[Towertalk] SteppIR Performance and misleading advertising

[Joe Reisert]

Terry and Steve (WB2WIK),

Why are you guys trying to trash Fluid Motion and putting our false data.

If you notice, Fluid Motion gains are published in QST. Although they are 
in dBi (the typical numbers done with computer modeling), one only had to 
subtract 2.1 for dBd. They aren't trying to pull some fancy testing or 
ground gain etc, like some companies do! The truth of the matter, according 
to Mike at Fluid Motion, is that they did send the antenna out to an 
antenna range and had the gain measured. If they hadn't done this and 
didn't have the proper modeling, ARRL would not have accepted their 
advertisements with the gain included.

As for the Fluid Motion  performance claims etc., it is easy to verity on 
YO etc. using 22 Ohm feed impedance. I've done it. The chosen driven 
element resonance impedance for their design is about 22 Ohms so they use a 
Sevick type unbalanced to balanced toroid to get a 50 Ohm match. 15 meters 
is near the optimum boom length (about 0.35 WL). However, the shorter boom 
does penalize 20 meters by about .5-.7 dB, a small price to get good 
performance from 10 meters through 20 meters on a 3 element Yagi. 
Furthermore, if you don't like the settings they provide (several 
frequencies for 10, 15 and 20 and one for 12 and 17 meters), you can set 
you own and go for maximum gain with poorer F/B, not a bad choice for those 
not needing high F/B like us on the coasts.

Joe, W1JR


At 08:54 PM 9/18/2002 -0500, Zivney, Terry L. wrote:
>Page 154, October 2002 QST:
>
>"performs as predicted by YO and EZNEC within .25-.50 dB"
>
>is patently unverifiable.  I have no problem with the ad
>included a chart based on computer modeling but they have
>no way of proving that their actual physical HF antenna
>is within .25-.50 dB of the computer models, especially
>since they give free space gains and I am quite certain
>the manufacturer does NOT have a free space antenna
>range.
>
>Similarly, I am quite sure they have no way to confirm
>that the actual conductor losses are .17 dB; rather the
>model predicts losses of .17dB
>
>Again, to summarize, the table is ok - but the
>claimed accuracy puts them in the Gotham category
>when it comes to accuracy in advertising.
>
>Terry Zivney, N4TZ/9
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