"Richard Arland, W3OSS" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> made an utterance to the drakelist gang ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Gang:
Gotta put my $0.02 in. I have known Jim Thompson owner of The Radio Works, since he first started the business in the early 1980s. I have reviewed a number of his antennas over the years. The number ONE thing about t The Radio Works and Jim Thompson: consistency. He builds quality products AFTER he researches the topic. There is NOTHING magic about his antennas; just solid antenna physics, quality components, and excellent quality control. He can back up his claims with data taken from antenna modeling and actual on-air use. In 1987 I had the unique opportunity to test one of his standard G5RVs against a full size 40M dipole, both erected at the same height (about 45 ft) of the ground.. Hands down, the winner was the G5RV! Absolutely the best antenna when compared to the dipole. There was no formal test bed, just on-air testing and the G5RV easily outperformed the dipole. Six years earlier, at the RSGB HF Convention at Oxford (UK), I was able to get 20 minutes of one-on-one face time with Lou Varney, G5RV. We discussed his mystical antenna and I got quite an education. First of all Lou designed the antenna as a single band (20M) gain antenna TO BE USED WITH AN ANTENNA TUNER!! The fact that it worked on other bands was a definatet "plus", but Lou was specific when he talked about the antena that bears his callsign: it was a single band wire gain antenna! Having said all this: if I was limited to only ONE antenna for HF work, it would be the G5RV, no question. Even at low heights this antenna works great. They are inexpensive, easy to erect (just like a diople) and since the feedline terminates in a piece of coaxial cable routing the feedline into the shack is not a challenge. REMEMBER to use a tuner!!! The antenna, while being multi-band, will tune most, if not all the HF ham bands (160 might be a little tough, but mine would do it) howver, a TUNER is MANDATORY. If you go with an altered feedline configuration (300 or 450 ohm ladder line all the way in from the antnna feedpoint to the transmitter) you can achieve true multiband performance. Just remember, it won't be a gain antenna on all bands. 73 Rich W3OS || "Chuck Grandgent" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> made an utterance to the drakelist gang | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | I'll put a vote in for the Radio Works Carolina Windom, by far best | antenna I've ever had (compared to the dipoles and verticals I've | had). I use the T4X barefoot, so no power problems with it. Can | finally do 160meters, which was a boyhood dream (wanted a rhombic) | that I was never able to fulfill because of lack of real estate, no | longer a problem. | | I use it with the MN-4 and tunes up great on all bands. On 160 it is | connected "direct", but it appears my MN4 was modified with a switch | on the back for extra capacitance, I have to investigate that some | more to see if I can tune the MN4 properly on 160, though it tunes up | fine without it with low SWR. | | Chuck, K1OM | | On Sun, Mar 30, 2008 at 6:39 PM, Joe Roth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: | > I've been VERY pleased with my OCF dipole from Buckmaster. 6-80 no tuner needed. Handles my L4B and Commander HF-2500 at full tilt.Simple antenna, pleasing to the neighbor's eye. Super simple set up. | > Had the Radio Works Carolina Windom. Worked good until I blew the line isolator. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Submissions: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - unsubscribe drakelist in body Hopelessly Lost: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - help in body of message Zerobeat Web Page: www.zerobeat.net - sponsored by www.tlchost.net ----------------------------------------------------------------------
