plus 4, Reviews Summary for SteppIr BigIr Vertical - eHam.net

Reviews Summary for SteppIr BigIr Vertical - eHam.net
2009 World of Outlaws Season Review: Jason Sides - Who Won
BBDO Detroit loses Chrysler advertising to Minneapolis-based Fallon ... - Crain's Detroit Business
Kia Designers Push for Soul'ster Production - PickupTrucks.com
Fallbrook CEO Says Latest Funding Reflects Near-Term Cleantech ... - Xconomy

Reviews Summary for SteppIr BigIr Vertical - eHam.net

Posted: 07 Dec 2009 08:40 AM PST

I have had my BigIR installed for two years now. I purchase it slightly used from a local ham. It is the early model 1 version. I upgraded the controller to add the rig interface for my Icom 746Pro.

My installation is roof mounted on a single story bungalow with asphalt shingles and a slight sloping roof. The base is approximately 6m (20 feet) above ground level. Our backyard is bordered on one side by a 3m (10ft) metal chain link fence.The yard is also small and installing a proper radial field would be impossible.

The first summer I spent considerable time on the roof with the antenna analyzer cutting and trimming resonant elevated radials, 4 per band (40/20/17/10/6). The biggest headach was minimizing the interaction between radials. When it was done, it worked well, the XYL wasn't impressed with the apparent spider web of wires on the roof. (I did use a grey coloured insulation that matched the roof very well, but I guess her eyes are btter than mine)

I should mentioned that the antenna was guyed at the reccommended location using 3 guys, spaced 120 degrees apart.

VSWR was 1:1 on all bands and could be easily tuned as I qsy'ed across bands.

The problems started in November when the first big storm of the year came through. Strong winds of 80-90 kmph had the telescoping section above the guys swaying badly. Finally it snapped at the junction between the 3 and 4th telecoping section.

I ordered a replacemnt telescoping section and had the parts within 2 weeks. On a warm december day(-10C) i installed the new section and added a set of 4 guys at the joint between the top and second telescoping sections.

The wind kept playing havoc with the radials. rattling against the roof and snapping several of them through the year.

In the second summer, I replaced the radials with the butternut stub tuned radials. This was a cleaner installation and worked great for 40/20/15/10m. No change in performance at all noticed over the mess of other radials. I added radials for 17m and 6m.

During the second winter, I started to notice a degradation in performance and the inability to get the VSWR below 1.6:1 on some bands. It turned out that the 1m )3feet) of snow and ice on the roof had encased the radials and detuned their resonant frequencies. When the warm weather arrived, all returned to normal.

Just recently I noticed the top section leaning and upon inspection, I have found the fiberglass tube between the 4 and 5 section has splintered. It will have to be replaced ..again.

I have found this antenna to be very high maintenance and relatively expensive to repair and maintain. Customer service has been excellent however.

Performannce....well it is a vertical and works as well as a 1/4 wave vertical will work. On 40m it has been very good for me. On the higher bands, it works but my 130'doublet outperforms it consistently to Europe by 1-2 S units. For NA contacts, it depends on the time of day and propagation. Sometimes the wire wins, sometimes the vertical wins. Never a big difference. I do have to give the wire the edge in noise performance as it was consistently 2-3 S units quieter than the vertical. That would be my location and I suspect every vertical would be the same.

Bottom line, good antenna for a vertical, don't expect miracles, expensive, may require frequent maintenance in windy, harsh climates, No problems with the motors. No lossy coils or traps.

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

2009 World of Outlaws Season Review: Jason Sides - Who Won

Posted: 07 Dec 2009 07:57 AM PST

Monday, December 7, 2009
2009 World of Outlaws Season Review: Jason Sides

by Tony Veneziano

CONCORD, N.C. -- Jason Sides has always been one of the hardest working and most hands on drivers in the pit area. That perseverance and dedication paid off this past season for the native of Bartlett, Tenn. as he put together a career year on the World of Outlaws trail, winning twice and finishing fifth in points on the strength of a career-best 47 Top-10 finishes with 24 of those being Top-Fives. He set career highs in laps led, fast time honors and wins in the Crane Cams Dash to earn pole positions.

The season kicked off for the veteran driver with two consecutive runner-up finishes in the Florida DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park and following the second night of the season, Sides was tied for the series point lead, marking it the first time in his career he sat atop the standings.

"It was a really good season for us," said Sides. "I would have liked to have gotten a few more wins and we had the opportunity to get a few more wins, but two is good. That is two more than we had last year. Our goal is to always better our year from the one before and we did that this year. It was a very good year for us."

The 2009 season marked the sixth full season for Sides on the road with the World of Outlaws and he used that experience at many of the tracks he has been visiting now for a number of years and also got up to speed quick at the tracks he has only seen a time or two. He reached Victory Lane for the first time in 2009 at Ohsweken Speedway in Canada in July, marking his second victory at the 3/8-mile. After nearly picking up a couple of more wins, he returned to top of the podium at the famed Eldora Speedway in late September during the Four Crown weekend. It was his second career win at the half-mile, where he was victorious in the 2004 Kings Royal to earn his first career World of Outlaws A-Feature triumph.

"I think being around the race tracks more has been a big part," shared the 2003 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year of his success in 2009. "The longer you are out here, the more you understand it and learn it. You are always learning something out here. Being out here for a long time has definitely helped."

For a number of years, Sides did most of the work on the his race car himself as well as driving the truck and trailer up and down the road, with usually just one crew member to help, but that changed this past year as he had two full-time crew members, with Doug Rankin back on board again along with Shane Finch who has been with Sides for a number of years in the past. A couple of times throughout the season Sides also had longtime sprint car racer and fellow Tennessean Terry Gray help turn the wrenches as well.

"It takes a load of myself to let those guys work on the car," noted Sides. "I still handle the motors for the most part, but they can handle everything and I don't have to worry about it. I can focus on driving even more then."

Sides was fast right out of the box on most nights in 2009, setting quick time on 10 occasions in time trials, second only to series champion Donny Schatz. Sides also raced his way into the Crane Cams Dash 42 times to earn Top-10 starting spots in feature events. He won five dashes this past season to earn pole positions in feature events.

"You have to be confident with your car and your equipment and everything," stated Sides of what it takes to be fast. "I tested some stuff last year and this year that has helped us, knowing where we need to start each night. Making the dash and knowing that you'll be starting in the first five rows is a big plus as well. Anytime you can do that, you know that you have a good start spot and that always helps the confidence."

Having been around the series for a number of years, Sides marvels at how tight the competition has become and notes that it takes an all around strong night to be in contention for victories, especially with all the locals stepping up their game at the tracks that the series visits from coast-to-coast.

"It really does get tougher each year and it seems like everyone is getting more equal that anyone can win on any given night," he admitted. "It makes it tough for sure."

With the 2010 season quickly approaching, Sides is back home in Tennessee gearing up for that. He also took some time to relax and spend with his family before getting back to work in the shop.

"I'm going to go home and be home for a while before we start working again, so I'll get some time to regroup and relax," he said.

The 2010 World of Outlaws season kicks off on February 5-7 with the 39th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park, where Sides picked up two runner-up finishes and led a number of laps this past season.

By the Numbers Jason Sides 2009:
2-A-Feature wins for Sides this past season
3- KSE Hard Charger Awards for passing the most cars in the feature in 2009
4- Career A-Feature wins for Sides with the World of Outlaws
5- Wins in the Crane Cams Dash to earn pole positions for Sides this past season
7- SuperClean start awards for the best start in a racing event during a race night for Sides in 2009
10- Times that Sides was fastest in time trials this past season
10.872- Track record set by Sides at Skagit Speedway on September 4
24-Top-Five finishes this past season for Sides, which was a career high
47- Top-10 finishes in 2009 for Sides, another career high
149- Laps led for Sides this past season
8543-Points earned by Sides to finish fifth in the standings
181,780- Dollars earned by Sides in 2009

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Crane Cams (Official Valvetrain), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), Fusion Energy Boost (Official Energy Boost), Quaker State (Official Motor Oil), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, Jake's Custom Golf Carts, KSE Race Products, Penske Shocks, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo; Engine Builder's Challenge participants Don Ott Racing Engines, Kistler Engines, Shaver Specialties and Speedway Engines; and Chassis Builder's Challenge participants J&J Auto Racing, Maxim Racing and XXX Race Company.

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

BBDO Detroit loses Chrysler advertising to Minneapolis-based Fallon ... - Crain's Detroit Business

Posted: 07 Dec 2009 08:19 AM PST

Minneapolis-based Fallon Worldwide said today it has been tabbed to handle Chrysler Group L.L.C.'s Chrysler brand advertising, replacing the 450-person Troy office of BBDO North America.

Some Fallon work is expected to air before the end of the year and the first full campaign will launch in 2010.

Fallon is a subsidiary of French holding advertising company Publicis Groupe S.A. and it has offices in London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo and Tokyo.

The agency garnered attention for its BMW Films work earlier in the decade, but Chrysler will be its first automotive account in four years.

Other major Fallon clients have included Holiday Inn Express, Lee Jeans, CitiBank, United Airlines and Sony.

The agency was also responsible for the $100 million Arch Deluxe campaign for McDonald's in 1996, widely considered to be one of the larger failures in industry history.

Crain's sister publication Advertising Age noted that Fallon faces a challenge with the automaker's flagship nameplate: Chrysler brand's new-vehicle sales in the U.S. slumped 50 percent to 158,893 units in the first nine months of the year compared to a year ago.

The automaker is believed to have spent about $300 million on all advertising through the first nine months of the year. It spent $840 million in 2008 and $1.8 billion two years ago.

Chrysler's advertising agency roster has been in flux since the automaker exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in June.

BBDO, which had handled all of the carmaker's brands, said in November is will close the local office because it failed to reach a new deal with Chrysler, ending a relationship that dates back to 1944.

BBDO, owned by New York City-based Omnicom Group, did only Chrysler work at the Troy office. Staffers will get pay and benefits through Jan. 31.

Southfield-based GlobalHue now has the Jeep account and Dallas-based Richards Group is doing the Ram truck work. It's unclear who will be handling the Dodge car-van-SUV advertising now that Dodge trucks have been broken into a separate line.

Turin-based Armando Testa, the agency for Chrysler co-owner Fiat S.p.A.'s Lancia brand, unveiled a spot for the Chrysler 300 last week that featured political and social activism elements, which resulted to industry buzz.

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Kia Designers Push for Soul'ster Production - PickupTrucks.com

Posted: 07 Dec 2009 08:11 AM PST

Kia Designers Push for Soul'ster Production

Kia Designers Push for Soulster Production

While there's no official word yet from Kia, its designers are rooting for the Soul'ster micro truck move from concept to reality.

It's been nearly a year since Kia dropped two doors and chopped the roof off the back of its hipster hatchback, the Soul, and turned it into the Soul'ster. The concept debuted at the Detroit Auto Show with the mission to haul reactions and feedback from showgoers back to Kia execs to determine if the Korean auto manufacturer should produce the four-cylinder runabout for the U.S. and other markets.

"Kia's internal design community is firmly behind building the Soul'ster," Tom Kearns, chief designer of Kia Motors America, told PickupTrucks.com at the L.A. Auto Show. "We'd like to see it happen. There's no official decision to build it but it's still possible."

If produced, the Soul'ster could be just the spark that compact pickup trucks need to reverse the segment's long and steady decline. About 800,000 small trucks were sold in 2002 but only 393,000 units were sold last year – a staggering 51% drop in six years.

Part of the sales falloff has to do with the current economy, but much of it has to do with price and a lack of innovation in the segment. Buyers can drive off dealer lots in full-size pickups with efficient V-8 engines and greater capability for about the same price as a well-equipped midsize or compact truck. The starting price of a Ford Ranger is $17,440 versus $21,380 for a full-size Ford F-150.

In comparison to current pickup truck prices, the Kia Soul starts at only $13,995. What if the Soul'ster started at that price or little less? Would that be enough to get small truck buyers interested? It's something another current pickup truck manufacturer is seriously studying, according to a senior executive who spoke with us at the L.A. Auto Show.

"Compact pickup trucks used to be hot in the 1980s and 1990s," said the executive, who asked to remain anonymous. "College kids and retirees used to drive them before prices got too high. Now, the trucks are too expensive. We're making it a priority to try to reinvent the segment. We think it has to be priced in the $10,000-to-$15,000 range."

Kia chose the L.A. Auto Show to launch the latest generation of its Sorento crossover utility vehicle . The Sorento is being built at Kia's new state-of-the-art plant in Georgia but there's space to expand the plant to build other vehicles there, too. Could the Soul'ster be one of them?

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Fallbrook CEO Says Latest Funding Reflects Near-Term Cleantech ... - Xconomy

Posted: 07 Dec 2009 08:33 AM PST

funding, cleantech, Hardware

Bruce V. Bigelow 12/7/09

Fallbrook Technologies CEO Bill Klehm was in South Korea two weeks ago, when the San Diego cleantech startup disclosed in a regulatory filing that it had raised an additional $4 million from investors.

I wanted to get more information about the deal, since it has only been a year since the developer of a new type of transmission raised more than $25 million in funding in an initial venture round led by NGEN Partners, a Santa Barbara cleantech venture firm, and Robeco, the investment arm of Dutch financial services firm Rabobank. It struck me as a little early for the company to require additional funding, particularly considering that Fallbrook was sustained over the previous decade by roughly $25 million provided by the company's individual investors.

Fallbrook has been commercializing a continuously variable "planetary" transmission that is more energy-efficient than a conventional transmission. A little background on Fallbrook and its "NuVinci" design can be found here.

So what's going down at Fallbrook?

"Basically, we had a group of mostly existing investors who had expressed an interest in increasing their investment in the company," Klehm tells me. Because Fallbrook had kept its late 2008 venture round open, the CEO says the company's existing investors could add to their stake on the same terms as a year ago. NGEN and Robeco accounted for half of the $4 million deal, and individual investors, which he estimates at between 80 and 100 families, represented the other half.

Klehm says the tranche reflects the "huge demand for high-quality deals in the cleantech sector." While investor interest in cleantech is high, Klehm says many other cleantech technologies are expected to take decades to mature—or, as he likes to say, they are ventures made of "unobtainium"—advanced materials that don't exist or are currently too costly to produce. While it could take years for the automotive industry to adopt Fallbrook's innovative transmission, the company has introduced its technology to bicycles and electric carts and is moving to other applications.

For example, Fallbrook is moving ahead to commercialize its NuVinci transmission design for what Klehm calls an accessory drive that is used to run lifts, winches, and other equipment on military trucks and heavy commercial vehicles. "In 2010," Klehm says, "there will be commercial volumes of that transmission being sold."

Bruce V. Bigelow is the editor of Xconomy San Diego. You can e-mail him at bbigelow@xconomy.com or call 858-202-0492

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.