7.
Attach balun and tighten the connectors
gently
using a 7/16" end wrench. A lot of torque is unnecessary.
Form the balun close to the boom and secure to boom with a nylon cable tie. Tie should be snug but not
crushing or kinking the coax.
8.
Install the 8
-
32 x
1/4”
set screws (internal Allen head
-
tool supplied) into the SHORTING BARS. Slide the
bars onto the
3/16”
rod driven element tips and
1/8”
Driven Element Block Rods. Position the Shorting Bars
as specified on the Dimension Sheet. The distance given is between the outer edge of the Driven Element
Block and the inner edge of the Shorting Bar. Align the bars and rods with each other and tighten the
setscrews.
9.
The boom to mast plate is normally mounted at the balance point, approximately
52”
from the rear . 1" U
-
bolts and the stainless nuts and lock washers provided. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN.
2”
U
-
bolts are provided
for mounting the antenna to your mast. Since the feed line represents significant weight it is best to have it
attached and fastened along the boom with cable ties before balancing the boom and mounting the plate.
10.
INSTALLATION, TESTING & STACKING INFORMATION
A
. To protect your investment in this high performance antenna, always use high quality coax and
connectors. Old, corroded, or poor quality materials are common sources of serious performance losses.
B
. Test the antenna, connectors and feedline, BEFORE installing to your mast or tower. At 6 feet or more
the antenna will exhibit VSWR
similar
to higher mounting heights. Set antenna on a ladder or temporary
mast. Check for continuity and match across the band. It should be close to
“
spec
”
across the rated
bandwidth. When satisfied, add the second SHAFT RETAINERS as described in step 5.
C.
STACKING REMINDERS:
1. All driven element blocks MUST be oriented to the same side of boom.
2. All boom
-
to
-
mast plates MUST be mounted at the same point on the boom.
3. Feed / phasing lines MUST be of equal electrical length or multiples of 1/2 wavelength in order to maintain
equal phasing in the array. Improper phasing can severely deteriorate performance.
4. As a general rule, you never want to have metallic structures, such as a mast or feed lines parallel to the
elements unless it is behind the reflector. Having a metallic structure in the same plane as the elements in
front of the reflector element can cause VSWR problems and or skewed patterns.
FOR HORIZONTAL POLARIZATION
, the antenna may be mounted to a
METALLIC
vertical mast or a
horizontal
NON
-
METALLIC
cross boom. If mounted to a horizontal cross boom, route the feedline forward to
the boom
-
to
-
mast plate, loop down, and bring back to cross boom at least
6”
beyond element tips. Antennas
are typically stacked one above the other in horizontal polarity.
SEE SPEC SHEET FOR STACKING
DISTANCE.
See Stacking Reminders.
FOR VERTICAL POLARIZATION
, the antenna may be mounted to a
NON METALLIC VERTICAL
MAST or
a horizontal
METALLIC
cross boom. If mounted to a
NON METALLIC
vertical mast, turn the driven element
180 degrees so the feed line and
“
N
”
connector is facing to the rear of the antenna. Route the feed line to
the rear of the antenna, keeping
4”
to
6”
behind the reflector element. Let the cable droop at least 6 inches
BELOW THE VERTICAL ELEMENT TIPS. Re
-
attach the feed line to the mast below the element tips. A
simple structure can easily be fabricated if you want something to support the feed line. See M2
“
L
”
brace kit
for ideas. Vertically polarized Antennas are typically stacked side by side on a horizontal cross boom.
See
Stacking Reminders.
If you are unsure about stacking multiple antennas, please call
M
2
and let us help you DO IT RIGHT! Visit
our website, https://www.m2inc.com/blog/ for other tips.
Stacking? Call
M
2
and let us help you DO IT RIGHT
THIS COMPLETES THE ANTENNA ASSEMBLY.
CAREFULLY MANUFACTURED BY:
M
2
ANTENNA SYSTEMS, INC.
4402 N. Selland Ave.
Fresno, CA 93722
(559) 432
-
8873 Fax: 432
-
3059
Email:
440
-
18X ASSEMBLY MANUAL
