Once the snow melts, I'm installing a new antenna. Currently, I run a G5RV Jr. and about 25 feet which works but there is always room for improvement. The new setup would be a sloper, 25' on the near side and 50'+ on the far side. Doing the math, I have 83' on a straight run but have a 3rd tree offset that I could run to the feedpoint to pull it at an angle to use up extra antenna length if necessary.

Given that, I've been debating between a full length G5RV if I can use up the extra 20' or possibly a 80m Windom -if- the Windom is useable on other bands. I'll impress everyone with my awesome MSPaint skills later when I get back to a computer.

Probably the biggest question is whether I could use a 80m Windom on 80m-10m with my LDG tuner?  I spend a bulk of my time on 40m-20m but I plan on getting into some of the higher bands during the summer.

If you have a good tuner you can match anything.

It may not be efficient, but you will be able to feed it power.

The G5RV is a compromise antenna.

Can you run ladder line all the way? If so, a doublet cut to the lowest frequency band you want to operate would be a simple solution. You may have to play around with the feed line length, however.

An OCF or fan dipole are other options.

Gonna need 135ft to do 80m.

Your 75ft could give you an OCFD for 40m and up.

Yep, and just FYI the LDG tuner will let you "tune" it for 80m and make contacts.  Not efficiently, but I've done it



 

I do pretty well on 80 with a 74' inverted L and a remote tuner at the base with about 20 radials in the lawn.  But then again, I've never been on 80 with anything longer than that so I don't really know what I'm missing.

Now... It'll tune on 160 too but that's just a joke.  I got a physical QSL card for a 160m contact the other day from a guy who lives about 15 miles away from me.  To date, it's my first and only 160m qso.  Pretty hysterical.

Along the lines of what sturmgewehr762 uses, there are some quasi-magic-lengths that can be effectively used for muti-band use.

43 to 45 ft is one, 90 ft is another.  These lengths generally allow a base tuner to avoid the very high impedance points, and get a decent match on ALL ham bands.  IOW, these lengths can be thought of as maximally non-resonant!

For example the one I like best is a 90 ft inverted-L.

With a good set of radials, it's a great 160M and 80M antenna, with good efficient vertically polarized low angle radiation.

On the higher bands, the upper horizontal section acts as a great end-fed, and everything 60M or 40M and up has nice efficient horizontally polarized low angle radiation (assuming that you can get that upper section up around 40 ft or so)..

Feeding can be a tuner at the base.  Or, with a good BMU (Base Matching Unit), long runs of coax can be efficiently used with in-shack tuner.

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