I have been a ham for over 34 years and have had many different antennas through those years. I once had a tower with a nice Mosley TA- 33, 3 element beam for 10-15 & 20 meters along with a 80/40 meter dipole ALL store bought. BUT when I had to move, I had to give up this wonderful array of antennas.
Fast forward to today. When I moved to my new QTH about 8 years ago, I built a G5RV antenna to temporarily get me on the air. I did not expect much but WOW was I surprised on how well this homemade antenna performed. So It sparked my interest in building and experimenting with homemade wire antennas... As with all wire antennas there is a compromise. I tried an end fed antenna but for some reason it would not tune up on as many bands as the G5RV, never the less it worked on 40 & 20 fairly well... Then I tried a long wire, again it worked well but not as good as my G5RV...
So, I went back to the G5RV and am very pleased with the performance of this antenna. Simply put all it is, is 2 lengths of #14 copper clad bear wire cut to 51 feet each then 31.6 feet of 450 ohm window line. The trick is this, you need to get this antenna no less than 35 feet up and I find it best to install it as a flat top. The window line needs to be as close to 90 degrees vertical to the flat top and away from any metal. Connect the coax to the window line directly NO BALUN but make the coax as short as possible no more than 70 feet of coax. I made an ugly balun also known as a choke it is 10 wraps of the coax around a 6" PVC pipe.
This antenna can be used on all bands from 80-10 + 6 meters via an external antenna tuner. I use the MFJ 949E. The beauty of this G5RV is that it is almost an omnidirectional antenna. Remember the window line acts like a vertical antenna so the pattern is quite like a vertical with the flat top having a bigger lobe.
At my age, putting up a tower and all the expense is just not worth the money or effort. I am actually very pleased with the contacts I am making and the DX I am working. I get a real thrill making a DX contact with a simple wire antenna I constructed myself...
I use The Wireman for all of my wire antenna needs. They are great and have top quality material and all you need to build your own antenna.
So if you need a good antenna and want to save big $$$, BUILD IT YOURSELF trust me you will be happy you did and enjoy making contacts with an antenna you made yourself...
| M7WZE | 2022-01-22 | |
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| Make it Yourself | ||
| Hi, Hope all's well with everyone. Newbie to eHam and recently passed my exam. eX pat Uk living Bulgaria in a remote village some 10 miles from a main road and 25 miles to nearest town. Located high up amongst 3 large forests. Back in the 80's I became interested with the new faze C.B. in UK and dx'ing so easy high on a hill mobile. U.S.A. QSO's as if we were next to each other. Recently decided to dip toes in the frequencies again and take required exams to be legal. Studying made me realise things are so accessible and information gleaned easily via the web. Made my first antenna a simple 20m 1/2 wave dipole and Balun. Now you might say easy peasy, at my age trying to mount the securing poles at each end on my own to my garage/workshop would have made a fantastic you tube video. All up and waiting for my first QSO when propagation permits. On Yaesu 221R or Kenwood TS-820S(Just bought today off eBay) Who knows my first QSO Ever maybe YOU! 73 Paul Wills (Onyer¬Edson) M7WZE | ||
| WR8Y | 2021-12-01 | |
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| Make it Yourself | ||
| I started off as a teenager in the 1970's with nothing more than a 3 element CB beam, cut for 28.5; a 40 meter inverted vee at 30 feet; and a 270 foot long wire at about ten feet off the ground. My long wire tuner was a variable transmitting cap and roller inductor from an old Viking transmitter. I had tons of fun on 80,40 15 and 10 with those antennas. The best performer on 15 and 10 was the long wire, which was pointed at Europe and Australia. All these antennas were essentially 'free', even the inverted vee was fed with several scrap pieces of RG59 that I soldered together (connectors cost too much money). I remain convinced that the antenna is one area that the average ham can build at low cost and get commercial grade performance in a lot of cases. | ||
| N8FVJ | 2021-08-08 | |
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| Make it Yourself | ||
| Lots of wire antenna can produce a reasonable SWR match, but how well they perform for you is likely the angle of radiation. Some antennas are 'cloud burners' and other have lower angle of radiation. Appears your antenna produces a lower angle of radiation with the DX performance. | ||
| KJ4DGE | 2021-07-22 | |
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| Make it Yourself | ||
| Never built a G5RV but making your own antennas is a great way to save money and know what works. If your rig has a SWR meter built into it, no need for analyzers that can be very expensive. I built a 140 ft. dipole at 25 feet once that had me working a club station on 40 early one morning in Hawaii. I currently work DX on 20 and 40 with a home made vertical and 80 meters on a homebrew inverted V. Even if you are HOA restricted, you can load up a rain gutter if you have a tuner. Get on the air with a hand made and have fun! | ||