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Reviews For: W5GI Mystery Antenna - K4TR Antenna Mfg & Wireman

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : W5GI Mystery Antenna - K4TR Antenna Mfg & Wireman
Reviews: 25MSRP: 53.99 to 172.99
Description:
Design by John W5GI. This antenna is a collinear array and resembles a G5RV with lots of gain on 20m. Works on the low bands with a tuner and out performs a G5rv on 40, 80, and 160m. It has 6 lobes broadside, and gain is amazing. If you live in a restricted area and have a way to put up a wire antenna that is 100 ft in total length, and has 6db gain on 20m, this is the antenna for you.

Available from Wireman and K4TR Antenna Mfg & Sales:

http://www.thewireman.com/

http://www.k4tr.com

Product is in production
More Info: http://www.k4tr.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00254.8
W9OY Rating: 2015-01-02
Good!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My previous dipole was a 137ft doublet fed with open wire to a Johnson matchbox. I still have the matchbox but have grown lazy using a MFJ-998 auto tuner. Press a button buz buz buz all tuned! It makes rapid band change super easy. I still wanted the ability to tune anywhere just not at the expense of manual tuning. I bought this antenna from Joe and shot some lines into my pines. The antenna is up about 55ft in the middle and 30 ft on the ends. I coiled some excess coax into a 10" dia ugly balun out near the feed point. I went in and tuned the suckah up and was pleasantly surprised. Nowhere from 3.5 to 54 mhz was the antenna above 3:1 and I could one button the thing virtually flat with the MFJ-998. No RF back in the shack and it handles 1200W FB 80-10. (I don't have a 6M amp).

The antenna from Joe is well built and is very stealthy in the pines. Since I put it up I've worked a couple dozen DX stations in Europe, Africa, and into Asia on 80, 40, and 30, but also a few on 17, 15 and 12. It's quieter than my vertical but my vertical is also very quiet. It was dead easy to set up. Hoist into the trees hook up the coax, work some DX no tuning or pruning needed. I put a native SWR chart from 3.5-54 MHZ on my blog if your interested:

http://sdr-w9oy.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2015-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&updated-max=2016-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&max-results=1


73 W9OY
N4LCD Rating: 2014-09-05
Excellent antenna but needs a couple of minor mods Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have the 80-6 meter Mystery Antenna from K4TR.

I've had it for about 22 months.

It's well made.

It's in an inverted V configuration with the apex somewhere around 60 feet and the antenna ends up around 25 to 30 feet.

I gave it a 5 because of it's easy tune-ability and performance.

However here's a couple of minor mods that I recommend:

1. During production, put some heat shrink tubing around the end of the antenna where the wire goes through the insulator and then wraps around itself. If you already have one, smear some polyurethane caulk on the wrapped wire end to keep it from unwrapping.

2. Replace the silicone caulking seals at the ends of the 300 Ohm window line with polyurethane caulking. The well-known problem with silicone is that after a year or so in the weather, it separates from one of the two surfaces. Polyurethane doesn't. I carefully cut out the detached silicone and replaced it with polyurethane. Much stronger and it won't separate from the PVC caps.

Paul Quillen N4LCD
770-382-1023


KB9MLE Rating: 2014-08-24
Great Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've been using the K4TR mystery antenna for over a year now, and love it. It's up at 50' just under my 5 element beam. Hands down the best multiband wire I've ever used. Tunes easy 80-6m with my Icom 746; when I wear this one out, I will purchase another one immediately. Craftsmanship of this antenna done by K4TR is absolutely fantastic...
NT5Q Rating: 2014-06-30
Outstanding Wire Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had this antenna up for three years now and it is still my main one. I have it up about 36ft at the apex and in a inverted v with the ends about 15ft above the surface. I have worked all the bands - 80 through 6 meters, with an internal tuner with no problems. I would recommend this for anyone who has the space to put it up.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by NT5Q on 2014-01-25

I've been using this antenna for three years now and have been very impressed with it's performance. I cannot put up a tower but can "stealth" this one in my back yard (lots of trees) with a 40ft push up mast. I have compared it to G5RV, double bazooka, longwire, and trap dipoles and find the W5GI to be easy to tune and very quiet in comparison to the others. I have used it on the 75,40,20,17,12, and 10 meter bands with great success. I will buy another one if this one wears out.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by NT5Q on 2012-04-07

I've have the K4TR 80-6m and have had this up in an inverted V configuration for about 10 months and I have been really happy with it. I get great signal reports and the antenna is pretty quiet overall. Antenna is well made and good quality all around. I would buy it again if I needed to.
NZ4Z Rating: 2014-06-07
WOW!!! AMAZING ANTENNA!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently purchased the antenna from K4TR, I have the apex at 25 feet, and the ends are 8 to 10 feet off the ground. I can't believe the performance with this antenna. I am working all the DX I can hear, and I hear a ton of it. I am busting pile ups with one call, 4 or 5 calls at the most. The DX station always says I'm strong. Ann this antenna is only 100 feet long(6-80). K4TR is great, fast ship.....I would only buy K4TR's version of this antenna, my friend bought the other and it was not made as well. This will be the best money you spend in the hobby!
NA1A Rating: 2013-01-11
Superb Antenna Time Owned: N.A.
Been using this antenna now for 3 years straight. All I can say is the thing works and works real well.
I used to have a Carolina Windom 80, G5RV, Open Loop, Closed loop, dipole antennas of various different type. This Mystery Antenna is the best of them all.
I mainly use it on 40 and 75M. It does a FB job.
K4TR builds some nice quality antennas. Highly recommended!
K4ELO Rating: 2011-12-01
Great Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought the 80/6 from K4TR a couple of months ago. Nice quality and good service. Thanks Joe.

As for results, I can only compare it to my other antennas. On 80 and 40, it does better than either of my delta loops (big one is multi-band about 100' across, small one is 40M only). On 20 it's about on a par with my big delta loop. Above that, the big delta loop or my vertical seem to do better. But if I only had room for one wire antenna, this would be it.

I have it set up as an inverted vee since I don't have 3 support masts and if you install it horizontal, it needs center support.

It's very important to install an rf choke just below the balun where you connect your coax. You can buy one or make one. I used a plastic container with a screw on lid that was about 5" dia and 6" long and wrapped RG8X on it securing with tywraps.
SWR is lower and no more rf coming back to the shack.

This is now my main use antenna on 40/80 M.

VE6CMV Rating: 2011-11-27
Very Well Made Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have been using the K4TR W5GI antenna for several months now. I use a 75ohm matching stub on 20m and the SWR is flat across the band. It tunes easy on other bands with the automatic tuner in my FT2000.
The construction of the antenna is very well made, customer service was very fast and efficent, which is a big plus in my world.
I would highly recommended the antenna to all who need a multiband antenna that works well.
FORMER_K0PD Rating: 2011-03-05
The best yet. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently took delivery for a K4TR mystery antenna. And let me tell you that i have tried and used many different dipole type antennas and this one so far has beat them all. I have no problem tuning it with the internal antenna tuner of my icom 738 on all bands including 160.Have to tell you that i'm hearing stations on all the bands that up until the moment i put the antenna up for the most part were dead.I can't explain it but i'm just telling you my results. Also i believe i'm receiving less noise to boot.The contruction of the antenna is very very good and Joe Dube is a very helpfull person to deal with and makes to glowing promises or claims. When i asked him about the claims for the antenna his answer was so far the ones that have bought it have been pleased. So i'll tell you now until some one comes up with a better wire antenna all i'll say is this one absolutely works and that has to be a mystery as it is just coax and wire with either 300 ohm feed line or in some others 450 ohm feed line. It is about the same size as the G5RV but i'll tell you now from my experience it beats a G5RV and on my set up will do what no G5RV will do and that is tune all bands with my radios internal tuner.Yes in case your wondering the same with my yaesu radio also.I'll close this by saying the apex is 31 ft and the ends are 8 ft from the ground.I forgot to mention it replaced a Windom.... 73's...K0pd
WA4JM Rating: 2010-02-19
A Great Product from K4TR Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just took delivery of K4TR version of the Mystery Antenna. And I have to say, when compared to the other versions I see on the web, this antenna wins hands-down. As a low power CW enthusiast, I couldn’t wait to get it in the air. Running just 5 watts with my Ten-Tec Argo V and a Palstar AT4K Tuner, I worked a station in Belgium on 15 meters. While listening to the Belgian station transmit, I quickly switched between my 135 foot flat-top and my 4BTV vertical. In all cases, the K4TR version of this antenna was 1 to 2 S-units better in performance. Operating on 75 meters, there was no discernable difference between the flat-top and the Mystery Antenna. But what I really enjoyed was the ability to get a nice match on all bands. I was never able to do this with my flat-top. Thanks for putting together a superior product at a fair price.