Am looking at vertical antennas.
Found this company.
"www.gapantenna.com/"
Any suggestions or observations.
Would like an antenna that does not require guys.
An antenna that covers multiple bands.

Clyde, if you get the chance you could speak with Perry, K4PLP about the Gap, he has one. Best I recall when I spoke with him about it, it works about the same as mine does. I have the Original Hygain 18AVT, it costs a fraction of what Gap's generally are. MFJ I think now sells them and have cheapened them up and I have read you'll be needing to beef them up before even installing them. I have No Guys on my antenna just so you know and it has stood High winds at the Hays Location. Here maybe a different story because of where we put it...I guess time will tell!

Good luck!
Oh and thanks for helping me with the driver issue! We tried the cable on a Working Driver on another machine that programs both the Wouxun an BoFeng and it did the same thing, fail connection. Hooked up that guys cable and it worked, programmed the Wouxun no problem. I believe this Cable is shot and has been the entire time. I tried his cable on the XP Pro machine and it worked, so that settled it for me. Bad Chip or Bad something in my cable. Had you not shown me that Vista driver I think I would have pulled my hair out...Time for a new cable...

That just goes to show the saying is valid.
Two heads are better than one even if one (mine) is a cabbage head.
Glad you figured it out.

Having second thoughts about the gap.
Read the assembly instructions and do not like the complexity of it.
Tooo many parts means lots of things to go wrong in the future.
So I am still looking at verticals.
Will probably work with mine some trying different connection schemes.
Lots of ideas in the ARRL antenna book - 15th edition.
It is old but so am I and there is so much to read and learn a little.

73
clyde
kk4ywi

Afteroon Clyde! Yes you are right two heads are absolutely better than one especially if One is mine! I have a new one on the way so we'll see. I had no issues with the Alinco or Yaesu using the New cable Rick got and gave me for those rigs.

As for the Gap, yes I have read in the past they had some maintenance issues and certain models required guying off. That said, I have also heard they are pretty danged good antenna's but I can't remember ever hearing one. I do know as you do, a lot of people don't care for verticals on the Low Bands because they have the misunderstanding they aren't for DX work. I personally, this is my opinion, any antenna you can work stations around the world with is a pretty fair DX getting antenna. A lot of people like Big signal reports and use a lot of wattage to gain them, I would rather run about 80 watts or less and get a good QSO with someone far off. That's just me...

Have a great evening, God Bless
7 3

Chuck

Glad you got the programming cable dilemma solved. I know that can be frustrating.

After some more research and thought I will just try some more things with my home brewed vertical.
My antenna book has a lot of possibilities for me to try to get it to tune better.
I really need to decide where I am going to put this tower and put it up.
It has mounts for three verticals on top of it. They will be vertical dipoles for 6m and 10m
Then I will drag an inverted vee up it too.
So many new antennas to try and so little time.
And I want to build them all, learning as I go.

73
clyde
kk4ywi

Got the new cable, no issues. Yes, I understand about the antenna's so many so little time. Just be careful messing with towers, they are very dangerous, I know you know that but it never hurts to be reminded when something is dangerous. After a while I would guess, you'll settle on a couple, maybe more and be happy with what you've got. I believe that most if not all hams starting out get the antenna urges and want to try them all, after a while I think too they realize that is danged near impossible unless they've got seriously deep pockets and more time on their hands than anyone could imagine. We all get settled in to a grove after a whiles and that is where I guess you just get comfortable and stick. In ways, that might be a bad thing but in other ways it seems a lot less headaches are in store.

Good luck with you antenna's and I hope you get your vertical settled, I think once you do you'll really enjoy it's range and ability to gain those far off DX contacts.

Best Regards
or 7 3
God bless!