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Reviews For: WA2NAN True-Talk G5RV

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : WA2NAN True-Talk G5RV
Reviews: 264MSRP: 90
Description:
An extremely well made G5RV type antenna. Kerry (WA2NAN) builds these antennas with excellent materials and very good attention to detail. The center insulator is a really nice piece of work and all the connections are soldered and have heat shrink tubing on them. I am not affiliated at all with WA2NAN but have one of his antennas and it is great.

Info: kerry@northnet.org

Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
352644.9
KE8HVA Rating: 2018-01-21
Quality Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was looking to build my own antenna like a proper Ham but at $100, you simply cannot build a G5RV cheaper, especially not with this quality. The design and build are incredible with the custom designed center insulator/ladder connector feeding the coated wires into waterproof connectors, well crimped ends and solid end insulators.
Mine is suspended 40 feet into a tree in an inverted V that fits my small city lot pretty well. In conjunction with my TS-590SG's internal tuner, it operates great on bands a G5RV is intended for. Even in bad band conditions, I was able to talk to California from Michigan on 50 watts with it on 40.
It is temperamental on tuning up on 80 meters but this is because I believe one radial is too close to my aluminum flashing which I will correct in the Spring.
Really a great buy if you have the room for a G5RV. The coated wires and sealed connections make it worth the extra few bucks over the bare wire, flimsy one with the green insulators from another brand.
W5YAK Rating: 2017-12-25
5 Stars Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
From the moment I clicked the buy now button I have been happy with my purchase. Kerry made immediate contact with me and continued to answer my questions promptly and offer impeccable customer service. The 102 G5RV is well built. I put it up about 30 feet as an inverted V at about 120 deg angle. Using an FTDX 3000, Ameritron Al-811h, and an ATR-20 tuner it tunes up well on 10-80- hadn’t tried 6. In the first 24 hours I’had Qso’s with 8 states and 3 Dx contacts. It seems to propogate in all directions well. No RF feedback, so I didn’t bother with the ugly balun choke.
NU3W Rating: 2017-11-07
Well built and good performance Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Excellent G5RV .I,ve owned and built several.True-Talk is the best.Up at 80 feet and performs well..
surviving recent rain and gusty winds.
K1TZT Rating: 2017-11-04
Extremely Well Made Dipole Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
As others have said it's an extremely well made G5RV dipole using high quality materials. I've purchased ones from the "big" distributors and they don't compare to the True-Talk. If your looking for a multiband dipole this is the one.

K1TZT
K2CD Rating: 2017-10-18
Working good in the hood. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Purchased this for the 2017 PA QSO Party. Very good results in-state, and decent when the bands lengthened. It loaded up very well on 160M as well, which was a pleasant surprise, and allowed 15 CW contacts I wouldn't have otherwise had. Lots of unsolicited "man, you're strong here" comments on 40 and 80.

Installed as a flat-top at about 42 feet oriented NE/SW. Plan to reinstall it as an Inverted Vee, and hopefully will do better on DX, as my old home-brew one did. Very quiet compared to my old one, too.

Materials and construction are first rate. 20 Meters really plays well. Sometimes signals are as strong as they are on my Mosley TA-33. Overall a very good antenna.
KK5R Rating: 2017-09-21
WA2NAN Antennas are Great Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a follow-up to my rating of the WA2NAN G5RV Jr antenna dated January, 2015...

I sent the G5RV Jr to my son in California (N5DIM) when I ordered the full length 102-ft version. My son likes it and it's one of his favorite antennas.

The full version is also very good...! I got it to get 80M capabilities. It does this very well since I can almost use the whole 80M band by using the internal tuner in my FT-450AT. It is up about 60-FT and while it may be be better at other heights on some bands, I cannot complaining about how the antenna works.

I added an "ugly balun" at the feedpoint of the antenna per recommendations of WA2NAN and it tunes up better than before. The balun is a coil of RG-8X that is 18-Ft long wound on a section of 4-Inch PVC pipe about 6-inches long. The only problem now is that the ends of the antenna are tucked up into the trees at the ends but there's no help for it considering the swamp where I live.

The antenna is recommended for anyone who has the territory to hang up the antenna. No worries about power levels and about working on the HF bands.

The antenna also receives well on LW and MW. Using my IC-718, which is slightly better than the FT-450 on these frequencies. With the IC-718, there are stations that can be heard on the G5RV that are barely discernible with the Yaesu.

I am also an antenna experimenter. I'm now playing with a 53-Ft End Fed Dipole with a 9:1 UnUn. While it's good, it is no better than the WA4NAN G5RV on the HF bands. taking antenna orientation and height into consideration.

As others have noted, the WA2NAN antenna lacks nothing in professionalism in design and workmanship. It is money well-invested and if it does not work as others have said who are satisfied with it, it's time to examine the feedline and the "lay of the land" to see what needs to be redone.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by KK5R on 2015-01-18

I got the WA2NAN G5RV Jr. from a guy to just see if it works. I find it is very good. I also have a GAP Titan that works pretty well on 40M and 20M but not as well as the G5RV Jr. I also have a B&W TTFD "folded dipole" and it is the antenna of choice for general listening and operation since no tuner is required. However, the G5RV Jr. has an added benefit that neither of the two other antennas offer: It is an excellent receiving antenna for AM Broadcast, also. I do a lot of nighttime listening with my TS-450AT and where the two other antennas do not give an S-meter reading and sometimes not even can be heard for all the QRM, the G5RV Jr. brings the stations out with unbelievable clarity and an S-meter reading that approaches S-9 in most cases, much better than merely comfortable listening.

I use the G5RV Jr. mostly for transmitting on 40M. QSO's with friends within 200-300 miles give me a much better signal report with the antenna. I touch up the tuning with the FT-450 internal tuner although it is not necessary since it's close to 2:1 on 40M.

I'm very pleased with the antenna. My "farm" area is limited and it fills the requirements where larger antennas would be impossible. The quality of construction is excellent and makes the motto "Made in America" really mean something especially when on a modest budget.
K3TVC Rating: 2017-08-21
Excellent quality Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Very good construction. Put it up and ready to use. I also have a 2 element TGM mini beam which I rarely use now since the TrueTalk 102" G5RV covers all my bands with great results. Buy one, you will be pleased.
KC2TYS Rating: 2017-07-11
Quality Build Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Kerry builds a superior product at a very fair price range.
The true talk g5rv is superior to my previous antenna which failed at the ladder line connection after 9 years.
I am confident the true talk unit will last longer and at a price delta of $15.00 more is a real bargain.
Additionally Kerry is very responsive to answering guestions., a real gentleman.
Quality build, excellent service and great value also!
You cannot go wrong.
AF8GD Rating: 2017-07-05
This antenna is worth every penny. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I received a confirmation email shortly after placing my order. WA2NAN was easy to work with. The antenna arrived as promised and it is very well made and should last a long time. I bought it on the recommendation of a friend and I would not hesitate to recommend it to my friends.

Thank you for a great product.
K6EJ Rating: 2017-06-06
Delighted I found Kerry's True-Talk G5RV Jr. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The 5/5 reviews here are well-deserved. I am so glad I found Kerry and True-Talk's G5RV Jr. The build on the antenna is outstanding, so solid. Craftsmanship and quality parts are obvious. Instructions are clear. I emailed Kerry several times throughout the installation and he was readily available and answered all my questions. No attitude from Kerry at all. I am on a small lot so I chose the Jr version, and it fits perfectly. I have it installed in an inverted-V, with the center at the chimney of a two-story house on a fiberglass pole, maybe 30' up.

I definitely needed, as you would expect, an external antenna tuner. I'm using an MFJ-941E tuner, and I'm able to tune the antenna easily. I'm using an Icom IC-7300 transceiver.

I am delighted with its performance. I'm returning to ham radio after an absence of 28 years. I've been running the JT65 digital mode on 20 meters and have worked Finland, Russia, Japan, Germany and all over the USA.

Thank you, Kerry, for all of your support for this great antenna!