G5RV Half Size Anttenas

[AbuDhabi101]

Does anyone on the forum have experience in using the G5RV type antennas either home built of commercial? Any comments on their use, installation and siting? Better options for small spaces?

[G0UPG]

I find it hard to beleive people still buy 'commercially made' G5's and the like, when it is so easy to make them, much cheaper, and more rewarding.

The G5 is a compromise, a half size even more so. Personally I'd use as much wire as I could get up and a decent tuner, and ground/radial system - much more effective.

I used G5's when I first started, the difference in a decent length of wire, or a home brew vertical made out of fishing poles perform much better, and as you made them yourself, more rearding.

I only have a 50' x 20' garden, I have 65' of wire up at 35' and it out performs any G5 I've ever had, and even a CW 80 special. I also have a 22' scaffold pole with a fishing pole on top, which performs well without any tuner on 15, 20 and 40M.

Currently, I'm making a 'Cobwebb' style folded dipole.

The Cobwebb


Mine, so far...


Erecting the homebrew vertical, with help of my brother, M0GID, and Ian, G3ROO


The shed has now been replaced by a nice new, double door one!

[VE3FMC]

I have used a G5RV for the past few years and it works fine for me. Considering the sunspots are low right now I do not expect a big signal with 100 watts.
I made mine, no way I would buy one when all it consists of is 31 feet of 450 ladder line, 102 feet of wire. I use a piece of plexiglass cut in a T shape to hold the ladder line in place at the feed point. The legs of the dipole are connected to stainless steel machine bolts that go through the plexi and the ladder line and legs are held together that way.
I use insulated 14 g wire as one leg runs through a tree.
The only bad part of my setup is the ladder line extends down to close to the ground as I only have a 30 foot tower. I am going to put a mast on the tower this summer to raise up the feed point. I do not have any baluns etc in line. The ladder line goes directly to a short run of RG58 into the shack to an external LDG AT-7000 auto tuner. That tuner has no problem tuning that antenna.
Is the G5RV the best antenna you can use? NO, but if you can not put up multiple antennas then the G5RV works. There are lots of them in use all over the world.
I had the pleasure of chatting with Louis Varney, G5RV on 20 M CW nack in 1996. He sent me a QSL card and also a photo of his shack with him sitting at the radio. The ladder line is clearly in view coming into the shack.
As I said, it might work as good as a 3 ele yagi at 75 feet, or a full length dipole. However it is better than not being on the air at all.