I'm looking to get a new antenna and would appreciate some comments on
comparing the 3-element SteppIR and the 8-element Cushcraft log
periodic.
The performance in terms of gain, F/B, bandwidth, SWR, power rating
and beamwidth are close enough to be a wash, so what about the other
factors?
Here are some of the pros and cons I see:
The Cushcraft is a bit larger and heavier, but has no moving parts.
Both have single line feed and handle full legal power.
The Cushcraft may be prone to causing overload in the RX because it
receives all frequencies in its design bandwidth equally well. The
SteppIR is much more frequency selective. Comments on this would be
especially welcome.
The SteppIR will do a 180 reverse without turning the antenna,
important for contesting.
The Cushcraft will change bands instantly where the SteppIR takes a
few seconds.
The SteppIR requires a 12-conductor cable and separate controller. The
Cushcraft switching is inherent in the design and requires no separate
parts.
Price: SteppIR is $1395, Cushcraft ASL-2010 is $895.
I'm a KISS kind of guy so I'm leaning toward the Cushcraft, but my
mind is not made up. Price is not really that important; I just want
something that will do the job and be reliable.
All comments welcome.
--
73, Bill W6WRT
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