The Amazing Doublet Dipole G5RV!!! Best Stealth Backyard Antenna!

[@KX4UL]

The G5RV has been a proven performer for SO many Hams. It's mind boggling how such a simple antenna can work so well. I like your enthusiasm and enjoy your videos. Keep them coming!

[@DanielKE7UUM]

I AM NOT "contester" , I just want to talk :) My dad and I been working on a dipole for 10 meters :) Thanks for the video

[@timg5tm941]

Doublets fed with ladderline are great antennas.

[@ado75]

Great vid. I have a 20m doublet with 300ohm ribbon - fed directly into a balanced input on the tuner. That avoids having the coax section that a G5RV has i.e. the G5RV's dimensions means it cut for specific bands. Eliminating the coax gives a true broadband aerial/antenna. My back garden is a lot smaller than this one, and one of the antenna elements even has a 100-degree dog-leg, as I haven't the room to run it straight - it works just fine. Either way, Doublets (and G5RVs) are a great, low cost, all-round multi-band antennae. P.S. Don't buy these things - they're just bits of wire, get soldering! Off-the-shelf G5RVs etc are a rip-off for what they are. If you haven't soldered before don't worry about it - this isn't delicate components we are talking about, its just wire. It's a good way to start learning the skill - one that will serve you well if pursue amateur radio as a hobby.

[@hamradiocq]

Yeah, I know it's over priced but I dont' have much time for building... Maybe when my kids are out of the house and /or I retire.

[@ado75]

True enough, you can only do what you can do! 73

[@stevegordon2869]

I use a g5rv antenna have used resonant dipoles and 102 ft doublet with 4:1 balun and tuner. The g5 dose very well.i am using 100 ft rg8x coax.

[@sirtango1]

This is the heart and soul of ham radio, experimenting and testing! Learning what works and what doesn’t. You can have a 10k rig and a crappy antenna and you won’t be able to work your neighbor. Take a good antenna, good wire, adjust for SWR and you can work the world with a “cheap” 100 watt radio. Build or buy a good antenna. A good antenna analyzer is a must. I’ll take a good (I don’t mean expensive, I mean a GOOD) antenna and analyzer over an expensive radio. Compare it to buying a 100” 4k ultra hd tv and hooking it up to speakers from a 53 chevy am radio speaker.

[@gliderrider]

I have been using the 102’ g5rv for a couple of decades. It’s a co-linear on 20m and does a great job on 40/80. I moved to the mountains 2 years ago and haven’t bothered with my 10/15/20 beam. Been using an S9 for upper bands. There are purpose band specific dipoles that are barely a little better. Hardly noticeable if at all. The g5rv does a whole lot really well.

[@hamradiocq]

I"m thinking about getting that same MFJ 102' antenna and putting it up at my moms house. We were talking about building it, but I don't think you can build it as cheap as you can just buy from MFJ

[@ronangsr]

I hope you put sealant on thst hole. That's a perfect entry for mice and also damp to enter

[@axandio]

This was my first antenna... bought it from a hamfest in a plastic bag.... while waiting on my TS-570 (from ebay used) to show up. This was 2006 and the bottom of the last cycle but filled my log book with 100 watts and this G5RV with stations all over the world.

[@hamradiocq]

Great story Jay Tee

[@genepierson1728]

Thanks for sharing. Do you have a 4:1 balun on the antenna?

[@hamradiocq]

This video was taken a long time ago, I'm not sure now. Tnx for watching.

[@rufus4779]

Nice video. Thanks for sharing your experience. Would it be possible to show SWR response across all bands when you have a chance. Thanks

[@lonewolfe666]

I have a g5rv and only 150 feet of space. I'm curious if I can run this as a sloper off the side of my house with a grounded plate? Or if I can run the 2 102 foot wires perpendicular instead of a straight line. Thoughts welcome....

[@Ron_C]

That "cheap, crappy" antenna has worked well! Imagine the improvement if you put another pole up at the end by the fence!

[@hamradiocq]

Ron C I got another comment that I deleted that said it was crappy

[@hamradiocq]

Ron C u love cheap crap

[@Ron_C]

You know it's true! Part of my fan dipole is made from a used spool of wire I bought from Goodwill...can't get much cheaper than that!

[@hamradiocq]

Ron C I never see wire at GW

[@Ron_C]

It's because guys like me will snatch those things up as soon as they are on the shelf! Last year I bought a spool of wire from Sotabeams, they had a sale and I bought 500m of their 23AWG rated for power levels up to 150 Watts at 50 Ohms. It was on sale and after shipping I think it came to just under $50. I'll probably not need to buy wire for many, many years.

[@Bobbysoxer2]

The G5RV also doubles as an excellent all band short wave receiving antenna. Excellent reception all across the HF spectrum.

[@hamradiocq]

Indeed!

[@davidsradioroom9678]

Nice video. I have a G5RV as my main antenna. Someone else who owns a G5RV said it would work on 6 meters, too. I doubted it, but I tried it. He was right. Let us know if it works with your Jr.

[@hamradiocq]

Great idea! Gotta try it right!

[@samgrieg]

I may have missed it but did you use a 1:1 current balun or a 4:1? Thanks

[@HamRadioLiveShow]

Tommy, Great video mate, i’m going to feature this on my KZbin channel that helps new hams as well as those wanting to be in ham radio as a Great starter Antenna. I worked one of these at only 20 feet high from the San Francisco area all the way to Australia on 20 m at 2 AM. I was blown away at it’s performance. Anyway, I’ll be linking your channel in the description section of my video to make sure people can find you. As always, keep up the good work Tommy! I’ve watched many of your KZbin videos and they come across as humble and well thought out. Keep doing it that way. All the best, Larry de K7HN

[@hamradiocq]

Thanks HRL appreciated

[@k2icc]

I got that one coming some time as it is taking too long from a vendor in NJ. Will set up on a tree, but not sure if I can get it to 27' high or so. Will try an inverted V due to space. How will the radiation pattern work on those? I know as T shape will go opposite to the leads. Thanks anyone.

[@hamradiocq]

Good question, I'm not sure. Your testing will tell.

[@k2icc]

@@hamradiocq Then intention was to temporarily set it on the attic, but will try to set outside if possible. Limitations not HOA, but not my house. Thanks.

[@mssippijim]

Great antennas, I've even made them with 300 ohm tv line in a pinch.

[@hamradiocq]

Thanks James, gets the job done!

[@timg5tm941]

Good work. Great to see you have stuck at it despite the less than encouraging comment you received in your previous video. Well done.

[@hamradiocq]

AMATEUR & 11M RADIO TIM I've gotten more comments since that were similar. I made thjs mostly in response to those fools

[@timg5tm941]

Good for you, enjoy the radio. 73

[@sirtango1]

An antenna is only crappy if it doesn’t work! I love building antennas. It’s very satisfying to me, but occasionally people look down on my “crappy” antennas but once on the air they shine! The boys with the toys hate it when I get better signal reports or get picked out of a pileup when I hear them trying to get through too. I could afford the high end stuff, but why spend it if I don’t need it!?

[@buckeye5704]

MFJ says it needs a tuner. Is that for all bands? I'd only be working 40 & 20 for the most part.

[@hamradiocq]

Yes needs a tuner. Good for multiband mostly. You should just get a resonant 40 and 20 instead.

[@buckeye5704]

@@hamradiocq Yeppers. Found some videos and info on the ZS6BKW (a variant of the G5RV) that's resonant on 40, 20, 17, 12 and top half of 10, as in well under 2:1 SWR without a tuner. WITH tuner you can add 80, 15 all of 10 and 6. In the process of building my tower and antenna right now and hope to have something to report in a couple weeks. The G5RV was originally intended to be a 20 meter dipole only. US marketing made it the end all be all that it is today. 73 de K1NKX

[@Pioneer936]

Doesn't need a tuner on 20m, other bands yes

[@KuriosPC]

how long is the provided ladder line?

[@hamradiocq]

I think it's this one: www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-1778

[@izzzzzz6]

I think you are supposed to fit a balanced line tuner between the coax and the ladder line, you need to match 50 ohms to 450 or whatever your ladder line is also you need to convert unbalanced to balanced. Other ways to do this is with a balun or with a mixture of different impedance coaxes. Good luck and try to get your entire antenna at least 1/4 wavelength above the ground.

[@hamradiocq]

Ok, thanks.

[@scottyfpv5651]

Studying for my technicians right now. I hope to be where you are someday. Those radios are expensive..but I really really want one haha.

[@hamradiocq]

Good luck WeWuzzz! yes ham radio very expensive hobby.

[@MaverickFlyBoy622]

What kind of antenna tuner do you run or does everyone suggest? Going for my General soon. I want to get on HF badly! Also space isn’t really an issue for me however I don’t have access to a tower so would this antenna work well still?

[@hamradiocq]

Well if you are portable and outdoors and want lightweight, look at the "Elecraft T1 Tuner". I just got it and it looks awesome for backpacking. If you want something at home that tunes well that is for a desk, I like the MFJ tuners... They have served me well. I have the MFJ AT-11MP auto tuner that serves me well at home. Of course do more research and ask others and do searches on KZbin. I like Auto tuners, where you just hit a button and it tunes for you. Manual tuning can be a pain. But decide if you want light weight portable or heavy desk because that makes a big difference. My Elecraft KX2 radio has a BUILT IN tuner that makes it SUPER easy to tune. If I were to get an HF rig with a tuner, I'd buy the KX2 or KX3 with a built in Tuner and it will work awesome.

[@Pioneer936]

The g5rv is a great doublet antenna

[@hamradiocq]

Agreed.

[@kennethblevins6973]

what type radio you using

[@hamradiocq]

Icom 7300

[@jamesmasonn4jom496]

Thanks for your video, keeps my interest in potentially becoming an operator.

[@hamradiocq]

Thanks James! You can be an operator. Just find whatever interests you and pursue it.

[@barrykery1175]

The G5RV is one of the most over rated, non resonant antennas on the market. It is in fact resonant on 20 meters, it's design frequency, but that's as far as it goes. Stealth? Want a stealth antennas? Make a 40 meter half wave end fed antenna, using a 64 to 1 unun to match it and make the antenna out of #20 enamel wire. Now you have a stealth, resonant multi band antenna with a low SWR on all of its resonant frequencies.

[@walkingmanvideo9455]

Very stealthy.........if you have super big backyard. LOL

[@hamradiocq]

I hear you, Walking Man. I do have to be stealthy though because the neighbors can complain. I got in trouble already for "uneven hedges". Not joking.

[@stevegordon2869]

The g5rv works good on low bands but a99 is better for 10m to 15m just personal experience