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[TowerTalk] G5RV

To: <TowerTalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] G5RV
From: "KD8OK" <kd8ok@n-focus.com>
Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2004 19:07:02 -0500
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
All, 

I recently put up the G5RV that my wife purchased for me at Christmas.  After 
putting it up and taking it down 4 times, I must confess that I am at a loss.  

Some background:

My property is large enough for a G5RV, but not for an 80 meter inverted vee.  
So I elected so ask "Santa wife" for the G5RV (one of the premanufactured ones 
available at the local ham radio store).  

The antenna is supported by approximately 33' of mast at the center and slopes 
down to approximately 11 feet at the ends.  (High enough to keep the kids out 
of it.)  The ladder line is held away from the pole all the way down 
approximately 5 or 6 inches with a couple of wooden standoffs that I 
fabricated.  I also tried coiling about 7 or 8 - 6" turns of coax at the feed 
point per a suggestion I saw on a web site although this didn't seem to have 
any impact on the performance or SWR.  I also tried changing the length of coax 
feeding the antenna, but still not difference.

My concern is this, while I get a good SWR on 20 (about 1.5 at 14.200), I am 
unable to make the antenna work on any other band without using a tuner.  The 
SWR on any other band is at least 4:1 or higher.  I had a G5RV about 20 years 
ago and seem to remember that it had a decent SWR on 80, 40 and 20.  I tried to 
play with the length of the wire, adding several lengths to the ends, but still 
could not find a resonate point on any other band.

While I don't mind using a tuner, I am wondering if I am missing something.  I 
verified all of the dimensions (102' of wire and 31' of ladder line).

Any idea?  I hope that I am not stirring up a hornets nest with this question.  

Thanks in advance...

KD8OK  -  Mike
_______________________________________________

See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather 
Stations", and lot's more.  Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions 
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