[CQ-Contest] TH7 Replacement

K9MA k9ma at sdellington.us
Mon Aug 7 15:47:14 EDT 2017


Besides the maintenance issues, the SteppIR won't do the instant band changes I do all the time in contests.  Not SO2R, but my station is set up to change bands as fast as the K3 can. That's become a vital part of my operating strategy. 

So far, the Skyhawk and JK Mid Tri are looking good. Skyhawk is cheaper, but JK looks more rugged and has a higher wind rating.  

73,

Scott K9MA 




----------

Scott Ellington

 --- via iPad

> On Aug 7, 2017, at 12:59 PM, Jim Brown <k9yc at audiosystemsgroup.com> wrote:
> 
> If you don't need to tri-plex it to two radios, it's hard to beat a SteppIR.  My neighbor K6XX has wrangled my straight 3-el at the top of my 120 ft tower without difficulty.  Standard procedure is to assemble and test it on the ground, then remove the elements, pull both elements and boom up the tower, and reassemble.  That straight 3-el is light enough for one strong guy to handle pretty easily, and it's gain is comparable to any high-efficiency 3-el Yagi (meaning full-size elements, without traps). If you doubt that, I suggest that you read N6BT's self-published "Array of Light" book, wherein he debunks some of the phony claims and "physics from another universe" used in advertising for some of these products. Some of these ads, for example, claimed greater gain than an ideal monoband Yagi with the same number of elements and boom length.
> 
> If you do need to tri-plex, I'd look at the new products from G0KSC.
> 
> 73, Jim K9YC
> 
>> On 8/6/2017 2:48 PM, K9MA wrote:
>> My 28 year old TH7 needs to come down for maintenance, and I'm told the trap end caps MFJ now sells don't last long.  I also may be just a matter of luck that no bugs have moved into any of the traps. So, I'd really like to replace it with a trapless antenna.  The TH7 has served me well, having last been put up in 1993. It needs to be replaced before I'm too old to climb the tower!
>> 
>> Here are the requirements:
>> 
>> Performance comparable to TH7
>> Boom length 24 feet or less
>> No traps or fragile linear loading
>> Can be assembled on the tower (as was the TH7 in 1993.)
>> 
>> At this point, the Skyhawk appears to be my best option, at least of the tribanders available in this country.  Any experience with the Skyhawk, or other suggestions?
>> 
>> 73,
>> 
>> Scott K9MA
>> 
>> ----------
>> 
>> Scott Ellington
>> 
>>  --- via iPad
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> 
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