I had a carolina windom antenna up for nearly 10 years before a wind storm brought it down, smashed the matching transformer and cracked the line isolator.
That was the end of my beloved CW 80 antenna by Radio Works.
The horizontal wires (50 feet and 83 feet) are already assembled to the impedance matching transformer.
The end insulators are also pre-installed. We are instructed to not modify the lengths of wire, as they are critical for proper antenna performance.
The instruction manual is very complete and full of explanations on how and why the antenna is built the way it is.
On The Air Performance
What's it like on the air? The Carolina Windom CW-160 Special Antenna works like an upside down vertical...
... with near omnidirectional radiation pattern
... without the annoying QRN pickup of a standard 1/4 wave vertical!
... without the power loss in the ground/radial system!
It is better than any single-band or multi-band dipole.
Definitely better than any quarter wavelength vertical, no matter how good its radial network.
Besides, a vertical for 40, 80 and 160 means the use of traps to keep the size down to something manageable. Trap verticals do not even come close to the performance of the CW-160 Special!
The CW-160 Special also outperforms any wire antenna - homemade or commercial - that I have tried since 1974!
When I use the CW-160 Special Carolina Windom Antenna with my high-performance QS1R direct-conversion SDR receiver ... it's an unbelievable combination. Pure bliss!
