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Receive Eight Circle Troubleshooting
There are several possible causes for a malfunction of a DX Engineering Receive Eight Circle System.
Testing the system is not difficult and can be completed in an hour or so. Separate circuits for directional
switching, Active Vertical Antenna power, and antenna phasing can each be affected by a variety of cabling,
connection and or component problems. If you are troubleshooting a new system or using a replacement
DXE-RCA8C-1
Receive Eight Circle Array Controller unit, check that the wiring from the Control Console
to the Array Controller is correct and no damage has been done to the lines.
Here are the most common causes of Receive Eight Circle malfunction, especially in a system that was
previously functioning properly:
START
80% of all Receive Eight Circle malfunctions are caused by
A, B
or
C
A
Broken/Shorted
Conductors
Animals, Chewed,
Punctured, Stretched,
or Broken
Green Connector may have
broken wire or is tightened
against insulation - not bare wire
B
Center Conductors
Slipped
Check all F connector
center conductor
wires. They may have
pulled inward.
C
Shorted/Open
conductors due to
water
Check feedlines and
control cable.
D
Zapped by lightning
pulse or RF overload
Make sure units are at least 1/2-
wavelength, on the lowest frequency,
away from any transmit antenna.
May want to use an optional
DXE-TVSU Time Variable
Sequencer for AVA2 units.
E
Damaged due to
lightning
Rare, but it can happen.
F
Damaged by animals
or insects
Animals have been known to relieve
themselves on the units and the urine
will corrode and damage electronics
Insects getting inside units and
shorting out electronics
A) Broken and/or shorted conductors due to animal, weather or other damage, including chewed,
punctured, stretched and broken control and power lines and/or feedlines for the system and each
antenna. Also, screws in the green removable connectors can inadvertently be tightened onto the
insulation of control or power conductors.
B) Regressed center conductors in the feedlines causing disengagement from the female center capture pin
of the F connector. This can happen in delay lines as well as in antenna or main feedline connections.
Many times a compression F connector that seems to have a long enough center conductor when it was
first made, has regressed to the point that it is not long enough to make proper contact. A properly
Summary of Contents for DXE-RCA8C-SYS-4P
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