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1-6 of 6 messages
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Hustler 5BTV vs. GAP Challenger
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by K3MOV on November 2, 2005
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My currrent antennas consist of a Hy Gain AV 640 and a G5RV at 35 ft. I previously posted here regarding replacing the G5RV with other types of wire antennas. The consensus was that as long as I could only achieve a heighth of 35'it really didn't matter which of the wires I used because none of them would do much better than the G5RV @35'.
I have now decided to replace the Hy Gain with either a Hustler 5BTV or a GAP Challenger. I have room for about 30 radials below the Hustler. The GAP only reqires 3 25' counterpoises.
Based on the previous posts here regarding these two antennas and other research I have done, I am leaning toward the GAP. It appears that the transmit signal strength and angle of radiation would be about the same for both antennas. However, it seems that because the GAP is a vertical dipole and because of the way the coax is fed to it a much less noisey receive situation would result.
Your input will be appreciated.
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RE: Hustler 5BTV vs. GAP Challenger
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by N5EAT on November 3, 2005
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If you mount the Hustler above ground, you only need to cut a radial for each band which is essentially a quarter wave of each of your center frequencies. I had this antenna and it worked really well. I've never had a ground mounted vertical, so I can't tell you how that will work. The Gap is indeed a dipole with the feedpoint halfway up the antenna. I know of people who don't even use the radials on this antenna. I would think that the GAP would (on paper) perform better than a ground mounted Hustler.
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RE: Hustler 5BTV vs. GAP Challenger
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by WB2WIK on November 3, 2005
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The Challenger is an interesting antenna. I've owned three of them and installed them at different locations over the years. It is very influenced by not only the earth under it (as all verticals are) but by stuff around it, within 35 feet or so. I had one that was horrible until I relocated it farther away from a wrought iron fence that was about 25 or 30 feet away to begin with -- that was too close.
Despite what some say, my Challenger DX antennas have actually worked very well on 40m and 20m, and so-so on all the other bands. At a Field Day site (K6CAB/6 in '93, I think it was), I installed the Challenger DX on the ground as recommended and the guys in the "next tent over" had a Butternut HF6V with a zillion radials. The Butternut's a pretty good vertical, and they spent hours tuning it. Since we all had multiband rigs, we could swap bands from tent to tent at any given moment, and a few times we worked exactly the same band from both tents, just alternating contacts from tent A to tent B. The tents were close enough that without headphones we could hear each other, and hear what the other tent was working.
It became very apparent within minutes that the Challenger DX was performing far better on 40m CW than the Butternut was. We were all running the same 5W rigs (QRP-battery power), and I could work anybody I wanted to, while the other guy couldn't. 1-2-3 contacts can be explained away as QSB and QRM, but this continued to happen for 40-50 contacts.
It was an impressive demo.
Drawbacks prevail, however: All three of my Challengers eventually bit the dust due to UV contamination of the PVC insulators. The California sun just disintegrated them. There are also external and exposed hookup wires between various stubs on this antenna, and birds pecked away at those until they all broke and required replacement. The 80m top loading capacitor is located inside the top of the antenna tubing and is exposed to the weather, and fails. It fails faster if you run high power. And, without lightweight rope guying, the antenna will eventually buckle from high winds, as my first two did before I guyed them.
The 5BTV also requires lightweight rope guys to prevent the same kind of damage. Due to the RM80S loading coil at the top of the antenna, the 5BTV and 6BTV are both top-heavy. They also both have very limited working bandwidth on 80m. But with a good radial system, they both work very well on 40-20-15-10 and the 6BTV works well on 30m (in fact, it's the only antenna I have for 30m and I've worked 30m DXCC in a single winter with it, from December 2001 to April 2001). My 6BTV is elevated, installed at 25' above ground level on a roof tower, and has 24 radials (4 per band for 6 bands).
WB2WIK/6
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RE: Hustler 5BTV vs. GAP Challenger
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by N3JBH on November 10, 2005
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steve wb2wik/6 you stated this.
(6BTV works well on 30m (in fact, it's the only antenna I have for 30m and I've worked 30m DXCC in a single winter with it, from December 2001 to April 2001).
wow you guys must have a funny calander in Califorina.
does it run in reverse there? hmmm thats like 9 month's of winter. naaaa must be a typo.
sorry steve just couldnt resist. jeff/n3jbh you know we all get it sooner or later dont we.
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RE: Hustler 5BTV vs. GAP Challenger
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by K3MOV on November 11, 2005
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Thanks to all for taking the time to reply. You've given me a lot to mull over. Thanks again for your input. 73, Tom K3MOV
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RE: Hustler 5BTV vs. GAP Challenger
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by K3MOV on January 17, 2008
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Someone recently sent me an email about this post, but I mistakenly deleted it. If the ham sees this post, please resend your note. Sorry. Tom K3MOV
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