Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: WA2NAN True-Talk G5RV

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
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
KF7ZVG Rating: 2015-04-12
WA2NAN True Talk 1 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This True Talk 1 replaced my G5RV Jr and the first call that came up was a guy from San Palo Brazil. First DX contact out of country and he was a solid 5 and 9, blew me away. He could barley make out my call sign but he did. It's installed along my ridge line of my single story home since we have very strict CC&R's so I made it as stealth as I could. Lucky for me the ridge lines do not have metal straps at the peaks...

Wish WA2NAN made 10m dipoles, getting ready for attic install for 10m only...

73's
WD4WH Rating: 2015-03-18
Great Antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This is not my first G5RV, but this antenna is better made then any other G5RV that I have seen or owned. After I took down the old G5RV and put up the True-Talk 80-10 G5RV, I found a lower noise level across the bands. The antenna tunes up across the bands with a flat SWR. I have it mounted about 40ft up on the side of my tower as an inverted V and it gets out well. I like the antenna so well I have ordered the True-Talk 160-10 G5RV. Will review it when I get it installed. You will not go wrong with this antenna.
WQ8Q Rating: 2015-02-10
G5RV? Buy This One! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Let me let you in on a little secret: there are no magic wire antennas.
A wire antenna is a wire antenna, and yes, some will work better than others, but more depends on the installation of that antenna than anything else. Oh, yeah, you can work up lobes and smith charts, and that’s fine – it’s a hobby. Bottom line is, does the antenna work for YOU?
So why give this antenna a “5” ? Because I’m comparing it to other wire antennas I’ve had over the years – both bought and built.
Kerry’s True Talk G5RV antenna is built better than any wire antenna I’ve ever seen.
No plumbing pipes gave up their originally intended lives so that this antenna could be built.
All of the hardware looks as if it is meant to be made into an antenna.
Shipping was fast, and I was lucky to get this in the mail on a February Saturday in Southern Ohio when the temperature hit a freaky 64 degrees, so up on the roof I went replacing my ladderline fed dipole at about 35 feet (using the same support lines).
Within a half hour I was threading the coax into the shack and a few minutes after that I was checking in to a regular 40 meter Saturday net, where I know what signal strength and noise to expect.
I worked a little CW over the weekend and checked into a few more SSB nets.
This antenna was immediately quieter than the ladder line fed dipole I had up before. Signal strength was the same as I was used to from the regular check-ins on the nets.
I tried it with different radios and different tuners (you must use a tuner with G5RV) and I was able to make a match on every band. (My Elecraft KAT100 matched more frequencies than my Palstar AT500).
You want a G5RV? Buy this one.

73 de Rick. WQ8Q – an MFJ FREE shack.
VE7AGW Rating: 2015-01-31
Built like a tank Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Took delivery of one of Kerry's Double size G5RV antennas last week; opened the box and was pleasantly surprised by the very professional appearance of this antenna. In fact it looked better than most commercial wire antennas I've ever bought. Now I compared this to some of the other antennas I've bought over the years and nothing even came close to it. I like the fact that it's double insulated the antenna wire, this will cut down on the rain noise a lot and living in the Pacific Northwest we get a lot of rain during the fall to spring seasons. I put the antenna up over the weekend and was very impressed with the reception and the transmit capabilities of this antenna. It matched up with my Ameritron ATR-30 with no problem at all and I had no issues at all with it using full legal limit power from my Alpha 86 amp. I've tested this antenna from 160-10 metres, even tuned it up on 6 metres with no issues at all.
I'm pleasantly amazed with how it radiates on 160 metres there seems to be no nulls or blind spots on any of the amateur bands what so ever.
I've had other commercially build G5RVs that didn't radiate at all but Kerry's design surpasses my expectations completely. If you have the space this is the antenna to buy, I'm very particular about what antennas I use I don't want to invest money into a design that doesn't radiate, Kerry has surpassed my expectations with the material he's using and his method of construction. This antenna is very professionally made to endure years of use in the harshest weather conditions. And of course the design works I made contacts on every band from 160 to 10 metres and even 6 metres even though it wasn't designed for this band. Time will tell how this antenna weathers and I will post an update after 3 or 4 months of use.
KJ4AZE Rating: 2014-12-12
W4AZZ Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had decided a G5RV was the answer for my antenna needs and I saw the True-Talk advertised on eBay. The pictures looked good and the price was acceptable. Having numerous reviews on eHam didn't hurt either. So I hit the buy it now button and set back to wait a couple of weeks. I got an email from Kerry saying he would notify me with a tracking number when he shipped the antenna. His eBay auction stated he often shipped before the stated shipping times in the add. He does this. My antenna was in hand and in the trees by the first day eBay said I would get it. And that was with the USPS employees at my local post office and the wind working against me! The customer service is excellent and the quality of materials in the antenna and the workmanship are excellent as well. I tune with an LDG autotuner and made several contacts on across the bands after getting the antenna up.
N4SRN Rating: 2014-12-07
Excellent Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I finally got this antenna up about 60ft in some pines, ran ~120ft of coax to my remote switchbox, and checked it out on my AA. As expected SWR was >3 on 160m and 30m, and part of 10m. But I can easily bring 80m-6m down under 1.5 with my Palstar AT2K tuner.
WA8REN Rating: 2014-11-11
Has Worked Well for Me Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have Kerry's G5RV, Junior, so it is not designed for use on 75/80 meters. I put it up in April of 2013 and has performed very well for me. I strung the antenna between two trees, over my house, and is about 45 feet up. I use it with a Kenwood TS-480SAT, so I use the rig's internal antenna tuner. It easily tunes the antenna on 40, 20, 17, and 10 meters. It does not tune on 30 meters. I use an old external tuner (an MFJ Versa Tuner II, circa 1975) to tune the antenna on 15 meters. I am able to get the SWR to around 1.1:1 with it. On all of these bands, I have had great reports both domestically and DX. I have been pleased with this purchase.
K1NLY Rating: 2014-09-30
awesome antenna - awesome service Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Kerry makes a rugged antenna - I've got 3 of them (I'm saving one). They don't wear out! Priced right too! He's great guy to do biz with - Geeze, service & quality in 2014, go figure!
Tnx Kerry!
73,
Bink, K1NLY
K1QF Rating: 2014-09-30
Mine not "built like a tank" Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Many reviewers have commented on the build quality of the WA2NAN G5RV antenna. My G5RV Jr. broke within a week of installation. The ladder line separated at the center insulator where it was connected to the stranded copper wire. Spoke with Kerry about it and was pleasantly told to repair it myself. He doesn't replace defective product. Although my installation minimizes "flex" I am pretty sure it will happen again with the way he as designed the center insulator - wire connection. I replaced it with a W8AMZ product which is truly "bomb proof."
KD5QHB Rating: 2014-05-20
POW Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is a review for the WA2NAN G5RV Jr. I received the antenna in less than 5 days. The package was opened and boom, built like a tank!!! Through it up in the tree at about 25 feet and hello Slovenia through a pile up. The receive is also very good on this antenna. I must also say the 70 feet of coax is an added bonus!! The only thing I wish that came with the antenna is a small monkey to help put it in the tree!!! I will review again after I have had some time to utilize this antenna more!!

Thanks Kerry for the excellent product and excellent communications.....