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3.0  Connections and Controls 

      

 

 

LCD Display 

2 lines x 16 characters 

SCAN

 Pressing this 

control initiates a scan 

of the frequencies 

selected in the BAND 

function. Scan exits to 

impedance mode 

showing the resonant 

point in the antenna 

system. 

BAND

 User can select 

one of three bands, or a 

custom set band, for the 

scan operation: 

- 1-10 MHz 

- 10-20 Mhz 

- 20-30 Mhz 

- Custom Band 

Power Control

 Push-and-hold to 

turn unit on or off. 

Dial

 Main part of user interface, used to 

select menu items and frequency 

settings. 

Audible Tones

 When enabled tones 

indicate value of SWR. 

MODE

 User can change 

the ZM30 to any of the 4 

available operating 

modes: 

- Impedance (default) 

- Capacitance 

- Inductance 

- VFO 

SETUP

 Provides menu of 

user configurable settings 

and functions: 

- Custom Scan settings 

- Audio tone 

- Software Load 

- Calibrate 

- Debug Mode 

- Power-Off Time 

- Backlight control 

- View Settings 

BUSY Light

 Turns on 

when scanning and when 

saving user settings. 

Figure One - ZM30 Front Panel 

RS-232 Serial 

Port

 Connect to 

PC when loading 

RF Output 

Jack 

External Power 

Jack 

2.1mm jack, 

Figure Two - ZM30 Top View 

Summary of Contents for ZM-30

Page 1: ...0 Overview 2 2 0 Features 3 3 0 Connections Controls 4 4 0 Operation 5 5 0 Basic Usage 9 6 0 Advanced Usage 10 7 0 Technical Support 11 Appendix A Specifications 12 Appendix B Loading New Software 13 Appendix C Calibration 15 ...

Page 2: ...icrocontroller retains the frequency and corresponding results throughout the measurement period and at the end of the scan the microcontroller statically displays the SWR and impedance at the resonant frequencies Thus with a press of a button the antenna analyzer is able to quickly and automatically determine the frequencies for which the antenna system is best matched and display the associated ...

Page 3: ...x impedance at selected frequencies Audible tone indicates resonance lower tone indicates lower SWR May be enabled disabled Serial port connects to PC for field upgradable software Battery operated for convenient field use or can use external 9 16V for bench operation Other uses of the Instrument Measure antenna bandwidth Measure feedpoint impedance Measure ground loss Measure coaxial cable Loss A...

Page 4: ...t of user interface used to select menu items and frequency settings Audible Tones When enabled tones indicate value of SWR MODE User can change the ZM30 to any of the 4 available operating modes Impedance default Capacitance Inductance VFO SETUP Provides menu of user configurable settings and functions Custom Scan settings Audio tone Software Load Calibrate Debug Mode Power Off Time Backlight con...

Page 5: ... user interface consists of four pushbuttons one for each instrument function as described in the next section and a rotary dial that is used to select various options presented in a menu like manner You use the function pushbuttons and the dial to operate the ZM 30 just press a function button and rotate the dial and the various menu options for that function are sequentially displayed on the LCD...

Page 6: ...the dial pushbutton while simultaneously turning the dial The cursor will move to any of the seven available digits allowing subsequent up down adjustment of that digit with the dial pushbutton is released Rotating the dial clockwise will increase the digit value and correspondingly the signal generated by the unit Counter clockwise rotation will decrease the digit and the generated signal When th...

Page 7: ...en the inductance display screen is shown as illustrated below when a 2 2 uH capacitor is connected to the RF output jack 10 000 00 L 2 2 uH The top line indicates the frequency The second line is the computed value for the load connected to the output jack Inductance values that may be displayed must fall within the measurement range of the instrument Keeping in mind the 600 ohm maximum resistanc...

Page 8: ... the display backlight Default setting Lite Off Time This function prompts the user to enter the number of minutes of inactivity before the display backlight is automatically turned off Default value is 10 minutes Power Off Time This function prompts the user to enter the number of minutes of inactivity before the entire instrument is automatically turned off When the user touches any of the contr...

Page 9: ...loss or loading coil loss For example a wave vertical will have a resistance of about 36 ohms at resonance Any higher reading indicates ground loss Similarly shorter antennas when resonated will have lower resistance values Reading a good SWR may mean excess loss and measuring the actual impedance allows gauging just how much loss Adjust antenna tuners The analyzer can be used to adjust an antenna...

Page 10: ...to resonate with L at the frequency where you want to measure the inductor s Q The Inductor and Capacitor Measurement section of this manual shows how this capacitor value can be determined Now tune the Analyzer for the lowest R resistance value with a reading of zero X reactance If R is above 10 ohms you can now calculate inductor Q using the formula If R is less than 10 ohms a slightly different...

Page 11: ...h stub the length is Where L is the length in inches VF is the velocity factor and F is the operating frequency in MHz for the stub Similarly for a quarter wave stub use the formula 7 0 Technical Support If you experience any problems with the ZM 30 or if you have any questions relative to its operation or specifications please contact Palstar at 937 773 6255 Be sure to visit the ZM 30 product web...

Page 12: ...de Band Scan Setup On Off Rotary Encoder Tuning 24 position rotation smooth detentless operation LED Busy 2 line x 16 character LCD display with optional backlight under software control configured in SETUP menus Backlight may be configured to turn off after user set period of inactivity If enabled backlight turns on again with any of the controls are touched Power Control Power applied by press a...

Page 13: ...l modem cable that swaps pins 2 and 3 from end to end 3 Start up the TeraTerm program on your PC If not already set up configure the communications as 9600 8N1 no flow control in the Setup Serial Port menu and be certain to have the line delay set to at least 40ms line Make sure that you have TeraTerm configured to be using the active serial port in your PC Be certain that no other program has con...

Page 14: ...by its respective shunt 5 Connect your ZM 30 to the PC using a standard straight through male female DB9 type serial cable Do not use a null modem cable that swaps pins 2 and 3 from end to end 6 If not already running make sure the TeraTerm program is running on your PC 7 Power up the ZM 30 again by plugging in the external power cable or by inserting the battery that was previously removed 8 You ...

Page 15: ...ircuit on the RF output jack and select yes with the dial 7 See 270 ohm load on displayed on the LCD Place the supplied 274 ohm resistive load on the RF output connector and confirm by selecting yes 8 See Make SWR 5 4 displayed on the first line of the LCD and a number on the second line Adjust the dial to make the number on the second line be as close as possible to 5 4 Press the dial when this n...

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