“We’re champions of the little pistol,” says Mike Mertel, YASME Excellence Award winner and SteppIR Antennas President, as SteppIR Antennas announces the immediate availability of the new SteppIR UrbanBeam Yagi antenna.
“Putting up a conventional aluminum beam can present challenges for some homeowners due to size and aesthetics. With a 4-foot boom length and turning radius of under 16 feet, but still covering 40 through 6 meters, the UrbanBeam solves a lot of problems for the urban or suburban ham trying to get an effective HF signal. At under 45 pounds, it’s easy to turn, and easy to mount on a pole or roof. ”
“It’s a great 20m-6m Yagi, and on 30m and 40m provides performance close to a dipole, but in a smaller space. Because it’s a SteppIR, it’s elements are tunable to your operating frequency, which radiates as much of your signal as possible.
Because it doesn’t look like a conventional antenna, it can be deployed in ‘difficult’ situations. I’ve been using this antenna to work DX from my suburban neighborhood for the last seven years, and no neighbor has even asked what it was. This antenna is too good not to share.”
“When Mike first told me about the UrbanBeam, I said ‘send me the first one’” enthuses Martti Lane, OH2BH, DXer extraordinaire and Ham Radio Raconteur.
“Small can be beautiful as DX operators want to travel compact and light – yet producing enough signal on each major band to reach every household the world over! Our recent EA8BH pending regional win in the ARRL DX SSB Contest was accomplished with a SteppIR. To win, you need to be loud!”
The special introductory price for the UrbanBeam is $1769, including shipping to addresses in the continental US. Detailed specifications and ordering information are available on the SteppIR website: www.steppir.com.
Those attending the International DX Convention in Visalia, California, can see and try one as part of a special event station April 20-22. Hamvention attendees can also see one up close at the SteppIR booth: Building 1, 1501-1502,1601-1602.
Specifications
| Elements | 2 (1 on 30m and 40m) |
| Frequency | 6.8 MHz – 54 MHz |
| Weight | 45 lbs |
| Wind Load | 4.4 sq. ft (EIA-222-C) |
| 7.9 sq. ft (EIA-222-F/G) | |
| Turning Radius | 15.5 ft |
| Longest Element | 30.5 ft. |
| Boom Length | 48 inches |
Gain Figures
| Frequency | Gain | Front/Back | Front/Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40m | 1.61 | 9.55 (F/S) | |
| 30m | 1.772 | 9.63 (F/S) | |
| 20m | 6.5 | 16.5 | 12 |
| 17m | 6.6 | 21 | 12.6 |
| 15m | 6.6 | 24.6 | 14.0 |
| 12m | 6.7 | 18.5 | 15.7 |
| 10m | 6.65 | 14.8 | 14.8 |
| 6m | 6.15 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
1 A full size dipole is referenced at 2.1dBi
2 Measured SWR is 2.3:1 for this model on 30m
Source:
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