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Reviews For: Moonraker GPA-80 HF multiband vertical (approx 6m high)

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Moonraker GPA-80 HF multiband vertical (approx 6m high)
Reviews: 6MSRP: £83.29
Description:
Vertical HF antenna for 80->6m when used with external AMU, 400W
Product is in production
More Info: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/moonraker-eu/HF-base-antenna-/_i.html?_fsub=414374019
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0063
K1DTS Rating: 2022-03-20
Grounding is essential Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
When first raised along side my shack, base connector about 20' above ground and on mast using chain fence top rail, performance was very poor and noisy at that. Noting comments here and elsewhere about the ground being provided through the coax itself, I ran a wire from the PL259 connector to a u-bolt on the bracket the antenna is mounted to. The antenna bracket is grounded via the mast which is wired to a rod 3.5' into the ground.
The steel roof on the shack is also grounded to same rod. The antenna base is about 6' above that metal roof. With the added proper grounding, and the metal roof I suppose acting as a counterpoise, performance was greatly improved and noise mostly eliminated. There is a 5 turn coax choke at the antenna end as well. ATU is either the internal of my IC-746 or the external MFJ933, tunes up well on both. I ran mostly 17M in before and after testing with 56 - 59 reports from the west coast and western and central Europe. I'm now happy with my $99 +$5 S&H purchase.
Note that mine is the Taurus RO-109 branded equivalent of the Moonraker reviewed here.
SA1CKE Rating: 2022-02-13
Needs a RF filter on the coax Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This antenna is relatively cheap, however it's important to be aware that this antenna uses the coaxial cable as ground plane. This in turn means that the length of the coaxial cable to an isolation filter is important.
You also need an isolation filter (in German called Mantelwellensperre) to ensure that no RF enters the shack and causes some less than desirable effects.
Also be aware that the mounting bracket of the antenna isn't part of the grounding.
In all this means that this antenna might give varying result depending on installation.
The good thing with this antenna is that it's compact and uncomplicated to mount, so with that in mind it can still be a viable option also for portable activities.
What could be improved is to equip the antenna with a ground tap to allow grounding to the mount to limit the dependency on the coax.
G0WTZ Rating: 2018-04-06
Surprisingly good given its simplicty Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This antenna took me 10 minutes to put up when I moved house.
It is on a shed 6 foot off the ground and gives me contacts worldwide! When not connected to my radio it is on my 500mw WSPR box beaconing away. Feel free to look at my wspr results G0WTZ 30-50MHz.
The antenna has had harsh wind and snow for the past few months and is still working well. I am currently using 50 watts until I have a weekend puting up dipoles etc and this radio is giving me plenty of contacts
MM0JMI Rating: 2017-01-03
UPDATE of 1st review Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I'm surprised by the other two reviews. Chaps, you do realize that you need to install a 13.33m counterpoise with this, don't you? The 6.67m vertical under review is like the short (1/6 lambda) arm of an OFCD ('windom', sort-of) wire antenna installed vertically: you still need the 2/6 lambda (=13.33m for 40m operation) element, either as one horizontal counterpoise to make an "up-and-outer", or more than one to make something less directional. This is in addition to any shorter radials you might employ to make a more reflective ground. You need to get in to the balun box to make this connection. Also, of course, you need to make really sure you have no common-mode currents on the co-ax (ferrite chokes work fine). I have reduced my review from a 5/5 for value to a '4' simply to reflect the fact that the supplier does not spell any of the above out and may therefore be letting customers down this way (they are maybe forgetting that some hams have only a basic licence and have no technical background so these things will not be obvious to them). The actual antenna is still working fine years on and giving good far-European, Asian and American contacts on 40m (the higher bands are currently terrible on any antenna, at least at night when I do most of my operating).
G0PUD Rating: 2016-01-22
Poor value Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I took a punt and bought one of these after doing a fair bit of research on the net... As usual a net search brings up an amazing diverse and somewhat complicated array of differing views and beliefs! However, having moved to a new QTH three years ago and with time at a premium and no antenna, I paid my money and crossed my fingers that this antenna might at least get me on the air.
As with all bets you can lose as well as win. Sadly this antenna is a loser!

It is a simple CB antenna which I could have bought for a fraction of the price paid for this... The enclosed 'balun' was in a poor quality plastic box and the hose clips for securing the aluminium elements very poor.. I had to replace them all with more substantial ones.

On air it proved to be well down on receive (as measured by a dipole I put up subsequently at a cost of a fiver!) It would tune on most bands but with very very limited power out..Basically all the 'power' was tuned out to get a decent SWR. The antenna was mounted on a four metre pole in the clear...

So, I'll keep it as a receive antenna for Radio5Live on my second rig but as a viable HF antenna don't waste your money like I did!!

I might play with installing a few counterpoises and I'll change the balun but basically I paid £80+ for some aliminium tubing....

DO NOT BUY!!!!!
M1OOO Rating: 2015-03-01
GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Unashamedly, this CB vertical antenna (universally known as a “Silver Rod” and costing £29 in UK (19USD) is being unscrupulously sold by a UK supplier for 3 times that cost as an 80m – 6m dipole with the description “Perfect SWR with ATU”. Of course it’s a perfect SWR with ATU – any piece of tube/wire can be made to have a perfect SWR – so can a dummy load!! Give me a break! However, it’s a perfect antenna for 26 – 30 MHz DX, without an ATU.

Not quite so bad, another UK company fits a 9:1 balun to the same antenna and charges a realistic £45 (30USD) when you take the balun cost into consideration, but again – give me a break! You get what you pay for with either model.