[TowerTalk] Gap Vertical

[James W. Fisher, Jr.]

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From:   INTERNET:n3hrt@eagle1.eaglenet.com,
INTERNET:n3hrt@eagle1.eaglenet.com
TO:     Tower-talk, INTERNET:towertalk@contesting.com
DATE:   01/08/97 10:05

RE:     [TowerTalk] Gap Vertical

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>Martin, n3hrt writes:
>I have about $300.00 to spend and I want to buy an
antenna that will cover 40-10 meters..So, after looking thru all of my
catalogs, I decided that one of the Gap verticals might be a
good choice...So, after making that decision, I starting asking around
about them,
trying to find someone who actually had one to see how they perform,
Everyone I talked to either hates them or loves them..(none of these
poeple have actually owned one)...Any comments, suggestions, or alternative
ideas would be greatly
appreciated.

Martin, I have used a GAP Voyager (160-20) for a couple of years and have
exchanged experiences with other GAP users .  I'll summarize the consensus
on the GAPs covering 160-up and 80-up (haven't talked with someone using
the 40-up): they work fairly well (I get a lot of compliments and have had
moderate success in running and pouncing) on all bands EXCEPT the lowest
ones each covers.  A number of people including me have been disappointed
with what appears to be low efficiency on the lowest band. I've raised the
counterpoise a bit and added a coax choke and ground system to try to
improve the 160-meter performance; 80 seems better but 160 still nothing to
write home about.  On the other hand, although I'm moving to Comtek/Force
12 4-squares on 160 and 80, I intend to keep the GAP (well away from the
others) as an omnidirectional spotter and backup.  

73 es GL, Jim VE1JF/W8JF

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