>From what I have heard, BeCu is only toxic if you breath the dust from
machining it. People working in plants where it is made (Brush-Wellman)
have been reported to have health problems as the result of industrial
exposure (there was a story on 60 minutes a few years ago). In its finished
form, it is supposed to be harmless.
73 de Mike, W4EF....................................
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ragnar Otterstad" <otterstad@enter.vg>
To: <K7LXC@aol.com>; <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 1:54 PM
Subject: [Towertalk] SteppIR and results
>
> The 3el SteppIR worked very well on the high bands, especially when I
lowered
> it to about 40 feet. I often broke pileups on the first call on the high
> bands.
>
> That SteppIR is an incredible little antenna. With a 16' boom and an extra
> element, I expected it to have maybe a couple of dB on the C3S and,
> subjectively speaking, it probably does. Having reasonable SWR across all
six
> bands (17m, 12m and 6m included) is a nice luxury. The vendor claims their
big
> advantage is pattern. They say their antenna
> maintains its pattern across the bands, unlike most tribanders that
> allegedly deliver specified F/B, F/R and F/S only near their resonant
> frequencies. Limited, ad hoc testing seems to confirm this. What really
blew
> me away were the Reverse and Bi-Direction features. I could switch between
JA
> and Carib in three seconds or spray RF in both directions. This is REALLY
> useful in the real world of CA contesting.
> Tnx to Steve for posting this on the contest reflector.
>
> My only reservation with the SteppIR antenna is mechanical reliablility.
How
> long has it been in service and what is the MTBF roughly ?
>
> They are using BeCu material, which is very strong but also highly toxic.
Any
> environmental problems ?
>
> 73
>
> Rag Otterstad LA5HE also JW5HE OZ8RO
> located in Telemark - home of skiing.
>
> My antenna "farm" can be found on HTTP://no.photos.yahoo.com/la5he when
you
> click on Radio.
>
>
> Take a look at: http://WWW.visitTelemark.com
>
> or http://www.visitnorway.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> AN Wireless Self Supporting Towers at discounted prices,
> See http://www.mscomputer.com
>
> Wireless Weather Stations now $349.95. Call Toll Free,
> 888-333-9041 for additional information.
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