| KG4UIJ |
Rating:  |
2005-04-12 | |
| 3 HURRICANES NO GUYS STILL GREAT |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| IVE USED MINE FOR OVER 2 YRS ON ICOM 746PRO. ITS INTERNAL TUNNER KEEPS 1TO1 ACROSS ALL BANDS. I HAVE 9 ANTENNAS CURRENTLY IN USE TITAN IS MY STANDARD OF COMPARISON.IF YOUVE GOT ONE NOT DOING WELL GAP HAS GREAT SERVICE. BILL |
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| KE5B |
Rating: |
2005-04-06 | |
| Fine DX antenna |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| The gap has proven to be a very fine DX antenna for me. I have actually been on the receiving end of a few mini pile-ups with this antenna. 40 meter dx is very strong on this antenna. I bought this antenna 5 years ago, but only put it up last week! Since then I have worked A lot of Europe and some Russia and Africa while receiving signal reports as high as 599. It is not a perfect antenna, but no antenna that works so many bands is. 80 meter swr is determined by the capacitor on the very top of the antenna. Be sure to specify what area of 80 meters you will be working. (I wish I had know this before putting the thing up!) I will be swapping the 3900 kHz cap for one that will give a center frequency near 3600 kHz. (Not a lotta DX at 3900 kHz!) The antenna is, as the manufacturer claims, a very quite vertical. It no noisier than a dipole. I would guy this antenna. Mine was unguyed and it swayed around a lot in the wind. The SWR went up and down with the movement. It is guyed now and is more physically stable and more electrically stable with guy ropes. The Titan will make a fine addition to your station. |
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| W7DUD |
Rating: |
2005-03-19 | |
| Works pretty good |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Having had problems with the traps on two other vertical antennas, I purchased a GAP Titan DX vertical 8 years ago.
I put the antenna together inside the house, and then took it outside and erected it.
I had no antenna tuner back then, and proceded to 'cook' an insulator on top of the antenna while running 1kw on 80 meters. I purcased an antenna tuner, and successfully used the antenna up to 1kw on all bands except 80 meters (a bit gun-shy on 80). The last 2 years I discovered I do not need an antenna tuner. SWR on all of the bands is below 1.7:1, with most bands below 1.5:1. I am a casual operator, but have logged about 800 DX stations, without much trouble. Generally running about 50 to 75 watts. 1kw is no problem on bands above 80 meters.
The antenna has been through some rough winters and winds, and just keeps working. The UV at 4700 feet elevation has taken a toll on the plastic hardware after 8 years.
Maintenance has been minimal for the most part. Periodic jumps in SWR were found to be the result of the counterpoise wire connection loosening, or corroding a bit. It needs to be tightened about once per year.
I like it! If it goes another 2 years, it will have cost me about $30.00 per year. I think that is pretty good, considering all of the fun I have had with it.
I have no other antennas to do a side by side comparison. Anyway I am too busy having a good time with it to do comparisons.
Now that I am familiar with this antenna, I would probably replace it with another one. Hopefully not for a couple more years though.
I should probably give this antenna a 5 rating, but think the insulator material could use a bit higher quality formulation. |
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| N7HIY |
Rating: |
2005-03-14 | |
| PVC counterpoise insulators |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've had the Titan up since '98 with almost no problems. Does require guying with winds over 50 mph or one will NOT survive the cardiac stress of seeing all that aluminum bent over 90 degrees in a storm. It's aircraft grade alum. so sprang back everytime. Have read of stress fractures in unguyed GAP's. Used 3/16" dacron and guyed just about top tips of vertical side rods.
Design problem with the Titan is the PVC insulators especially on the counterpoise. They are collection points for bugs, dust and antenna hair balls inside. Moisture is trapped in the conglomeration creating RF leakage over a path about 2 inches long from the counterpoise wire to the cross alum. rods. At QRO, I had arc over and carburation of the PVC. I'm sure there was substancial signal loss on receive also.
Replaced with 3/4" solid teflon rods 10 inches bored 3/8" for the alum rod tips. Also, used Spectra high tensile strength line across end rod tip to tip and bowed the counterpoise rods up to get rid of that ugly droop and potential snapping off.
End of problem.
great vertical 40 thru 10 m
Cliff N7HIY
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| K0IZ |
Rating: |
2005-01-20 | |
| Good SWR, Poor Efficiency |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| WIth everyone having SWR meters, it now appears that the criteria for antennas is not efficiency (hard to measure) but SWR (easy). Just because an antenna, like the GAP Titan, has low SWR doesn't mean it's a good antenna (which it isn't). Compared to a lowly dipole, the Titan almost always comes off 1 to 2 S units worse. But if someone doesn't have a comparison antenna, and just relies on SWR, it might seem fine. My opinion: all band operation, low efficiency. |
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| NG0F |
Rating: |
2004-11-26 | |
| Second Time around! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
This is the second GAP Titan I have owned - so I thought I would pass along some thoughts since I have been using this antenna now for about 3 years.
This antenna works very well and needs very little maintenance even in Minnesota's harshest winters. There are a few things you need to consider if you are planning on putting it up.
First - make sure you have a very strong mast. I use 1.25 inch galvinized plumbers pipe. I guy the antenna - (also recommended), but if you have a strong enough mast, it really isn't necessary. I'm always amazed how little this antenna moves even with winds over 30 mph with a good mast.
The antenna really doesn't perform any better the higher you raise it. Mine is mounted 16 feet off the side of my deck. I have had it as low as 5 feet and as high as 20 feet with no real difference in performance. So don't worry about how high you need to mount the antenna.
The antenna requires no grounding or ground plane wires. This is very convenient and allows you to mount the antenna in many different places without the hassles of ground plane wires.
When assembling I recommend using Di-electric grease on the joints and wire connections. This makes it much easier if you ever have to take it apart. (The first one I ended up sawing up when I took it down to move. It just wouldn't come apart. Without using the grease, you get a welding of the aluminum and small burrs which make it difficult to disassemble. The grease also helps to keep the connections dry.
The antenna is basically an inverted, center-fed dipole. Each of the tuning rods resonates on a different frequency from the RF which comes out of the center of the antenna. (I.E. the GAP) The counterpoise is used for tuning 10 and 40 meters. Because it is a dipole design, it has very little gain.
It is easy to assemble if you follow GAPS directions. The most difficult part, (IMHO), is the mast or couterpoise assembly. You will need to experiment with the length to get the best ressonance on 40 meters. (If you follow the recommended length GAP gives you - it will be very close) Don't worry if there is some slack on the counterpoise wires - this is normal.
I get very low SWR on all bands except 80 meters. There is no doubt this antenna is a compromise on 80 meters. Mine has 1.3-1 SWR readings on 3950 and it rises fast as you tune down to 3860 where it is 2.0-1 and then jumps up to 3.3-1 at 3750. Then again, GAP only advertises 100KHZ on this band. You need to decide what 100KHZ you want to operate before you order the antenna. GAP or the dealer will send you a different capacitor that goes on the top of the antenna depending on the area of the frequency you want to operate.
I get 1.7-1 or less VSWR on every other band except 12 meters where I am only getting 2.0-1. (I need to make some adjustments here but it is still very workable as is) Most are 1.5-1 or less. I have some additional tuning information if you are interested. Just drop me an e-mail.
I have done some experimenting with dipole performance over this antenna. In my opinion I do get a little better performance with a good dipole on some bands - but the convenience of being able to work multiple bands more than makes up for the small performance differences. The antenna has a steep angle of take off and it is somewhat difficult to QSO with nearby states.
Some other notes:
You can order a guy bracket from GAP which I recommend. The guys help when the winds get above 40 mph which is common in Minnesota.
The antenna will also resonate on 6 and 2 meters -not advertised but I get suprisingly good results on both bands. (Check it out)
Great antenna for SWLing.
Overall an excellent, well built design with very good performance across many bands. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a versatile multi-band antenna that requires very little space or maintenance.
73
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| K6XT |
Rating: |
2004-11-12 | |
| Still So Far So Good |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
More comparison info. I replaced my home made off center fed dipole with a Carolina Windom borrowed from K0YW. The windom is 55 feet at apex, drooping to about 15 feet at the ends. On all bands but 80 the GAP Titan compares about equal most of the time. Some sigs are better on the Titan due to the high band directivity of the Windom. Incoming signal angle plays a part. But overall I am very pleased wtih both antennas, achieving my goal of reasonable azimuthal coverage.
On 80 meters the Titan is a blivet, an extreme compromise, and it shows. The Titan meets GAP's specifications in that it does indeed exhibit low SWR over 100kc. But there is no mistaking that it is a (very SHORT) 1/8 wave long. The windom is 2 to 3 s-units better in any direction. Hams interested in robust 80 coverage should investigate the Voyager.
Nonetheless, having looked into short verticals with EZNEC, I am in no way disappointed. The GAP fulfills every expectation. On 40 and up it fills the bill. Construction is simple.
More to follow as I gain experience. And, as I have not yet used over 100W, when I have the new QTH plumbed for 220V, I will report on power handling as the Alpha 76PA's come on line.
73 Art |
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| K6IOU |
Rating: |
2004-10-30 | |
| 'Storm Modified' but Still OK |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've had my Titan up for about a year and a half now. About 4 months ago I also put up a 235' CF Dipole slung between two trees, up about 30' at the center.
Comparing the two . . . the dipole is quieter on 75 and 40 and signal reports from others give the advantage to the dipole. Signal strength on 20m and 17m: the dipole usually excels, but sometimes it is a tie. The dipole/feedline/tuner combo I have won't tune on 15m or 10m.
Anyway, the reason for this post is that twice the wind has blown the counterpoise apart. I'll take the blame . . . as I found it difficult to get the wire strung around the found rod ends very tightly.
This last time I removed the counterpoise assembly completely . . . came back into the shack and checked things on 20m thru 10m with my analyzer. Looked good, still seemed to resonate closely on each band.
So, I fired-up the rig [1 KW] and it loads great and seems to get out just fine. So now I have the best of both [horizontal and vertical] worlds. And the XYL is thankful that stupid-looking counterpoise is no longer visible .
DON
K6IOU
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Earlier 4-star review posted by K6IOU on 2003-11-10
I've had my Titan up for months now and have made successful contacts on all bands . . . and all bands [except 75] are covered with <2:1 SWR.
A couple of weeks ago I added a 1KW amp to the system. The first night [it was raining] I managed to fry the top insulator holding the 17m lower tuning rod. Witnesses said it looked like a road flare burning. By the time I got the antenna down the pvc insulator was nothing but crumbling carbon.
A call to tech support indicated they were aware of the problem . . . said water tends to puddle in the insulator and then arcs across. Suggested replacing the insulator and then filling all the holes/voids around the tuner rod and hose-clamp with silicon rubber to keep the water out.
I thought about this and then decided to go one better: I researched plastics and found one called "polyphenylene oxide". It is an excellent electrical insulator, has low moisture absorption, wide temperature range, and is good for outside use. Its only downside is price: 1" solid rod is approx $7 per foot.
Anyway, I used the 1" solid and machined up four new insulators [replaced all four insulators holding the two lower tuning rods]. I also increased the length by 3/8" to give a little additional separation between the tuning rods and the mast/hose-clamps.
The additional length upset the 17m resonant point so an additional 5" or so was added to the rod to lower its resonance. No other changes were necessary.
A test [in the rain @ 1KW] seems to indicate that everything is working properly now.
I still think this is a great antenna . . . only gave it a "4" because I feel Gap should be a little more forthright with their power ratings.
DON [K6IOU]
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Earlier 5-star review posted by K6IOU on 2003-05-14
There have been many minor negative comments about Gap and this antenna in particular. First: their instruction manual. No, it's not great, but the instructions are clear enough. Most of the problem is the 'terminology' i.e. the names they give the various components are not always intuitive. My biggest complaint with the manual is [since it is in a mini-book form] 'why couldn't they at least staple the pages together'? I happen to have a 'deep-throat' stapler so it was no big deal . . . but good grief . . . why couldn't they do it?
I've called their tech support several times and they have always been helpful. Great!
The antenna itself is well made. The only part of the whole assembly that I don't like is the hose-clamp that holds the 'counterpoise bracket'. The whole counterpoise assembly represents a pretty big 'sail' in the wind and it is a bit much to expect a single hose clamp to keep it from rotating. When it does rotate the clamp/assembly tends to grind away at the mast . . . which in time will weaken the mast.
The Titan is very finicky about its enviornment. The height above ground, the way the coax leaves the antenna, how the coax lays on the ground etc. . . . all makes a big difference in the resonant frequency and the bandwidth.
After considerable tweaking I was able to get the SWR below 2:1 across all bands except 75/80m, which is to be expected. The minimum SWR of 1.66 on 80m occurs at 4.040 with the 3.900 cap. I can actually get the resonant freq closer to 3.9 by adjusting the way the coax lies next to a block wall with rebar in it, but that tends to screw up some of the more [to me] important bands. Between 3.5 and 3.9 the SWR varies between 2.47 and 3.66. The built-in tuner in the 756proII takes care of it and the rig 'does' get out on 75/80.
Performance on all the other HF bands is excellent and, as a bonus, I get <2:1 SWR throughout the 2m band and <2:1 from 427.0 to 450.0 Mhz.
DON
K6IOU |
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| K7PEH |
Rating: |
2004-09-02 | |
| Good On 20 and 15 |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
This is a good all around antenna. I have mine mounted on top of the house on top of a 7 foot pole which puts the base of this antenna up about 33 feet above ground.
Performance on 20 meters is execellent. SWR is virtually flat 1:1 across my band of interest 14150 to 14350. On 15, performance is pretty good too but I have not had enough QSOs on 15 to say too much. I have not tried out 10. I used this antenna on 75 meters once but I was not happy with the performance there so I use my dipole on 75 meters. Only a few QSOs on 40 meters. It works on 40 but it is a little bit of a hassle to tune for low SWR on 40 and even then my SWR is about 2:1 which is the worst I have seen with this antenna.
If you need a good performing vertical that does not need a ground plane and if you care mostly about 40, 20, or 15 then I recommend this antenna. If you need good performance on 80/75 then I suggest you look elsewhere or just put up a dipole. This antenna may be great on 10 but I wouldn't know it. I have never had a 10 meter QSO.
I am thinking of replacing this antenna though because it is using up valuable space where I hope to put up a small directional antenna, possibly a Moxon or a Hex Beam.
phil
K7PEH |
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| AB8BC |
Rating: |
2004-09-02 | |
| Very good antenna |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I had owned one before, so my assembly was not so hard. I took my time, took some suggestions from others and got this antenna in the air today. All bands are very acceptable in vswr. I made my first contact on 20 meter tonite in the Ukraine using about 150 watts and got a 5/7 signal report. Not bad. Most others were getting 5/5 to 5/7. Having had prior experience with antenna, I chose to get the guying kit. I think it will ease my mind in mid-winter when the winds whip thru my qth. Expensive, but good quality antena. I had no issues with anything. I simply took my time in assembly. 73-- |
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