My SteppIR antenna had been in storage for 2 years as I fought over permits and built a 90 foot Sabre self supporting tower.
My dog "Sir" was happy to help open the boxes. Then I spent some time reading the instructions and thinking about it.
After reading the instructions a few times I saw a few things I wanted to change.
I drilled holes to make a slot, then filed them smooth so the SteppIR's motor wires could be ran on the "inside" of the boom and out this hole. The instructions tell you to tape the wires to the outside of the boom with electrical tape, something I think is really poor engineering. If I had to do it over I would move the slot farther rearward so the boom could have been moved forward on the mast to offset the weight of the 30/40 truss I added later. I ended up needing to add more weight to
the front of the boom, SteppIR already has 5 pounds added at the front, I had to add 3 more pounds. However, I am using a Green Heron controller for my rotator, this will slowly start and stop the antenna and keep the weight from being and issue.
Here the boom is together, all four motor wires are ran out the center slot. The small hole beside the slot is for an eye bolt used to adjust the antenna horizontally.
Shown left is one of the four EHU's, (stepper motors) with the bottom cover off. You can see the tape spool, 50:22 ohm balun and the gears on the end of the stepper motor. You can also see how the tape feeds into the element tubes.
Shown on the right is a better view of the two spring loaded spools with the tapes and the stepper motor gears that move the copper-beryllium tapes. I found it is NOT a good idea to un-spool the tapes with your finger as shown here, they can fall off and you spend quite a bit of time getting them back on the spring loaded spools without bending them.
If it happens to only 1 in 1000, I would be the one it would happened to! Shown left is my factory installed "N" type connecter that had a cold solder joint. You would think they could soldered better than this.
On the right is the tape and the "bullet" soldered on the end of the tape to help it slide in the tubes and over the tube joints.
To protect the motor wires from UV as they leave the motors and go under the motor plates I needed a UV stable sheath. I decided to use RG-6 outer jacket. It was the right size and is made for outdoor use so it will last a very long time in the sun. People have
told
me their SteppIR supplied cable got hard in a couple years from UV. This sheath will protect my cables for years and was almost free. I cut two foot sections and pulled the center wire out, then pulled out the shield.
Heat-shrink was installed over the plug to cable joint at the EHU. I drilled a small hole in the boom under the center two motor plates for the cables to inter the boom under the motor. Cables for the end motors were ran under the plates and into the ends of the boom. I should have drilled holes for the two end EHU's also, not doing this required me to splice the far end cables because they were now just a little too short. But, I had plenty of cable left from the center motors that were too long. All my cables
on all motors were shipped with the same length cable.
Splicing was easy, wires were soldered, heat-shrink was used on all wires and over the finished joints, and it was done.
Then I tested the mast plates and found they bowed when the "U" bolts were tightened. They were just too thin for my liking. Nooo Problem, I made a new one. Shown left is a slightly larger and thicker mast to boom X-over plate being laid out. I use all 2.50 inch DX Engineering "U" bolts & saddles with a plate made from 1/2 inch thick
6061-T6 aluminum. I find it flexes and bows the boom much less when the eight 3/8 inch DX Engineering "U" bolts are tightened.
Right the holes are being drilled and champhered.
Far Left shows the original mast plate and the new plate to it's right. Right shows the boom mounted on the side of the top 10 foot tower section, it made a nice test stand. It stayed here for six months while I worked on the Sabre tower.
For six months I do extensive testing (playing) and modifications to the antennas.
This top 10 foot tower section with all seven rotating antennas will be lifted onto the lower 80 foot Sections.
When completed the tower will be 90 feet high, the SteppIR will be at 92 feet, a 220 MHz antenna at 95 feet, at 98 feet are two (modified) M2 16 dB gain VHF 144-SSB / 146-FM cross polarized stacked antennas. Between the VHF antennas, also at 98 feet is a 900 MHz antenna and on the very top at 100 feet is a (modified) M2 16 dB gain UHF 432-SSB / 446-FM cross polarized antenna.