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Opinions Needed - Replacement Antenna For 432 Beam - 2 To 40 Dipole
#1

Well today I got thinking. Sometime that is a good thing, sometime not.

But maybe this time it is. I was thinking that I could put a 40 meter dipole on the tower if it was not much longer than the boom on the SteppIR.

Then as I was looking over antennas I came across the MFJ-1775. It is a 2 meter to 40 meter rotateable dipole. The beauty of this thing is it is not much bigger than a two meter antenna only 14 feet long. I would sit about 6 feet higher than the SteppIR so about 65 feet. Would also give me an "emergency" HF antenna, if, (but I hope NEVER!), have an issue with the SteppIR. It is 2 through 40 meters with no WARC bands and no 30 meters but who cares in an "emergency" or short term use? And since there are no traps perhaps the antenna tuner in the radio would mach to 30 and WARC bands. Thinking, gee if they made it a few feet longer could have added 75 meters too.

So what's the opinion of the antenna experts here? Or maybe you know someone who has experience with this antenna? Would like to hear about it.

Including the PDF so you all can look at it. Maybe even something some else may be interested in now that I've "found" it. Or, perhaps you know of something better?

Looking for all opinions I would need to move on this, this week.

Thanks


Attached Files
.pdf   MFJ-1775_Manual.pdf (Size: 2.46 MB / Downloads: 38)

Al - N1API
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#2
(10-17-2016, 01:29 PM)N1API Wrote:
Well today I got thinking. Sometime that is a good thing, sometime not.

But maybe this time it is. I was thinking that I could put a 40 meter dipole on the tower if it was not much longer than the boom on the SteppIR.

Then as I was looking over antennas I came across the MFJ-1775. It is a 2 meter to 40 meter rotateable dipole. The beauty of this thing is it is not much bigger than a two meter antenna only 14 feet long. I would sit about 6 feet higher than the SteppIR so about 65 feet. Would also give me an "emergency" HF antenna, if, (but I hope NEVER!), have an issue with the SteppIR. It is 2 through 40 meters with no WARC bands and no 30 meters but who cares in an "emergency" or short term use? And since there are no traps perhaps the antenna tuner in the radio would mach to 30 and WARC bands. Thinking, gee if they made it a few feet longer could have added 75 meters too.

So what's the opinion of the antenna experts here? Or maybe you know someone who has experience with this antenna? Would like to hear about it.

Including the PDF so you all can look at it. Maybe even something some else may be interested in now that I've "found" it. Or, perhaps you know of something better?

Looking for all opinions I would need to move on this, this week.

Thanks

· Interesting antenna. I have a HyGain AV640 that is similar but a vertical. Many stubs, no coils. All individually adjustable. It replaced a Cushcraft R7000 that kept blowing traps as it was not individual band adjustable, hence compromising adjustment. Cushcraft took it off the market.
· Somewhat narrow SWR bandwidth on certain bands; hence high power might fry it if tried with tuner outside that narrow band. Which end of band to choose, Phone/CW…..
· Might be touchy to initially tune and accommodate adjustment near ground to full height differences. I set up vertical and checked SWR then dropped it, made adjustments, and again checked them when vertical. Had to do that many times,
· Costly for an emergency antenna; I would look to look to simple wire antenna and tuner. If not horizontal, perhaps a sloper or vertical wire from tower.
Reply
#3

I purchased the Dipole and it arrived today. I hope this weekend I'll have some help tuning it. Got some help lined up, he'll bring over a radio and we will set it up on a tripod and adjust it about 10 or so feet in the air so should be close. We could get it up a little higher if needed. Parts from SteppIR should come back next Wednesday and "The Tree" will also be taken down. Will have stories about that at the meeting to tell!!!

I hope to be on for WAE RTTY. Will miss CQWW SSB which is too bad cause I won't be able to add to the club score for that one. Looks like my SteppIR did not need much repair. One tape was a little twisted and they replaced it under warranty cause the ECU was just rebuilt this summer so the tape should have been OK. Don't know which ECU it was in though. Maybe in the reflector which I figured I did have a problem with. Also got some new Beta Software Installed in the controller that will be coming out soon.

I did a good ohmmeter check of the control cable today and all looks OK with that. I tested each pair for continuity and also each wire to be open to ground. Figured how to test the ECUs on the bench with the old SteppIR elements then they got sold and will be off to a new home in Maryland. Sale of those will offset the repair of the SteppIR which just was a labor for evaluation. The firmware upgrade was free since I don't have a loader for the firmware on my computer.

OK I'm off to watch Independence Day Resurgence in 3D which I just got today. Screw the debate, I know who I'm voting for!

Al

(10-19-2016, 03:24 PM)W1DQ Wrote:
(10-17-2016, 01:29 PM)N1API Wrote:
Well today I got thinking. Sometime that is a good thing, sometime not.

But maybe this time it is. I was thinking that I could put a 40 meter dipole on the tower if it was not much longer than the boom on the SteppIR.

Then as I was looking over antennas I came across the MFJ-1775. It is a 2 meter to 40 meter rotateable dipole. The beauty of this thing is it is not much bigger than a two meter antenna only 14 feet long. I would sit about 6 feet higher than the SteppIR so about 65 feet. Would also give me an "emergency" HF antenna, if, (but I hope NEVER!), have an issue with the SteppIR. It is 2 through 40 meters with no WARC bands and no 30 meters but who cares in an "emergency" or short term use? And since there are no traps perhaps the antenna tuner in the radio would mach to 30 and WARC bands. Thinking, gee if they made it a few feet longer could have added 75 meters too.

So what's the opinion of the antenna experts here? Or maybe you know someone who has experience with this antenna? Would like to hear about it.

Including the PDF so you all can look at it. Maybe even something some else may be interested in now that I've "found" it. Or, perhaps you know of something better?

Looking for all opinions I would need to move on this, this week.

Thanks

· Interesting antenna. I have a HyGain AV640 that is similar but a vertical. Many stubs, no coils. All individually adjustable. It replaced a Cushcraft R7000 that kept blowing traps as it was not individual band adjustable, hence compromising adjustment. Cushcraft took it off the market.
· Somewhat narrow SWR bandwidth on certain bands; hence high power might fry it if tried with tuner outside that narrow band. Which end of band to choose, Phone/CW…..
· Might be touchy to initially tune and accommodate adjustment near ground to full height differences. I set up vertical and checked SWR then dropped it, made adjustments, and again checked them when vertical. Had to do that many times,
· Costly for an emergency antenna; I would look to look to simple wire antenna and tuner. If not horizontal, perhaps a sloper or vertical wire from tower.
Reply
#4
Want to use the Club analyzer? I still have it from Nutfest.
K1RCT - Rob
W1NRG Station Activities Manager
Home Email

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