Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim GM4DHJ ...
|
Steppir is a junk antenna that works on the principal of a trombone slide.
The Steppir uses a stepper motor to move the trombone elements in and out.
If you ever saw the workings inside of a General Motors or Ford 1990's style automobile window crank that used a cog and a tape with holes punched in it to advance or rewind the tape in a reel - this is about as close as I can come to describing it to you without getting more technical.
It is basically a 3 element beam - depending upon the model, on one band, and a crude type of dipole antenna on other bands.
It has no appreciable gain on most bands, because the antenna cannot physically change the distance between elements or boom length.
The antenna is for people that only has room enough for one beam antenna, and wants to work multiple bands.
It is usually owned by some LID that has a whole bunch of money and no working knowledge of how an antenna works.
They are usually bought by those individuals that are vain, and wants to brag that they own everything, nothing but the best!
You can usually find these people usually Flex radios or Elecraft, big amplifiers - etc, anything that costs a whole lot of money, but doesn't really work well - for the amount of money that they paid for it.
Hence, as you already read, this club owns one, but no one uses it!