[TowerTalk] antenna attributes

[Jim Jarvis]

OK, look...
Ya pays yer money 'n takes yer chances.....

True, the steppIR won't tune >1 band at once.
But that means your rx doesn't have all that out of band
crap to intermod with.  (look at 21 MHz & the SW @ 21.4)

True, it takes 15-20 secs to change from band to band.
But I found my 756pro & pw1 & steppIR moved fast enough
when it was time to change bands....I lost perhaps 15 seconds,
or the equivalent of 1 qso, if I were running at 240 per hour.

But IF I were running in a bandmap point and click mode, at 120/hr...
does it matter?  I've worked out the band I'm on, it's time to
move and see what else is going on.....take a swig of coffee
while the rig is moving over.  

If you love passive aluminum...God bless you.  A big, complex 
array of stacked yagis & cet is your due.   On the other hand,
if you're limited in space/time/towerheight....maybe an active
array makes sense.

We're not going to change anyone's mind.  There ARE risks with
moving parts in the air, even though we haven't seen them yet.

AND...on the upside, I had some positive comm's from the Mertel's
today, regarding 40m.  We're over some hurdles, but not quite there.
Can't wait to see what my next steppIR will look like!

n2ea
jimjarvis at ieee.org