An on the field comparison with the GAP Titan DX
Since the GAP Titan DX did not completely satisfied me completely on 40 meters band, last summer I decided that the time to test some alternatives had come.
The choice was between a typical multiband fan-dipole, or a single band dipole. Space on my roof is limited to aproximately 20 meters, that is not so much, but is even enougth to setup a decent wire antenna.
After a short period of analysis and choices among antenna design, I came to to the Bazooka antenna design, and I ended up to opt for the EAntenna Bazooka Antenna for 40 meters band.
Bazooka dipoles are done by using a mix of coax cables and single wire as main part of dipole arms, and as main characteristics they feature low noise and bandwith. Concerning antenna gain above single dipole antenna, I’ve read several articles with conflicting opinions, some report an higher values above the dipole, and some other that even state a similar or even lower values.
Based on my experience I can tell you what the real life comparison amont the GAP Titan DX, a vertical multiband antenna I own, and that is erected in the same roof.
Setting up and tuning the Bazooka Antenna
The installation is very simple, as the antenna does not require any special mounting work. I installed a vertical pole about six meters high, to which I attached a bracket I had available, and to which I attached a pulley I had bought some years ago in Fredrickshaffen and which came in very handy.
The centre of the antenna is, as I said, about six metres high, while the ends of the antenna are about two metres high. The whole thing is positioned at the edge of the roof, which is about 10 metres above the ground.
Tuning the antenna was very simple, I had to shorten the antenna by about thirty centimetres on each side to get the lowest SWR in the area I was most interested in, the CW area.
The bandwidth turned out to be very wide, allowing SWR values always below 1.5:1.
Tuning has been done by placing my Antenna Analyzer at the shack, and by monitoring the SWR behaviour almost in real-time via a tablet connected via WI-FI to my Analyzer. It took me just 15 minutes to get the optimal values.
Antenna performance Tests
Reception
Reception is the easiest and immediate test. It outperfomed the GAP Titan in silence and sensibility. Stong signals had a clear and evident improvement, signals received at S8-S9 with the Bazooka were S9+20.
But the main advantage is the lower noise, that made signal slightly compresible on the GAP Titan DX, completely readable on the the Bazooka. In the clear QRM is S9 on the GAP and S7 on the Bazooka.
Transmission
To evaluate performace in tramsission I did use the Reverse Beacon Network method. I called CQ intermittenly with both antennas, changing frequency and speed, in order to have get spotted from receivers and then I compared the received signal reports.
In the table below, you will see the receptions reports with the Winner Antenna in the last column.
| Receiveb by | QRG | dB | GMT | Antenna | Winner |
| AC0C-1 | 7022.6 | 9 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| EA2NN | 7022.9 | 7 dB | 0516z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| ES5PC | 7022.6 | 17 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | |
| ES5PC | 7023.4 | 22 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | GAP Titan DX |
| ES5PC | 7023.4 | 14 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| G4IRN | 7022.6 | 28 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| G4IRN | 7023.4 | 16 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| G4IRN | 7023.4 | 13 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| G4ZFE | 7022.6 | 21 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| G4ZFE | 7023.4 | 9 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| HA1VHF | 7023.4 | 10 dB | 0516z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| J68HZ | 7022.7 | 9 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| K5TR | 7022.6 | 12 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| KM3T-2 | 7023.4 | 9 dB | 0516z 27 Oct | Bazooka | |
| KM3T-2 | 7022.6 | 11 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | |
| KM3T-2 | 7023.4 | 12 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | GAP Titan DX |
| KO7SS | 7022.6 | 11 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| LZ3CB | 7022.6 | 12 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| LZ3CB | 7023.4 | 12 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | GAP Titan DX |
| LZ3CB | 7023.4 | 8 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| LZ4AE | 7022.6 | 22 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| LZ4AE | 7023.4 | 16 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| LZ4AE | 7023.4 | 15 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| LZ4UX | 7022.6 | 6 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | |
| LZ4UX | 7023.4 | 12 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| LZ4UX | 7023.4 | 15 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | GAP Titan DX |
| LZ7AA | 7022.6 | 21 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | |
| LZ7AA | 7023.4 | 14 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| LZ7AA | 7023.4 | 24 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | GAP Titan DX |
| MM0ZBH | 7022.6 | 13 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| MM0ZBH | 7023.4 | 4 dB | 0509z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| OE9GHV | 7023.4 | 9 dB | 0516z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| OH4KA | 7022.6 | 14 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | |
| OH4KA | 7023.4 | 18 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | GAP Titan DX |
| OH4KA | 7023.4 | 13 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| OH6BG | 7022.6 | 23 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| OH6BG | 7023.4 | 21 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| OH6BG | 7023.4 | 20 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| ON3URE | 7023.4 | 8 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | GAP Titan DX |
| PA8MM | 7022.7 | 25 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| PA8MM | 7023.4 | 12 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| SE5E | 7022.6 | 34 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| SE5E | 7023.4 | 20 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| SE5E | 7023.4 | 20 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| SJ2W | 7022.6 | 21 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| SJ2W | 7023.4 | 18 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| SJ2W | 7023.4 | 16 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| SM6FMB | 7022.6 | 9 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | |
| SM6FMB | 7022.6 | 9 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | |
| SM6FMB | 7023.4 | 11 dB | 0520z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | GAP Titan DX |
| SM6FMB | 7023.4 | 11 dB | 0520z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| SM6FMB | 7023.4 | 6 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| SM6FMB | 7023.4 | 6 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| SM7IUN | 7022.6 | 30 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| SM7IUN | 7023.4 | 26 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| SM7IUN | 7023.4 | 17 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| SV8RV | 7022.6 | 24 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| SV8RV | 7023.4 | 13 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| SV8RV | 7023.4 | 18 dB | 0508z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| W1NT-2 | 7022.6 | 14 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| W1NT-2 | 7023.4 | 10 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| W1NT-6 | 7023.4 | 20 dB | 0516z 27 Oct | Bazooka | |
| W1NT-6 | 7022.6 | 25 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| W1NT-6 | 7023.4 | 20 dB | 0519z 27 Oct | GAP Titan DX | |
| W4KAZ | 7023.4 | 9 dB | 0516z 27 Oct | Bazooka | |
| W4KAZ | 7022.6 | 14 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
| WZ7I | 7022.6 | 13 dB | 0512z 27 Oct | Bazooka | Bazooka |
In some cases, I’ve been spotted just using the Bazooka. Of course, we may consider the polarization of the receiving station, that is currently unknown to me, and the direction of the receiving staion. The Vertical being an omnidirectional, in some cases outperforms the dipole.
Using the Bazooka during CQ WW SSB
Well, the 2021 edition of the CQ WW SSB was a really a very hard to work contest o 40 meters, with lots of stations and strong signals, therefore it is difficult to evalutate the antenna performance, but I’ve been able to compare it again with the vertical, and from a reception point of view it confirmed the impression of a lowr QRM threshold and stronger signals.
Conclusions
The results were as expected, the Bazooka antenna offers an higher gain in reception and transmission, and a lower noise level that permit optimal reception. Cons, are directivity of dipole, and wire diamater size, that makes wire very visible. Concerning the product, looks weel assembled and with a good quality of materials. Center balun is completely sealed and waterproofed. 4 KW power looks generous for my habits. The price, is around 70 Euros.
Currently very satisfied.