>I remember Gotham quite well. I also learned the hard way that cheap was
> not necessarily good! I bought a 4 element 15 meter yagi from them from
> an
> ad in QST. When I put it up I could work just as many stations off the
> front as I could off the back and sides and with no difference in signal
> strength! The SWR was 10 to 1 at the lowest.
The beam antennas actually worked remarkably well although they certainly
were not "Plug-'n-Play." The building experience was more akin to a
magazine construction project with Gotham supplying most of the parts. The
gamma match simplified things for Gotham. There wasn't a single component
used that was custom manufactured.
The instructions called for making the reflector 5% longer than the DE, and
the directors 5% smaller than the preceding elements which, were spaced
evenly on the boom. Without exception, the most difficult part of assembly
for the beginner was creating the gamma matching section, finding a suitable
tap point, and adjusting a series compression trimmer accordingly to yield a
VSWR of 1:1. Other than supplying a hose clamp, Gotham left the design of
the gamma section up to the owner. It was a shame, really -- so many
beginners gave up like you did. At the very least, Gotham could have
supplied thin tubing and an input termination point. No terminals. No
SO-239 connector. Only a set of instructions that told you to connect your
coaxial able to the gamma section that YOU designed.
Switching to the TA-33 from the Gotham was one of the happiest days of my
youth.
Paul, W9AC
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