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RAMSEY DA SERIES DIPOLE ANTENNA
Taking the end of one of the wires, pass it through the hole in the insulator
until six inches are through. Next, bend the wire back on itself and
immediately begin to wrap it very snugly and neatly around itself.
Ideally, you should have about six or seven turns. Using your soldering
iron, heat up the wire turns and solder each of them until the wire is secured
very tightly. This way, the loops take up most of the stress, but the solder
keeps it from getting loose. Connect the other wire in the same manner.
Make sure that you look over each connection thoroughly.
Next, take the remaining two insulators and connect the wire to them
using almost the same method. Pull 18 inches through the hole before
securing it. Don’t forget to leave a 1 inch loop! The extra wire allows you to
trim the wire easily, while the extra wire acts as part of the antenna length.
Six inches are used up at each end of the wire to secure it, and the other foot
is used here to hang down for easy tuning.
Now it is time to connect your PL-259 connector to your coaxial cable.
This is the end that will be connected to your radio. Unscrew the large outer
shell from the PL-259 connector and place it onto the coaxial cable with the
threaded end (inside) facing the end of the wire that you are working on.
Next, place the UG-175/U reducer onto the coax cable with the thinner end
towards the end of the cable.
Using a sharp hobby knife, carefully strip the outer insulation off of the
coax cable by cutting all of the way around the wire, one inch from the end.
Under this insulation is a thin layer of braided wire. Be careful not to cut
these wires. Once the insulation is gone, move the UG-175/U reducer up
the wire until it’s end is flush with the spot where the insulation has been
taken off. Gently spread the braid at the top and then fold it back over the
UG-175/U reducer.
Using your knife, strip the insulation off of the center conductor 1/4 inch
past where you stripped the outer insulation. Be careful not to cut the
conductor itself, or you will have to cut down the wire and go through the
whole process again. Twist the wires of the center conductor together and
tin them. You should now trim the outer wire braid at the point where the
threads begin on the UG-175/U reducer. This will keep them from fouling up
the screw threads.
Carefully place the remaining piece of the connector over the end of the
