My name is Steve – KG4LJB.

I have 2 SteppIR antennas: A BigIR with the 80 meter coil and a 3 element with 40. Like many ham radio enthusiast I’ve had the occasional issue with them to sort through. In order to ease the troubleshooting process, I designed a straightforward “break out board” I call the “SteppIRtest ONE“. No more stress, no more paper clips, no more risking electrical shock and possible burn out of equipment.

SteppIRtest One in a nutshell:

  • It has LEDs that visually indicate when the controller is producing drive pulses. No LED activity instantly indicate a bad driver. No paperclips required!
  • The middle terminal strip is in parallel with the other two connectors, so making confident antenna resistance measurements is a breeze!
  • You can also use it for easy and precise drive voltage measurements, but the LEDs usually eliminate that need!
  • It can also be used to bench test an EHU or just the motor.

LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY! If you have a problem, send it back. I’ll repair or replace it at no charge. Free return shipping only for US customers!

A few other things I can help with…

Fluidmotion controller repair

I know this controller pretty well, and if its CPU is still functional I can probably repair it. For the moment Driver ICs are a bit tough to source, but as of October 2022 I have over 100 on hand.

S.P.E. Expert amplifier repair

My company – Marine Electronics Repair LLC is now the authorized service center for S.P.E. Expert amplifiers

Sark 110 repair

I own one of the antenna analyzers and think its a really fine instrument. Over the years, I’ve repaired it and several others. If yours has a problem, contact me – I can probably help.

Lightning Assessment

Did you get zapped, and now your insurance company wants a damage assessment? I can help you! I live in the Tampa Bay area – arguably the lightning capital of the western hemisphere, maybe the entire planet. I have a lot of experience with lightning stuck equipment.

Spoiler alert! There is almost ZERO chance I’m going to recommend the pursuit of a repair. The odds of a successful, reliable outcome is paper thin, at best. Send me the equipment, I’ll open it up, perform a detailed internal inspection, photo document anything unusual, test the unit as best I can then provide you a written professional assessment. In most cases it will meet the requirements of your insurance company.

Marine Electronics

While most of the marine electronics industry is turning away from offering repair services, I can often “pull a rabbit out of my hat” and get you going again! Raymarine and Furuno are two brands that allow access to their parts supply and technical documentation. For the most part, every other company in this industry has gone to a 5 year – in house (only) support policy, after that – replacement is their only offered option. Contact us for details, and see my website at marineelectronicsrepair.com.

Marine and RV inverter repair

I’ve been repairing inverter charger units for RV’s and boats for over 30 years. My company – Marine Electronics Repair LLC is an authorized service center for Xantrex and Magnum Energy. I can also provide repair services for most Trace Engineering and Heart interface products. Call or email for details.