Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: GAP Challenger

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : GAP Challenger
Reviews: 91MSRP: 259.00
Description:
Multi-Band HF Vertical
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.gapantenna.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00914.4
N0AXT Rating: 2008-08-26
Challenger performance Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This operator has used the Gap Challenger for about four years for HF and two meters. My station set up receives great reports on the quality of my signal. The antenna is ground mounted, about thirty feet from the house, hidden within a cluster of trees. My log contains contacts from around the globe. The antenna is connected to an Icom 706MKIIG through an AL-811H amp.
KE4WY Rating: 2008-08-15
Performance not that great Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Several years ago I was transferred to another state and thought I would put up a vertical until I could get my tower and beam up. One of the dealers had this antenna at a very attractive price so I thought I would try one. A couple moves back I had a Butternut HF6 that was one of several antennas at that location and was very pleased with the Butternut performance. The Challenger did not come close to the Butternut in performance. I quickly sold it.
WB5MJT Rating: 2008-05-27
Really Performs Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got my Challenger a little over 2 months ago. I chose the Challenger because I wanted to be able to still work 6 meters with my IC-746Pro; 2 was a bonus. Hardest part of the whole project was getting the ground mount hole dug in the ground here near Atlanta, but a neighbor with a post hole auger helped out there.

This was my first attempt at building an HF antenna other than the dipole this replaced. I've built literally hundreds of VHF/UHF antenna in the 35 years before I upgraded from Tech+ to Extra; but nothing like this. I approached the big box of metal tubes with trepidation.

The assembly was EASY! The instructions are very easy for anyone to read if you are willing to take your time and read and follow them. I had two questions that a call to Chris at GAP clarified for me. I took about 3 hours over 2 days after work. Once assembled, the XYL and I got it in the ground mount, I attached and laid out the counterpoise wires and attached 100' of coax (Gap recommended 100' for best results here) and hooked it to my MFJ-259 antenna analyzer. Across the bands I had VSWR<1.8:1 and less than 1.4 on the sections I work most. I had been concerned about losing 17 meters - no problem - although SWR was a touch over 2:1 the tuner on the IC-746Pro handles it easily and I've worked 8 new countries on 17 in horrible band conditions.

Time to hook it up and get on the air. Overall band conditions have been awful but I've gotten 12 new countries on the bands other than 17, made contacts on every band from 80 through 6 now (6 and 10 this past weekend) and am generally given much better signal reports. They've gone from 'got you above the noise a little' to 'great signal - 59 plus here in ...'.

A week after I put it in we had a line of storms move through. The XYL and I were about to go out and lay it over on the ground but I called Chris and he just laughed. He said unless we expected winds of over 55 MPH not to worry. Ground mounted and unguyed, I nervously watched it sway in the winds (45 MPH+). It came though unscathed.

I am impressed with GAP and this antenna. Their people helped me with figuring out where to place it near my house and were there every step of the way. If I ever need to replace this antenna with another vertical, I won't hesitate to get another.
W1MLK Rating: 2008-03-13
Easy...just easy! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Bought the GAP Challenger DX just to see if it worked like GAP said...And it does. I feel sorry for anyone who states this antenna is "difficult" to put together. If you can read, then do so with the directions while you are assembling it which most hams do not do. Which might explain why some have problems with this antenna. The antenna has great swr's on 80-6 meters and makes contacts amid the big pile ups. In my case i run 200 watts (pep) and have no problems with distant DX or talking across the country. The GAP Challenger works and works well.
K9DY Rating: 2008-02-26
Great Antenna Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been using my GAP Challenger since July 1986, and I have never taken it down or replaced anything. This antenna is phenominal. I can work almost anything I hear and have recently worked all but one of the rare DXpeditions, some on the first call. I run less than 100 watts out, and have surprised a few people when running 5 watts. They refuse to believe I am QRP. The antenna is phenominal.

I live in a restricted community, so I had to do a stealth installation. My antenna is in tall trees at the rear of my lot, and 2 feet from a wire fence. I ran 2 of the counterpoises parallel to the fence and the third perpindicular to it. It is not guyed, as the trees keep it from bending too far in the wind. I painted it a flat black, and it is nearly invisible, even to me.

I could not have made a better choice.
KC4ZGB Rating: 2007-09-07
A great antenna that lasts Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned a GAP challenger for over ten years and yesterday ordered the wire parts to overhaul it before moving to a new location. It has served me well with great results. It survived shear winds (that blew down a 3' diameter trunk tree (sugarberry) that was a few feet away), static discharges, and being moved several times. I was also impressed that one phone call and the replacement parts were on their way!

John Bufford kc4zgb
KI4CRA Rating: 2007-04-22
Great Antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
My first HF antenna was the GAP challenger. I had just recently got re-active in the hobby, I was a month away from taking my general theory and code test and wanted something to use to listen to code. A friend of mine gave me his Kenwood TS-820S (great rig, wish I still had it!) I needed an antenna that I could use first of all to listen and second one I could actually use for QSO's. Enter GAP Antennas! I bought the 'challenger DX, had an antenna party (Iam partially disabled, can't stand very long) got it together got it set up and I was off and running.

My Challenger,worked extremely well here in Fl. not to mention that my QTH is approximately 15 miles from where the antennas are built, so when any problem arose a quick call or a 25 min. drive and I got all the help I needed. Rich is most helpful wqhen ot comes to his antennas. Chris, his assistant is equally knowledgeable about the antennas.

After about a year I had expressed intrest in working 17 meters, as I had bought the IC-706MKIIG, still had the 820S, but I wanted something to where I had the WARC bands. In talking with Rich & Chris one day they told me about the mod I could do to get 17 metersa. I did the mod, I lost 12 meters, but got 17, the SWR wasn't great about 2:1, but I could be heard on 17. With the Challenger and the 706 or 820 I made many contacts. I had a great QSO with a Crete Greece station on New Years Eve 03.

I sold my Challenger about 2 yrs ago to a friend of mine, and it is still going strong. I have since upgraded, both license and antennas. I gained my Amateur Extra in Jan 04 and got a GAP Titan DX in Mar.04, I have often entertained thoughts of getting another Challenger,but I have too many antennas as is. You can't go wrong with the GAP Challenger!

Mark AI4HO
W3UZI Rating: 2006-09-12
A great antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have not had this up very long but find it performs as advertised. My backyard has the single-storey house one side, with tall trees on the other three sides. I erected the Challenger halfway between the back fence and the house, ran three radials (not yet buried) as recommended and connected to my IC706 with buryable 50 ohm coax. Excellent on 40, 20, 10, 6 and 2m. Not tried the other bands yet. Generally if I can hear them I can work them. No tuning required! Congrats to the GAP people! Will report back later.
KG4NCK Rating: 2005-07-22
Decent Vertical Time Owned: more than 12 months.
For an HF vertical, this is a decent antenna. It does really good on 40,20,15 and 12 meters. 10 meters is where this antenna really shines, in fact it is one of the best verticals I have used for 10 meters. However, on 2m and 6m, the performance is less than acceptable, in fact, out here in the country, the antenna is useless for those two bands, but I expected that when I bought it, anticipating that I would be using it in a metropolitan area (which I obviously do not now). 80 meter performance is lacking for local work, but it does fairly well for 80 meter DX.

Contrary to the literature they supply with the antenna, for best performance, use more than the three ground radial they reccomend. In fact, the more the better. I found that this antenna does best with about 25 radials of varying length.

This antenna has been through several hurricanes and severe storms in the past 3 years, and is still going strong, but I have it guyed in 3 directions, a little over the pvc gap, so that helped.

WB8ICU Rating: 2004-07-20
works fine for a vertical Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I obtained a used gap and could not get it to work. I took it apart and found the coax shredded and both sections of the shield shorted together"intentionally" by my observation. No wonder the guy gave it to me. I contacted gap by phone, and they sold me the center section, which includes feed harness, center plastic pipe, etc. for 68 dollars. As most people have said, gap is very helpful on the phone. But don't email----they won't answer. I had no problem putting the thing together. I do get a kick out of the reviewer who seems to think a preacher and a teacher have some kind of advantage to puttting an antenna together. I originally tried it out laying horizontally on sawhorses, and the radials had to be lengthened to 33 ft to make it work on 40 meters. So thats what I started with after putting it up, using the peak of my 2 story house as an anchor point. Cut a foot at a time, and lowest swr was at 24 ft. for each radial. Using the cw cap, I get excellent swr on 80 and 10 meters. 15 and 20 are certainly acceptable. Of course, since my favorite band is 40, the swr is still highest there at 2.5:1. Works fine with my omni d and my heathkit hx1681, as well as the ten tec scout 555. Buy it, get ready to do some experimenting with the radials, and have fun.