Gap Challenger DX Antenna in Gap Tilt Mount
- Gap Tilt Mount Ground Mounted In Dirt
So far I am quite pleased with the mounting of the Gap Challenger DX antenna that Jane, KD8KRS, and I installed. The mount we chose was both specifically designed for this particular antenna and it had quite a number of positive reviews when I did my research prior to my purchase decision. The closest alternatives were a simple pipe cemented into the ground and a nicely designed ground mount sold by DX Engineering. The research did not indicate distinct advantages over use of the DX Engineering mount. Actually my reading indicated that the DX Engineering mount was specifically designed for other antennas. Since I could not find any documentation from people that had already used the DX Engineering mount with MY antenna and since there were plenty of people that had used the GAP mount with my Gap Challenger DX vertical antenna I decided to use the mount designed specifically for this antenna. Why risk it when there was no documented upside?
I had pretty much assumed that I would have to dig a big old hole in the ground, fill it with concrete and then place the mount into the concrete to obtain the desired stable mount. I ordered the antenna mount from GAP and it arrived quickly. I had several questions about the antenna and the mount and the folks at GAP were very nice to work with. I have worked with a lot of people in professional situations on the phone over the years and I know nice. These guys were nice, knowledgeable and they did what they said they would do when they said they would do it. I just wanted to get a free plug in for them somewhere since they were good to work with. I do not have a financial interest in their company and I was not or will not be paid to write this. They just do a good job…
When the mount arrived I was a bit surprised at how spartan it looked. It looked like it was constructed out of quality materials that fit together well and all. It was a bit like when I opened the box for my first HT (hand held ham radio). I was very surprised at how small it was. After I thought through the amount of solid dirt in a solid hole that the plates of the mount would be pushing against to hold the antenna in place the design made sense. I could see people not thinking through the angle of forces on the mount and thinking it was so lightweight that it must be cheap and perhaps useless.
I took one evening and read through the instructions that came with the mount and assembled and disassembled the mount several times to ensure I knew it well. I also thought through the final decision on what to mount it in. To my surprise the person I spoke with at the GAP factory indicated that there were more advantages to mounting it just in dirt (NOT in concrete) than I had considered. He stated that in very high wind conditions, mounting it in dirt may allow for a bit of “give” that would not be present if mounted in concrete. I also thought of portability in the case of a house move or a request from a served agency – I am an Assistant Emergency Coordinator for Outagamie County, Wisconsin (Appleton, Wisconsin area) A.R.E.S. (Amateur Radio Emergency Services). I imagined that if I really needed to I could drop the antenna, dig out the mount, break the antenna down and transport to a remote support site. Perhaps an idea for Field Day some time when I am really bored?
The idea of a mount rock solid in concrete gave me a good feeling. But as I thought more about it, the idea of the concrete heaving over time as my neighbor’s 40 foot TV antenna tower did was not a pleasing thought. And the idea of having to remove a huge chunk of concrete in the future if we were to sell our house and move was not a pleasing thought. After considering the options I decided that if I mounted it in dirt I could relatively easily re-mount it in concrete in the future. The reverse was not true. Since there were perceived advantages to the dirt mounting option and perceived disadvantages to the concrete mounting method I opted for the dirt mounting method. I must say that I remained skeptical that it was the correct choice until after the antenna was mounted and guyed down. Now that it is all in place I am quite pleased with the overall stability of the antenna. I am also pleased that I opted for the dirt mount option. If I had to do it again I likely would do the same given the same conditions. Our conditions are extensive clay soil, plenty of rain and snow, lots of freezing and melting and generally an environment not real friendly to concrete slabs.
By the way, the reason I eliminated the simple pipe mounting option was because of the number of people that had used the TILT mount option that had also urged people to consider that option. We mounted the antenna this past weekend (that will be a separate blog post) and in just one use it was well worth what we had paid for the antenna mount. One person is easily able to just walk the antenna up to vertical without anyone holding the base of the antenna in place. You DEFINITELY do need a second person to secure the bolts in place to lock the antenna in the vertical position. That person is ALSO invaluable for helping to advise when the antenna has reached perfectly vertical as you secure the guy ropes.
We did use a rented power auger to dig the hole for the antenna mount. While we did get it stuck three feet down it was still worth it as we would have been digging into solid clay soil. We put the mount into the hole and filled with the removed clay soil and then watered it in to compact the soil several times. After letting it settle for a good two weeks (I think) we installed the antenna. The mount worked quite nicely.
One thing I did prior to mounting the antenna was to find some videos about the mount on YouTube. One of the videos did show one bolt that quite frankly is not as sturdy as it should be. For us it was not a problem since I had seen the video before mounting the antenna. I knew in advance to take care and work carefully with the particular bolt. I got the antenna secured without damage to the bolt and I know the antenna is locked down quite well. I still would buy the same mount knowing the one weakness but I was quite glad that I knew about it in advance.
Summary: Gap makes a good tilt mount and has good people to work with. Take your time. Do plenty of research. Think things through. Go slow and you will have a quality installation that will provide dependable service for a long time to come! Good luck with your project! Thanks to the folks on www.eHam.net and www.QRZ.com ‘s forums and the people at GAP that responded to questions and that had provided evaluations and advice in the past!
Stay Radio Active!
Jon Kreski – AB9NN – Appleton, Wisconsin / Green Bay, Wisconsin area
http://www.HamRadioResources.com http://www.Twitter.com/AB9NN
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