Hi, all.

Well, I have some good news on the RV G5RV front this morning.

Yesterday, I did a bunch of checking on feed lines, etc., and since all 
looked ok from a continuity stand-point, I took the leap and put the G5RV up 
again.  This time, it is in some trees, and pretty much in the clear from 
nearby RV's and other metal structures.  The center is not that 
high--probably only about 20 feet, and the ends are probably about 20 feet 
high as well.  The ladder line comes down at about a 45-degree angle to the 
feed line connection point in a tree just to the back of my RV at about head 
level.  The antenna orientation is northwest to southeast.  I lashed 
together about 50 feet of coax jumpers that I had lying around to add to the 
15 or 20 feet of coax that runs from the antenna connector on the back 
corner of the RV, to my operating position inside.

I found that the antenna tunes, using the auto-tuner on the TS480,  on 10, 
15, 20, the upper half of 40, and the lower half of 80.  At one point, I 
actually got it to tune on the lower end of 40, but after doing some other 
things, have not been able to replicate that condition.

The antenna does seem to get out.  I worked a bunch of stations for the 
Kansas QSO Party on 20, and probably jus as many for the Ohio QSO Party on 
40.  In fact, I worked one station right after Steve (KW3A) worked them.  On 
20 meters, I also worked into Europe both on SSB and CW.  The signal reports 
I got were good, for the most part.

So, now, I am in tweaking mode.  Do you guys have any ideas for getting the 
antenna to tune on the lower part of 40 meters?  I have seriously thought of 
purchasing  a nice solid 50-foot chunk of RG8X coax, and putting that in the 
feed line system, in hopes that it might do better than the lashed-together 
arrangement that I currently have.

One specific question I also have is this--where do I put the excess coax? 
Do I put it outside near the RV antenna connection, or inside the shack at 
the transmitter--or, doesn't it matter?

I won't be out at the RV next week-end for Labor Day, because the XYL and I 
will be traveling to Missouri to visit our son and his family, but I will be 
out there the week-end after that, and hopefully, for the remaining 
week-endss in  September before they close down the camp ground.

Any thoughts or suggestions for improving the performance of this antenna 
would be appreciated.

73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ