[TowerTalk] SteppIR

[Joe - WDØM]

Better put your name on the waiting list now, Gary - in five years, there 
still will be a long list of people wanting them.  Mine's already been 
through heavy ice and snow storms here in the Rocky Mountains, already 
exceeded the "couple thousand changes in length", and when I want to ensure 
the elements are the correct length, I just push the calibrate button.  I 
worked FT5XO yesterday by pressing the 180 button and going LP, when I 
realized SP wasn't working.  He answered my first call on 20 CW.  Sure 
saves on rotor wear and tear.

Cheers,

Joe
WDØM


At 10:10 AM 3/22/2005, garyejones at cmaaccess.com wrote:
>The real issue here, in my mind, (outside of the OM that lives on a
>saltwater island and had to replace his aluminum every year or two) is
>how long will the SteppIR elements hold up and how long the motor
>drives (the mechanics) will continue to accurately move the copper
>strips out and back. I wouldn't touch one until I heard how these
>elements are doing after five years vibrating 20 Hz in the wind,
>bending under ice loads, taking the blistering southern summers, and a
>couple of thousand changes of length.  My hunch is that there will not
>be a single antenna working at 5 or 10 years, while there are many 30
>year old aluminum monobanders still "playing" like the day there were
>first erected......
>
>            73
>
>                      Gary       W5FI