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Show all reviews of the Hustler 5BTV HF vertical
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of the Hustler 5BTV HF vertical.
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KD4ULB
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 22, 2008 11:04
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Great price, great performance,
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had this antenna in operation now for over a year and couldn't be more pleased, especially since I got it in a swap for next to nothing (I got the used antenna in need of a new base assembly, he got an EL rotor in need of repair). I placed a quick order to DX Engineering for a new base assembly (very nice folks), downloaded the assembly manual off the net and had the antenna adjusted to specs and up in an afternoon.
If you can get an analyzer and have the patience to take it down, adjust the trap distances, and put it back up repeatedly until it is close enough for your favorite part of each band, then you may not need a tuner later. And remember to have all your radials in place before you tune. Could this be easier? Sure but for the simplicity and low cost of this antenna, it’s worth the effort. If you have to use a tuner, a remote at the antenna base would be ideal but a standard tuner in the shack seems to work fine. The manual recommends you don't use a tuner with this antenna, but as you can see from previous posts, many do anyway. According to the manual, it just “tricks” the transmitter and doesn’t improve the radiation efficiency of the antenna.
Mounting: I procured a 6' steel 1.5" pipe, ran a garden hose with a jet nozzle down through the top and had all but 18" buried in less than 20 minutes. My soil is pretty sandy, your mileage may vary. Antenna mounts directly to the pipe, about 6” above ground.
Radials: This antenna can be configured ground mounted with or without radials, above ground with radials, or roof mounted with radials. Above ground or roof mounted the radials are critical and should be cut to resonance, at least 2 per band, more preferred. Their deployment angle is also critical to tuning. On the ground, it really depends on the conductivity and moisture content of your soil as to how well it will function without radials. The manual gives adjustment distances for several configurations, but it seems ground mounted with numerous radials is most efficient.
How many do you need and should they be cut to resonance is a point of argument for many. Lots of research and opinion has been posted on the net and some great data can be found in the ARRL Antenna Book, but the bottom line is, there is a point of diminishing returns. After X amount of radials, more appear to have no effect. Try 4 to 6 per band and see how it works for you. If you have the real estate and time, add more in pairs as you go. I currently have about 30 laid out in a 360 star pattern and can work just about anything barefoot that I hear. I started out cutting 2 per band to resonance and then later, after reading up on it, just added 20 more cut approximately for 80M. If you have a small lot they can be bent at various angles, even in a Z, as long as they don't cross one another.
Accessories:
- The optional radial plate ($55) is well made and makes the job of adding radials oh so much easier. Still, if you want to keep total outlay to a minimum, it’s not required for excellent performance.
- The coax pig tail ($17) and SO-239 bracket ($20) are very handy additions for the price, but can be easily homebrewed for much less (the latter needs some machining ability, plans are available on the web).
- The Tilt-Over Plate ($63) is a godsend when you are making initial adjustments, performing regular maintenance, or if you encounter frequent high winds. For me, it’s not used enough to justify the price.
- Guying Kit ($40): With the assembled antenna at 26’+ tall, it is always recommended to have a least some form of simple guying system to minimize the swaying. Kit includes 4 anchors and 200’ of rope, but a little imagination could provide a suitable guying system for less.
- Additional Bands: There are bolt-ons available commercially for 17M ($50) and 60M ($70), but a quick search for “add bands to the 5BTV” will bring up some ingenious ways to add 12M, 17M, and even 30M for a few bucks (an 8BTV?). Whatever bands you add, all will have to be retuned after. There is a Hustler 30M trap available but installation may require shortening of some of the tubes and the 6BTV from the factory (which includes 30M) is only about $25 more than the 5BTV.
- Feed Line Choke: Starting at $70, these are well made and perform a great function, but a few paragraphs in the Antenna Book or a search of some websites will explain the concept behind this choke and how to build one for a few $.
Conclusion: For under $200 new including some accessories and radials, it’s hard to beat this antenna on price. On performance, all I can say is it works great for me on SSB or Digital, and I’m running less than 100W from an old Kenwood. I consistently get great signal reports and have even made it through a few DX pileups (now if the bands would just open up!). There are way too many variables to say what works for me will work for you, and there are conditions where a horizontal wire will work better (I have a G5RV up for those times) but for price, simplicity, and solid performance, this one is a winner. If all the other vertical manufacturers want to send me sample antennas, I will be happy to do side-by-side comparisons and report back here. Till then, look for me on your waterfall…
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