H. Adam Stevens wrote:
"Rob" wrote in message
.. .
J. McLaughlin wrote:
Dear Rob (unknown call; unknown location; no E-mail address):
Your questions are unanswerable.
What constitutes the "best" antenna depends on many factors.
You have only provided the information that you are "up north" and
that you wish an antenna to survive Winter weather.
It is unlikely that someone has "tried" both of the antennas you
mention. If they had gone to that expense it would be to write a
paper/book or because one of the antennas died.
Winter survival depends on a number of factors (including luck).
What is a reasonable design to place at 40 feet in an old, wooded
subdivision is likely to be outrageous at 200 feet in open country.
The ARRL has sold a book on the mechanical design of beams. It
is a good reference to study. The mechanical standard for towers
and antennas is 222F. It too should be consulted.
It will be a few more years before the survival characteristics
of the Step products starts to have statistical significance. I
have heard from riggers that the F12 products do not do well in
severe wind/weather conditions. (You may well not have such severe
conditions.) A search using Google, or the like, will turn up
more information.
Be cautious of statements that contend that their antenna survived
last Winter's storm. The writer's location may have shielded the
antenna. I hope that this is of assistance.
Regards, Mac N8TT

"Rob" wrote in message
...
I am thinking of putting up a yagi antenna. I am considering
putting up either the SteppIR 3 el yagi or the Force 12 XR5.

Does anyone have any opinions on which is the best antenna? Has
anyone tried both?

Rob
P.S. I live up north where there is lots of snow and ice during
the winter. Will the SteppIR antenna survive such weather?

Thanks for the reply. Well the most important factor for me is
survival. I live inside a National Park up in Canada where lots of
snow, ice, wind, etc occur during the long winter months. The
antenna will be located up in the clear. There will be not much
around to shield it from the winds.

The SteppIR products looks interesting but they do not have much of
a track record. I used to use a Cushcraft R7000 but that only
lasted 3 winters. I am not that impressed with the strength of
Cushcraft products.

Rob



Hi Rob
My SteppIR antennas have survived winds that destroyed nearby trees
FWIW. I think the claimed wind survival ratings are realistic.
Ice does not change the antenna's electrical behavior;
The elements are inside a fiberglass tube.
The elements can be fully retracted.
If the fiberglass tube does fail it can be cheaply replaced.
I'm upgrading my 3 to a 4.
73
H.
NQ5H

Thanks for the info. The SteppIR antenna is definitely one to consider.

Did you find it hard to construct?

73's
Rob