3 Element Yagi Instruction Manual
Contents
1. Revision 3 0 Sept 2012 2112 116TH AVE NE SUITE 1 5 BELLEVUE WA 98004 WWW STEPPIR COM TEL 425 453 1910 FAX 425 462 4415 SteppIR Antennas 3 Element Table of Contents 3 El Yagi component check SteppIR acronyms SteppIR Why Compromise 5 SteppIR design Assembling the boom spacing ana 8 Limited warranty 1 Yagi specifications SteppIR Antennas 3 Element 1 Rev 7 17 12 AWB Stepp amp 3 Element Yagi COMPONENT CHECK 70 3420 01 20m Passive EHU Cover drain hole hardware kit 72 0054 01 70 3401 01 20m Driven Cover drain hole hardware kit 72 0054 01 25 4 Conductor Cable w 24 Coax Seal 71 0002 3 Element Instruction Manual Addendum Manual SDA 100 3E Controller Interface Hemote USB cable Cats Cross Over Cable w splice connector ALP Turning Relay Power supply with cord 24V 33V 71 0010 SDA Operators Manual 10 1021 04 Mast Plate 8 10 1059 01 Polyolefin heat shrink 1 5 x 3 6 60 1006 01 Fernco Rubber Boot 6 70 1007 01 Foam Plug Assembly 70 6010 01 25 pin DSUB when cable is purchased 20 6208 01 25 Pin connector and 20 6209 01 25 Pin Sub Back Shell Only when cable is not purchased 72 0005 01 3 Element Fastener Pack 72 0016 02 2 3E Connector Pack connector box is not purchased 12 Conductor Control Cable Length 10 1013 02 18 Telescoping Pole Boom 4 Sections Option 20 8052 41 Array Solution 12 Pin surge2. Thick mounted in the element housing unit The copper beryllium tape is perforated to allow a stepper motor to drive them simultaneously with sprockets Stepper motors are well known for their ability to index very accurately thus giving very precise control of each element length In addition the motors are brushless and provide extremely long service life Copper Beryllium Tape The copper beryllium tape is driven out into a hollow fiberglass elements support tube see below forming an element of any desired length up to the limit of each specific antenna model a vertical uses only one side The fiberglass elements support tubes poles are telescoping lightweight and very du rable When fully collapsed each one measures approximately 57 in length Depending on the model there may be additional extensions added to increase the overall element length The ability to completely retract the copper beryllium antenna elements coupled with the collapsible fiberglass poles makes the entire system easy to disassemble and transport The antenna is connected to a microprocessor based controller via 22 gauge conductor cable that offers numerous functions including dedicated buttons for each ham band continuous frequency selection from 80m to 6m depending on the model There are also 17 ham and 6 non ham band memories and you can select a 180 direction reversal or bi directional mode and it will adjust in just about 3 seconds yagi
3. The availability of new lightweight glass fiber composites Teflon blended thermo plastics high conductivity copper beryllium and extremely reliable stepper motors has allowed the StepplR to be a commercially feasible product The current and future StepplR products should produce the most potent single tower antenna systems ever seen in Amateur Radio We thank you for using our StepplR antenna for your ham radio endeavors Warm Regards Mike Michael Mike Mertel K7IR President SteppIR Antennas 3 Element SteppIR Design Currently most multi band antennas use traps log cells or interlaced elements as a means to cover sev eral frequency bands All of these methods have one thing in common they significantly compromise performance The SteppIR antenna system is our answer to the problem Yagi antennas must be made a specific length to operate optimally on a given frequency So instead of trying to trick the antenna into thinking it is a different length or simply adding more elements that may destructively interact why not just change the antenna length 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 Each antenna element consists of two spools of flat copper beryllium tape conductor 54 Wide x 008
4. cable as shown in figure 2 approximately 2 75 from end of control cable being careful not to damage the individual wires Strip the plastic insulation off of each of the control cable wires approximately 0 25 in length should be bare wire fig 2 It helps to twist each of the stranded wires to aid in the placing of the wire into the terminal headers Tinning the wires with solder also works well 3 Connect each wire to the appropriate terminal as shown in figure 3 Consult drawing 21 6005 91 for the correct wir ing sequence there are multiple wiring sequences on this drawing depending on your model of antenna 4 Insert the two stainless steel screws into the circuit board as shown in figure 3 Slide the two plastic spacers onto the Screws 5 Insert the first half of the strain relief clamp onto the two screws half round bump facing upward on the two screws fig 4 Be careful not to pull the wires out of the terminal headers as you push the strain relief clamp downward 6 Insert the second half of the strain relief clamp onto the two screws half round bump facing downward as shown in figure 5 7 Position the control cable in between the two halves of the strain relief clamp be sure that the jacketing of the cable is in between the clamps fig 5 8 Using the nuts tighten down until the cable is nice and snug but do not over tighten fig 5 9 Plug the DB25 splice into the back of the controller and tighten the jack screws to
5. of our products In the event of a product failure a return authorization is required for warranty lrepairs This can be obtained at www steppir com Shipping instructions will be issued to the buyer for defective components and shipping charges to the fac jtory will be paid for by the buyer SteppIR will pay for standard shipping back to the buyer The manufacturer assumes no further liability beyond repair or re placement of the product SteppIR Antennas 3 Element 3 Element Yagi Specifications 3E Yagi 20m 6m with 6m option 3E Yagi with 40 30 dipole option Specifications 3 Element Yagi 3 Element Yagi with 40 30 wae Wmdring Mom mh MiwmWedemens mm j 3E Gain Front to rear 3E 3E 3E with 30 40 3E with 30 40 by band Gain dBi Front to rear dB Gain dBi Front to rear dB Mw 21 ma 6M w passive opt 2112 116TH AVE NE SUITE 1 5 BELLEVUE WA 98004 WWW STEPPIR COM TEL 425 453 1910 FAX 425 462 4415
6. the inherent wiping action The brush contact is 08 in thick and has proven to last over 2 million band changes The copper beryllium tape is 545 inches wide and presents a very low RF impedance The type of balun we are using can handle tremendous amounts of power for their size because there is almost no flux in the core and they are 99 efficient That coupled with the fact that our antenna is always at a very low VSWR means the balun will handle much more than the 3000 watt rating how much more we don t know Jerry Sevicks book Transmission Transformers available from ARRL has a chapter Chap 11 that discusses the power handling ability of ferrite core transformers WARNING WHEN OPERATING WITH MORE THAN 500 WATTS DO NOT TRANSMIT WHILE THE ANTENNA IS CHANGING BANDS A MISMATCH AT ELEVATED WATTAGES MAY CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE DRIVEN ELEMENT Balun Matching System The SteppIR has a matching system that is included in the 2 element 3 element 4 element and MonstIR Yagi balun 15 available as an option on the dipole Our antenna designs are all close to 22 ohms at all frequencies so we needed a broadband matching system that would transform 22 ohm to 50 ohm We found an excellent one designed by Jerry Sevick that is described in his book Building and Using Baluns and Ununs Our matching network 1s a transmission line transformer that is wound on a 2 25 inch OD ferrite core that operates with very little internal flux thus allowi
7. the reflector and director positions by changing their respective lengths However we do not simply swap the actual element lengths we create a new antenna based on the new element spacing So you will always have an optimized antenna SteppIR Antennas 3 Element 13 Attaching the NEW EHU to the boom is a two step procedure The first step involves attaching the lid and gasket with the 3 screws show in Figure 2 The second step is to attach the EHU to the ele ment place on the boom with the remaining screws as shown in figure 3 WARNING When assembling the lid to the housing and the housing to the boom make sure the control cable is not being pinched or damaged in any way This can cause a short and will drastically effect the performance of the antenna Figure 2 Lid Assembly Figure 3 EHU Assembly QTY 1 10 32 X 34 QTY 3 10 32 Nylock Nut ea QTY 7 10 32 X 3 4 PAN screw 60 0017 QTY 7 10 washer 60 0017 60 0018 B D De A P p N QTY 1 10 washer 60 0018 zb x A v XR x SUPERI E d Na dx Ti 1 1 I 1 1 L I a mms QTY 7 10 32 Nylock Nut 60 0019 QTY 2 10 32 X 7 8 flat HD screw NOTE 60 0017 10 Orientation of the EHU and the style of the element mounting bracket shown here may not be for your specific antenna model Follow antenna assembly manual for correct EHU orientation 10 32 Nyloc
8. this on the tower it is advisable to test each U bolt for a proper fit and bend if necessary to ensure ease of assembly on the tower Connect the boom to the mounting plate on the opposite side of the mast Figure 7 and 8 using the 1 3 4 U bolts saddles and nuts Align the boom so that the element brackets are level then tighten se curely The center balance point of the boom 1s at a splice as shown in Drawing 2A There will be a bolt on each side of the splice make sure that the nut end of these two bolts are facing away from the mast plate Figure 8 Otherwise you will not be able to secure the boom snugly to the boom clamps To ensure a balanced weight load the center of the mast plate should be reasonably close to the center balance point of the boom ae Figure 6 Determining the direction of the antenna The SteppIR Yagi has three directions in which it can be used Normal 180 degree and bi directional This can make it complicated to describe the actual aiming direction of the antenna When you are installing the Yagi you will want to position the antenna so that the normal direction coincides with your rotor heading When you are in normal direction the forward or aiming element is a director and the element behind the driven 1s a reflector In the normal direction the director 1s the element that is closest to the driven element 89 50 between the two In the 180 degree mode we swap
9. CH CABLE T 2 Element Yagi DRAWING 1A R 8 gt VIOLET gt WHITE passive o L 9 GREY 3 BLACK L 10 WHITE RED R REFLECTOR 11 PINK GREEN lt 12 CREME WHITE DRAWING 1 Warning Look carefully at the order of the elements on the terminal block They are not intui tively laid out as they appear on the boom we did it to make the 2 Element wires consecutive DRIVEN Figure 14 REFLECTOR EN TO CONTROLLER IN SHACK When the connections have been secured you will want to position the cables so that they are parallel with the 12 position terminal strip Figure 15 The 12 conductor cable will be at one side and the 3 four conductor cables will be at the other Slide the cables and terminal strips into the provided plastic enclosure Figure 16 position the cutout in the threaded cap over the cables and screw the enclosure onto the cap f Figure 15 Figure 16 25 S SteppIR Antennas 3 Element OPTIONAL CONNECTOR JUNCTION BOX WIRING LAYOUT This drawing is here for your convenience refer to the actual accessory Connector Junction Box instructions for more detail Fa ee 1 DRIVEN DIRECTOR REFLECTOR 030099 3933923929 29395292 W w w BOK 5 B R b Motor DUR Motor2 DIR 1 Motor 10 20 30 40 50 nio O 2 8808988 9998 5 65 Motor fh 4 wire control cable key p 0 Z LL Baz J m rri
10. Note The reflector element and the driven element will have the EST offset tube lined up so that the short side and long side of the each EST are facing in the same directions The director element EST configuration will be the opposite This 1s normal Figure 11 SteppIR Antennas 3 Element Connect the wiring and secure to boom WARNING Make sure the 25 pin sub D connector is not connected to the controller if the 24 VDC supply is energized and plugged into the controller There are voltages present on the control cable wires even when the power button on the controller has been pushed to off Shorting the control wires with power on them will destroy the driver chips Ei ther unplug the 24 volt power supply or disconnect the 25 pin sub D connector before making any connections or cutting or splicing the cable Also be aware that if you have more than 200 of control cable you must use our optional 33 VDC power supply This will then allow up to 500 of control cable with no problems Be sure to connect the controller case to your station ground using the 78 32 lug on the back of the controller This is important for RFI immunity as well as lightning protection If you are in a high lightning area take the appropriate precautions the controller can be damaged by lightning it is be yond the scope of this manual to cover all of the complexities of lightning protection see some of the ARRL publications that address this The
11. O m Pi PLUG 12 WIRE CONTROL CABLE LOCATED INSIDE CONNECTOR BOX BLACK 1 BROWN 2 RED 3 ORANGE 4 YELLOW 5 GREEN 6 BLUE 7 VIOLET 8 GREY 9 NOT USED SHIELD SteppIR Antennas 3 Element Attach the wiring enclosure and control cable to the boom or mast Position the plastic enclosure in a convenient position on the boom or mast making sure that the cut out in the cap is facing downward Figure 18 We do not seal the enclosure so that in the event there is water accumulation inside the enclosure from condensation it will be able to escape Fasten the en closure to the boom using the screw clamp taking care to not trap the cables in between Tape the ca bles to the boom as shown in The terminal housing mounting location 1 not critical It can be mounted out on the boom or even vertical on the mast what ever works best for your instalation Note Be careful NOT to tape the cables over a sharp edge unless you provide extra protection to pre vent eventually cutting through the sheath and shorting the wires Warning We strongly recommend that you perform the Test Motor procedure at this point to verify the wiring is correct and the elements are in the right location If you are not going to connect the control cable and test it on the ground make sure you have the element control cables positively identified and well marked If you get the ele ments mixed up on the terminal block you will get very confusing results such as
12. Suppressor Option Option 70 2034 Connector Box for 2 3E 71 0015 Connector Box Manual Option 2E 3E 6m Passive Element PUP LE LUE LU LL LE LE LU LL O LUJ LUJ Ee Lee 72 0014 01 2 3 6m Passive kit SteppIR Antennas 3 Element 4 Abbreviations EST Element Support Tube EHU Element Housing Unit QD Quick Disconnect Boot rubber SteppIR Antennas 3 Element SteppIR Why Compromise The SteppIR antenna was originally conceived to solve the problem of covering the six ham bands 20m 17m 15m 12m 10m and 6m on one tower without the performance sacrifices caused by interaction between all of the required antennas Yagis are available that cover 20 meters through 10 meters by using interlaced elements or traps or log periodic techniques but do so at the expense of significant performance reduction in gain and front to back ratios With the addition of the WARC bands on 17m and 12m the use of interlaced elements and traps has clearly been an exercise in diminishing returns Obviously an antenna that is precisely adjustable in length while in the air would solve the fre quency problem and in addition would have vastly improved performance over existing fixed length yagis The ability to tune the antenna to a specific frequency without regard for band width results in excellent gain and front to back at every frequency The StepplR design was made possible by the convergence of determination and high tech materials
13. cy range except 6M because stacking distances aren t that critical just don t put them too close SteppIR Antennas 3 Element Fixed Element Spacing and the SteppIR Yagi First of all there really is no ideal boom length for a Yagi To get maximum gain the boom of a 3 element beam should be right around 4 wavelengths long This would allow a free space gain of 9 7 dBi however the front to back ratio is compromised to around 20 dB If the boom is made shorter say 25 wavelengths the front to back can be as high as 35 dB but now the maximum gain 1s about 8 6 dBi Shorter booms also limit the bandwidth which is why right around 3 wavelengths is considered the best compromise for gain front to back and bandwidth It turns out that being able to tune the elements far outweighs being able to choose boom length We chose 16 feet for our boom length which equates to 23 wavelength on 20 meters and 46 wavelength on 10 meters because very good Yagi s can be made in that range of boom length if you can adjust the element lengths When bandwidth is of no concern to you as it is with our antenna you can construct a Yagi that is the very best compromise on that band and then track that performance over the entire band It is this ability to move the performance peak that makes the SteppIR actually outperform a mono bander over an entire band even when the boom length isn t what is classically considered ideal Bear in mind that a Yagi
14. ed Pole lengths may vary but when fully extended each pole must be at least 17 feet 8 inches in length as measured from the butt end of the pole to the tip Figure 20 Verify the length for each pole before installation or heating the joints If a pole comes up a little short 1 2 to 1 try collapsing the pole and starting over this time aggres sively jerk each section out instead of twisting The pole cannot be damaged and you may gain a minimum of 1 2 or more If you have trouble collapsing the pole try carefully striking one end on a piece of wood or other similar surface placed on the ground SteppIR Antennas 3 Element Heat shrink tube instruction sheet On all elements we now include double wall polyolefin heat shrink part number 03630 Each tele scoping pole uses 3 pieces of the 1 5 x 3 long heat shrink which forms an adhesive bond that is heat activated Once finished the seal is secure and waterproof This new process replaces the use of electrical tape and silicone wrap This product requires a heat gun for activation of the adhesive When positioning the heat shrink place it so that the joint of the telescoping pole is centered in the middle of the heat shrink The pictures below exhibit how this is done Apply heat around the entire area of heat shrink Note There are 4 blue colored lines imprinted on the tubing The joint is considered done being heated and waterproof when the lines change color t
15. ements We are very close to the mod eled antennas but it is virtually impossible to get closer than a few tenths of a dB on gain and several dB on front to rear There are three factors that make our antennas outstanding performers They are tuned to a specific frequency for maximum gain and front to rear without the com promise in performance that tuning for bandwidth causes 2 They are very efficient antennas with high conductivity conductors a highly efficient matching system 99 plus and low dielectric losses 3 There are no inactive elements traps or linear loading to reduce antenna performance Fixed Element Spacing and the SteppIR Yagi First of all there really is no ideal boom length for a Yagi To get maximum gain the boom of a three element beam should be right around 4 wavelengths long This would allow a free space gain of 9 7 dBi however the front to back ratio is compromised to around 11 dB If the boom is made shorter say 25 wavelengths the front to back can be as high as 25 dB but now the maximum gain is about 8 0 dBi Shorter booms also limit the bandwidth which is why right around 3 wavelengths is considered the best compromise for gain front to back and bandwidth for a fixed element length yagi It turns out that being able to tune the elements far outweighs being able to choose boom length We chose 16 feet for our three element boom length which equates to 23 wavelength on 20 meters and 46 wavelen
16. en being installed on the EHUs This is normal All poles are tested at the factory prior to shipping however in the event the pole just won t fit sanding it 1s okay The EHTs on the EHUs have aluminum reinforcing rings attached to provide extra strength in high wind conditions Figure 23 Locate the six rubber boots and repeat the following procedure for each of the six fiberglass poles Place the narrow end of a rubber boot onto the butt end of an EST Slide it about 6 out onto the EST Figure 24 lt Figure 26 y E y De i Figure 23 e Insert the butt end of that EST into one of EHTs on EHU as shown in Figure 25 It is very important to ensure that the butt end of the EST firmly bottoms out inside the EHT Make sure the EST is seated all the way into the EHT Then push the rubber boot firmly onto the EHT until the hose clamp is past the aluminum ring and will clamp down onto the fiberglass EST The correct mounting position of the rubber boot is shown in Figure 26 Note that current production antennas now have a narrower aluminum ring 4 It is imperative that the stainless steel hose clamp be located so that the clamp on the outside of the rubber boot on the EHU side of the connection is completely PAST the the aluminum reinforcing ring This ensures that the hose clamp can grip onto the fiberglass and the ring will prevent the rubber boot from ever coming off e Firmly tighten both stain
17. en operating with more than 200 watts do not transmit while the antenna 15 changing bands A mismatch at elevated wattages may cause damage to the driven element SteppIR Antennas 3 Element e 40m 30m Dipole loop e Y Cable e Transceiver Interface Rig Specific e Passive Element Kit SteppIR Antennas 3 Element e Voltage Suppressor amp RF Bypass Unit 16 Conductor Connector Junction Box High Wind Kit 2E and 3E e Element Expansion Kit Dipole to 2 Element 2 Element to 3 Element 3 Element to 4 Element SteppIR Antennas 3 Element STEPPIR ANTENNAS LIMITED PRODUCT WARRANTY lour products have a limited warranty against manufacturers defects in materials lor construction for two 2 years from date of shipment Do not modify this product or change physical construction without the written consent of Fluidmo tion Inc dba SteppIR Antennas IThis limited warranty is automatically void if the following occurs improper instal lation unauthorized modification and physical abuse or damage from severe weather that is beyond the product design specifications SteppIR Antenna s responsibility is strictly limited to repair or replace l ment of defective components at SteppIR Antennas discretion Step pIR Antennas will not be held responsible for any installation or re moval costs costs of any ancillary equipment damage or any other jcosts incurred as a result of the failure
18. gth on 10 meters because very good Yagi s can be made in that range of boom length if you can adjust the element lengths This compromise works out very well because 10m is a large band and F B isn t as important so you get excellent gain with still very acceptable F B When bandwidth is of no concern to you as it is with our antenna you can construct a Yagi that is the very best compromise on that band and then track that performance over the entire band It 1s this ability to move the performance peak that makes the SteppIR actually outperform a mono bander over an entire band even when the boom length isn t what is classically considered ideal Bear in mind that a Yagi rarely has maximum gain and maximum front to back at the same time so it 1s always a compromise between gain and front to back This is the same philosophy we use on all of our yagi antennas to give you the most performance available for a given boom length With an adjustable antenna you can choose which parameter 1s important to you in a given situation For example you might want to have a pile up buster saved in memory that gets you that extra 5 1 0 dB of gain at the expense of front to back and SWR when you are going after that rare DX SteppIR Antennas 3 Element RF Power Transmission with the SteppIR Yagi The RF power 15 transferred by brushes that have 4 contact points on each element that results in a very low impedance connection that is kept clean by
19. high SWR low performance etc Mark the cables coming from each element box with colored electrical tape or a felt pen Mark them before you tape them along the boom it is very easy to get two parallel wires mixed up Now when you are on the tower it will be easy to identify each element control cable positively Tape to boom approximately 8 from coax connection Rotor Loop Control cable and coax Suggested Coax Routing taped together Figure 19 SteppIR Antennas 3 Element Prepare the Fiberglass Element Support Tubes standard poles Note If you have ordered the optional 40m 30m Dipole Kit you need to refer to the section on preparing the poles ESTs in that specific manual The 4 special poles for this option have some differences from the standard poles Locate e Dark green fiberglass telescoping poles Figure 20 e Six black rubber boots with clamps e Your tape measure The green fiberglass poles are all assembled in the same manner and when extended become element support tubes ESTs for the flat strip copper beryllium elements themselves The copper beryllium strips are shipped retracted inside their respective element housing units EHUs Repeat the following procedure for each telescoping pole Telescope a pole to full length by pulling each section out firmly in a twisting motion until it is ex tended as far as possible Each segment is tapered and should lock securely in place when fully extend
20. k Nut 60 0019 SteppIR Antennas 3 Element Attach the antenna housing to the element to boom bracket Place the flat side of the element housing unit EHU on top of the element boom brackets Figure 9 Note If the mounting holes for the element housing do not line up with the holes in the element bracket it may be necessary to loosen the two horizontal bolts that hold the element bracket to the After mounting the element housing to the element bracket be sure to re tighten the two horizontal bolts The housings without the SO 239 coax connector are the director and reflector they are identical and interchangeable the one with the SO 239 connector is the driven element the balun is on the inside of this housing The reflector and director should be positioned so the actual fiberglass element is fur thest away from the driven element Figure 10 The driven element should be positioned so that the element is closest to the mast plate Figure 11 Fasten each element housing to the element bracket using eight 10 32 x 7 8 screws flat washers Nylok nuts The flat washer needs to be placed be tween the screw head and the plastic element housing Tighten securely but not too tight if you over tighten the nut you may split the plastic flange on the element housing The olive green element support tube EST on each antenna housing will appear uneven in length it 1s actually centered on the inside of the antenna housing
21. less steel hose clamps one over and the other over the EST Then test the connection by pulling and twisting it There should be no slippage at the joints NOTE You should re tighten each clamp a second time at least 30 minutes after the first time you tightened them before raising the antenna to the tower to be sure that there has been no cold flowing of the PVC material on the rubber boot SteppIR Antennas 3 Element Optional 6 Meter Passive Element The 6 meter passive element comes in 3 pieces The main body with a 1 2 x 58 element section at tached to it and two 3 8 element sections Figure 27 The overall length of the element is approxi mately 112 for the 3 element and 114 for the 2 element when assembled The required fasteners will already be attached to each end of the 1 2 element section remove this hardware and slide in the short ends of the 3 8 tubing the end that has the least amount of distance from the edge of the tubing to the drilled hole Use a small amount of the included Teflon connec tor protector solution when connecting the two sections of tubing Fasten securely The six meter aluminum element mounts between the driven element and the director the elements that are approxi mately 89 apart The center of the 6m element should be 31 from the center of the driven element see Drawing 2A Fasten securely to the boom using the 304 SS U bolt saddle and hardware Make certain that yo
22. mped out of adjust ment by birds or installation crews When we claim our Yagi outperforms much larger arrays we are referring to multi band Yagi s that interlace elements on a long boom and don t use the entire band boom for each band and additionally have degraded performance due to element interaction There are many antennas out in the world that are not getting the maximum theoretical gain from their boom Because we have tunable elements and a very efficient antenna we are getting close to the maximum gain from our boom Traps linear load ing and interlaced elements all contribute to this degradation Stacking Two Antennas Since SteppIR antennas are super tuned mono banders they stack very well because there are no destructive interactions going on A good distance is anywhere from 32 to 64 the best being closer to the 32 value You can also stack them with other non SteppIR antennas and get some reasonably good results You must ensure that the hot side center conductor of the driven elements of all the antennas in the stack are on the same side or you will get attenuation instead of gain see Figure 23 If you want a good demonstration of this phenomenon turn one SteppIR 180 degrees to the other in physical direction and run one antenna in the 180 degree reverse mode You will be amazed at how much it kills the performance Stacking them as described will result in excellent performance over the entire frequen
23. ng it to function at very high power levels The transformer includes a 22 ohm to 50 ohm unun and a balun wound with custom made high power 25 ohm coax for superior balun operation Jerry has espoused these transformers for years as an overlooked but excellent way to match a Yagi he would probably be proud to know they are being used in a com mercial Yagi This matching network does not require compressing or stretching a coil or separating wires to get a good match something that can easily be bumped out of adjustment by birds or installa tion crews Balun SteppIR Antennas 3 Element Yagi Gain Front to Back Modeling SteppIR antenna designs are all close to 22 ohms at all frequencies so we needed a broadband match ing system We found an excellent one designed by Jerry Sevick that is described 1 his book Building and Using Baluns and Ununs Our matching network is a transmission line transformer that is wound on a 2 25 inch OD ferrite core that operates with very little internal flux thus allowing it to function at very high power levels The transformer includes a 22 ohm to 50 ohm unun and a balun Jerry has espoused these transformers for years as an overlooked but excellent way to match a Yagi he would probably be proud to know they are being used in a commercial Yagi This matching network does not require compressing or stretch ing a coil or separating wires to get a good match something that can easily be bu
24. o a yellowish green Each line needs to change in color to ensure even adhesion temperatures With this change there is no longer any need to tape the joints on the loop elements Er NE l SteppIR Antennas 3 Element 70 1007 01 FOAM PLUG ASSEMBLY Each 20m 6m element tip requires a breathable foam plug to be inserted onto the tip end of it so that the element is allowed to vent but not let any non liquid enter into the antenna The foam plug assembly is NOT required for 40 30 elements The foam plug assembly consists of the foam plug and a flexible plastic housing for it as shown in Figure 1 The foam plug is sent to you already inside the black flexible housing 1 Insert the gray foam plug into the black flexible plastic housing Push the foam plug into the plastic housing until it bottoms out as shown in Figure 2 2 Push the black flexible plastic housing onto the tip of the pole Ap proximately 1 25 of the housing should be covering the pole tip as shown in Figure 3 The interference fit will be very tight SteppIR Antennas 3 Element Attach the Fiberglass Element Support Tubes to the Element Housing Units The butt ends of the green fiberglass poles may very slightly in outside diameter Some of them may have been sanded while others were not The colors at the ends will be either natural or black The difference in colors has no affect on performance Do not be concerned if they vary slightly in tight ness wh
25. only Element Support Tube Copper Beryllium Tape Stepper Drive Motor Element Housing Unit SteppIR Antennas 3 Element 3 element Yagi Installation Note If you have the 40m 30m dipole kit some of the standard 3 element assembly parts will also be in this box It is much easier to put the antenna together right than figure it out what you did wrong after it is up in the air The 3 element SteppIR Yagi boom consists of four sections of aluminum tubing that are 4 feet long x 1 3 4 OD x 1 8 wall along with three aluminum element mounting brackets as shown in Figure 1 The element mounting brackets are pre installed at the factory To assemble your antenna you will need a 1 2 13mm and 7 16 11mm wrench and or socket drive We double check the fasteners for proper tightness before shipping but it is always a good idea to check them yourself before installing the antenna Put anti seize grease on all bolts 1 4 or larger especially on the u bolts because it greatly in creases their gripping power Anti seize grease molybdenum based is available at most auto part stores Assemble the boom amp connect to mast plate The boom is completely assembled and drilled at the factory to assure precision element alignment You may notice in some cases that on a given splice Figure 1 5 the holes on each side of the splice are at 90 degrees with each other This is as designed and not a mistake Pre drilled holes are qui
26. or The four sections of a 3 element yagi shown in the staggered order of installation ement Yagi Spacing and Installation Layout Inot to scale DRAWING 2A Boom Mast Plate Optional 6m Passive 12 in Lon Mast 40m 30m Return Mounting Bracket 2 2 3 3 Splice Splice 3l in From center of driven element to center of 6m passive element 69 5 In 02 5 in Director Driven Reflector Note Element spacing is measured from element center line to element center line in all cases not from the brackets or element housing units SteppIR Antennas 3 Element NON EHU ASSEMBLY Follow the directions below for wiring each of your element housing units EHU from the respective EHU to either the terminal housing or the connector junction box if you have purchased this option NOTE Follow figure 5 4 for wiring and routing cable in the wire tray on the lip of the EHU Depending on EHU type there will be 4 conductor or 6 conductor wire Follow the wiring code that is printed on the board inside the EHU as shown in figure 5 5 Be sure to unplug the top portion of the connector when wiring as you cannot see the correct wiring code until the upper plug is removed The correct wiring code is printed closest to the terminal block and reads left to right Bk W Blu Br For 4 wires use W and ignore Blu amp Br For 6 wires use W Blu Br Trim
27. rarely has maximum gain and maximum front to back at the same time so it is always a compromise between gain and front to back With an adjustable antenna you can choose which parameter is important to you in a given situation For example you might want to have a pile up buster saved in memory that gets you that extra 5 1 0 dB of gain at the expense of front to back and SWR when you are going after that rare DX RF Power Transmission with the SteppIR Yagi The RF power is transferred by brushes that have 4 contact points on each element that results in a very low impedance connection that is kept clean by the inherent wiping action The brush contact is 08 in thick and has proven to last over 2 million band changes The copper beryllium tape is 545 inches wide and presents a very low RF impedance that results in conductor losses of 17 dB with a Yagi tuned to have a radiation resistance of 15 ohms which is about as low as most practical Yagis run The type of balun we are using can handle tremendous amounts of power for their size because the 1s almost no flux in the core and they are 99 efficient That coupled with the fact that our antenna is always at a very low VSWR means the balun will handle much more than the 2000 watt rating how much more we don t know Jerry Sevicks book Transmission Transformers available from ARRL has a chapter Chap 11 that discusses the power handling ability of ferrite core transformers Warning Wh
28. secure the DB25 to the controller housing as shown in figure 6 10 While it is not required you may optionally use silicone wrap to cover the wiring as shown in figure 7 SteppIR Antennas 3 Element CONNECTING THE CONTROL CABLE TO THE D25 SPLICE 25 PIN DSUB FIELD SPLICE TERMINAL STRIPS 3 12 WIRE CONTROL CABLE FRONT ROW TERMINAL STRIP o ON A Eu ce e 5 GX EFA y WHITE SE 2 77 V9 LJ BACK ROW TERMINAL STRIP en 2 di EA MIDDLE ROW TERMINAL STRIP uw v M J a NOT USED MIDDLE ROW TERMINAL STRIP FRONT ROW TERMINAL STRIP NOTE CHECK THE LUG NUMBERON THE CIRCUIT BOARD TO BE CER TAIN YOU ARE WIRING CORRECTLY THE SEQUENTIAL ORDER OF THE NUMBERS CHANGES WITH EACH ROW OF TERMINAL STRIP NOT USED NOT USED NOT USED NOT USED NOT USED NOT USED NOT USED NOT USED GND SHIELD GOES HERE BACK ROW TERMINAL STRIP oo0o0o0o0o000000 Jo0oooooooooclooocococoooo GND SHIELD CAN GO HERE TOO SteppIR Antennas 3 Element Connect the Boom to the Mounting Plate The mast plate has a total of eight pre drilled holes Four are used for the 2 stainless steel mast clamps and four more are used for the 1 3 4 stainless steel boom clamps Connect the mast to the mast plate using the included 2 stainless steel U Bolts with saddles and Ny lok nuts as shown in Figure 7 Tighten securely Note If you are doing
29. surest protection is to disconnect the 25 pin sub D connec tor and power supply then move them well away from the controller There will be a 12 position terminal strip included with the antenna and a single position terminal strip for the ground connections as shown in Figure 13 and 14 the terminal strips are inside of the in cluded PVC connector housing with a white plastic cap loosely attached First dip each bare wire into the provided blue connector protector pouch Connect each wire of the 4 conductor cable to it s respective location on the 12 position terminal strip Drawing 1 and Figure 14 You will need to re peat this on the opposite side of the terminal strip for the 12 conductor cable as well Each cable all 3 of the four conductor cables and the 12 conductor cable will have a bare silver wire which 1s the ground You will need to connect all three of these to the single terminal strip Figure 14 Drawing 1A UT FW Im W in p af p 4 7 M if UE T Mp Qn aa y E 2 4 dr no gt di e o LA Ui m O FV tH 0 tm Im S e l N UN 1 ij SteppIR Antennas 3 Element TERMINAL PIN NUMBERS STRIP lt 1 BLACK gt BLACK 12 RED C 2 BROWN gt DRIVEN 12 COND GROUND 3 RED GREEN THREE 4 COND D 4 ORANGE gt WHITE GROUNDS 6 GREEN RED GROUND IS THE BARE SILVER T 7 gt BLUE GREEN DIRECTOR WIRE ON EA
30. te snug to align almost perfectly In some cases you may find it necessary to assist the bolts with a tap of a hammer or thread them in by turning with a wrench If the holes are visibly out of alignment when you are assem bling the boom you probably have the boom pieces put together in the wrong order or the section of booms without an element to boom bracket may need to be rotated 180 degrees Each boom piece has a number permanently written scribed or stamped on it Match each number with the exact same number of a corresponding boom piece Figure 1 5 shows joint 1 markings inside the ring they must line up Drawing 2A shows how each boom section is numbered Connect the boom by sliding the respective sections together and align the pre drilled holes Figure 2 and 3 Refer to Figure 5 and Drawing 2A for correct configuration It is advisable to spray a small amount of WD 40 on the male sleeve before sliding the female section onto it Do not twist the aluminum exces sively as this can cause binding the WD 40 will help keep the two pieces lubricated Insert the included bolts into the pre drilled holes and tighten the Nylok nut securely Figure 4 Be sure to position the bolts and nuts so that they are in the same direction as the others Make sure the boom bolts for the center splice are installed as shown in Figure 8 if you install them the opposite way the bolt will interfere SteppIR Antennas 3 Element Director Res
31. the shield wire so that it is not exposed inside the EHU Figure 5 4 Wiring EHU NOTE Wire the cable to the correct terminal on the wiring con nector board Follow the color code on the circuit board as shown in figure 5 5 Route the wire into the wire tray Place a 25 piece of the provided coax seal over the cable and form it so that its flush with the wire tray Do this in the 3 locations shown below This will keep the cable in place and prevent water from leaking into the EHU Wire tray Use this line for wiring For 4 wire connec tions the wiring order is R G W For 6 wire connections the wiring order is BK R G W Blu Br Location for GOAX seal Use only do not use this line for wiring SteppIR Antennas 3 Element DB25 Control Cable Splice Assembly Instructions Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 The DB25 control cable splice allows for much more convenient connection of control cable to the SteppIR controller By utilizing this connector splice there is no need to cut the DB25 connector off and re solder when running cable through conduit In addition now you can purchase custom cable lengths to within 1 foot of your desired length eliminating po tential for excess cable To install the DB25 control cable splice follow these instructions 1 Locate the parts needed for installation shown in figure 1 2 Strip the grey jacket and aluminum shielding off of the control
32. u have the 6 meter passive element level with the others When you are using the 6 meter band keep the antenna in the forward direction and rotate accordingly Optimum performance will be from 50 000 MHz to 50 500 MHz The 180 degree mode is exactly the same as the forward mode since we have no choice when the aluminum passives are used however the Bi Directional works to the same degree by directly reducing the front to back ratio Figure 27 SteppIR Antennas 3 Element SteppIR Performance SteppIR antennas are developed by first modeling the antenna using YO PRO and EZ NEC We cre ated antennas that had maximum gain and front to rear without regard for bandwidth The antennas that reside our controllers memory are all optimized for gain and front to rear with a radiation resistance of approximately 22 ohms 16 ohms to 30 ohms is considered ideal for real world Yagi s The modeling also takes into account the changing electrical boom length as frequency changes When the 180 degree function is enabled a new Yagi 15 created that takes into account the change in element spacing and spacing and in the case of 4 element antennas creating a two reflector antenna to get maximum use of all elements The result is slightly different gain and front to rear specifications We then go to the antenna range and correlate the modeled antenna to the real world In other words we determine as closely as possible the electrical length of the el
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