50 Ohm 50 Ohm
Coax Coax Coax Coax
SITE
RELAY BOX
off

on
CAPACITOR BOX
1&2 RLA 1&2 RLB 1&2 RLC 1&2 RLD

off
8 turns
on
Coaxial
Choke

RLA /2 RLB/2 RLC /2 RLD /2

50 Ohm Relay 1 Relay 2 Relay 3 Relay 4

Coax
DC Control Cable

DC Control Cable
Select Select Select Select
Antenna 1 Antenna 2 Antenna 3 Antenna 4
SHACK
on
DC PSU PL259 SWITCH BOX
-
+ + 12.0 /13.8v off
Select North Select East Select South Select West

Station NOTES 1. All Switches & Relays have both contacts wired in parallel to improve reliability of operation.
Earth 2. Coaxes to the antennas earth at the Relay Switch Box, and are 1/4 wavelength long.
3. Relays 2 Change Over 12 Volt coils, Clamping diodes are 1N1004 100v 1A, Capacitors 0.1 MFD Disc 100V
EA5AVL Compact 4-Square 40m Antenna - CONTROL BOXES CIRCUITS

4. All Switches are heavy duty toggle switches. For Correct SWR ONLY one Antenna should be selected 3 remain Reflectors
5. Reflector tuning capacitor ex domestic radio air-spaced variable.
Drawn by MC - 18 Feb08

6. Negative of the Power supply is connected to the coax braid going to the antenna relay box
7. The switches and relays are all shown in the OFF or non-operated positions.
 50 Ohm Coax 50 Ohm Coax 50 Ohm Coax 50 Ohm Coax
North Antenna East Antenna South Antenna West Antenna
Capacitor Box

RELAY BOX

RL 1 RL 2 RL 3 RL 4
OFF OFF

ON ON

EA5AVL 4- Square 40m Antenna -

COIL
COIL COIL COIL COIL

50 Ohm Coax C1 C2 C3 C4
D1 D2 D3 D4
to TX via
8-Turn Choke
& -ve from Power N E W S
Supply

NOTES

RELAY BOX WIRING

1. All diodes 100v 1 Amp e.g. 1N4001
4-core Switch Box
2. All Coil Capacitors 0.1MFD Disc 300Vwkg
Control Cable
3. All Relays 12 volts 2 C/O 100v /1A Contacts
to Switched +ve volts
4. Metal water-proof box located at mast base
from Radio Shack

Drawn by MC - 18 FEB 07
5. Capacitor in Plastic water-proof box -wires kept short
 Switch

Off

common
On

Off Off Off Off

Power Supply
12v /13.8 v
Com Com Com Com

+
On On On On
-

EA5AVL 4-Square 40m Antenna -

select select select select
N E S W

To Antenna 4-Control wires

Coax Braid To
Antenna Relay
Box

NOTES
1. Switches are heavy duty DPDT ( Double Pole Double Throw) i.e 2 x CHANGE-OVER
2. Make contacts are wired in parallel for reliability. These are rated at 10-15 Amps DC

SWITCH BOX WIRING

3. For correct operation ONLY one switch is operated to the "ON" position at any one time.
4. Case for the switches can be plastic or metal.
5. A terminal is provided to connect the +ve of the power supply to the Switch-Box. The -ve of the
power supply connects to the coax braid connecting the antenna. This is to prevent an earth loop being

Drawn by MC - 18 FEB 07
created .
 EA5AVL COMPACT 4-SQUARE ANTENNA NOTES

1. Antenna wires are plastic coated single core, and shorter than normal due to
Inter-capacitive effects between the other elements of the antenna etc.

Also plastic coated wire will further reduce the calculated lengths slightly. The
40 metre version described here uses 665 feet or approximately 202 metres of
insulated wire.

The Ground wires are also single core plastic coated wire.

2. The antenna tuning will alter by 100 KHz for a change of 6 inches (15cm) in length

Add more wire to LOWER the antenna frequency

Remove some wire to INCREASE the frequency

REMEMBER it is easier to remove that add wire to an antenna.

Match the 50 Ohm coaxial cable power rating & insulator size to the power levels
Of the transmitter to be used, i.e. RG-8X for power levels up to 400watts and
RG213 over 400watts.

3. All guy ropes should be made of nylon or polypropylene so that the antenna
tuning is not affected. The Tension for supporting the mast is in the guys not the
antenna wires

5. The spreader Cross arms at the top of the mast are made from aluminium alloy
tubing & wooden broom handles, and designed to rotate horizontally.

6. The cross arms at the top of the antenna swivel so that any compass direction
can be set to suit personal DX requirements

7. The mast is 36ft tall (11m) and should be made of a non-electrically conducting
material such as wood, but if a metal Mast is used, then it should be insulated from
ground and be a non-resonant length.

8. The antenna feed point plates (antenna wire length adjusters) are made from
0.25 inch (6mm) thick Perspex sheet, but other plastics can be used. Black plastic
is not recommended as this is loaded with carbon particles and will eventually
break down and conduct.

9 The Reflector Tuning capacitor is a large air spaced version, 250 pF+250 pF wired
in parallel Measured as

10. The copper earth rods are 1.5 metres long and should be sited close to the
antenna base and the Relay Box and the plastic Capacitor Box
 TUNING THE EA5AVL COMPACT 4-SQUARE ANTENNA

1. The four wire vertical elements must be tuned to within a few hertz of each using
an MFJ antenna analyser or by ensuring the SWR is the same for each wire.

2. The top cross arms are 16 feet long ( 4.9m) or 1/8 wavelength and the bottom
spacing is 34 feet (10.4m) or (1/4 wavelength)

3. The variable 500 pF capacitor tunes the reflectors . The tuning is quite sharp and
noticeable when listening to the transceivers via headphones extended to the
antenna base by the antenna. This is very important if best performance of the
antenna is to be achieved.

4. Four identical lengths of 1/4 wavelength 50 Ohm coaxes from the Relay Box to
the Perspex plate feed points.

METHOD OF TUNING

5. Having erected the 4-wire antenna, tune each vertical element to the required
frequency i.e. 7.050 kHz for the UK where as 7.100 KHz for the USA, by using
the wing nuts at the bottom to shorten each wire make the adjustments.

6. An antenna analyser or SWR meter has to be used. The 500pF capacitor should
be set to 3/4 meshed before adjusting any wire lengths. ( approx 350-400pf)
Do not alter until later !

TUNING THE ANTENNA - REFLECTORS

7. An MFJ-259B (or any similar RF Signal Device) with a short vertical antenna to
radiate a low power RF signal is placed at least 100 feet ( 33m) away from the
antenna.

8. Use a long cable to extend a pair of headphones from the transceiver to the
capacitor box at the antenna mast base.

9. At the shack set the receiver to the signal frequency and select CW with a fast
AGC setting.

10. Using the 4 -way Control Switch Box, to select the antenna element which is
farthest away from the MFJ signal source, and adjust the receiver for an
S7 signal. If the reading is steady, connect a long extension cable with some
earphones and listen to the signal next to the capacitor box.

11. Ignore any static of other stray signals or noises. Use the 500pF capacitor to
tune for a NULL signal in the earphones. This will be quite noticeable, and the
receiver should then be showing a smaller reading, S1 or S2.

12. Tuning the variable capacitor for one compass direction will automatically tune
the other directions.
 ALTERNATE METHOD OF TUNING THE ANTENNA

13 Listen to ARRL CW practice transmission, weekdays,

W1AW, USA transmissions on 7045.50 KHz between 2300-0100Z.

Use the same procedure as in “5-12” above; again using the capacitor for a NULL.

14. There is also an Canadian SSB Net ,

transmissions on 7.063 KHz daily between 2300-2400Z

The Net is called “The Sand Box Net” – listen out for the net controller and only
use his signal – ignore any other signals.

15. Performing the reflector tuning during darkness is probably best

i.e. During “DX time” when there is less local noise and the occasional nut case!

N.B. The EA5AVL Compact 4 –Square antenna is intended for DX working and is
not suited for short haul communications i.e. around UK.

With patience and attention to detail you will be pleased with the results.

EA5AVL RSARS 506

Copyright Notice 2007

There is no objection to this design being copied for non–commercial use and being passed
to other individual Radio Amateurs or for Amateur Radio Clubs to use this design, as long as
the origin of design is acknowledged.
ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:- (Updated May 2008)

A1. My name is Les EA5AVL/G3WMZ, ( RSARS Member 506) I have been a "ham" for 46 years, and
served with the British Army Royal Corps of Signals Radio for 22 years, then 12 years with PHILIPS TELECOM
as a Telecoms, radio and data engineer. I moved out to Spain 16 years ago, got married to a lovely lady and
love it and off course the radio. I am now at the tender age of 74.

A2. The 4 Square. I put it up 3 years ago and it is used on 40 meters almost every night for 4 hrs plus, all
component parts are the same as they were when first erected no problem with relays, switches, etc., it has
withstood gale force winds of the last 3 winters with no damage, the wire elements have stretched a little and
now need slight attention.

A3. My central support is 36ft tall and is insulated at the base on a "CHAMPAGNE" bottle. The aluminium
mast and spreaders only act as a supporting structure.

A4. The coax feed points on each element are 5 - 6ft above ground, the slopping wires are adjusted on the
top wing nut off the plastic connection plate, to resonance.

A5. Measuring the 500Pf variable tuning capacitor on the MFJ 259B measured 380Pf for capacitor 3/4
meshed when tuned.

A6. RG213U coax is used throughout the system.

A7. The 4 slopping wire elements were not measured, but are shorter than the expected 33ft 2ins due to :
(a) plastic coating (b) capacity hats (c) mutual coupling.

A8. Recent VSWR plot ( March 2008) shows that the wires have stretched a little over the 3 years, even
so, the frequency of the 4 wires was within 8.0 KHz of each other.

Resonant frequency = 6.930 SWR measured as 1 to 1

Bandwidth from resonant frequency = 1.18 MHz @ SWR 2 to 1 Points , 994Khz @ SWR 1.6 to 1, 600Khz @
SWR 1.3 to 1

On the MFJ gave the following readings appeared at: 6.930 SWR = 1.1 R44 - X 2 - coax loss 9db

These measurements were taken on the shack end of the feeder 50hom coax cable, so one can see it is not a
narrow HI Q system, however 30db plus front to back is obtained from at least 7megs to 7.150megs, my oper-
ating range.

A9. EA5AVL Stations is located 25 miles west of Alicante & operates on CW & SSB modes using ICOM PRO3
+ Kenwood TL922AMP at 500 Watts

A10 Stations worked SSB last 2 wks March-April 2008 … during Low Sunspot activity

March 15 PY4 - PY2 - TI2 - 6W1, March 17 VA3 - VE3 - NA4

“ 19 UN7 “ 20 W4 - AA4 - KB8 - 5T5 - VQ9
“ 25 ZS1 - VK7 - JA5 - VR10 - VK6 - YB0 " 26 V01 - FG - VE1
“ 27 D44 - VE3 - HK1 “ 28 NC1 - NQ4 - VA2 - KP2 - 8P9
" 29 K3 - NE1 - KY1 - KD4 “ 31 9K2

April 1 C08 - VK7 April 3 7X5

“ 6 VP2 - PY1 7 W1 - N5 - K4 - K3.

Lowest report 5 and 7 Highest report 5 and 9 + 20, Farthest north = Iceland and Japan over North
Pole , Farthest east = YB0 VK6 VK7, Farthest south = Antarctica ZS1, Farthest west = XE1 CE.

Best wishes from 25 miles west of Alicante Spain

Les EA5AVL/G3WMZ and Alexia (the computer slave)