WDØM - Pagosa Springs, CO

Pagosa Springs, Colorado

Adding 30 and 40 Meters to the 4 Element SteppIR
Continued

After resolving the issue with bolts that were too long, drilling the mounting holes, and bolting the ERT support bracket to the boom, the next step was to glue the PVC inserts to the driven element EHU. This was easy to do. The glue dries fairly fast. Carefully insert the fiberglass tube over the extended PVC tube and place it in the EHU and secure it with the rubber boot.

After you've placed all the fiberglass tubes on the driven element and return tube support, secure them by tightening the boots to hold them in place. Of note is the factory's direction to place the boot on the inside of the metal ring at the end of the EHU and ERT to secure it in place. That should preclude the boot from slipping off.

The next step is to connect the ends of the elements to the return loops. Each element end has a section of what appears to be sandpaper glued to it. This fits inside the return tube, and must be inserted fully. A screwdriver can be used to gently pry apart the connector so the element will fit. After I got it started, it became apparent that you need to wiggle the loop and element fairly aggressively to make it slip all the way inside.

I decided to take the recommendations of other users and apply some protective paint to the remaining fiberglass elements. I used Krylon's "Fusion" paint for plastics, in a Hunter Green color, which matched the SteppIR products very closely. This should help preclude any UV deterioration, and keep them in good shape for years to come.

The next step required a trip up the ladder - and here's a disclaimer - use your judgement - brace the tower in case a cable breaks. It could be a long way down. After that, I placed my extension ladder against the tower at a fairly steep angle to keep most of the force going into the ground, rather than against the side of the tower. Connecting the motor wires is a simple matter of swapping connections.

Continued on the next page.
Back to the previous page.

After resolving the issue with bolts that were too long, drilling the mounting holes, and bolting the ERT support bracket to the boom, the next step was to glue the PVC inserts to the driven element EHU. This was easy to do. The glue dries fairly fast. Carefully insert the fiberglass tube over the extended PVC tube and place it in the EHU and secure it with the rubber boot.
	After you've placed all the fiberglass tubes on the driven element and return tube support, secure them by tightening the boots to hold them in place. Of note is the factory's direction to place the boot on the inside of the metal ring at the end of the EHU and ERT to secure it in place. That should preclude the boot from slipping off.
The next step is to connect the ends of the elements to the return loops. Each element end has a section of what appears to be sandpaper glued to it. This fits inside the return tube, and must be inserted fully. A screwdriver can be used to gently pry apart the connector so the element will fit. After I got it started, it became apparent that you need to wiggle the loop and element fairly aggressively to make it slip all the way inside.
	I decided to take the recommendations of other users and apply some protective paint to the remaining fiberglass elements. I used Krylon's "Fusion" paint for plastics, in a Hunter Green color, which matched the SteppIR products very closely. This should help preclude any UV deterioration, and keep them in good shape for years to come.
The next step required a trip up the ladder - and here's a disclaimer - use your judgement - brace the tower in case a cable breaks. It could be a long way down. After that, I placed my extension ladder against the tower at a fairly steep angle to keep most of the force going into the ground, rather than against the side of the tower. Connecting the motor wires is a simple matter of swapping connections.
Continued on the next page. Back to the previous page.