Is the G5RV a good antenna?

The G5RV is the most popular multiband antenna in the world. It is low cost and provides good performance on most HF bands.

Does G5RV need a balun?

A balun or choke should NOT be used on a G5RV wire dipole. The classic G5RV 102 ft. wire dipole consists of 51 ft. This is why the originator recommended against using a choke or balun at the transition between the ladder line and the coax.

How high should my G5RV antenna be?

The antenna will work better the higher above ground it is. I’d definitely shoot for at least 35′ or so, to keep the ladder line portion vertical: That’s the way the antenna works best.

Is a G5RV a doublet antenna?

The G5RV antenna is an amateur radio centre fed doublet with a symmetric resonant feeder line, which serves as impedance matcher for a 50Ω coax cable to the transceiver. Basic G5RV antenna with 31 feet of twin transitioning to 75 Ω twin or coax.

Can a dipole antenna be bent?

One way to fit a dipole antenna in a restricted space is to bend the legs. They can be bent horizontally, drooped downward, or any other imaginable configuration to fit in the space available.

Does a long wire antenna need to be straight?

The easiest to put up and simplest to build antenna is the longwire. This is a length of wire that is run from your receiver to a point as far from the radio as possible. Do not worry about keeping the wire straight across the room. Going around is fine and will not harm reception.

Do you need a balun with an antenna tuner?

For best efficiency, ladder line feed and a good antenna tuner with balanced connections are required. The ideal balun is a 1:1 ratio DX Engineering special application tuner balun. It can be connected through a short length of coaxial cable to an unbalanced tuner for tuning the different bands.

How big is a G5RV HF wire antenna?

Any length of 50-Ohm coax G5RV Full Size HF Wire Antenna is an HF Amateur Band, Receive and Transmit Antenna, covering 80m to 10m bands. It’s overall length is 102ft , and should be fed with good quality 50 Ohms coaxial cable (recommended feed length of 45 or 90 ft). The ribbon cable should hang downwards and forms part of the radiating antenna.

Where did the G5RV multi band antenna get its name?

The G5RV is a classic multi-band wire antenna originally conceived by Louis Varney (G5RV). The antenna derives its name from his callsign. This typically a 102 feet long non-resonant multi-band dipole which is usually center-fed.

Can a MFJ G5RV be used as an antenna tuner?

The MFJ G5RVs’ instructions include details on the employment of a very simple air-wound, do-it-yourself coaxial cable balun. These G5RV antennas are great multi-band antennas. When they are used with an antenna tuner, you can operate all bands between 40 Meters and 10 Meters, including all WARC bands!

Is the ZS6BKW antenna compatible with the G5RV?

The ZS6BKW antenna is an optimized variant of the venerable old G5RV. Unlike the original G5RV, which requires an antenna tuner on all bands, the ZS6BKW / G5RV is capable of operating on 10, 12, 17, 20 & 40m bands, generally without a tuner, and with SWR readings usually at 1.5:1 or less.