Just to reiterate my own positive experience with
my 3 el SteppIR through a VT winter...
I burned out the base rotor on the 70' tower, and relied
on the 180 degree flip mode, between US and EU. The only time
I needed to armstrong the tower, was to point to Africa. Wasn't
that often, unfortunately, as I still need a few countries there.
Oh...and I needed to use snowshoes to GET to the tower, as there
was 4'+ of snow in the back yard. The rotor wouldn't be SEEN til
spring!
At one point, we had 1" of radial ice on the steppIR. It sagged
a bit, but came through fine. In fact, it seemed to shake off the
ice quickly, when a bit of wind came up. Easier than with aluminum,
was my impression.
I routinely kept my elements in retract mode, when not in use, just
in case a big pine decided to attack the array. All I'd have to do
is replace some relatively cheap fiberglass poles.
In short: The steppIR works well, and certainly seems robust. It passed
my test, in VT.
N2EA
_______________________________________________
See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather
Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions
and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
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