Hustler and Other HF Verticals - Tips and Tricks 

The best built and bullet proof antenna on the market. I love mine and since 1978 the only thing i have had to do was replace the cracked 15 meter trap cover. that was caused by a cat 4 hurricane.😊😅

That was really cool! Thank you. I like listening to you and - you are quite a proponent of the hobby.

I always referred to my 5btv as 'the vertical dummy load'. Tried all sorts of earthing systems, I even considered consulting a snake oil salesman, nothing helped so after a few years of trying I took it down. Following an evening of alcohol consumption I clamped it to the jockey wheel of of my touring caravan and it worked. I have continued to use it in this manner ever since. So there you have it, if you have problems with your antenna, buy a caravan. If you're skilful you could attach some form of mast/tower to it and escape our draconian planning rules too.

Very interesting. This video is loaded with ideas. No substitute for experience. Well done Peter. Thank you.

Another informative and thought provoking vid - thanks Peter. 👍🏻

Yet another very informative video. Thank you Peter 73.

Thanks, Peter, I will give it a try

Living in an apartment I can only operate "portable" so I use 1/4 wave vertical exclusively. I run an MFJ 1979 on a tripod in the yard or the soccer field across the street fed at about head height (6ft/2m) with a pair of radials elevated to about waist height. Works super for anything 6-20. I have the radials set up like a linked dipole and just pull the plug on the sections I don't need. Makes band changes a breeze. Currently, I'm working on a coil for 40m operation... or possibly 40 & 80 if I decide to fiddle with tapping the coil. KC3UVF

Wonderful and most helpful presentation and super information for my printed antenna file. I always appreciate links that go beyond advertising. Best wishes from, wd9gus, Colfax, Wisconsin USA. 73

Very informative video thank you. You thouroly covered this topic in 30 minutes equivalent to maybe 40 pages from a book.

Controversially there is mileage in erring on the long side when using quarterwave verticals, particularly ground mounted ones. We have all become obsessed with SWR, and of course it is handy if the rig's own auto ATU can "deal with" any mismatches. Thank you for the thought provoking video.

Thank you Peter for another quite informative video. I just finished installing my 6BTV. I've installed it on the roof. Since weve recently had our electric service put underground i attached the antenna to the conduit that used to carry our overhead electric service. Surpringly without any radials yet installed, and just one run of wire to a ground rod, it works well. Because of not having radials I believe that is why its acting like an OCF dipole in that even with all band adjustments on the vertical at minimum, it (the antenna itself) presents yet as too long. I plan to add radials and i suspect that will change the impedance to allow greater adjustment. The fun part is seeing what happens! 😀

Excellent video you are a wealth of information well worth a watch.

thanks peter. i have ahustler 5 which im moving because of static noise from locals, i will be playing with it and let you know many thanks. GW4 WVE

We have plenty of room for antennas. However, I have a 5BTV set up for my "Kitchen shack." I have a neat set up in our kitchen/family room with an IC-7300 to a 5BTV. Using the 7300 tuner, I operate and make contacts on ALL bands from 6 through 80 meters with the 5BTV. The other antennas attached in my shack do work better at times but I love having the "Kitchen shack" and being able to work all HF.

Another informative video, Peter. I've been using a Hustler 4btv for almost 20 years in my small backyard. With about 48 various lengths of buried radials. The only repair/maintenance that has been required was the replacement of a cracked top piece of one of the traps. Simple and inexpensive to fix. I've made numerous QSOs across the US, Canada, South America, Europe, and elsewhere. I also added 17m as you detailed in one of your videos. I'm thinking about adding 30m. One question I have is since I have had all of these radials in the ground, if would lengthen the antenna, would that lead to any improvement? Sorry for such a long read to finally get to my question. Thanks again for all of your informative videos. KC8WVG 73

Thank you very much for the interesting video Peter. After a long time inactive I plan installing an antenna and bringing my old Ten-Tec Corsair II back to life. I have a small garden for a vertical but my roof is flat made of concrete about 15x15m and 6m above ground level. I wonder how a vertical will behave if mounted at center of this roof and lay radials above concrete or if I could use the rebar mesh inside concrete as a ground plane. 73 de SV1FJK, Yannis.

I've had great luck with Hustler mobile antennas, especially their VHF mobile, as long as you have a good ground plane. Very difficult to get a good ground plane for them on the aluminum body Ford F-150s.

Another great video, sir... I've been searching through your RU-vid channel for videos on various topics (particularly portable HF antennas) and have found them extremely helpful and (unlike most others with similar content) quite practical. Thank you for doing these, from a ham "across the pond". 73 de BJ, KM4RB

So much great info. Thank you! I have a large barn with a 30' high steel roof. Wondering if placing the 5BTV at the peak of the roof will provide sufficient radial effect.

I like the idea of using loading coils on the lower bands do you have any suggestions for making the loading coils?

Regarding your description of an elevated vertic with radials I recall seeing a design/suggestion, not sure which for a probably 20m antenna raised of the grond with the radial spread out at guy ropes. For me tha would be a 10m roach pole with the appropiate lengh of copper and guyed at the 5 (ish)meter point. Very small foot print.

Good stuff. That feeding slightly off center trick also works great for big horizontal dipoles close to the ground (40-80-160 meters).

I bought a used 4BTV antenna last fall, rebuilt it and ground installed it with 28 - 32ft. long radials. My original thought was if it works well, I'd upgrade to the 6 BTV. About a month after installing the antenna, I was playing around with it and found it tuned 6, 12 and 17 m bands as well as the 10, 15, 20 and 40m bands. I get good band width and SWR on all the bands and have found over the past several months I am able to get good DX, so very happy with it.

Just wondering if you could use a raised vertical with a counterpoise tuner, artificial ground and get simula results.

Did you mean guys not radials? I've used 6btv without guying but it certainly does need radials inorder to perform well

With the 5BTV can I just connect my coax direct to antenna or do I need a balun? Thanks Peter! 👍👍👍

@watersstanton I'm very interested in a Hustler antenna but does this antenna need ground radials, if I mount this antenna 4/5 meters high in a mast ?

I used to use a vertical a few years back and they worked ok. But they are around minus 3-5 db gain. With around 32 radials down the gain went a little better. I bought a ma5b mini beam and the difference was crazy. I stopped using verticals in the home qth once I got my beam. Only use them when portable now. The only way to get decent gain from a vertical is to phase them.

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I've got the 6band hustler and I'd like to mount direct center of my metal roof. Would the metal be a good radial?

Just a heads up, don't try to run 1k into these antennas at high altitudes. The air is just too thin at 10,000 ft to provide a good insulator for the traps. 100 watts works fine, but as you increase power, you will see purple arcing at night. Not a good scenario.

My btv-4 stands on my swimmingstair on my boat. But no good swr, water is no good grounding

radials or guys mentioned in first few minutes?

Hustler 6-BTV or Diamond BB7V ??

I find the continual reference to wavelength rather than frequency.

Just the info I was looking for Peter. Many thanks for making this video. 73 de GI8WFA.

Peter TY Sir for yet another excellent video..i have a 6btv hustler ,,how do i contact hustler dierct please.. i need support but cannot find their site please help

How about one in a tree? I'v got a tree 140' and it does get windy.