I was going to buy a 4 element M2 20 meter beam but many hams tell me that the steppir is the way to go. Any ideas? I am all ears.
Thanks,
Bill
Which HF antenna should I buy?
-
spinnerman
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:50 am
- Location: Santa Rosa, CA
I'm not familiar with the M20 but
money is a consideration..
almost any antenna you get will talk all the way around the world if band conditions are good.
I have a hy-gain th6.. tri bander.
But if i had a WARC band radio I would go for a warc antenna.
17 meters especially a nice band.
Any antenna and a tuner works. Having a antenna that adjusts to the exact frequency may be nice but at what monetary cost.
And what if it fails??
Its all guess work anyway. as all antennas work more or less.
So how much "more or less" can you put up with for the money.
This is the bottom line and there is no definitive answer to the question.
money is a consideration..
almost any antenna you get will talk all the way around the world if band conditions are good.
I have a hy-gain th6.. tri bander.
But if i had a WARC band radio I would go for a warc antenna.
17 meters especially a nice band.
Any antenna and a tuner works. Having a antenna that adjusts to the exact frequency may be nice but at what monetary cost.
And what if it fails??
Its all guess work anyway. as all antennas work more or less.
So how much "more or less" can you put up with for the money.
This is the bottom line and there is no definitive answer to the question.
Which H.F. Beam Antenna To Purchase?
I think there are many things to consider besides the cost and these are:
The Antenna supporting structure: a tower or a tri-pod mounted antenna and are they configured to handle the Beam Antenna?
What is the over all weight of the antenna?
The wind surface area measured in Square Feet?
The Forward dB Gain, Front to Back and Front to Side Rejection Ratio?
Does it include a 2 or 4 KW Balun?
What is the Boom length?
What other bands of operation?
What is the cost based over a 15 to 20 year span of time?
Is the antenna Gain measured in dBd or dBi as the reference?
What yearly maintenance is required?
Will the beam antenna be tuned for the SSB or CW portions of the bands or do you expect the antenna to operate on both ends of the band perfectly?
What type of a rotor will turn this beam antenna?
Are you planning to use RG-8X, RG-213/U, LMR-400 or LDF4-50 Heliax?
The 3-Element SteppIR will provide +6 dB Forward Gain or 4 times RF Power at the Antennas Feed Point. It has an excellent Front to Back Ratio, a Good Front to Side Ratio and is mounted on a 16 Foot Boom.
The 4-Element SteppIR will provide +7.5 db Forward Gain or 5.6 times RF Power at the Antennas Feed Point. It has an excellent Front to Back Ratio, a Good Front to Side Ratio and is mounted on a 32 Foot Boom.
Both SteppIR Beams cover 14 MHz through 50 MHz continuous and you're able to switch directions instantaneously saving on turning time and wear on your antenna rotor. This is extremely important if you're chasing DX stations or Contesting. All of the moving elements are covered by Fiberglass tube and are 36 Feet long. On every band it tunes as a mono-bander providing the ideal 50-Ohm load to your transmitter.
Manufactures to Compare:
http://www.m2inc.com/
http://www.steppir.com/
http://www.hy-gain.com/
http://force12inc.com/
http://www.mosley-electronics.com/
http://www.tennadyne.com/
http://www.sommerantennas.com/
http://www.cushcraft.com/
http://www.bencher.com/ham/index.php?ma ... ucts_id=11
Dan
WA9WVX
The Antenna supporting structure: a tower or a tri-pod mounted antenna and are they configured to handle the Beam Antenna?
What is the over all weight of the antenna?
The wind surface area measured in Square Feet?
The Forward dB Gain, Front to Back and Front to Side Rejection Ratio?
Does it include a 2 or 4 KW Balun?
What is the Boom length?
What other bands of operation?
What is the cost based over a 15 to 20 year span of time?
Is the antenna Gain measured in dBd or dBi as the reference?
What yearly maintenance is required?
Will the beam antenna be tuned for the SSB or CW portions of the bands or do you expect the antenna to operate on both ends of the band perfectly?
What type of a rotor will turn this beam antenna?
Are you planning to use RG-8X, RG-213/U, LMR-400 or LDF4-50 Heliax?
The 3-Element SteppIR will provide +6 dB Forward Gain or 4 times RF Power at the Antennas Feed Point. It has an excellent Front to Back Ratio, a Good Front to Side Ratio and is mounted on a 16 Foot Boom.
The 4-Element SteppIR will provide +7.5 db Forward Gain or 5.6 times RF Power at the Antennas Feed Point. It has an excellent Front to Back Ratio, a Good Front to Side Ratio and is mounted on a 32 Foot Boom.
Both SteppIR Beams cover 14 MHz through 50 MHz continuous and you're able to switch directions instantaneously saving on turning time and wear on your antenna rotor. This is extremely important if you're chasing DX stations or Contesting. All of the moving elements are covered by Fiberglass tube and are 36 Feet long. On every band it tunes as a mono-bander providing the ideal 50-Ohm load to your transmitter.
Manufactures to Compare:
http://www.m2inc.com/
http://www.steppir.com/
http://www.hy-gain.com/
http://force12inc.com/
http://www.mosley-electronics.com/
http://www.tennadyne.com/
http://www.sommerantennas.com/
http://www.cushcraft.com/
http://www.bencher.com/ham/index.php?ma ... ucts_id=11
Dan
WA9WVX