Cushcraft R-5
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| Frequency | 20m: 14.0-14.35 MHz, 17m: 18.068-18.168 MHz, 15m: 21.0-21.45 MHz, 12m: 24.89-24.99 MHz, 10m: 28.0-29.7 MHz |
| Bands | 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m, 10m |
| Modes | SSB, CW, AM, FM, digital |
| Connector | SO-239 |
| Year | 1990 |
| feedpoint | SO-239 |
A self-contained half-wave vertical for 20-10 meters. No ground radials are required; the half-wave design and base matching network remove the need for a radial field. It is about 17 feet tall, with four short base rods providing top-hat capacitance, and is light enough for a scaffold pole, tripod, or chimney. It was a common apartment/restricted-space vertical for years and is still widely available used.
No 40m or 80m coverage. 17 feet is taller than it sounds (plan the installation). The trap design adds loss on every band. The 20m bandwidth is narrow. The base matching network is weather-sensitive and the most common failure point. Reviews are mixed; performance depends heavily on mounting height and surroundings.
A restricted-space multiband vertical, now discontinued. The R5 fits on a balcony, chimney, or roof tripod and covers five bands without radials. Many were sold and many remain in use. Performance is modest but real. It was replaced by the R6000 series.
The Cushcraft R5 is a multi-band HF vertical antenna with an unusual and convenient trick: it needs no ground radials. It covers the 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10-meter bands as an electrical half-wave vertical on each band, fed off-center through a matching network, which is what frees it from the sprawling radial field that ordinary quarter-wave verticals require. That made it a favorite for apartment dwellers and small lots where laying out radials is impossible.
At about 17 feet it is compact, and it mounts on a simple pole or even a balcony rail. The trade-off common to all no-radial half-wave verticals is a somewhat narrow SWR bandwidth on each band and a reliance on the internal matching network, which can need maintenance over the years. It does not cover the lower bands (40 and 80 meters); for those you step up to the taller R7.
It is a discontinued model now, superseded within Cushcraft's own R-series and affected by broader brand changes, Cushcraft's parent company, MFJ Enterprises, wound down its manufacturing in 2024, and the Cushcraft brand was acquired by ITU Corporation in 2026, so availability has recently been in flux. For the seven-band version of the same idea, see the Cushcraft R7; for a trap-style alternative, the Hustler 4BTV is a classic.