[TowerTalk] SteppIR gain

[Kelly Johnson]

Unfortunately, as I have mentioned numerous times before, it won't
work for a large number of suburban hams because a 34' turning radius
is often too big.  50' wide lots are standard in many older
neighborhoods (including mine) around here.  Even my 1/4 acre lot is
only 50' wide (50x215).  A Moxon rectangle would make more sense.

I'd love to have a 4L SteppIR or a BigIR or a 3L SteppIR with a full
length 40m element, but I'm real estate challenged (as are an
increasing number of hams).  Heck, it's getting harder and harder to
find places without antenna restrictions, but finding suburban lots
(near job centers) large enough for full size 40m elements is just
about as hard.

I applaud SteppIR for the products it makes.  I'm very happy with my
3L SteppIR, but one of the BEST things about it IMO is its
"sleakness".  It's far more aesthetically acceptable in suburban
settings than any other multi-band yagi.  More and more hams are
finding themselves moving to suburban areas where jobs are more
plentiful.  It would be nice if a 3L SteppIR could be built WITH 40m,
but still with a relatively small turning radius because for most
suburban dwellers the turning radius is as important as the
aesthetics.

Just a suggestion.



On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 17:44:46 -0500, Joe Subich, K4IK <k4ik at subich.com> wrote:
> 
> W4EF writes:
> 
> > I have been thinking the same thing, Kelly. I think a 3
> > element SteppIR with 13.9 MHz parastitic elements and a the
> > 6.9 MHz MonsterIR driven element would be a big hit. Rotary
> > dipole performance on 40 and 30, and 3 element yagi performance
> > on 20, 17, 15, 12, 10.  Great for a 1/8 to 1/4 acre suburban lot.
> 
> I've pitched this idea to Mike Mertel several times ... the
> problem is the change in impedance between the rotary dipole
> mode (40/30) and yagi mode (20/17/15/12/10/6).  It would be
> necessary to switch the impedance of the matching transformer
> (2.25:1 as a beam, 1:1 as a dipole).  Unfortunately, three is
> no provision to do that either in the driven element or the
> controller.
> 
> Like you, I think it would be a "hands down" winner for a great
> many users ... as long as they can handle the ca. 34' turning
> radius.
> 
> 73,
> 
>   ... Joe, K4IK
> 
>