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G5RV Antenna Installation

Dec 24th 2015, 16:21

AI6OZ

Joined: Nov 7th 2003, 10:54
Total Topics: 0
Total Posts: 0
I’m ramping up to install a G5RV antenna and I’ve been told a G5RV Horizontal mounted antenna has better performance than G5RV Inverted "V" Antennas. From a performance point of view does it make difference whether G5RV antennas are mounted horizontal or inverted “V”?
Jun 22nd 2016, 02:52

N6HPO

Joined: Jan 30th 2007, 10:59
Total Topics: 0
Total Posts: 0
I had a commercial-made G5RV, of 204" length strung between two 60' tall eucalyptus trees, with a 45' fiberglass push-up mast at the center. It worked very well, save the fact that I could not work 17 meters...it just would not work and my internal tuner was unable to overcome the 3.1 SWR. One winter storm in 2010, a lightning bolt took out one of the eucs, leaving my antenna on the ground. Rabbits ate through the 300 ohm line.

My answer to your question is YES. It worked very well as a horizontal dipole, though I never tried it as an inverted V. Now that a younger euc has grown up next to the dead, storm ravaged euc, I am going to sling another 204' G5RV up in the near future.

For my money, I'd say go with the horizontal; try it then, if you can get the ends up 10' or more off the ground, play around with the antenna in the inverted "V" configuration. Keep copious notes, record your QSO's data and then judge for yourself which performs best to your liking.

Experimenting is a lot of fun, particularly when you come up better than you ever thought possible!

Let us know what you have concluded.

Vry 73 de Alan...N6HPO
Jun 22nd 2016, 13:10

W1VT

Super Moderator

Joined: Apr 4th 1998, 00:00
Total Topics: 0
Total Posts: 0
The rule of thumb typically given by the Doctor in QST is that the "inverted V" has an effective height of 2/3rds--a 50 ft inverted V is similar to a 35 ft high flat top dipole. For most of us, the higher the better, though some antenna analysis with the High Frequency Terrain Analyzer that comes with the Antenna book may be in order if you can get your antenna up much more than 50 ft--you may find it advantageous to have a lower antenna as well!

Zack W1VT
ARRL Senior Lab Engineer

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