antenna tuner/antenna for hf?

[scma127]

hello getting back into my hf since i moved been 4 years ihave a older model icom 706 radioneed a good tuner
some peole recommend ldg automatic tuners.need some input on this and i need a good hf antenna been looking at g5rv never put one up.need input on it. thankyou all
73,s

 

[ka3jjz]

Re the antenna - you'll need to be a lot more specific about how much real estate you have to work with. A G5RV can be quite long, particularly if you're going after 80m. No doubt you will get LOTS of different opinions about this or that antenna working better than a G5RV- so do some homework on eHam and elsewhere, and read up on some reviews. For example...

eHam.net Reviews - Antennas: HF Verticals and Wire

73 Mike

 

[zz0468]

I'm not particularly impressed with the G5RV, but I have had great luck with a variant. I use an open-wire fed dipole, to an SGC auto tuner.

 

[D00D]

I've never had any luck with the G5RVs I've tried. Our ARES group purchased 4 of them (actually the city bought them for us) and they suck. I built a OCF for 80M using a 4:1 balun and it works great. I'm also a fan of the LDG tuners and use the Z11 Pro for my IC-718 and the AT-7000 for my IC-7000.

 

[KR4BD]

I agree about the G5RV... The one I had was horrible. I have had great luck with slopping antennas off my 50ft tower on 160, 80 and 40 meters. In particular, I use an Alpha Delta DX-A twin slopper that covers the lower HF bands quite nicely. But, you will need a tower or sturdy, grounded 40 or 50 foot mast to make it play right. For most of these bands, I find the DX-A to be so broad-banded I don't need an antenna tuner, even on half of the 160 band.

 

[ranger821]

Getting back into it.

I agree with others. the G5RV is not the best antenna. How much space do you have? I run Carolina windoms from Radioworks. Very impressed with them. He has a good selection of them. I used to run large beams but here in NW Florida the hurricanes would take them down every so often. I don't have a tilt over tower. I run a MFJ 993B tuner. Works good. I don't run any more power than what the radio does. My rig is a Kenwood 480HX and my spare is a TS-440S. I have heard good things about the LGD tuner also. Good place for info on all this stuff is eham. com.