[Elecraft] OT:. G5RV's

[Edward R Cole]

Jim and all:

Interesting comments on the G5RV (I've never built one but have a 
local friend that uses one).

For years I used wire dipoles on HF bands: I made a 80/40m trap 
dipole, 80/40m dipole with removable clip at 40m length which we call 
the "Iditarod Special" as it was simple to use at remote checkpoints 
on the trail for changing prop day/night over 150-900 mi range in 
winter.  Sometimes the antenna was only 8-foot off the ground (high 
as one could reach without ladder), but worked surprisingly well for 
extreme NVIS.

I had a 80/40/20m fan inverted-V at home before putting up my tri-band yagi.

Now the inverted-V is 80/40m fan style.  It works better on 3800-4000 
than on 40m where bandwidth seems narrow.  The center is fed with 
commercial 1:1 balun at 40-feet and ends are 20-feet high which works 
well for NVIS.

I can tune it higher than 7100 using my tuner which is a Drake 
VN-2000 "oldie but goodie".  The tri-band yagi also needs help 
resonating which the Drake handles fine.

Accidentally my 600m inverted-L is 43 feet high.  I have a 122-foot 
long top leg of two parallel wires and the vertical is three parallel 
wires.  Base coil is 11x10 inch diameter fed near ground end with 
coax.  Ground radials are also very short for 472-KHz and consist of 
2-foot wide by 50 to 70 foot long chicken wire lain on the 
ground.  Efficiency is 0.8 % but it works for both Tx and Rx, having 
my signal been heard over 4,000 miles away in Buffalo, NY.  Normal 
ground-wave distance is about 250 mi running 100w output from 
amplifier (converted NDB transmitter driven by my K3 at 0.1mw).

73, Ed - KL7UW

73, Ed - KL7UW
http://www.kl7uw.com
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