[TowerTalk] Force12

David Gilbert xdavid at cis-broadband.com
Sat Sep 22 12:39:48 EDT 2007



I'd bet that the manuals for many amateur antennas are indeed copies of 
copies, and a master copy in digital format probably never existed in 
the first place.   In those cases, the manufacturers probably feel it 
just isn't worth their time ... or they don't have the resources ... to 
go back and recreate the manual for existing products.

I think a similar situation may exist regarding web sites.  Until 
recently the SteppIR web site was a tragic mess that I personally found 
very irritating to navigate, but they clearly decided it was worth the 
effort to clean it up and their new format is quite attractive and 
effective.  M2 and OptiBeam have orderly and informative web sites.  
Force 12, on the other hand, has a horrible web site that just keeps 
getting worse.  All of those companies make fine antennas but there 
appears to be a difference in attitude and focus, or more probably, 
current resources.

Dave   AB7E



Kenneth D. Grimm, K4XL wrote:
> Barry wrote:
>   
>> The manuals don't help much, anyway.  Instructions are vague and the 
>> pictures are really pitiful - they look like copies of copies of 
>> copies.  Hopefully the new owner(s) will use these comments constructively.
>> Barry W2UP
>>   
>>     
> Ain't it the truth!  Compared to some of the latest version SteppIR 
> manuals, the Force 12 manuals are "uninspiring."  The SteppIR manuals 
> are available for downloading from the SteppIR web site, are in full 
> color, with clear and detailed photographs and have been revised 
> occasionally to take advantage of different and better ways of building 
> and operating the antennas.  The difference in the business philosophies 
> of the two sets of owners comes across very clearly in the policies they 
> have adopted regarding their manuals.  Nevertheless, some of the Force 
> 12 antennas are killers and I do appreciate the wide variety of antennas 
> that they have put on the market.
> Ken, K4XL
>
>   


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