[Elecraft] Antenna choices

[WILLIS COOKE via Elecraft]

The problem with tuning a rotary beam to some other frequency with an antenna matching device is that the directional antenna becomes a rotatable dipole with the parasitic elements still acting at their physical length.  Can you make contacts?  You bet, I made a bunch of contacts on the WARC bands with a Cushcraft A4 with a rotary dipole kit on 40.  A rotating dipole has directivity, just no front to back ratio and does not have the multi-element directivity typical of a three element beam.  No the SteppIR is a three element beam on 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 and will have a nice front to back ratio.  On 30 and 40 if you have the trombone element it will have a front to side ratio of about 2 or 3 S units if it is 60 feet high.  You will notice the gain on 17, and 12 that gives you a bit more punch than the competition.  The down side is that you have more stuff to buy and more stuff to break.  Nothing if free!  But, I like my 3 element SteppIR with
 the 30/40 dipole kit.  I now have 322 current countries and 1800 band countries.  I don't think I could have done that with my A-4 and 40 meter dipole, but I would have a couple grand to spend.
 
Willis 'Cookie' Cooke, TDXS DX Chairman
K5EWJ & Trustee N5BPS, USS Cavalla, USS Stewart


On Saturday, May 31, 2014 8:29 PM, Robert G Strickland <rcrgs at verizon.net> wrote:
 


Joshua...

I am using a Bencher SkyHawk at 60 feet. For whatever reasons of design, 
it does work well on 30, 17 and 12 meters using the Elecraft KAT500. On 
those bands I have worked 123, 176 and 115 DX entities, respectively. No 
doubt it's not as good on those bands as the three HF bands for which it 
is designed. The tuneable Stepp antennas may do even better.

...robert

On 5/26/2014 00:31, Joshua Gould wrote:
> Ok, I know that this is a topic much like the Ford vs. Chevy debates or the
> Android vs. Apple debates, but I do have a few questions...
>
> I am going to be acquiring a 56 foot Rohn BX tower.  I already have a G5RV
> that I am planning on putting up (still not sure where I'm going to attach
> the other end of it to, One end will go on the tower.) I'm going to put up
> a 2m/440 vertical at some point up near the top of the tower.  I keep
> throwing around an HF vertical or a beam.  The verticals seem to cover more
> bands, but the beams are directional.  (Would also need a rotor,..
>
> Can a multi band yagi be tuned to a different band, or will it only work on
> the bands that it's designed for?
>
> I'm thinking long term and I'll probably be adding a K3/100 with a KPA500
> to the mix in the next year or so...  Trying to figure out what will give
> me the best bang for my buck, so to speak.
>
> 73,
> Joshua Gould
> K8WXA
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to rcrgs at verizon.net
>

-- 
Robert G Strickland, PhD ABPH - KE2WY
rcrgs at verizon.net.usa
Syracuse, New York, USA
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Message delivered to wrcooke at yahoo.com