G5RV Question

[cycleguru]

My very first antenna was a cheap G5RV. (I have a beam now.) But I had great success with the G5RV, making lots and lots of DX contacts with it. It went gunny-bag a couple of years ago so I've been using my beam only. Since my beam is a tri-bander that means I've been pretty much working 20M only, since 15M has been crappy and 10M has been dead. I just put up a brand new G5RV a couple of days ago (a super heavy duty one this time) and am once again enjoying being able to work 80, 40, 17, and 12 again.

One leg is up in a tree in my front yard, but I was able use an extension ladder to get it high up. The feed point is up at 30' at the peak of my roof, and the other end is tied to a post out in the field behind my house. The ladder line hangs straight down the side of the house.

Good luck.

Mark K7OWG

 

[cycleguru]

9-15-13, 20:10Z. Just worked EA8YB in the Canary Islands at 18.166 on my new G5RV. Got a 57 report. 100 Watts.

Mark K7OWG

 

[WA8ZYT]

I worked the Azores, Russia, most of Europe on 17 meters, mobile, 100 watts with a Hamstick. That does not mean the Hamstick is a "great" antenna, I would rate it "fair".

You can stick a light bulb up on a pole and make contacts.

I don't know why you guys limit yourself with crap antennas like windoms and G5RV's when there are better antennas out there.

 

[cycleguru]

I haven't "limited" myself to a "crap" G5RV. It's my back-up antenna. My main antenna is a Mosley CL-33 Yagi tri-bander up at 40' on my U.S. Tower MA-40 telescoper. I only mentioned the DX contact because the original poster was wondering if a G5RV was a viable choice for him. Maybe a G5RV is all he can afford. It IS a really good antenna for the money.

73
Mark K7OWG

 

[Mudfoot]

Use what you got.

 

[longhaireddwb]

I second that.
Use what you got or can afford. We all want bigger and more no matter what we have. I'm still waiting for the XLY to buy me that extra large dream beam from Steppir but I think she forgot.