There are several GOOD reasons you have a low SWR over a wide bandwidth:
1.  Any full-sized antenna (1/4 wavelength vertical, 1/2 wavelength dipole, 1 wavelength loop, etc.) will have low SWR over a wide bandwidth.  It's only the small antennas that are only resonant due to inductive and/or capacitive loading that have narrow bandwidths.  For these heavily loaded antennas, a wide bandwidth is a red flag (since loss resistances add to a very low radiation resistance to bring the feedpoint resistance closer to 50 ohms).  For a full-sized antenna, a wide bandwidth is normal.
2.  On VHF and UHF bands, the ham band is narrow relative to the frequency.  2m is 4 MHz wide, so the 2m bandwidth is only about 2.7%.  By contrast, the 75m/80m band is .5 MHz wide and thus has a bandwidth of 13.3%.  Combine this with the fact that you're much more likely to rely heavily on capacitive/inductive loading at 75m/80m than you are on 2m, and you can see why the low SWR bandwidth is so vast at VHF.

The impedance will be highest at the far end and lowest at the feedpoint.  Conductive objects near the antenna have the greatest detuning effect at the far end of the vertical element and the smallest detuning effect at the feedpoint.  If the antenna is inductively loaded, it's especially important to keep the portion above the coil (extremely high impedance to ground) away from conductive objects, but it's OK to keep the portion below the coil (relatively low impedance to ground) near conductive objects.

If the only space available for the feedpoint is within a few feet of the house, mount the antenna at a slant so that the top of the antenna is away from the house.  (I think these tilted vertical antennas are called slopers.)

< I sometimes do use my WES51 temperature-controlled 50W soldering station for making jumpers (RG-8X). I've never had one fail and I've been doing them this way for years. >

KG8U: I have the Weller WES51 soldering station as well.  Why are you able to make such consistently great jumpers with a 50W iron when my jumper quality is hit-or-miss and everyone else insists that 50W isn't enough?  How do you tell if you're doing it right?

How do you tell if your coax jumper is PROPERLY soldered together?  How am I supposed to do a good job when I can't tell if I did a good job or a lousy job?

I don't think buying premade jumpers is such a great value.  There are SO MANY accessories you can have in a shack (switches, tuners, noise cancellers, relays, meters, etc.).  The only premade jumpers I buy are the long low-loss lines since the RG-213 and other low loss coax is much more difficult to work with, and I only need a few of these.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.  The RG-58 coax I use has stranded wire for the inner conductor.  My soldering iron is a Weller temperature-controlled kind (around 50W, I think).  I'm going to first try the suggestions that do NOT involve buying more equipment.

Some more questions:
1.  AC5UP: You suggested soldering ONLY the center pin.  Would the coax cable last if I neglect to solder the braid to the connector through the 4 holes on the side?  I thought you're SUPPOSED to fill those 4 holes with solder so that the braid bonds with the connector.  Why would these holes be provided if they're so inferior?
2.  K4JSR: How long should my cables be to avoid flexing?  What should the minimum length of my jumper cables be?  3 feet?  5 feet?  10 feet?

I follow the procedure described in the 2001 edition of the ARRL handbook (page 22.7, figure 22.18) for installing PL-259 connectors on RG-58 jumpers.

Unfortunately, my coax jumpers keep failing sooner or later for reasons I can't possibly fathom.  It may take a few days, a few weeks, a few months, or a few years, but my coax jumpers inevitably fail.  And it's not just because of moisture getting in, because I've had jumpers I never took outside fail on me.

Where am I going wrong?  I know to always make sure to verify the short between the inner elements, the short between the outer elements, and the open between the inner and outer elements.  But there must be some kind of flaw in the way I do things that causes something to deteriorate.

One problem is that I have no idea how to figure out what went wrong, especially when the failure is intermittent.  I have no idea how to figure out which end of the coax is the problem end.

Is anyone here a master of soldering PL-259 connectors on RG-58 coax?

PLEASE do NOT suggest I switch to a differnt kind of connector or different kind of coax.  I use RG-58 for short jumpers because it's flexible, the line loss isn't significant (due to the short length), and I can't work with any other kind of coax.  (Trust me, I tried to solder PL-259s on RG-213 once, and I couldn't do it.  Even a fellow ham who was very experienced at this found it difficult, though he was able to do it successfully.)  And don't suggest I switch to N connectors.  All my radios, antennas, and other accessories have SO-239s, and I'm not going to switch everything willy-nilly.

Oops, sorry, I forgot that the original poster didn't make ANY progress installing the ground rod.  That makes it easy to relocate the ground rod.

KC8VWM:
How can anyone MOVE a ground rod?  That's the DUMBEST thing BY FAR that I've EVER heard in ANY ham radio forum or mailing list.  I've NEVER EVER been able to remove a ground rod.  Instead, I dig a hole around the unwanted ground rod, pound it all the way in, fill in the hole with dirt, and plant grass on top.  Then I install a new ground rod elsewhere if I need one.

Even though I don't operate CW, I think a computer Morse reader is pointless.  Morse Code should be operated manually, and computers are for the other digital modes.

As mentioned in previous replies, it is MUCH more difficult for computers to copy human-generated Morse Code than it is for a decent human Morse operator.  A computer could easily copy signals from computer-generated Morse Code, but why bother with that when PSK-31, Feld Hell, and other digital modes would work better?

Using a computer to copy Morse Code makes no more sense than manually trying to operate PSK-31.

This is why I run coax through PVC pipe.  This keeps my lawnmower off the coax.

The purpose of the 30m club would be to promote use of 30m, a band that is almost always open yet almost always empty.

The club would function as a special interest group rather than a formal club.  So in that respect, it would be more like the Feld Hell Club than 10-10 International.

< First a great website. Folks want to see a professional looking website that offers them some thing for there enjoyment. Club roster and rankings would be good. History and membership information. And other things they may need or wish to know. >

OK, sounds like a great idea.  I'll be sure to implement this.

< Second would be a very nice certificate for the wall. >

Sounds like another great idea.  I'll be sure to implement this.

< Third you stated no nets. I would think that be a club killer right off the bat. With no net how would members congregate? I realize 30 meters has no phone privy’s so what. Psk? Cw? There could be some kind of a net I am sure. >
I already tried to start a 30m PSK-31 net and a 6m/2m/70cm SSB net last year, and people just stopped checking in after a few weeks.  I'm not starting any more nets until I have a way to keep people coming back.  I HATE HATE HATE having to run a net that nobody shows up for.

Instead of a regular net, I'll have some one-time nets.  Until I relearn Morse Code, any net I run will have to be in a digital computer mode (like PSK-31).  I'll have MUCH more flexibility with a series of one-time nets than with a regular net.  I already have a 30m mailing list in place for making announcements.

For a name, I'm thinking of 30-30, Dirty Thirty, or Dirrty Thirty.

No, I'm not interested in starting a newsletter.

I'm asking about the nuts and bolts of starting a club.  I don't need grand ideas.  I need proper implementation.  However, I don't have any experience with starting an organization or even a Special Events station.  I'm thinking of starting off by issuing membership numbers, maintaining a spreadsheet listing everyone's membership number, and devising a set of membership entry rules.  (10-10 requires you to work 10 of its members on 10m.)  Instead of a regular net, I'll have a series of one-time nets.  Fortunately, I already have a 30m mailing list in place at http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/30m .

There's a 10m club (10-10 International), a Feld Hell Club, a CW club (FISTS), and many others that specialize in a particular mode or band.

I'm interested in starting a club dedicated to the 30m band.

Any suggestions on how to get started with this?  One thing I do know - the club can't revolve around a net.  I've already tried to start a 6m/2m/70cm SSB net and a 30m PSK-31 net, but I didn't get very far with either one.

I'm the program director of my local amateur radio club.

So far, my programs for the monthly meetings have been duplicates of the programs other local clubs have had.  The problem is that there are only a few local clubs here in eastern Iowa.  (Using the same programs as other local clubs would go a lot farther in a major metropolitan area.)

I know that there are a number of good topics for club meeting programs.  However, implementing such a program requires having a speaker with a prepared presentation.

I'd like to hear your ideas for club programs.  One is a DVD/VHS video, such as the "Victory At Sea" series or the various DXpedition programs.  Another is a club auction in which members sell equipment to other members and the club gets a cut of the proceeds.  I know some people like field trip meetings, but I prefer to stick to meetings at the usual location, as newcomers probably won't get word of the change.