[TowerTalk] (Fwd) Re: Gotham antenna

[wa3afs at inav.net]

I bought one of the Gotham "gutless wonders" and installed it in November of 1978.

If I remember correctly, it was a vertical which I wanted to use to get on 160M and I paid $29.95 (shipping 
included!) for it.

Basically, it was a couple pieces of aluminum tubing (not very large diameter) and a coil (air dux?) which 
you used an aligator clip to vary the feed point.  Length was about 40 feet (according to my log at the time)

I quickly mounted the vertical to a scrap piece of 4x4 post in the ground and loaded it up......nada...lousy 
SWR and could not hear a thing.... After scratching my head and replacing the coax..somehow I decided 
to check the resistance between the ungrounded antenna and ground.....oops! the 4x4 post had been 
treated with some sort of wood preservative (called cuprinol!!!!!).  the post actually conducted very well!

Mounted the antenna on a new post.  Added a short radial or two and proceded to make a couple of 
contacts within 200 miles or so.  My signal reports were 33.

A ham friend suggested that I put a top hat on it.  I obtained and cut some hardware mesh and attached to 
the top and put the vertical back up.  First gust of wind and the tubing collasped.  That was the end of my 
ever even thinking about the Gotham antennas.

That was the end of 160M until I tried the coaxial inverted Ls about 5 years later and am still using coaxial 
inverted Ls now (for 160M, 75M, 40M, and occassionally 20M). 

--Bruce 


------- Forwarded message follows -------
I DO remember all those Gotham ads. But, curiously, I never actually
talked to anybody who actually was using one. Even in the 1950s,
Gotham prices seemed impossibly low. I always wondered if they worked
and how well they were constructed? And if nobody bought them, how did
the company pay for all those QST and CQ magazine ads? Jim W8ZR


-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Carl Smidt
Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 7:34 AM To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] antennas

Nostalgia is getting to me.

Remember all those good old Gotham adds in the magazines?

73,  Carl  VE9OV


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Osborne" <w7why at verizon.net>
To: "Towertalk" <towertalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2007 9:52 PM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] antennas


>
>
>
>> They ALL work.Some work better then others,some last longer then
>> >others still others are cheaper then others.
>
> How true!!
> I had a Gotham 2 element quad up for about 5 years till the wind
> took the antenna and mast down.  Paid $27.50 for it.  Oh yeah, I
> know, aluminum spreaders, etc, won't work, but it did work. 
> Better'n something else?? Dunno, but I sure liked it.  73 Tom W7WHY
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
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>
> 


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------- End of forwarded message -------