>It seems that most hams who consider the SteppIr but ultimately purchase a
small tribander do so primarily to reduce cost.
I agree with this assessment. Next year a group of us are going to Malta
for a week of fun. We debated whether to take an existing tri-bander or
obtain a 2el SteppIR. The consensus was that having a good signal on the
WARC bands back to the states is important, so we are purchasing the
SteppIR. One of the group said the antenna costs about $800, which sounded
like a bargain. In reality, the cost with shipping will exceed $1K (with 8
week wait to ship). One could likely buy a good tri-bander AND a WARC
antenna for less, especially considering the availability of used antennas
in today's market. For our DX group, the decision hinges more on weight and
size rather than cost.
73 Keith NM5G
-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of
donovanf@starpower.net
Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2005 8:17 AM
To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] M2 "Skip Log" vs. SteppIR
Jason,
The Steppir has changed the paradigm for tri-band and five
band Yagis. Either the 3 or the 4 element SteppIr have
significantly better gain and f/b than any log periodic, including very
large 48 foot boom or larger military log periodic antennas
($10,000 plus). The performance of the small, low cost, 2
element SteppIr is similar to the M2 Skip Log.
There are a few disadvantages to the SteppIr:
- higher cost than a small tribander
- increased potential for mechanical failures, although reliability
problems have been reported by very few owners and the company has a great
reputation for supporting their products
It seems that most hams who consider the SteppIr but ultimately purchase a
small tribander do so primarily to reduce cost.
73!
Frank
W3LPL
_______________________________________________
See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather
Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions
and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
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