They were up front with me... they told me I could order a Big Vertical,
but it would be October before they could ship me one. No over-sell here.
Just the facts, ma'am.
I want one, but do not want to wait; what would you guys put up
until then? I suppose I could put a Hustler 5BVT on a DX-Engineering
or Penninger radial plate, and then supplant the SteppIR for the Hustler
when it arrives, and use the same radial field.
Any other ideas? ====== K8JHR =====
**************************************
I have a Steppir small vertical and a Hustler 4-BTV. I think they are
both good antennas. I live on salt water, that likes vertical antennas,
and have a large steel roof, that I wanted to use as a ground plane.
I started with a 20m Hamstick on a magmount to test the concept. It
worked very well. So I got the Hustler. The Hustler didn't like the
metal roof - I couldn't get my SWR's down despite a million tweaks and
trips to the roof. I wound up putting it on the ground with just 2
radial wires lying on the ground per band. It worked very well there.
I got the small Steppir vertical because I didn't want the extra 14 ft
length and guying problems of the Big one just to pick up 40m - which I
was handling Ok with a G5RV. I put the Steppir on the roof again where
the Hustler had been struggling. The antenna is grounded with a very
short jumper to the steel roof panels. Surprisingly, the Steppir took a
lot of fooling around with to get a decent SWR - especially on 20m - my
band of choice. Finally, I got the SWR down to about 1.7-1.8 on 14.250.
It was mostly by accident. I had two radials cut for 20m that I taped
to the roof in various angles and orientations, without much luck. Then
one windy day, the two radials blew out from under their tape and
dangled down the mast. I had a big drop in SWR. I've left them there
ever since - about a year.
In this configuration, this is a VERY good antenna for me. I run
several 20m nets multi times/week covering N. America. I almost always
get outstanding signal reports - I'm talking S9 minimums - day in and
day out - usually +20, sometimes +40. I get really great reports from
JA and EU. I usually run about 500 watts. My buddies always give me a
hard time - want me to get a beam and tower. Well, maybe some day. But
why fix what ain't broken??? I usually respond with "Stand-by while I
turn my antenna in your direction!" It's also quiet on receive, doing
A-B comparisons with a 20 m dipole.
Steppir support sometimes leaves something to be desired - at least on
the front end. Check the Yahoo Steppir group. They promised a 4 week
lead time that turned into 18 weeks. They finally called to say it was
ready (I picked it up locally.) After I had it home and on the air,
they sent me an email saying it would be another 4 weeks. Oh well, I
have it, and it works very well. It's an easy access should I have a
mechanical problem - I wouldn't want it 100 ft up a tower! The
controller is designed for the Beam, as is the Manual, which is
confusing (no 180 degree directional flip, etc.), but I got through
that, being a smart ham.
I still have the 4-BTV. If you want it, I'll make you a good deal!
Bob Bogash
W7DDD
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