| AE9DX |
Rating:  |
2021-07-29 | |
| Decent Lowband Antenna |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
This is a follow-up to my previous review which was written soon after I purchased the antenna. Now that it has been through a Northern Wisconsin winter with straight line winds in excess of 60 mph, I can pretty much re-iterate what I said earlier. The performance on the lower bands 40-80 meters is very good, with 160 meters being good. I don't use it on 20 since I have beams for that. The band width on 160 is in excess of the 90 khz advertised and seems to put out a good signal. I consistantly run 1300 watts into the antenna with no problems. The antenna is quiet and receives very well. Even during conditions at the bottom of the solar cycle this antenna has worked well for me. Obviously it's not a directional beam, but does what I want it to. As previously stated, I have a coax run of over 350 ft to this antenna and have had no problems with that at all. If you need an antenna for the low bands, this one may be what you are looking for.
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Earlier 4-star review posted by AE9DX on 2007-04-21
I bought this antenna strictly for 40 and 80 meters to replace a multi-band wire antenna and so far have been very happy. First the assembly: The manual does leave a bit to be desired, however, if you take the time to read through it twice and familiarize yourself with the components and their placement, assembly goes smoothly. I would recommend a minimum of three people for erection of this monster. It is large (45 ft) and does sway when being erected and can be a bit much for one person to hang on to. Gap could improve their design by making the mast out of thicker material but my wife and I had no real problems raising it by ourselves. I used kevlar guy rope from The Radio Works for guy cable as this does not stretch and is very strong and UV resistant. At this writing you can buy 500 ft for $60.00 which is more than enough for the job. Two guy brackets come with the antenna which allow for a total of 8 guy cables. I used regular insulated #14 THNN house wire for the required 3 57 ft counterpoise wires and buried them just below the surface spaced equally. Since this antenna must be kept away from large structures, I placed it approximately 350 ft from the house making a long coax run necessary. I used a T-4G Plus line isolator from The Radio Works at the antenna base to take care of any stray RF on the coax shield as well as the ones in the shack. Bandwidth is full band on 20, 40 and 80 with about 90 MHZ on 160. SWR is better than advertised with the max being 1.7:1 and the minimum a perfect 1.1 match. My first contact was with a UK station on 80 meters that I couldn't even hear on the wire antenna! Overall a good buy and if the mast was built just a bit heavier, I would have given it a 5 out of 5. The final test will be to see how well it survives a Wisconsin winter!
It's now 2021 and this antenna is still up and working well. During the present poor conditions, it has become my "go to" antenna for the low bands. If I could give it a "very good" I'd do so, the only slight detraction is the fact that as stated, the tubing could be a bit more robust. However, after 13 years, It's still up and doing it's job!
73 |
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| WD8ASZ |
Rating: |
2019-05-10 | |
| love it |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I have been using my Voyager DX since Oct/2015. It has stood the test of time and it is a monster DX antenna. Last night for instance, I worked Asiatic Russia on 40M phone and got a 59 using 1KW. This antenna performs. I use it primarily on 40M phone and CW, as well as 75M phone. I don't use it on 20M since I own a HEX beam, and on 160M it's below 2:1 SWR on about 60Khz. With its simple installation and need for only three 57 foot counterpoise wires, I'd recommend it to anyone considering a vertical. No other ground mounted vertical can touch this antenna's performance with only 3 counterpoise for 4 band operation. I have 8 guy ropes on the antenna and recommend a minimum of 3 people to get this 45 foot long antenna up or down. Check our my qrz.com pictures of my double winches and as other Hams have suggested, added outriggers using 1" PVC pipe and dacron rope to increase the antenna's rigidity. |
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| AJ7G |
Rating: |
2014-12-31 | |
| What a great antenna!! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I'm writing this as I just received my 100th 80 meter QSO confirmation, yes. I've owned this antenna since 12-2013 and it has delivered. I've tried other verticals and an Inverted Vee arrangements and nothing compares. Quieter and a wideband coverage on the low bands. Since installation I've worked over 30 new rare DXCC entities. And yes, it does erect like a "wet noodle" but thanks to my XYL and a couple of friends, installation went smoothly.
73 Randy AJ7G |
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| W3QY |
Rating: |
2014-02-10 | |
| Even bent it's working.. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I wrote a review a few years back and believe it's time for another. Let me first say that my Voyager is hardly in an optimum area..close to the house and surrounded by trees.
About a year or so ago, I came home after an ice storm to find my Voyager bent into the shape of a "U" laying on it's side. I got some replacement parts but was advised by Rich to see if a muffler shop could do anything to straighten the bottom sections which had some bend. I did so and while the muffler shop got them more or less straight (and didn't charge me for it) it does have a dog leg about 15 feet from the bottom before going vertical again. I rebuilt it from tubing bought at DX Engineering as well as Gap. The loading capacity hat was severely damaged so I rebuilt that. So my Gap Voyager is not exactly straight or original but after getting it back up it tunes as well as before and this week, as I was about to give up on working rare Amsterdam Island, FT5ZM, on 80CW the Voyager came through last night. Was I the first guy to work 'em? No, I wasn't. It took me about 40 minutes of calling with 500 watts from my amp. For a few very brief seconds I even heard FT5ZM on 160M one night but that lasted long enough to hear their call and then they were gone. I'm not a huge 160M enthusiast but have 85 DXCC entities confirmed on that band. I bought the Voyager primarily for 80M and 40M with a trip to 160M on occasion. It has worked quite well..and I may consider buying a second one to phase with the first. Currently my Voyager has a 5' tree branch dangling from where it snagged the capacity hat..maybe I'll just wait for another nasty storm to bring it down again..and then rebuild with all new parts. If you're looking for a good antenna for low band activity, try this..I'm very glad that I did.
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Earlier 4-star review posted by W3QY on 2008-04-13
I've had the Voyager IV up for several years now and first, let me say that its location in my yard is less than optimal. It's about 30' away from my home and stuck in the middle of a grove of tall trees,one of which had a branch break loose a few weeks ago and struck the capacity hat.It broke the wire ring and also snapped one of the mounts..it continues to dangle in the breeze..but still tunes up fine.
I had no great expectations for 160m and bought it primarily as an 80 and 40 meter antenna.My very first contact was with A61AJ through a massive pileup on 40m CW so I was pleased.40 has worked very well and even 80 meters has been a surprise..I've worked all over the world and most dxpeditions.While in many cases I wasn't always the first one through,I did make the contact and that's all that counts.
My biggest surprise came on 160.Several reviews said that this antenna was nothing more than a 45' dummy load, but in the last several weeks I worked Ducie,Clipperton and Mauritania on 160..I think my biggest shock was when I worked 3Y0X on Peter I island..I thought it was a fluke until I worked it a second time 30 minutes later.Is it a great 160m antenna? well, no..but it has allowed me access to a band that I hadn't worked before and now I have 63 countries worked on topband.The
bandwidth is pretty much as described in their ads.Construction was fairly simple but a better manual would have been nice.I found the folks down at Gap (Rich) very helpful with questions.
When I put this up,it was arched over my shoulder like a silver McDonald's arch..and when it sprang it took off..my helper kept it from going over..the video my wife shot looks like the "Keystone Cops Install an Antenna."
Bottom line, it works for me..it's not a 5 but I think a 4.5 is closer to my experience. |
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| KF7VXA |
Rating: |
2013-09-10 | |
| Just Got My Voyager |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I bought a Challenger and love it. For a multi band vertical, it is fantastic.
The Voyager is not up yet, and I'll give an honest review once it's in place.
The reason I posted was to comment on the 3 radials needed on all of the Gap antennas.
I have found that the best radials for the Gaps is to buy the cheapest 50 or 75 OHM coax, size around RG-59.
The outside copper that's just under the jacket offers a great deal of surface and is easily put down where ever you wish and it stays in place.
I use the Black Permtex as it does not have the ammonia smell and cover the ends of the coax(s) as well as the connection at the base of the antenna to keep all water out of the coax.
Also use Penetrox A inside of the tube connections and run the screws through the poles first and remove any metal chips. This will allow you to get the antenna apart at a later time if necessary. The stuff really works. Without removing the chips and the anti sieze, it can be next to impossible to take an aluminum antenna apart. Both the Permatex and Penetrox A are available for DX Engineering. The Penetrox also gives a better electrical connection between poles, especially after they have been up for a while and corrosion sets in. Well worth doing.
When it comes to using coax,having all the fine wires in the coax works great as opposed to just one wire. If you look around at some of the wholesale houses, you can find the coax you need at around $0.23 a foot of less and it's worth the money. Heck, any copper these days is out of sight price wise. The coax will hold up for many years.
Now I just can't wait to get the new antenna up. For those of use who pretty much are limited to a vertical, the Gap makes the best line of antennas, and many times they work better than a properly installed dipole at the correct height, that says a lot for the Gap.
I'm pretty sure the counterpoise wires are for the 80 meter band just as they are for the 40 meter band on the Challenger. If you are going to work mostly phone, there is a good chance they will need to be shortened to get a one to one match on 80 meters. I had to remove about 2 feet on my Challenger to get to one to one on 40 meters. For CW work, they may need to be a little longer or just left as is. Experiment once it's up.
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| N1MB |
Rating: |
2013-01-21 | |
| Single Person Installation |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I bought my Gap Voyager IV several years ago and initially had myself and 3 other individuals to erect this antenna. This 45' long vertical with the heavy top hat is like trying to erect a wet noodle so in it's original state requires additional people. Recently, lightning struck my Voyager during a thunderstorm and in addition, a huge limb fell on the Voyager destroying the top hat and bent the bottom two sections of the aluminum mast. I ordered all of the repair parts from GAP at a reasonable price and quickly reassembled and tested to make sure it was properly tuned. (GAP was extremely helpful and the parts were shipped right away). I waited several weeks for people to help me erect this antenna and there was always conflicts in trying to get everyone together at the same time. So, I decided to add outriggers to the Voyager using 1" PVC pipe and used nylon rope to lace through the outriggers from top to bottom. I have some pictures on QRZ.
I spaced the 3 sets of outriggers equally from top to bottom and used turnbuckles at the bottom to help fine tune the Voyager to be straight. I then attached two boat winches to a tree and connected the rope from these winches to the middle and lower guy points. The Voyager was ridged enough for me to raise it into vertical position without any effort what so ever. The tuning of the Voyager was not affected and I can now raise and lower the antenna without worrying about trying to get anyone else involved.
I have compared this antenna with my 3 element wire beam which is currently up about 12 meters and find that there are times when the Voyager is equal to or better than the beam for DX work even in the beams favored direction. I think it has to do with the angle of radiation. I use 3 57' #10 copper wires for counterpoise. I don't think it's about anyone being a cry baby as someone else mentioned. I think necessity is the Mother of invention. Isn't that what our hobby is all about?
I give this antenna a 5 rating because it simply works better than any commercial vertical that I have ever tried. It covers most of the 75/80 meter bands and a good bit of 160m. Other verticals simply don't include this kind of bandwidth and 160 without expensive add ons. It doesn't require you to install miles of wire for a good radial system and the folks at Gap have always been super to deal with and very helpful answering questions and having parts readily available should you ever need them. If you have other people readily available to erect the antenna, it isn't difficult to erect. If you have a problem getting folks together easily, then just use the modification like I did and make it a one man operation. I would definitely recommend this antenna. |
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| K7NSW |
Rating: |
2012-11-12 | |
| VOYAGER NUMBER TWO |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
weather finally killed my first GAP Voyager. The weather finally got to the external connecting wires. Took a lot of years to do it. Bought another one. Still as happy as I was before. GAP improved the external connecting wires. I expect this one to last longer. Yes, I would prefer a tower and yagi. No, cannot happen. GAP has been a good alternative for me. Been a ham 51 years.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by K7NSW on 2011-10-24
Been ham since 1961. Idaho QTH. First GAP was a Challenger in early 1980s. Then switched to Voyager IV about 12 years ago when I moved onto an acre. Both are great antennas. I get superior signal reports all around the country. No complaints about Challenger - none. With Voyager I am continually surprised at the amonut of DX I hear and work. When 160 meters is busy I hear and work a lot of stations. Have used other brands of verticals. Don't bother - GAP is much better. The instruction manual? Hey - use your head for more than a place to carry your hat. I fussed with them and the antennas went together just fine. Raising a GAP? Don't listen to the cry babies that try to do it alone or with one other person. GAP tells you to get some help SO DO IT LIKE GAP SAYS. These are great antennas that require some effort to install. I use a seperate guyed pole to raise and lower Voyager. Simple and easy - even enjoyable! Then I take my helpers out for pizza. Get a GAP and get into hf ham radio! |
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| KE7TRP |
Rating: |
2010-10-14 | |
| Good DX |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I lost my tower and all wire antennas in a recent storm. I had the Gap voyager. We thought we would "throw" it up in a day and get back on the air. Wrong. It took an entire day to build this thing. Mainly due to the manual. Just a few photos on the Gap web page would have saved HOURS of work. In 5 hours two of us had the thing half way built. We finished it later that night. Take your time and stop if you have doubt about a step.
The following day we mapped out the location and pounded the base mount into the ground using wood and a sledge. Then we pounded my Guy anchors in at 25 ft from the base. I cut 8 sections of 50 ft rope. The rope I used is rope I always use from Home depot. Its sold in 200 ft bundles. Its been up for 8 years with out failure on other projects.
The third day we pulled this thing up. I can see how many have snapped the fiberglass section. We used two guys to hold the ropes out tight and one to walk it up. Do not even attempt this without 4 to 6 people. Once Guyed off, We checked the SWR. It was horrible. After an hour of screwing around we realized that the ground radials go to the Antenna and not the base. Not one indication of this in the manual. Once this was fixed, The SWR was as expected on each band.
My comparison antenna is an extended Zep with 600 ohm line at 35 ft. I use a KW balanced tuner with the zep.
1. The gap beats the wire past 1000 miles. Under 1000 miles the Wire wins hands down.
2. If you never had the wire, You would probably be happy with the gap, I could talk and hear everyone with the vert. Just the wire was better close in.
3. I like switching bands without tuning an antenna tuner. This is a real plus if you are into Band hoping like I am.
In short, It works as described. Its a decent DX antenna. I find that 20 meters works great for me. I worked all kinds of DX with it. 40 meters is fantastic and 80 is great. I have not used 160 on it yet. THere has been no DX.
Chris at Gap answered phone on first ring, Was nice and helpfull everytime I called.
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| K9ES |
Rating: |
2009-12-07 | |
| Great antenna for what you have |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
At the National Weather Service Skywarn Recognition Day event from NWS Melbourne (WX4MLB), the Voyager was 2nd antenna for primary HF station (IC756Pro-2 / AL572). The primary antenna was 20M 3 element monobander at 35 feet. As the operation opened (0000Z 5 Dec 09), our primary station went to 75 meters with GAP Voyager, as 20 had closed down. The VSWR was FLAT from 3600 to 3900 and only went near 1.6 at 3.5 and the other end (4.0). Because we were under severe weather all weekend with rain and tornado conditions, the noise floor (rain static) was almost S-9. But every CQ created a massive pile-up, with the stations getting through commenting we were the loudest signals on the band. That was throughout our 80M experience. Around 11:30 PM local, we went to 160 Meters to participate in the ARRL 160 Contest. In about 75 minutes, we worked everything we heard, and even a few DX locations (ZF, 6Y, VP5), but worked everone on the band ! VSWR was under 1.6 to 1 from 1825 to 1875 KHz.
Did not use it on 40M or 20M, but it worked, and by using common sense, it is not hard to raise (even in a down-pour). Thanks Rich and the gang at GAP. |
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| KI9A |
Rating: |
2009-02-15 | |
| 18 month summary |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've had this beast up for 18 months now, and have made many, many contest QSO's, and ragchew QSO's on it. I have installed a 80 meter, open wire fed dipole @ 50' as an alternative antenna. Here is what I have found:
- The manual suggests you guy it at 2 points. I have it guyed at those 2 points, PLUS a set at about 8' up. This does wonders to stabilze this antenna.
-Performance.
20- Not used much, the tribander smokes it always. Toss up between the dipole & GAP, dipole has edge on RX.
40- Anything within 800-1000 miles, the dipole is even, or better. DX, the GAP wins out. I don't sit in pileups too long with this antenna. Yes, I understand it isn't a yagi @ 140', but, it has provided me with 141 DX countries in 18 months on 40.
80- Big difference between the dipole & GAP here. Stations inside of 1000 miles, the dipole is at times 20 DB better. West coast ( I'm in IL ), the GAP beats the dipole by an S unit or so. DX, well, I work EVERYTHING I hear. It has provided me with small pileups of Europeans calling me during a couple of DX contests. 96 DXCC in 18 months so far. Perfect balance of antennas on this band, with the dipole & GAP.
160- Well, it works, and will get you on the air here. I made over 400 QSO's in 5 hours during the ARRL 160 contest in December. I have worked 2 JA's from the midwest with it, and several Europeans. Is it close to a 125' vertical? Nope. But, it works almost as well as my inverted L @ 45', with 36 radials under it. What more can you ask for a 45' tall antenna on 160??
Guys, it has faults. It's tough to assemble, but, anyone with mechanical abilities can do it. It is wierd to raise. But, I fabricated a 6' tall support, that once it was verticle, I secured it there, while getting the guys in place at my leisure. Not rushing around while one poor guy is trying to hold it straight. Use 4 guys on it, at 3 levels. It will survive almost anything. We had storms last summer, that produced winds in the 70 mph range, and storms that produced sustained winds of 40-50 mph ( remainders one of the hurricanes that came up from the gulf), and it came out perfect. Can't say the same about the trees in my yard.
The problem I see is this. If it isn't EASY to install, guys will whine about it. Most anything that is EASY, isn't worth having. So, they then give reviews based on their whining of assembly, or tuning. 90% of the time, it is their own fault, not the antennas. Then, you have the guys who seem to think this will take the place of a 2 ele 40 meter yagi @ 140'.
Yeah..this thing works just fine.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by KI9A on 2007-10-08
Well, here is my story. My Dad had his Voyager up at his place for a bit, now I have it, and I had a chance to operate a few contests, CQWW, SS, and ARRL 160 with it, so, I can speak on performance.
Last week, while raising the antenna per direction, the inner coupling between the bottom & mid mast failed. I emailed the guys at Gap on Friday, and had a response on Sunday evening.
I talked to Rich @ GAP Monday, and told him what happened, and we talked a bit about the antenna. In short, they are sending me a replacement coupling, exact OPPOSITE of what I have read here, and on towertalk reflectors about poor customer service, and getting new parts....sure wish more companies operated this way!!
Performance...
20M - A bit tall. Worked on par with a windom @ 40'. Not a yagi, but, you WILL mkae QSO's. Worked everyone I heard, both during a domestic & DX contest.
40M - Better than the windom out past 500 miles or so. Even, or slighter worse close in, which is expected for a vertical. For DX, I worked everything I heard, normally within a call or two. Heard stuff not even audible on the windom.
80M - Pretty much the same as 40. Windom was better within 500 miles. GAP smoked it for DX work, not even close. Europeans barely heard on the windom, that didn't hear me, answered in 1 or 2 calls with the GAP. Again, hears better than the windom for DX. Not too bad for a 45' antenna on 80.
160M - Worked 47 states in 8 hours, + some Carrib DX. About 400 QSO's in that time period. If you think this is going to replace a 125' vertical, you need to wake up. But, it gets you on, and makes QSO's. This is something many forget, and then bad rap the antenna. Again, GREAT for an antenna that is 1/3 size on 160.
Owners manual: Well. A bit confusing. Actually really confusing. Would be a great help if they included a better drawing, complete with dimensions of where to install the tuning rod supports.
Mechanical: Can't really find fault. I'm not a structural engineer, but, I have 25 years field experince as a construction Electrician, and can make a good guess of what is mechanical, and not. I might dump the self tapping screws that hold the mast to the couplings, and replace with a through bolt. But, not sure how that would affect the integrity of the coupling/mast.
All in all, a good antenna for limited spaces. |
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