[TowerTalk] Steppir and UV Continued

[Bernard]

    I called Fluidmotion this morning and talked to Jim about a few "technical" issues that I will pass on to the board.

    1. He said that the fiberglass elements were treated for UV protection.  When I asked about an additional coat of epoxy, he said that it was probably a good idea and wouldn't hurt anything.  If anyone has any suggestions for a good brand of epoxy paint and where to buy it, I would be interested in hearing suggestions.

    2.  I asked about lightning protection for the 12 conductor cable using "rotor" (8 pin protection) type surge protectors.  He recommended the ICE model 348 and said that there has been a few problems with the PolyPhaser unit.  I believe that someone posted on this board that they were using a couple of the PolyPhaser rotor protectors for their Steppir cable and had no problems.

    3.  I asked about the programming for automatic tuning for the TenTec Orion.  He said that the programming was done but they haven't been able to borrow an Orion to check out their software.  He thought that this should be done in a couple of weeks.  I remember someone posting about this, I believe, over the weekend.  So, this may still be an issue.

    4.  Non Technical Information:  I placed an order for a 3 element beam on March 1st.  At that time, they said that it would be about a 6 week wait.  Today, they are still saying about a 3-4 week wait before my "number" comes up.  A word to the wise, if you are planning on buying a Steppir for a Spring antenna party, place your order early.

Hope that this answers some of the questions posed.

        73

        Bernard, WA4OEJ