Dave, I'm a patreon of a lot of channels. And none of those channels asked me to be a patreon. I have to be honest I'm getting tired of you asking for people to be patrons And you have your own personal airplane.. .you have enough to support your channel!
Dittos. As much as I've been listening to Dave for pretty much since he started - and I've learned a few things from him - this has turned into way too an aggressive hunt for funding. I've pretty much gotten so that 100% of the time, when Dave says, "There you have it..." I click away from the rest of the stream. I know it wacks his algorithm but, well, there you have it LOL.
I really do not like personal attacks. It is irrelevant if Dave has an airplane or not. I believe Dave is using the funds to buy and evaluate products. Dave is a great asset to the Ham radio hobby.
A man has no obligation to use his own money to support an effort to provide entertainment and learning to the general public if it doesn't suit him. And there is nothing unethical or untoward about asking for monetary support for any endeavor, worthy or frivolous. This is a free country. If he were worth $500 million and asking for support for the channel, that makes no difference. He is free to ask and viewers are free to take the content and contribute nothing. If you don't want to hear his solicitation, poke the screen a few times and skip over it. That's what I do. Each poke skips ahead 10 seconds. And for Crissakes, his plane is an $80K ultralight putt-putt wannabe, not a $200K Cessna 172 Skyhawk. Some of you whiners probably have RVs in your driveway that cost more than his plane.
Dave I have owned 2 Challengers and have been very pleased with the performance of the antenna. The assembly instructions are easy to follow and I was able to assemble the antenna in under an hour--it tuned perfectly without any alterations. I have been able to work the world using 100W. But even more important is GAP's service after the sale. When my antenna was severely damaged, Richard at GAP was able assist me with the repair of the antenna and get me back on the air. 73 Don KA3YIA.
I like that it is elevated. Being elevated won't make any difference for Dave's location based on what I've seen of his property, but for someone like me who lives in a crowded, wooded neighborhood, height can make difference ( I have tested several ground, and elevated verticals, and elevated makes a difference for my location). I live in a HOA, and a design like this may be acceptable. Very interesting antenna Dave, thanks for sharing.
I've had my Gap Titan for 20+ years. Has been a great performer and I have never done a thing re: maintenance- haven't touched it. It has stood through 6oMPH winds and plenty of ice and snow. One of my best-ever ham purchases. Lots of world-wide DX using 100 to 1500W SSB, CW, PSK31, FT9 and FT4. 73, K1KL
I am interested in your review of this antenna. I'm especially interested in the build process and how well the instructions are written and how easy they are to follow. I watched your review/build of the MFJ Hexbeam. It looked a lot more complicated than what I wanted to tackle, so I decided on the K4KIO Hexbeam, which I really like. I also watched your review/build of the DX Commander antenna, which is why I held off buying one until the instructions were improved. I've never heard of this antenna, but I'm interested in how well it goes together and how it performs. Thanks, Bill
Hi Dave, sorry I did not comment sooner. I had some family issues. Thank You for taking a look at Gap antenna. A few other facts. It mounts at ground level with an included plastic pipe. It holds up fairly well on it's own, but if you are in a windy area, one set of guy wires is a very good insurance plan. It can be painted. I painted mine green to blend with the pine trees that are next to it. SWR runs about 1.4 to 1, a little less on some bands (1.2 to 1), a little more on others with 1.7 to 1 being the highest. They recommend using 100' of coax, which acts as a counterpoise (I have about 75 feet, and most of it runs under my home in the basement.) The owner of the company does not like LMR 400 with this antenna. It's what I have and it's working fine. I am going to replace the LMR 400 with some M&P 400 cable as soon as I clear some snow just to see if there is an advantage. I have another antenna I'll use the LMR 400 with. The owner of the company is very knowledgeable about this antenna and will always help with any issues with just a phone call. There are interchangeable capacitors that fit in the top of the antenna that give about a 130 Khz bandwidth in the chosen part of the 80 M band. The instructions are pretty good, just look at them closely before starting assembly, more drawings than text. It's not a difficult antenna to assemble, I got my Tech and General at the same time. Other than a dipole, it was my first antenna I had to assemble and it went fine. Just be sure to put the coax through the hole at the bottom of the antenna. I dissembled it after 10 years and replace the coax in the antenna and it came apart and went back together with zero problems. It does not come with 17 meters from the factory. If you take a 6" piece of LMR 400, fold back the braid a little and stick it in the bottom end of the 12 meter element, you get great SWR on 17 meters. It still tunes fine on 12 meters with an internal antenna tuner with the 6" piece of coax in the 12 meter tube. It's very strong on 20 and 40 meters and good on the higher bands. Mine is very close to my house. At my old QTH, the antenna was in the middle of an open field and worked even better than it does now. I make no claims that it is the best vertical out there, but it does perform as good as some much more expensive verticals that friends who live close to me have. I can put it up and take it down myself. It is easier with two people though....I'm 68 Years old. I have made DX contacts all over the world with 100 watts and it takes full legal limit. I've busted a lot of pile up's with it. I see some people want you to use the Titan model. The Challenger sits at ground level, the Titan has to be up `10'. I asked the owner if the Challenger would work better raised and he said no real difference. You get 6 meters with this antenna which for me is better than having 60 meters. It's whatever you need I guess. I don't expect it to knock your socks off, It's a multi band vertical, but at it's price point, it's one of the best values out there in a multi band vertical. Not hard to assemble and can work in a HOA better than some others including the Titan model. Thanks for addressing my question. I look forward to the review once the antenna arrives and is up at your QTH. 73, John Kaelberer
@@WILLIAMPERRELLI Don't have the info to send you a picture. Do a Google search, it's on the net. I just took a 6 inch piece of LMR400, cut back about 3 quarters of an inch of the outer jacket, folded back the braid back over the jacket. I then cut off the center insulation and center conductor. Shove the braided end into the bottom of the 12 meter tube element and adjust how deeply the coax goes into the tube for the best SWR. The 12 meter element is the shorter of the two elements at the bottom of the antenna. Hope that helps....73
Yes, please. I’d like to see a review of the Challenger. I had a Gap Eagle a little over 20 years ago. Didn’t get any airtime with, unfortunately. Wasn’t too hard to assemble. I made one or two mistakes but nothing I couldn’t fix. It had to come by a large truck because of the length. 73 de WB3CFN
Thanks Dave for the video. I've been playing around with wire antenna configurations and came across one with a very small footprint for forty and eighty meters. It's called a double delta and kind of reminds me of a Christmas tree 😁. With dimensions of 25feet high and 14foot diameter and recommended 3feet above ground level base. It sounds like a good backyard or rooftop project. 73 for now. Ke4nc
I have a Titan DX. I've always had mixed feelings about it. I do wish they would have built a little more bulk into the mast. In time the antenna starts to bend in the direction of the prevailing winds due to a weak mast. WI4ND
If I was going to do a review, I'd chose the GAP Titan as it's almost identical to the GAP Challenger but skips 2 and 6 meters but adds some HF bands. With a tuner the GAP Titan is usable on 6 and 60 meters. I would describe the GAP Challenger and GAP Titan as center fed vertical fan dipoles. Halfway up the antenna there's a fiberglass insulator that isolates the bottom part of the antenna from the top for 20 meters. Other bands have elements affixed to the center element with wires attaching them eclectically to the to the coax. The wall thickness of the main mast isn't as thick as I think it should be which makes is very easy to over tighten a screw and strip the hole out. The instructions make the DX Commander instructions look like a masterpiece as they are pretty skimpy on details. When the instructions say to put the coax out through the hole in the side of the mast you have to make sure you don't miss that point as simply dropping the coax out the bottom of the mast will cause the antenna not to work at all. Once you have the GAP antennas together and up in the air, they're great performers given the very small footprint that they require. Not needing any radials is certainly a huge selling point for someone with a small lot. I've had a GAP Titan for just under three years and have over 70,000 QSLs using it. Being resonant on multiple bands makes it quick and easy to go from band to band.
same with the R9 and family - center fed (or off center fed) verticals. How is the 80 meter coverage of the Titan? That is the bugaboo of most verticals, but I am rarely on 80m so likley a moot point
@@BartVanAllen There are different capacitor for different parts of the 80 M band. Each covers about 130 Khz. It works on 80, but like every other multiband vertical I've ever seen, is not all that strong.
The challenger also does 2 meters. 12 and 17 meters can be used with the 12 meter element with a 6" piece of LMR400 with a little bit of the braid being stripped back a inserted into the bottom of the 12 tuner rod. Earily inserted from ground level. No need to remove it as it tunes easily with the built in tuner in your radio. No higher than 2-1 SWR.
A vertical is a vertical is a vertical. Except when it's not. A quarter wave vertical is a vertical. Gap antennas are essentially dipoles, not the same. In the real world, over real ground with lazy inadequate radial fields like we all use, a 1/4 wave vertical usually underperforms a dipole. There's plenty of reasons to expect better performance.
I have worked on a GAP Titan DX antenna. It is a rugged antenna and works well. I may still have photos if you need them. The instructions are tedious and it might be considered being sadistic to bless a high school kid with assembling a GAP antenna (humor). If the kid has a Prussian perfectionist bent and likes paper and pencil work, give him or her the challenge. N0QFT
Dave. Love your channel and website! A question for you. My daughter(expecting) and son n law live in Boston. My wife and I will be going to help out with the baby for abt three weeks and I want to bring my Icom 7300(can u blame me). Anyhow, there is not much room for an antenna, except out on the fire escape. What antenna would you suggest that would allow me to talk(nothing great) and be small? Thanku William
Thanks DAVE for your videos always informative. I never miss one. I need to take the time and sign up to be a Patreon. Hopefully I can do that soon. W7GUM
Dave, I'm a patreon of a lot of channels. And none of those channels asked me to be a patreon. I have to be honest I'm getting tired of you asking for people to be patrons And you have your own personal airplane.. .you have enough to support your channel!
Dittos. As much as I've been listening to Dave for pretty much since he started - and I've learned a few things from him - this has turned into way too an aggressive hunt for funding. I've pretty much gotten so that 100% of the time, when Dave says, "There you have it..." I click away from the rest of the stream. I know it wacks his algorithm but, well, there you have it LOL.
I get turned off from beggers. I randomly support channels when I can... and if I don't get asked for money.
I really do not like personal attacks. It is irrelevant if Dave has an airplane or not. I believe Dave is using the funds to buy and evaluate products. Dave is a great asset to the Ham radio hobby.
A man has no obligation to use his own money to support an effort to provide entertainment and learning to the general public if it doesn't suit him.
And there is nothing unethical or untoward about asking for monetary support for any endeavor, worthy or frivolous. This is a free country.
If he were worth $500 million and asking for support for the channel, that makes no difference.
He is free to ask and viewers are free to take the content and contribute nothing. If you don't want to hear his solicitation, poke the screen a few times and skip over it. That's what I do. Each poke skips ahead 10 seconds.
And for Crissakes, his plane is an $80K ultralight putt-putt wannabe, not a $200K Cessna 172 Skyhawk. Some of you whiners probably have RVs in your driveway that cost more than his plane.
Actually I only paid $40K.
Dave I have owned 2 Challengers and have been very pleased with the performance of the antenna. The assembly instructions are easy to follow and I was able to assemble the antenna in under an hour--it tuned perfectly without any alterations. I have been able to work the world using 100W. But even more important is GAP's service after the sale. When my antenna was severely damaged, Richard at GAP was able assist me with the repair of the antenna and get me back on the air. 73 Don KA3YIA.
I like that it is elevated. Being elevated won't make any difference for Dave's location based on what I've seen of his property, but for someone like me who lives in a crowded, wooded neighborhood, height can make difference ( I have tested several ground, and elevated verticals, and elevated makes a difference for my location). I live in a HOA, and a design like this may be acceptable. Very interesting antenna Dave, thanks for sharing.
I've had my Gap Titan for 20+ years. Has been a great performer and I have never done a thing re: maintenance- haven't touched it. It has stood through 6oMPH winds and plenty of ice and snow. One of my best-ever ham purchases. Lots of world-wide DX using 100 to 1500W SSB, CW, PSK31, FT9 and FT4. 73, K1KL
I am interested in your review of this antenna. I'm especially interested in the build process and how well the instructions are written and how easy they are to follow. I watched your review/build of the MFJ Hexbeam. It looked a lot more complicated than what I wanted to tackle, so I decided on the K4KIO Hexbeam, which I really like. I also watched your review/build of the DX Commander antenna, which is why I held off buying one until the instructions were improved. I've never heard of this antenna, but I'm interested in how well it goes together and how it performs. Thanks,
Bill
Hi Dave, sorry I did not comment sooner. I had some family issues. Thank You for taking a look at Gap antenna. A few other facts. It mounts at ground level with an included plastic pipe. It holds up fairly well on it's own, but if you are in a windy area, one set of guy wires is a very good insurance plan. It can be painted. I painted mine green to blend with the pine trees that are next to it. SWR runs about 1.4 to 1, a little less on some bands (1.2 to 1), a little more on others with 1.7 to 1 being the highest. They recommend using 100' of coax, which acts as a counterpoise (I have about 75 feet, and most of it runs under my home in the basement.) The owner of the company does not like LMR 400 with this antenna. It's what I have and it's working fine. I am going to replace the LMR 400 with some M&P 400 cable as soon as I clear some snow just to see if there is an advantage. I have another antenna I'll use the LMR 400 with. The owner of the company is very knowledgeable about this antenna and will always help with any issues with just a phone call. There are interchangeable capacitors that fit in the top of the antenna that give about a 130 Khz bandwidth in the chosen part of the 80 M band. The instructions are pretty good, just look at them closely before starting assembly, more drawings than text. It's not a difficult antenna to assemble, I got my Tech and General at the same time. Other than a dipole, it was my first antenna I had to assemble and it went fine. Just be sure to put the coax through the hole at the bottom of the antenna. I dissembled it after 10 years and replace the coax in the antenna and it came apart and went back together with zero problems. It does not come with 17 meters from the factory. If you take a 6" piece of LMR 400, fold back the braid a little and stick it in the bottom end of the 12 meter element, you get great SWR on 17 meters. It still tunes fine on 12 meters with an internal antenna tuner with the 6" piece of coax in the 12 meter tube. It's very strong on 20 and 40 meters and good on the higher bands. Mine is very close to my house. At my old QTH, the antenna was in the middle of an open field and worked even better than it does now. I make no claims that it is the best vertical out there, but it does perform as good as some much more expensive verticals that friends who live close to me have. I can put it up and take it down myself. It is easier with two people though....I'm 68 Years old. I have made DX contacts all over the world with 100 watts and it takes full legal limit. I've busted a lot of pile up's with it. I see some people want you to use the Titan model. The Challenger sits at ground level, the Titan has to be up `10'. I asked the owner if the Challenger would work better raised and he said no real difference. You get 6 meters with this antenna which for me is better than having 60 meters. It's whatever you need I guess. I don't expect it to knock your socks off, It's a multi band vertical, but at it's price point, it's one of the best values out there in a multi band vertical. Not hard to assemble and can work in a HOA better than some others including the Titan model. Thanks for addressing my question. I look forward to the review once the antenna arrives and is up at your QTH. 73, John Kaelberer
Hi
Could u send me a photo of the 17 meter mod?
Thanks
William
N1mrk
@@WILLIAMPERRELLI Don't have the info to send you a picture. Do a Google search, it's on the net. I just took a 6 inch piece of LMR400, cut back about 3 quarters of an inch of the outer jacket, folded back the braid back over the jacket. I then cut off the center insulation and center conductor. Shove the braided end into the bottom of the 12 meter tube element and adjust how deeply the coax goes into the tube for the best SWR. The 12 meter element is the shorter of the two elements at the bottom of the antenna. Hope that helps....73
@@johnkaelberer237 Thanku
Yes, please. I’d like to see a review of the Challenger. I had a Gap Eagle a little over 20 years ago. Didn’t get any airtime with, unfortunately. Wasn’t too hard to assemble. I made one or two mistakes but nothing I couldn’t fix. It had to come by a large truck because of the length. 73 de WB3CFN
Thanks Dave for the video. I've been playing around with wire antenna configurations and came across one with a very small footprint for forty and eighty meters. It's called a double delta and kind of reminds me of a Christmas tree 😁. With dimensions of 25feet high and 14foot diameter and recommended 3feet above ground level base. It sounds like a good backyard or rooftop project.
73 for now. Ke4nc
Ditto Mr. Mooney with a GAP Titan.
Yes, Dave, please do a review of the Challenger. Thanks! N4WUP
I have a Titan DX. I've always had mixed feelings about it. I do wish they would have built a little more bulk into the mast. In time the antenna starts to bend in the direction of the prevailing winds due to a weak mast. WI4ND
If I was going to do a review, I'd chose the GAP Titan as it's almost identical to the GAP Challenger but skips 2 and 6 meters but adds some HF bands. With a tuner the GAP Titan is usable on 6 and 60 meters.
I would describe the GAP Challenger and GAP Titan as center fed vertical fan dipoles. Halfway up the antenna there's a fiberglass insulator that isolates the bottom part of the antenna from the top for 20 meters. Other bands have elements affixed to the center element with wires attaching them eclectically to the to the coax.
The wall thickness of the main mast isn't as thick as I think it should be which makes is very easy to over tighten a screw and strip the hole out.
The instructions make the DX Commander instructions look like a masterpiece as they are pretty skimpy on details. When the instructions say to put the coax out through the hole in the side of the mast you have to make sure you don't miss that point as simply dropping the coax out the bottom of the mast will cause the antenna not to work at all.
Once you have the GAP antennas together and up in the air, they're great performers given the very small footprint that they require. Not needing any radials is certainly a huge selling point for someone with a small lot. I've had a GAP Titan for just under three years and have over 70,000 QSLs using it. Being resonant on multiple bands makes it quick and easy to go from band to band.
same with the R9 and family - center fed (or off center fed) verticals.
How is the 80 meter coverage of the Titan? That is the bugaboo of most verticals, but I am rarely on 80m so likley a moot point
@@BartVanAllen There are different capacitor for different parts of the 80 M band. Each covers about 130 Khz. It works on 80, but like every other multiband vertical I've ever seen, is not all that strong.
The challenger also does 2 meters. 12 and 17 meters can be used with the 12 meter element with a 6" piece of LMR400 with a little bit of the braid being stripped back a inserted into the bottom of the 12 tuner rod. Earily inserted from ground level. No need to remove it as it tunes easily with the built in tuner in your radio. No higher than 2-1 SWR.
I’ve got a Titan in the box but haven’t found anyone to help put it together!
Send it to me and I'll put it together for you. :) ;)
It isn’t to bad to do by yourself. I’ve had one and ground mounted it on a 5 foot pole and had great results.
offer to send it to Dave and let him review it first
QST did a review of the Gap Challenger in Januray 1995 Issue. I am not sure if the company has improved the antenna since then.
Yes - GAP Titan is the review we'd rather see.
A vertical is a vertical is a vertical. Except when it's not. A quarter wave vertical is a vertical. Gap antennas are essentially dipoles, not the same. In the real world, over real ground with lazy inadequate radial fields like we all use, a 1/4 wave vertical usually underperforms a dipole. There's plenty of reasons to expect better performance.
I have worked on a GAP Titan DX antenna. It is a rugged antenna and works well. I may still have photos if you need them.
The instructions are tedious and it might be considered being sadistic to bless a high school kid with assembling a GAP antenna (humor). If the kid has a Prussian perfectionist bent and likes paper and pencil work, give him or her the challenge. N0QFT
Dave.
Love your channel and website!
A question for you.
My daughter(expecting) and son n law live in Boston. My wife and I will be going to help out with the baby for abt three weeks and I want to bring my Icom 7300(can u blame me). Anyhow, there is not much room for an antenna, except out on the fire escape. What antenna would you suggest that would allow me to talk(nothing great) and be small?
Thanku
William
I vote yes!
Do you know when you are going to review it
Another titan dx vote
I had a Gap Titan that worked like a large dummy load.
Gap antennas are not end fed.
Thanks DAVE for your videos always informative. I never miss one. I need to take the time and sign up to be a Patreon. Hopefully I can do that soon. W7GUM