Hello All

This is a common question, and I guess most of the list know that Lou
Varney (G5RV) died in the autumn of last year in SE England.

The original design was a 102 foot top with a 34 feet open wire feeder.
At the time of the original design coaxial feeder wasn't in existence.

The secret in it tuning for the amateur bands was in his unique and
innovative in those days) L/C tuning network.  He revised his design
when coaxial feeders became available in the post war period, but he was
uneasy about this.

He never  claimed that it was resonant in its basic form on all bands (a
common myth in more modern amateur circles).

I cannot recall the full explanation of the function of the antenna from
the lecture given by him at my local radio club in the early 80s, but
simply, if you think of the 102 foot top with 34 foot feeder, you are
looking at a resonance on 80 metres, and with only slight alterations of
L and C resonant on 40/20/10  a bit more correction is needed for 15
(combinations of 1/2 wavelength).

Strictly speaking, the coax should go from the L/C network to the TX and
bearing in mind the tank tuning systems which prevailed at its concept
phase, their was more scope for the TX tank circuit to accommodate to
the tuner and antenna than in modern solid state P.A. circuitry.

H revised his design and description several times in order to use more
modern feeders and components and explained that the coax was merely a
convenient way to link the TX to the antenna, not part of the aerial
itself as in the available built forms of 2001.

On 15 its inherent SWR induced by the modern commercial format it
generally outside the scope of the modern rig's ATU, so a tuner is
necessary, and a bit of tweaking is needed to make it resonant on the
other bands depending on your site and the height of the wire.

Using a L/C network it can be made to work on the WARC bands.  Yes, it
can also be used on 160 by strapping the feeders and tuning it against
ground, but remember, you need a good ground for this to work well.

Personally speaking, I use a trap dipole of the W3DZZ or G8KW type for
160/10 on the traditional bands, in preference to the G5RV.

It must be remembered that this antenna is a compromise.  Their is no
substitute for a resonant antenna for the preferred working band.

*I hope these comments are of some help and augment those which have
come in while I have been writing this.

73 to all de Dave G3YX

In message <[log in to unmask]>, Keith Reedy
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>Hello every one,
>
>Has any one here used the G5Rv, if so, what did you think?
>
>Thanks.
>
>73 Keith-WA9DRO

--
David