GAM SSB Antenna

[Celestialsailor]

Has anyone tried this yet? Seems simple but maybe a little over-priced. I like the concept...

GAM / McKim Split Lead Antenna | GAM Electronics

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Has anyone tried this yet? Seems simple but maybe a little over-priced. I like the concept...

GAM / McKim Split Lead Antenna | GAM Electronics

Been around a long time. When it works it's fine to very good. When it doesn't it just fails to perform. The antenna models presented by the manufacturer extend the algorithms beyond the regime in which they are valid.

There are alternatives that are more reliable and predictable.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

Been around a long time. When it works it's fine to very good. When it doesn't it just fails to perform. The antenna models presented by the manufacturer extend the algorithms beyond the regime in which they are valid.

There are alternatives that are more reliable and predictable.

My concern was how it saw the backstay, being so close to it.

[SVRapture40]

I have one and absolutely love it! It works great. On the trip from Seattle to San Francisco I was reported as one of the best signals on the net.

I am not sure how you think it is overpriced? Have you priced removing your backstay, having it cut and isolators swaged in, then reinstalled? The GAM is about the same price as the isolators alone.

One word about service - I was playing with the GTO-15 wire sometime after installation. I noticed that it would slide up quite a bit. Then I noticed that the elements were pushing out the top. So I called the GAM people and asked about this. He said "that is not right, what is your address and I will ship you a new one today. Then you can put your old one in the box and ship it back with the enclosed shipping label". Uuuummm... he didn't even ask when I had bought the thing.

Simple, fast installation and it works great for me.

Now I will get the tongues wagging - I also chose the KISS counterpoise. And it works great as well.

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by SVRapture40

I have one and absolutely love it! It works great. ...
Now I will get the tongues wagging - I also chose the KISS counterpoise. And it works great as well.

Great recommendation. I realise this post was 2014, but in case you are still in touch, maybe you can answer this one:
I need to install a midships antenna (backstay is just not practical for the AT location with my very cramped aft cabin arrangement). Do you think the GAM antenna could be fitted to the side stays, say upper shroud, with a twin spreader rig? (12.1m mast height above deck.) I realise it would not be as simple as sliding it up the shroud from the deck but I could go up the mast if it can be clipped on above and below spreader ends.

I've also asked the GAM folks - waiting for reply.

(I also installed the KISS - big improvement from my old dipole alone, once the AT installed to try to get more coverage.)

[SVRapture40]

Yes, I am still active. I don't know why you couldn't attach it to a side stay, if you have the length required. I would NOT try to jump past a spreader however. But that is just my opinion.

If it were me in your situation, I would install a vertical stick antenna. But that is just me...

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by SVRapture40

... I would NOT try to jump past a spreader however. But that is just my opinion...

Why?
Thanks for such quick reply -most helpful- but I know little/nothing about antennas. Is it the bend around the spreader that would affect propagation, or is it the attachment method that presents a problem?

I've been taking advice from the Icom M710 forum and they recommended I consider a single wire close to shrouds or a GAM attached to them, so I must learn all I can about all possible solutions for midships antenna.

[SVRapture40]

A bend in the antenna would not be a good thing for a few reasons, longevity being one of them.

Why are you discounting a stick antenna? I worked an offshore net for a couple of years. My GAM and one guy that had a vertical stick were the two best receivers and transmitters on the net. And honestly, I would say that his rig was slightly better than mine.

Happy to help for sure!!! Good luck.

[NevisDog]

Okay this is a great help.
I guess I never heard of a sailboat with a free-standing SSB antenna. I'd be concerned about mounting it on deck (would require some structural support), don't suppose it could be mounted on the mast, and any rope around it would destroy it for sure. Besides, the 7m length wouldn't seem much of an improvement on my 5m of dipole (the top half) that is currently fairly hopeless on any frequency I've tried.

[a64pilot]

I think it’s not uncommon for Cats to have a “stick” HF antenna, and of course nearly all powerboats that have an HF have a stick antenna.
Yes, they do have to be braced about half way up, or the ones I had on powerboats did. They perform very well, I would assume maybe better than a lot of backstay antennas as they seem to be sort of Rube Goldberg to me, mine is essentially a random length as I assume almost all are.

[SVRapture40]

Well, I don't want to beat a dead dog here.. I am not an antenna guru but I don't think 7m is required for a stick, my friend's is certainly not 7m. And his is mounted on the aft deck of his sailboat. I don't think he has any over the top bracing.. You definitely would NOT want to put it on top of your mast - way too far from your tuner.

That being said, mounted someplace mid ship might be a problem for lines and sails.

In any case, best of luck!

[IslandHopper]

My 7m whip is deck mounted right aft on the outside of my pushpit and braced to the top rail, antenna tuner is virtually directly below it in the lazarette, connected using a deck-mount feed through insulator and about 15in of HV feeder cable, works like a charm....

This on a Ketch with no usable backstays.

[chuckr]

We have had one for 11 years - just renewed my ham license so easy to remember- sailed all the Carib from Fla to Colombia to Jamaica to Trini and constantly told we had one of the best ssb in the Carib -
we said across the Atlantic in 2013 and used winlink for weather out of Fla or Halifax all the way to the Azores -
Now in the Med and Black Sea - getting wx and winlink when we need it - ie no internet - and getting stations in Swiss, Germany, Bulgaria, Russia
We put it on our backstay and never an issue in 11 years