2112 116TH AVE NE SUITE 1-5, BELLEVUE WA, 98004 WWW.STEPPIR.COM TEL: (425)-453-1910 FAX: (425)-462-4415
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RETRACT
With one touch of a button the user can retract all elements to the home position and the con-
troller will power down automatically. The function of retracting the elements through the
SET
UP
menu is still available and will be described in the
SET UP
section of the manual.
MODES OF OPERATION
NORMAL
The
NORM
mode is used when you are manually operating your controller, and the primary
intended use will be in the ham bands (to use the optional transceiver interface, the user
must be in the
AUTOTRACK
mode). When in the
NORM
mode, to tune through the bands
simply use the FREQUENCY ADJUST BAND up and down button, and the controller will
simultaneously adjust the length of each element to that frequency that is chosen. Each
time the up or down button is hit the antenna will adjust to the next preset frequency. The
display will show what frequency the antenna is tuning to, plus the tuning light will be blinking
red. By using the COARSE and FINE up / down buttons, it is possible to adjust the antenna
to the nearest 50 KHz. You can also adjust to frequencies outside the ham bands.
When the controller is in the NORM mode the bands that can be toggled through are pre-pro-
gramed to get the antenna close to the desired frequency. Most of our antennas work very
well over a 100 KHz frequency range (minimum except on 80m). The Bandwidth will depend
on which model antenna you have but it will be at least 100 Khz.
180 BUTTON
The 180 degree mode feature is one of the most popular among SteppIR users. The 180
mode allows you to electrically “rotate” the antenna 180 degrees from your current
NORM
direction beam heading. This is done by simply pressing a button, and in 2-1/2 seconds
(quicker on higher frequencies, longer on lower) the transformation is complete. The existing
reflector becomes a director and the director becomes a reflector, and you now have a com-
pletely different antenna in the exact opposite direction. With the two element Yagi, the direc-
tor becomes a reflector. In addition to greatly reducing your rotator use, many SteppIR users
report that the 180 function is an excellent tool for short path / long path operation, or for pick-
ing up that elusive multiplier in the heat of a contest! At SteppIR, we think the best use for
this function is when we want to show off the great front to back performance of the antenna!
BI (3/4) BUTTON
The BI (which stands for bi-directional) function operates in a similar manner, except when
enabled, you are now operating with gain in opposite directions. You will have approximately
2 db less gain than normal but now you have gain in both the forward and reverse direction.
This feature can be very handy for those who are involved with net operation or ham contests
where hearing (or sending) signals from two directions can give you an advantage.