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Related Manuals for SteppIR SmallIR
Summary of Contents for SteppIR SmallIR
- Page 1 Yagi Dipole Vertical (Patented) SmallIR Vertical Instruction Manual BigIR MK III SmallIR SteppIR Antennas 2112 116th Ave NE, Suite 2-5 - Bellevue, WA 98027 Tel: 425-391-1999 Fax: 425-462-4415 Toll Free: 866.783.7747 www.steppir.com Rev: A 05/24/07...
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Page 2: Table Of Contents
SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR Table of Contents Page Topic Table of Contents SteppIR - Why Compromise ? SteppIR Design SmallIR vertical components Installing the SmallIR Prepare the Telescoping Fiberglass Element Support Tubes Installation of the Rain Cap Assemble the Antenna... -
Page 3: Steppir - Why Compromise
SteppIR to be a commercially feasible product. The current and future SteppIR products should produce the most potent single tower antenna systems ever seen in Amateur Radio! We thank you for using our SteppIR antenna for your ham radio endeavors. -
Page 4: Steppir Design
Optimal perform- ance is then possible on all frequencies with a lightweight, compact antenna. Also, since the SteppIR can control the element lengths, a long boom is not needed to achieve near optimum gain and front to back ratios on 20 - 10 meters. -
Page 5: Smallir Vertical Components
SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR Installing the SmallIR Vertical Figure 1 Figure 1 18 ft Element Support Tube (pole) 18 ft Element Support Tube (pole) Rubber Coupling (boot) (2) Rubber Coupling (boot) (2) Element Housing Tube Element Housing Tube Element Housing Unit... - Page 6 SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR Take it on Vacation...
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Page 7: Prepare The Telescoping Fiberglass Element Support Tubes
SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR Prepare the Telescoping Fiberglass Element Support Tubes Locate: • fiberglass telescoping poles (Component B, Figure 1) • roll of black electrical tape • 10’ roll of black silicone self-curing tape • Your tape measure Note: The stainless steel reinforcing rings on the first two pole sections provide extra strength in potential high wind conditions. - Page 8 SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR The new silicone tape is now BLACK Figure 5 Apply one complete wrap of electrical tape around the fiberglass tube as you begin, and then work your way across the joint and back using half overlap wraps, so that the entire area is seamlessly covered as shown in Figure 3.
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Page 9: Installation Of The Rain Cap
SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR IMPORTANT: Per the manufactures specifications the silicone tape has a shelf life of 12 months before it is used and should be stored in a cool, dry environment. Silicone tape will only bonds to itself. Be sure to remove the entire connector protector residue from your hands before handling silicone tape, as that residue will cause the silicone wrap not to adhere to itself in places. -
Page 10: Assemble The Antenna
SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR Figure 11 Assemble the Antenna: • You can lay the element housing unit on the ground flat on Rubber Coupling it’s side or install it on its mounting mast before installing (boot) the 18 ft. telescoping pole. -
Page 11: Mounting The Antenna (Ground)
SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR Mounting the Antenna (ground) Now you are ready to connect the radials! We recommend using a lug connector at the end of your radials, and then tightening the lug onto the connector post shown in Figure 19. If you purchase optional radial kits (Figure 13), you will notice there are 4 wires per set, all soldered and crimped to a lug connector. -
Page 12: Optional (1-1) External Balun
SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR Optional (1-1) External Balun Note: If you have purchased the optional balun now is a good time to install it. A balun is an electrical circuit used to help resolve the inherent problem of feeding an an- tenna with an electrically unbalanced (coax) feed line. -
Page 13: Radial Systems For Elevated And Ground Mounted Vertical Antennas
SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR All vertical monopoles need some form of counterpoise in which antenna image currents flow to work efficiently. This counterpoise usually consists of a system of radial wires placed either on the ground or elevated above ground. -
Page 14: Ground Mounting
SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR Elevated Mounting: CONS PROS • • Requires two .25 wavelength radials for + 90% efficient with two .25 wave- each band of operation (radials interact, so length radials • spacing will affect length) Antenna is generally more “in the clear”, •... - Page 15 SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR Four radials are what we consider to be the absolute minimum in average soil. How much you have to gain with good a radial system depends on how good your earth is. Most of us have poor earth conditions, so the radial system is important.
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Page 16: Elevated Mounting
SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR Elevated Mounting: You can elevate a vertical just a few feet from the ground (4 feet for 20m, 8 feet for 40m) and get fairly good performance with just 2 radials (elevated as well) per band of operation. The problem is you won’t have a very good match to 50 ohms, and the close proximity of the earth... -
Page 17: Using A Vertical In Or On Salt Water
SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR Can’t get enough droop angle to achieve a good match? Simply adjust the antenna element slightly longer than the factory 1/4 wavelength (up to 20% longer) settings and the impedance will rise. This will cause the radials to be too long, so they may need to be pruned a bit. Be aware that increasing the antenna 2% to 3% longer may require radials to be 5% to 7% shorter. -
Page 18: Steppir Notes
SteppIR Notes... -
Page 19: Steppir Warranty
SteppIR Antennas - SmallIR www.steppir.com L i m i t e d W a r r a n t y T h e s e p r o d u c t s h a v e a l i m i t e d w a r r a n t y a g a i n s t m a n u f a c t u r e r ’... - Page 20 Yagi Dipole Vertical SteppIR Antenna Information Web Sites (as of 4/09/07) http://steppir.com/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/steppir/...
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