[TowerTalk] Quads, SteppIRs, towers, etc..

[Bill Ogden]

My original question about a quad vs SteppIR was for a 2-element (Cubex)
quad with separate feeds.  There seems to be a general agreement that the
3-element SteppIR would have much better directivity.  (To me this equates
to useful gain, especially for receiving.)  The quad has an 8' boom and the
yagi has a 16' boom --- that is probably the key element in the whole
matter.  The yagi is considerably larger with more turning room needed but
may have a better "neighbor view" appearance than the quad.

I am not quite clear how the yagi and the tiltover tower work together.  I
 assume I tilt the tower such that the mast is 8' above ground (half the
 boom length) and work from a stepladder.  This also means that there must
 be tree clearance to tilt the yagi. I assume that, generally, the yagi is
 easier to assemble, move, install, etc, than a quad.

I am not a climber.  I constructed the Cubex quad by tying the boom and
 mast about 10' up on my tower (I don't mind climbing that far!) and then
 working from a stepladder to attach the spreaders (with elements
 installed) to each end.  Then, working from the tower, I connected the
 relay box, coax to each element , feed coax, and control wires --- with
 most of this taped to the boom.  At this point, I could probably have
 hoisted the whole thing to the top of the tower if I used a 10' gin pole.
 However, a cousin-in-law has a 60' cherry picker (for tree trimming) and
 we used that.  Even so, it was a nontrivial job.  Of course, everything
 was easier because there were no guy wires for the tower.

The quad was a very good antenna. (I moved from 100 countries confirmed to
 about 260 confirmed in two years of casual operation --- and I have an
 almost blind spot toward the South Pacific due to a small mountain next
 door.)  Like many people I have the impression the quad is a quieter
 antenna although I cannot prove it.  However, the mechanical aspects are
 messy, especially for the few of us who are not growing younger.

(Anyone interested in a 40' aluminum tower (standard Universal 40' with
 rotor plate) and all the Cubex quad parts, including a NIB set of wire
 elements?  I think about $1200-1300 is a reasonable price but I need to do
 a little research.  Both are in excellent shape.  Location is near
 Poughkeepsie, NY.  I also have a Yaesu G450A rotator in excellent shape; I
 need to do a little research to see if this is suitable for the SteppIR.
 I used the G450 gently and have had absolutely no problems with it. The
 quad has much less turning moment than a yagi and is easy on rotators.)

I thank the many people who responded with useful information and comments
 for my questions.

Bill
W2WO