Hustler BTV-5 Confusion 20220611

[@cidcolead1115]

I used the DXE instruction pdf. It is a free download. Fully assembled the antenna per the chart, on 32 radials over dry sandy soil. Target frequencies in each band for FT8. Do 10M first. once you get length close enough, work the trap. For top verses bottom, I stuck the bottom all the way down. there is plenty of tubing overlap from the tube out the bottom of the trap. That way it is easy to remove the antenna leaving the base when I need to hide it. Next adjust the trap, but you are sliding the trap up or down and leaving the outer capacitor tube top the same length from the base. Not a millionaire either, started with used 5BTVs that people threw out because they would not use radials or take the time to tune it. so I spent the $ on the ground system. 80% of your results come from setting the antenna up in the clear, away from structures and with a proper ground plane. SWR is very low on all bands, but gets narrow as you go towards the lower bands. I gave up on 80, because I already had WAS and close to DXCC on the dipole. If you are having trouble on the lower frequency bands, it could be the ground system or proximity to structures.

[@donhunsaker]

Purchased a 4BTV at a garage sale last fall, the box had been opened and taped shut. Following the DXE playbook but not being sucked in to all the expensive extras. 500' bulk wire kit and ebay radial plate. Made my own feed point pigtail and current choke mtg plate. Coax trench dug, mast in place, now laying down radials. Anxious to start the tuning process. Love all the posts, very helpful.

[@giulianoggg2035]

Great Job, I am getting the 6 BTV next month and I am wondering how to prepare the hole? How deep and what circumference diameter to fill with cement and what type of mast in length and diameter to fix in the ground and size to remain out for holding the 6BTV? Can you help please?

[@snowbird29803]

I hope you have it sorted by now, but my two cents. Ant is too close to building (for 15M?). And note that traps can be adjusted if necessary. Follow the rule...Adjust length for 10 first, 15 next etc. Then open another can o' worms and adjust res. freq of each trap if SWR is unacceptable on a particular band. Don't even try to adjust anything for center of band unless you work both CW and fone...pick one. How did this work w/o that coax balun? Another thing to try is a 2:1 unun at the feedpoint. 1 at antenna and 2 at coax... IOW it's likely the antenna feed presents a low impedance on one or more bands (~25 ohms). Sometimes these just don't work out in situations where they are not out in the middle of a large open space with a good ground and a few radials. How'bout up on your roof with 1-4 radials? You could even mount it horizontally. Yes, I know from experience these can be a PITA I would just go w/another type antenna, like a remote auto tuner with non-res wire. 73

[@garyclark1000]

I had a coax choke on my BTV but found out it was useless. I then made 2 common mode chokes using FT240-43 toroid ferrites (internet and youtube is full of how to's...) one at the bottom of the BTV and one at the TXCR end in the shack. all noise gone and no more rf in the shack or turning on neighbours garden lights!! So my advice is to loose that coax coil. I had to tune the actual traps (see instruction book) to get my BTV with low SWR on the bands

[@revbikerbigd8664]

Tune for without radios, bottom 18" off ground ! Disconnect your radios and retest !

[@stevepatterson2290]

I have the same one and you can only do what you have to work with , I have 10 radials on the ground and I have all the measurements as per using radials and it has matched up well flat on 10 and 15 , 20 is about 1.3 to 1 , 40 is hard its 1.5 to 1. but its a good antenna

[@andrewhill4226]

Ha ha love it when you started cursing. I presume you sorted the issue out with the tuning ? You can use both adjusting positions and if your high on a band then you have to lengthen them slightly and visa versa. I know you need a lot of radials down to get a low SWR. If you are having issues with say 15m, try adding a few radials cut to 1/4 wave length on 15m, so designated radials for each band having issues. Your 40m radials should be good for 15m anyway. Good luck, they are a pretty good antenna for restricted spaces. 73's Andy M6APJ.

[@bigchew3149]

I also have a New Hustler 5BTV that i ground Mounted with Out any Radials & my 10m is higher than i like 15m could be better at a 1.5 top to bottom but 20m & 40M are Great Even 80m is tuned at 3.900mhz with a 1.3 How Ever I am A Voice Guy NO ft4/8 or cw for me & no plans to Either ..lol. these seam to hear Really Well & i have made several contacts all over the us in just a short time as in a week or so ! Very Good Ant for The Money IMHO But It Does need a bit of time Tuning !

[@georgeetherege8347]

These things are a good-news-bad-news joke sort of thing. The fact that you are having trouble getting low SWR in the various bands means the parts of the antenna that make it act like a 1/4 wavelength in each band means they are working and the efficiency is higher than if each band was easy to set, w/ low SWR throughout. Kinda good news but you still want a good match to the transmitter. Broad tuning indicates most of the resistance is in the ground system-high loss. Feeding a resistor is easier than feeding a tuned circuit. It looks like Hustler needed to put bottom support for rigidity AROUND the bottom foot or so of the radiator. Configured as a “1/4 wave vertical” means most of the current in the antenna is at the bottom. Anything that’s grounded and near the bottom will form a capacitor to ground-affecting efficiency and making it look like a n extra capacitor is in parallel with the radiator. Try moving that coil-is it an “ugly value?-away from the bottom of the radiator. It keeps RF from the shack so moving it a small fraction of a wavelength away from the current maximum of the antenna won’t destroy its effectiveness. When you have radials, they “try” to turn the antenna into a vertically hung dipole. The radials must be tuned so the bottom half of this quasi-dipole acts like an upside-down twin of the top-the 5-BTV. Adjust the 5-BTV the best you can and then stop and carefully “trim” the radials to improve things-this is tedious and very time consuming. Then go back to the top of the antenna-the 5-BTV. Rinse and repeat. When you get a “trapped” antenna to get first-hand experience with a collection of interdependent variables. Hustler will, understandably, under-sell the complexity and finicky nature of a multi-band trapped antenna, given that is exactly what they want to sell to you. But remember-once you conquer this thing you will save lots of time and hassle as you DON’T have to mess with you antenna and antenna tuner every time you want to change your radio from one band to another and back. de W3GX

[@paulhillier9281]

I am still looking for videos as I’m no rocket scientist either!

[@ronpetroski7203]

iused an mfj analizer.i had to adjust the traps. i guess i need the ground radials

[@mikemarch5480]

Looks good to me!

[@aldee3946]

Did you ever find out about adjustment if you do both clamps or singular? VA3DZZ

[@jamesschmaus8597]

Ya same here, I got an old used one . I returned everything to specs and 10m works, 20 is way way off...I tried I just tossed a tuner on it now

[@donnjames7971]

The black pipe sticking up above the base may be de tuning your antenna! To adjust the tuning, it's one Clamp or the other cuz it's the length of the tube your tuning. Keep at it, it will work for dx, local not so much. Gl

[@jamesgeorge1709]

It doesn't matter if you adjust 10 meters it will effects all the other bands and so on. Make your radial plate out of a pizza tin. Main thing is readyy

[@royw73]

Is it working atm?

[@jeffreyyoung4104]

Have you made any progress with your antenna? I would lose the coax coil and try without it. You can vary both ends of the tubing to get it right. One reason is the Hustler manual is for a 'perfect condition' installation, with the antenna in the middle of a field, and the radial field all around the antenna. With your antenna against the house, you may need to cut tubing to get it to tune up.