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@@darthhatchet Well, WELCOME. It’ll surely be a disappointment soon enough.

I don't understand what that means. Can you please elaborate?

@@josecarrillo793 Gotta be angle of light. It’s very moist.

What makes you say "100 watts or so"? The info I see on their website indicates full legal limit. I used mine at 600W or so, and had no trouble.

@@kelvin0mql Good to know ! All I could find was a site saying there is this model, then others available for higher Power ?

@@sleeve8651 Higher power for non-ham. If you read his origin story, he came up with the idea from working military coms.

OK, that's hilarious.

@@carolynparker5768 Only briefly. LOL

@@latauruswilliams4065 I definitely have a defect. But on an unrelated subject, I was able to reset the ego unit & it worked fine thereafter.

wrong

@@smartazz61 I concur. I felt the same.

built like a tank.

Heh, thank you, buddy!

Hah! Yeah, I had a co-worker with that same pronunciation mix-up.

Temu Mike? Don’t sing karaoke on that unless you’re willing to share some whiskey in a jar. 😜

Well, you CAN tune a fish, but since sound travels faster in water than in air, it messes up the calculations.

@@kelvin0mql If you work for StarKist, you can tunafish for a living. As Hams, we tend to avoid such things, especially if we are devilish, out of professional courtesy.

The maple tree would be stronger, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t gonna be much side load.

@@kelvin0mql gotta do what u gotta do

Just be thankful you didn't drag the deck down.

@@tomcondon6169 Yeah, I was watching for any movement, listening for any creaking. Nothing. Essentially was pulling against the concrete footer post.

Spot-on.

That's reassuring to know - thank you. But after a reboot, it worked absolutely beautifully, for the 2nd time. I'm betting it's all good.

@@kelvin0mql where did you purchase the unit?

And how long ago?

@@chiefetwful Northern Tool, about 2 months ago.

@@kelvin0mql how did you reboot

When my 1st wife & I were dating, she'd visit me in Roseville, then drive back to SE Mpls to her apartment. We'd chat over CB almost the whole way. We'd lose contact just as she approached 62 from 35W. This would be 1983-84.

@@kelvin0mql I bought my first used base unit (tubes!) in 1971 as young teen. Citifone SS with a Turner +2 mic and a vertical on a TV mast from Radio Shack. When I got a car, I bought a mobile unit. My radios were always 23 channels; that's how long ago I was into CB radio! 🤣

@@donz7992 I had a couple 23-chan ones, as a teen. One of them (bought used, of course) was a pinkish-beige & had a telephone handset. I thought it was SO cool (it wasn't).

If I remember correctly (haven’t had that car for a few years now), yes, I used only one relay.

I’ve used it through 2 winters. Only had a problem once, & I’d say it was my fault. I reeled in from 75m to 20m while there was a lot of snow on the wires. Then it got above freezing one day, then re-froze. Wires froze to each other, and snarled backwards while I was trying to reel out to a lower band. Oops. If it goes above freezing, reel it out to the longest band you use before it re-freezes. Totally manageable if you pay attention to temps, forecast, and whether anything’s wet. Use common sense.

There is no electrical connection to any pulley. Inside the box, there are two stainless steel SPOOLS of thin stainless steel stranded wire. Not unlike brush contacts on a motor, or the wiper of a potentiometer, as the central motor turns a non-conductive shaft that the two spools are affixed to, the spools can rotate and the antenna feed connections press against the side of the spool to make the contact even though the spool is turning. The only pulleys, per se, are on the trolley weights, so they move smoothly down the non-conductive guy lines.

Thanks, I meant Spool! Your explanation is helpful, I was curious about the connection. 73!

It's been very good. Still my favorite HF antenna for all things considered. However, I've had it down all summer because I've been experimenting with other antenna experiments and whatnot. So most of my HF stuff happens on a DX Commander. Vertical has better take-off angle on any band it covers. It's the correct height for all of 'em.

I had the same concern. But I wasn't about to pay double the price for a SteppIR. It has worked out to not be a pain at all. I already had a Nest cam in the back yard, and I simply adjusted it so it can see the apex, and all of one element. Quick look, I know about where it's at. Checking "where am I resonant" before transmitting is a thing I had already been used to doing. Even with a static dipole, you cannot know for sure that something didn't change out there since last time 'round. Gophers chewing. Branches falling. If you're a good operator, you're checking stuff out before keying up QRO. This is no different.

@@kelvin0mql I was referring to a simple method to quickly get you close to the band you want. Like a satellite dish positioner. When the readout is 25 that's close to 20 meters, reads 50 your about 40meter, of course you would check resonance, that's a gimme!

I mean, the guy who invented this wanted to solve one problem: going outside to change the length, PLUS needing to lower it to do so, then raise it back up (in crappy weather, taking many minutes). And he solved it. What's the SWR? Already had a different bit of kit for that. (And so do you.) At what freq am I resonant? Already had a different bit of kit for that. (And so should you, 'cuz you want to know that for any/all of your antennas.) What freq/band was I at last time I was operating? Look at the log. Or in my case, I can also just look at the antenna in the Nest cam and have a pretty good idea. It's a big box with plenty of room for more bits-n-bobs. If you wanted to add a rotation counter, you certainly could. If you're a genuine advancing-the-art radio amateur, that's not too hard. Hell, I could do it, and I'm a relative moron (i.e. not an Extra, yet). But if you want to go full Appliance Operator, then SteppIR is there to take a couple thousand$ off ya (and I almost bought one). That's a fair way to go. I am, for the most part, an Appliance Operator. My daily HF rig is a modern unit with (gasp) Digital Signal Processing in the IF and AF stages. I know... heresy. At HamVention, TenTec was demonstrating this antenna WITH an inline analyzer so you could watch the Smith Chart and see right where you're at, whether you're moving closer or further from a good tune. Almost too easy.

@@mewrongwayKOCXF I wish I knew a way to post a photo here. Nest Cam allows me to set up "zones" where it pays attention to activity. I can view the Nest Cam, look at the Zones polygons, and know what band it's at. It was easy. But even when I don't do that, it's really pretty darned easy. If I didn't have a Nest Cam and also didn't have an Antenna Analyzer, yes, it'd be more work to sort it out. If that were the situation, there are several solutions, including putting a turn-counter of some sort in the thing.

There you go, Any good ham would have bought Ten-Tec or MFJ instead of clowning around!!

With a tuning fork?

Funny story… last fall I was riding the mower, snagged a rope, pulled so hard I flexed & snapped my mast in half. Box came crashing down. Broke & bent most of the contents of the box. Sent it to Frank. He rebuilt it with all new stuff, including a faster/quieter motor, and 1:1 balun inside. There’s more I would change if it was my neck on the line. But yeah, he’s made significant improvements. I’m itching to try converting it to an adjustable vertical. Proper height on every band.

Very valid question; thanks for stopping by! It IS a lot of money for a wire antenna. It is, in my opinion (based partly of course on my discretionary income), a pretty fair price for a dozen wire antennas. Here's what I mean... I had an EFHW for 80m. Tuned to have the lowest SWR on the FT8 freq. But I couldn't use the top end of 75m with the internal tuner of my rig. I could tune at that top end of the band with an external tuner, but could only use 300W. I couldn't go full 800W with my amp. The tuner couldn't handle that much power, and the heat in the feedline/balun would probably degrade things quickly. So 80m is really 2 bands: 80 and 75. I have to re-adjust when moving from FT8 (or CW) to the Phone segment. So, this provides, in one unit, the ability to tune to a good enough match to use a tube amp with NO trans-match outside of it: 160, 80, 75, 60, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10, & 6. (Note: 10 and 6 are also very large bands, where you're likely to re-adjust element length when moving from CW/Digital to Phone portions. Instructions for tuning 40m antennas typically ask you "What portion of the band do you use most? What PART of the band do you want it below 1.5:1?" My answer is "All of it." So really it's about 14-15 "sub-bands".) But wait, couldn't I make a fan dipole to cover all those bands? Yes. It would take hours and hours to make all the tuning adjustments (they affect each other). Plus, I'd have an absolute spider web of paracord holding the ends of the elements out. And something like 10x the total wind loading. If you want to only use a handful of bands, build your own dipoles; absolutely. However, I wanted to be able to go to ANY portion of ANY band, with minimum feedline loss, without going outside & fiddling with it. To me, yes, absolutely worth it.

@@kelvin0mql You've given some fair points and as long as you are happy thats great. I was initially interested though being a tight arse I'll carry on with wire, transformers, and traps. Thank you for the video as its a great concept. 73 de Richard 2E0IKJ

Get two tape measures

@@kf5hcr176 Well, yes. If you want to go outside, lower the center feed-point, change the element lengths, hoist it back up, check the tuning, possibly repeat it all again because you weren't quite close enough to the right length. How long would it take you to change bands? 10 minutes, if you hurry? This system was invented by a guy who was in the military, on a freezing cold, windy, rainy night, and had to go outside to manually re-adjust an HF antenna for a frequency change. Soaked to the bone and miserable, he thought "There HAS to be a better way." This is the result. When it's cold and rainy outside, I can change the antenna elements' lengths remotely from INSIDE. In about a minute.

At 1:15 I say "So 30 gets power..." and a few seconds later, "...the red wire, that taps onto the hot lead of the marker light." At 2:00 I'm explaining how an accessory relay can be latched closed by being momentarily given power. The yellow wire, then, naturally, if you understand what I'm describing about a latching relay, would have to be the hot side of the headlight low beam.

Sadly, I don't have that car anymore, or I'd re-record a better explanation of this, writing a script ahead of time, so I'm not fumbling my words. I miss that car. It got totaled a few years ago. I liked that car a lot more than the Chevy Tahoe I have now. There are SOME things I like about the Tahoe, but it's huge, lower MPG, older, rustier, louder.

Auto Zone or something like that. Anyplace that sells off-road lights, or higher amperage accessories, will have these relays. Super common.

I am not sure I'd agree with the straight key advice. That smells to me like old guys wanting to make sure that the newbies suffer like they had to. And yes, that IS a big-ass rusty C-clamp holding the key to my desk. This Bencher is very old, so rubber feet grip as well as rock hard teflon. Really need to re-arrange my desk/shack. It's ergonomically awful for radio. It's great for work, but that's not all I do here.

@@kelvin0mql Ha! Did not even notice the C-clamp! Well, key or paddle doesn't matter until I can start reliably copying! lol!

@@donz7992 Truth. That is the challenge.

That's temporary. It's the tow-string for the camera.

I would think so. I will search for a device or circuit for plugging an iambic paddle into a PC.

th-cam.com/video/WTJX6WTdlMo/w-d-xo.html shows how to do just that!

Huh. Well that's just weird.

@@kelvin0mql I think I'm going to try this and see if it works. It's been this way with every low beam LED light. Oddly enough, at the top end of the cut-off, depending on humidity and "feel", say 48° to 54°, if I turn the lights to parking lights and sit with the engine warming up, the lights will eventually come on and most of the time, they will stay on. I have had them go off while driving and refuse to come back on after stopping at the gas station for a couple of minutes. I think that experiences like these are why most lay people attribute the problem to the cold AND THE LIGHTS... However, as the YT stated, the issue is not with the LED lights but in the electrical system. I've had this issue with original LEDs that required a Canbus... and the newest which do not require a Canbus. Adding a Canbus to the newest LED lights has never resolved the cold weather cut-off phenomenon. The hi-beam and driving/fog lights operate just fine... and, I think it's related to them being the same bulb and drawing more amps... or, if not the same bulb, then as the video stated, there's no ECM System requirement or check on the driving lights. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

@@texusarmy-fister7697 Might as well. I'm in MN. It's friggin' almost always below 54F. So it stands to reason I just assumed it was just how they behave all the time. AND - the cheapest devices that determine "How much current is being pulled?" are very affected by temperature. You know Detroit - never a good part when a cheap part will suffice.

@@texusarmy-fister7697 i've got the same car as you tell me what you used for it a fuse or a relay?

The antenna *can* tune to 160m, but I'm not a farmer - I don't have enough land for that. I have a mere 1/3-acre corner lot. To do 160, I'd have to have one leg of it go across the street to a neighbor's yard, and the other leg go into yet another neighbor's yard in the other direction. I am considering building a heavily-loaded vertical for 160 someday. I do not need a tuner (98% of the time). Just the other day I fired up the amp and worked a handful of POTA stations on 20m and 17m, peaking about 500w. No tuner, no problem. That said, because of the size of my yard, I can get this thing to stretch out to do SSB on 75m fine... but if I'm going to do FT8 way out at 80m, I don't have enough room. The trolleys have hit the guy stakes by that point, so I'm still a little too short. But it's within the SWR range that the rig's internal tuner can manage. I rarely do that, but I can if I'm so inclined. Although I'm able to get this telescoping mast up where the feed box would be at almost 50', it gets very wobbly, and needs a LOT of guy lines. A completely annoying amount of guy lines. Untenable. Plus, that's really only helpful for 80m... and 80m is not a fun band. It's where the meanest/grumpiest old hams hang out. And if I have it tuned to 6m or 10m with the center way up at 50', well that's far too high to be effective. You get a horribly bifurcated pattern when you put a dipole too high. So I have it up at about 35' instead, which is a better compromise for 6m through 40m.

@@kelvin0mql great info. Thank you for that. I’m really interested in getting me one.

@@iPigee I almost bought a 2nd one for Field Day & other out-n-about ops, but it’d feel too much like cheating.

Was really enjoying that video then it ended:( shame you didn't record contacts and how well/bad it was but new subscriber cheers n look forward the the next one.73

It wasn’t. It was the mid-tier package.

Go to tune-a-tenna.com/ and contact Frank (the inventor) there.

Hah! I bet not.

Oh, and thank you. HNY to you & your as well.

Yeah, I’d consider it portable. The height you’d want to hoist the box/feedpoint would depend on the band you wish to optimize most, so a half wavelength high. Then you just tolerate the compromises on higher or lower bands. I’ve had mine at 49’, but lowered it to 33’ in order to get a better pattern on 20m. But it’s just on a rope with a pulley at the top. Easy to drop it down for maintenance, or to operate from a lower height. My mast is a carbon fiber telescoping one. When I had it at full height, the top few poles bent too easily in windy conditions. I’d lower it to the ground when storms were brewing. Then when I decided to set it at 33’, I did so by not extending the thinnest tube at all, & shortening the next two about half way. That stiffened the top 8’ of it significantly. Anyway, I would have few qualms about dropping it all, packing it in the truck, & hoisting it up somewhere for Field Day or POTA. Goes pretty quick one you’ve done it twice.

@@kelvin0mql Thanks, I can never get it above 40 feet here where I live and even 33 feet would be a changeling too, maybe 25 to 30. I'll have to do more thinking on this. Thanks again.

Yes, it is stainless stranded bare wire. And you’re exactly correct. I will likely find after a year that I will need to clean it, not unlike cleaning my fly fishing line. And after a few years, will likely replace the line, which is readily accessible & pretty easy to do. Most parts of this system is serviceable by design.

@@kelvin0mql if replacing wire is there room on the reels to use small gauge copper insulated wire instead ?

@@denp54z That wouldn’t work well. That’d give you a center-loaded dipole. By the elements being bare stainless, the RF doesn’t “see” the spools as coils, but instead as just a cylinder of conductor.