[TowerTalk] GAP Voyager failure

[Mahlon Haunschild]

Chuck,

Sorry to hear about your Voyager failure.  That first coupler is 
probably where most of the bending moments are greatest, so it doesn't 
surprise me that it failed there.  The only other Voyager mast failure 
I've heard of isn't relevant to this situation (that failure was during 
a hurricane, and the antenna was erected).

<rant>
By the way... I wish you all the luck in the world getting parts out of 
them... I've been trying to get a replacement tuning capacitor out of 
them for three years, with absolutely no success whatsoever for various 
reasons not of my making (failure to ship, out of stock, doesn't return 
phone calls, doesn't answer e-mail [that includes a face-to-face 
conversation with the owner at Dayton this year, I might add]).  It's 
just a bloody damn shame that they put such an expensive product out on 
the market with no support behind it.
</rant>

regards (and sympathies)
Mahlon - K4OQ

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Subject:
[TowerTalk] GAP Voyager failure
From:
KI9A at aol.com
Date:
Sat, 6 Oct 2007 09:56:51 EDT
To:
towertalk at contesting.com

Guys-

I know the big Voyager has mechanical issues, according to some, but, I 
was
raising one that was up at a previous QTH for about 4 months, with no ice
storm,  or wind storm damage.

While walking it up, about 3/4 up, the coupler between the lower & mid 
masts
failed, and broke in 2.

Luckily, the only other damage was a slight bend on one of the tuning 
rods,
and a little bend on the cap hat.

Anyone ever hear of a failure at that point of the antenna? Seems weird it
would fail there and not higher in the mast, where there seems to be a 
much
larger load.

73-Chuck KI9A