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Reviews For: GAP EAGLE

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : GAP EAGLE
Reviews: 60MSRP: 299.00
Description:
40 through 10m vertical
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.gapantenna.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
14603.7
N9PKL Rating: 2024-08-29
It does what they say it does Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently acquired a GAP Eagle DX used. The previous owner was unable to get it to work. I did a little research and found that it was shorted out. I disassembled the antenna and put it back together following the directions carefully. I did add washers to the screws so they could not pierce the coax running up the center tube. It went together easily, and my wife and I were able to put it on a 10-foot pole and slide it into the mounting pole. Standing wave was usable in the range they state without a tuner. I use a tuner anyway. On 40 Meters it is OK. If it was your only antenna, it would work. My G5RV beats it hands down on 40 Meters. On 30 Meters it is roughly the same as my G5RV. From 20 Meters to 6 Meters, it beats the G5RV in both receive and transmit. Yes, it tunes up and works on 6 Meters even though the description is 40 - 10. All told, I am very happy with it and will be using it a lot.
G0ORD Rating: 2021-04-05
I wouldn't buy another! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This antenna has been a great disappointment as its performance does not meet the manufacturers specifications.

Notably the swr on the 15m band is around 7:1; it is also above 2:1 on the 17 and 12m bands. The specification is for an swr below 2:1 on all bands. The manufacturers caution against using an antenna matching unit!

Its radiation properties on 40m, checked using WSPR, are particularly poor. I get responses for the Gap Eagle dx that are half the distance that I can achieve using a modest delta loop that is only 6m agl , which reaches VK with ease.

The construction details are not the clearest I have met, but care and careful re-reading make it possible. There are sliding elements on two of the “tuner rods” whose function is never explained in the construction details. I have found that they alter the swr on 10m so presumably function to allow the user to choose which part of the band they wish to use.

I have never received a reply to the emails that I have sent to Gap asking for clarification and help (“Contact us anytime. We will answer your email as soon as possible. Usually same day!”)

Wind vibration loosens screws and removes the rod end plastic covers, so regular maintenance is required. If the antenna is a permanent fixture it must be guyed. Even with a modest breeze it flexes alarmingly. With guys it has survived 50mph winds here.

I have used the Gap base mount for this antenna (being elderly and it being a single person job for me) which is an (expensive) aid to lowering and raising the antenna. I have, however, fitted a safety bar, which prevents it going up on one side then continuing on and crashing down on the other side. Pity Gap don’t include such a safety measure.

I had a Cushcraft R5 for years at the last QTH and I should have stayed with this make and design, it was faultless.
KB2CWN Rating: 2020-03-31
Poor Design Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
For many years I had the Gap Titan DX which was a wonderful antenna. Although it was big and top heavy, it performed fantastic on all the bands it promised with low SWR. A few years back we had a bad hurricane pass through my qth here in Florida and I had to take the Titan down. This was difficult to accomplish because I had no help. I had a very nice neighbor who helped me install it 12 years ago but he had moved, so I cut the mast down with a saws all and brought the antenna down mast and all. After the storm passed I dismantled the mast from the antenna, purchased a new mast but it was just to heavy and cumbersome for me to reinstall alone. So I sold it on market place a few months later and purchased a G5RV dipole and installed that 35 feet in the air. I recently bought the Eagle DX because the ads claim it to be that baby brother of the Titan with the same looks and bands but lighter and not as tall. I assembled it carefully, following the difficult to understand directions precisely. I mounted this light weight antenna on a 10 foot pole, threw the analyzer on it and got extremely pool swr reading on all bands and totally unusable readings on 40 meters. I lowered it, raised it and took it down. Rechecked all my work and put it back up. Same thing, 1.8 to 2.5 on 10, 12, 15, 17 and 20..off the scale on 40. Hooked it up to the rig and found 40 meters dead where the G5RV out performed the Gap hands down on 40m. It does slightly better on the rest of the bands than the dipole but nothing to write home about. I should have spent more money and purchased a cushcraft R8 or R9. Live and learn. I do not recommend this antenna, its not worth the price or effort. Looks like a Titan but should have been named the Turkey DX instead of an Eagle.
K1VI Rating: 2018-03-29
Excellent performer, but guy it well! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This was up a little more than 4 months, when our three March nor'easters took it down. While it was up, results were very surprising. Low SWR everywhere except 12 meters (probably my error in tuning), with 20 - 50 watts, contacts all over the world (using digital modes, what with the low sunspots & all).
BUT: The instructions merely SUGGEST guying it at its mid-point. Well, I did, but more as a semi-taut tethering. That allowed too much flex. Storm #1 pulled it 10 degrees off vertical, storm #2, another 10 degrees. Storm #3 totally bent the lower main section, so it's now hanging upside down from the top of the mast. LOVED IT, but GUY IT.
N1RND Rating: 2017-09-04
Was not a good experience for me. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This review is from 20 years of experience with this antenna.
My Dad had this antenna at his qth for the first 18 years. I assembled and installed it for him. It only seemed to work ok on 20 meters. The antenna was mounted on the roof up high and in the clear.
My Dad became an SK and I took the antenna down and brought it to my qth.
I wanted to find out why some people hate this antenna and some people love it.
I took it completely apart and cleaned and inspected all the parts. Keep in mind I have almost 40 years of "antenna experience". I ordered a new center section (the gap) with coax harness, I did not want to take any chances there. I also ordered some misc. smaller items.
While waiting for the parts I scoured the internet regarding the Eagle and found a few interesting articles people had wrote about their experiences. Still I felt confident I could make it work.
A few weeks later I had it assembled and installed on the roof of my house. Forget 40 meters, its deaf there, does not even come close to my low 40 meter dipole. Even a 40 meter Ham Stick on my pick-up truck out performs it!
20,17,15,10 did seem to work well though.
I did not get good swr curves on all bands and the only bands that are tuneable are 10 and I think 12. I wanted to shift my curve on 20 because it resonated high in and above the band. Chris at GAP told me to add lengths of aluminum tubing to the counterpoise apparently the counterpoise is for 20. It took nearly 2 ft. added to all three counterpoised to bring the resonance down in the middle of the 20 meter band. But it increased the windloading of the counterpoise causing it to rotated on the base of the antenna no matter how hard I tightened the hose clamp that holds it there. It should have a U-bolt instead. Here is other things about the Eagle I didn't like.
1 The screws holding the wire jumpers to the center section sometime become loose and fall out! Rendering the antenna inoperatable. Chris said "oh yes this can happen due to wind vibration". Well then re-design it! You can't use thru bolts because you need the "bite" of the sheet metal screws. I ended up using larger screws and lock-tite. This worked for a while untill metal fatigue broke one of the jumpers anyway.
2. The coax connection is not like what you expect from other antennas, you solder on a pl-259 to the coax stub and then use a double female connector to your coax. This connection is to be zip tied to the bottom tube for electrical contact. It should have a bracket with an so-239 like other manufacturers use. I also noticed this part of the ant. along with the air choke you make up it very sensitive swr wise, every time you move or redo the assembly the swr shifts a little.
3. The directions are terrible. Only a few and they are poor.
4. Chris at GAP said don't ground your metal support structure this could detune the antenna. ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE ALL METAL SUPPORT STRUCTURES MUST BE GROUNDED.

I don't like bad mouthing any products but this is the experience I had with the Eagle. When you buy a commercially made product you shouldn't have to re-engineer it.
Think carefully if your considering buying it.
N4LEC Rating: 2016-10-20
Best antenna I've ever had Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought my GAP Eagle antenna new in 2008 and it has been my primary antenna ever since. I've worked the advertised bands from 10 up to 40 meters without any issues. I've also worked 30 meters with superb results although nothing in the docs mention 30 being available. I've also worked digital on 60 meters and even made one PSK contact on 80 meters! I'd not recommend using the Eagle on 80 but IMO this shows the quality and range of this antenna. If I were asked to suggest a good multi-band antenna for beginning hams, or for more seasoned hams looking for a relatively inexpensive antenna for digital work, the Gap Eagle would be it.
KE6MUE Rating: 2016-02-27
Works better than I expected Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I found it to be very high quality, went together just as shown in the instructions. The instructions weren't Heathkit quality, but they were pretty darn good. Does a Heathkit reference date me? Good, I'm proud of it! I didn't have to make any tuning adjustments and have very good swr across the bands. Worked some great dx right out of the chute on 10 meters, one in Uraguay and one on Sakhalin Island east of Russia. It's a great antenna solution for limited space installations, I'm very happy with it. I also think it looks cool gleaming over my house.
K8WRS Rating: 2015-07-23
Great for me Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought it used in 1995. It is mounted 9 foot off the ground on a bolted down tripod.
I have worked the Antarctic more than once, New Zealand, Europe, Africa and the Middle East with 100w.
Of course I do have a large open area behind my home. Another person asked my help as his did not work well. Reason was it was surrounded by trees, houses and garages on a very small lot and only up about (9')high as mine but no space to get out.
You can't mount an antenna in a hole and expect it to work.
Also be reminded that the Gap Eagle cannot run with even a 600w amplifier on 40 meters.
I thought of using one but called first and was told it will damage the antenna.
But with 20 years and all those contacts I love it.
W3CFE Rating: 2015-02-09
Fantastic Antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I never was a fan of verticals. But having just moved to Ft. Myers Fl and with limited space a vertical was the only alternative. Picked up a GAP Eagle and I'm truly amazed. I'm only running less than 100 Watts with a TS-480 and if I can hear it I can work it. I've worked every band from 40-10 and it really does the job. Amazing well engineered product. It's a series of vertical dipoles that are fed in the center of the mast. Well made and performs great.Highly recommend the antenna..
AK6ZZ Rating: 2014-09-22
Easy install works well Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Assembled and installed the gap eagle antenna in about three hours. It was fairly easy but directions are not great. They leave much to interpretation and the pictures are like scribbled by hand. Fortunately I have put up a lot of antennas and I was able to weave my way through them. Antenna went up easily with no issue. All bands tuned perfectly. Guess I got lucky. Antenna is larger than I first thought it would be and needs to be guyed. It toppled over on my tripod mount. Fortunately it wasn't damaged. Guyed it and it is still erect now. I am back on the air.