What is Your Favorite Base Antenna?

[Marconi]

Very good King. I had confidence that you could do it, if you would. You did good. Thanks and thanks for taking the ribbing I sometimes give out. It is never personal, because I can always say I'm sorry.

I tend to agree with your practical approach to the Steppir's advantages now and they may be right about spacing. I really don't know for sure except I always thought there was a limit at both ends of the spacing limitations. Another thread perhaps.

Thanks,

 

[Master Chief]

and it is not the elements or the amount of quads that determin gain rather the longer boom determins more gain...

Now...Compare Signal Engineering's 8 element quad, Steppir 4 element, Maco 4 element..

I think likely would be signal engineerings 8 element quad that would win out (also I think those quads can go from vertical to horizontal)...then would be the Steppir 4 element Horizontal..
then Maco 4 element horizontal..

also I would be afraid of the winters with such a big antenna like the quad...at least with the steppir...I can greatly reduce the foot print of the total antenna during bad weather...

Oh and I think someone asked in past..
if all the steppir elements had a motor .... yes they do...

More elements, more gain. With the same amount of elements on a boom, the longer boom will have more gain.

If set up correctly, a 4-element Maco will beat a 4-element SteppIr every time. The SteppIr is not optimized for 11-meters.

The SteppIr's fiberglass elements do not change length and therefore would have the same wind load all the time. If you drew the elements all the way in, the fiberglass tubes would actually be lighter and whip around in the wind more.

The MonstIr beam does not have motors on every element. Their 3 and 4 element beams as well as the verticals do however.

 

[Marconi]

Well I did misspeak when I said the Steppir was a compromise at 20 meters. Of course the antennna would have to be the size necessary to accomodate a 40 meter element, so it would be even bigger than I first determined. Is the beam a dual polarty beam too, MC?

 

[Master Chief]

Is the beam a dual polarty beam too, MC?

No. Its not really bi-directional either. Yes, you can do an instant 180 degree switch without having to rotate the beam, but it doesn't radiate equally in both directions AT THE SAME TIME.

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

Hey all...

Marconi
no problem...i didnt take it personal....
why would i....lol...

back to whether it can radiate bth directions same time..
besides switching 180 degrees...
they also state it can work 2 oppisate directions same time (so they claim)

whether the 4 element maco would beat out the steppir on 11 meters....
it is which one has the longer boom...
the longer the boom...the higher the gain....that is simple..

the more elements means a tighter and narrower focasing of the beam as well as less broad bandedness as well as higher rejection on side slopes and rear..

it is a falsehood....
when people say or think more elements is what is needed for higher gain..

i will need look up this maco and see how long a boom it has..
then see what its true gain is

Later

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

hey there..

Ok here it is...
Maco M104 has a 16 foot boom...
Maco claims a absurd 14 dbd..

sorry...way i see it.....it is about 6.8 to 7.2 Dbd

this is why i said before and say yet again..
no way the Maco 4 element M104 will out do a steppir 4 element (since it is using a 32 or 34 ft boom) with a true gain of 9.8 to 10.2 Dbd gain on 11 meters..

now a Maco M104 is well under $200
while the 4 element steppir i am refering to is $4,600.00

the Maco needs a much smaller rotor and can be used in far smaller areas...

heck one could stack 4 of them and if done properly would have at least 12.5 Dbd gain and likly a much lower angle of radiating its signal...
oh yeah would cost you well under $1,000 to stack 4 M104 antennas...

So if you are talking value per dollar figure...
Then and only then does the Maco M104 win out..

Now if one compared a Maco M106c
which has a 31 ft boom then it too would have about 9.8 to 10.2 true Dbd gain....
but now in comparing a M106C to the 4 element steppir beam
then on 11 meters the M106C would likly win out....

because it is 6 elements and therefore a better and tighter beam to which it radiates its signal...
it also should have a better side slop rejection as well as better rear rejection again because of there being 6 elements




now he steppir as one said before is not as stated fiberglass elements...
rather inside the fiberglass is berilium lines that are changed in length in acordance to the frequency one is using

Later

 

[Master Chief]

this is why i said before and say yet again..no way the Maco 4 element M104 will out do a steppir 4 element (since it is using a 32 or 34 ft boom) with a true gain of 9.8 to 10.2 Dbd gain on 11 meters..

Where are you getting these numbers for the SteppIr?

now a Maco M104 is well under $200 while the 4 element steppir I am refering to is $4,600.00

So if you are talking value per dollar figure...
Then and only then does the Maco M104 win out..

I'm not talking about $$$, I'm talking about performance!

Now if one compared a Maco M106c which has a 31 ft boom then it too would have about 9.8 to 10.2 true Dbd gain....

You are stuck on boom length for some reason and you are incorrect. Let me explain it a little different this time.

A 4-element SteppIr does NOT have the correct element spacing for 11-meters. I don't care how long the boom is, the element spacing is wrong. The Maco is DESIGNED for the 11-meter band and has better spacing than the SteppIr. With everything else being equal, the Maco will out perform the SteppIr for this very reason!

now the steppir as one said before is not as stated fiberglass elements...rather inside the fiberglass is berilium lines that are changed in length in acordance to the frequency one is using

What was said is that the fiberglass does NOT change size. It is always the same length with the same wind load. I stated earlier that these were fiberglass radoms with plastic pipe inside that the element tape rides through. Have you actually SEEN a SteppIr? Your posts indicate that you haven't. I on the otherhand have installed one. I'm pretty sure I know what I'm talking about.

 

[Master Chief]

back to whether it can radiate both directions same time...besides switching 180 degrees...they also state it can work 2 opposite directions same time (so they claim)

I had said earlier that this was not possible. While this may have been true for the early versions of the antennas, the new one DOES radiate in two directions at the same time. Something else I learned this past weekend!