SteppIR BigIR Mk IV
$$$$$
| Frequency | 6.95-54 MHz (40-6m), 3.4-54 MHz with optional coil |
| Bands | 40m, 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m, 10m, 6m, (80m/60m with optional coil) |
| Modes | SSB, CW, AM, FM, digital |
| Connector | SO-239 |
| Year | 2010 |
| feedpoint | SO-239 |
A motorized vertical whose copper-beryllium tape extends and retracts to present a true quarter-wave on any frequency from 6m to 40m (80/60m with an optional coil), so there are no traps and no trap losses. It handles 3 kW on 40-6m and auto-tunes when the transceiver changes frequency. It outperforms trapped verticals by design.
Expensive ($2,500-4,000+ with controller and options). 32 feet tall. The motorized mechanism needs a controller and power supply (the Mk IV package includes a 36V supply). Moving parts in weather can stick in freezing conditions. The copper-beryllium tape is the single point of failure. It requires radials. The 80m coil is an additional $975.
A no-compromise motorized vertical. Where trapped verticals trade performance for convenience, the BigIR trades convenience and cost for performance: a full-size resonant vertical on 80m through 6m with no traps and no losses. It suits operators with the budget and the commitment.
The SteppIR BigIR is one of the cleverest antennas in amateur radio, a vertical that physically retunes itself for any frequency. Instead of traps or fixed elements, it uses a stepper motor to roll a length of copper-beryllium tape up and down inside a fiberglass tube, changing the antenna's electrical length on demand. The result is a true continuously-tunable quarter-wave vertical that is resonant on every frequency from 40 through 6 meters (and 80/60 meters with an add-on coil), not just on selected bands.
Because it is always a full resonant quarter-wave rather than a loaded compromise, the BigIR is genuinely efficient across its whole range, and its microprocessor controller retunes it in a few seconds with band buttons or continuous frequency selection. The trade-offs are price and mechanical complexity (it has moving parts and electronics exposed to the weather) but for an operator who wants one vertical that works optimally everywhere, nothing else quite matches it.
It is a current premium product from SteppIR. Among non-motorized verticals, the no-radial GAP Titan DX and the trap-based Hustler 4BTV are the conventional alternatives.