In a message dated 9/6/01 5:00:11 PM Pacific Daylight Time, rgagos@home.com
writes:<<
My first posting to the list, and after lurking for several days, I must say
I'm impressed with the civility! As you no doubt know, that is not a
universal condition of all lists.
Anyway, regarding verticals, I wanted to note that I am VERY pleased with my
GAP Titan DX vertical (others mileage may vary) and would recommend it
highly. Just make sure you read (and re-read) the instructions carefully
plus keep it away (30-ft. minimum I believe was their recommendation) from
other vertical or metallic structures. Mine was in stock at AES and arrived
in 48 hours.
No doubt this antenna has been discussed here in the past...it's quite a
contraption, but less than 2:1 across 40-10M and at least 100 kHz. on 75M
ain't to shabby. Oh yes, and it radiates well too!
73,
Roger, K6EQ
>>
K7NTL here in Kirkland Wa has had exceptional success with the Challenger GAP
in particular on 20-10. I had very good signal into Japan with a 5 element
10M yagi, 600W and he beat me 10 dB. I've never heard the end of it. The
JA's frequently ask him "Mikson, how many elements in your beam." He says
"just 1."
On 20M he tuned on a station on Johnson Island and gave a quick call just
repeating his call N7NTL once. He had a few normal turn overs with him and
he asked "what vertical he had" as he was doing verv well. He got the
details and then said "I've several standing by and have to get back to
them." The frequency exploded with stations calling him with big beam and
power. Everyone heard that the GAP Challenger and 100W beat the rest out.
Mike was not aware he broke a 20M pile up. It was hard to live with Mike
after that.
Every couple of days he would come to my desk at Boeing and give his signal
report stories since I recommended he get the GAP. He would get so excited
his neck blood vessels would bulge. His face and a bald spot would even get
a little red. I reached up and touched his bald spot and said "Mike you are
growing hair on your bald spot. When you give me your GAP vertical signal
reports with such enthusiasm, your neck blood vessels budge out and your face
and bald spot get a little red. All this blood is nourishing the roots of
your doormat hair and IT'S GROWING." He reached up and ran his fingers over
his bald spot to see it I was kidding. He had tried all the other stuff and
it didn't work. Now that's what I'd call a "GAP performance hair raising
testimonial."
He had one other thing going for him. He used the Comdel RF speech processor
that gives a good 10 dB+ equivalent power increase. I'm sure the Pile up had
about the same for extra audio. I think he at least had a a couple of Comdel
RF Compressor dB edge. Here is one sample of how good it worked. He was
told on one QSO "Mike at the start of the QSO you were S-9 even, slowly the
band has faded out and you are "S0" but still Q5. I didn't have to touch the
volume control"
I had a similar report from a station in Brazil. He said "he heard me call
CQDX from the other room and came in to answer me but I was S-0." He looked
around the room to see where this voice was coming from as he wasn't sure it
came from the receiver reading S-0." He said "it was like I was an audio
ghost in the shack--Ken you have Ghost Audio."
I pointed my 7 element beam on Mike one time and he says "Ken you are so loud
you just degaussed the magnet in my speaker". Would you believe if you work
DX, you have to get "multi-lingo gaussed magnets" in the speaker. That's an
absolutely true story--I just made it up.
Now every dB helps whether it's RF or RF with more audio on it which the best
compressors give.
A simple increase of power test to hear the difference does work. However I
like the comparison that was in DX magazine that has more "RF Clout" to it.
It showed that the SS score for 1KW was 40% higher over the 100W class.
Taguchi came up with a measurement system to show the affect of small
differences buy making large changes making its affect proportionally larger.
It also separated it from other small variations. So on a linear basis each
dB gave 4% higher score and this technique held true for mechanical and other
concepts. I used it in Bench Rifle Shooting as we have several small
variables.
I'm not so sure it would apply to increased score on a linear basis due to
what I call "layers of QRM". Say you ran about 800W instead of 1000W which
is about 1dB less. A 4% loss of points would certainly put you out of the
running. If this linear relationship is reasonable--1 dB is indeed of value
over many contacts in terms of intelligibility. k7gco
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