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Troubleshooting Information
When using the
DXE-ARAH3-1P
Active Receive Horizontal antenna, the actual received signal
level will be lower than a transmit antenna. Depending upon a few variables, including the
frequency of the measured signal, your
DXE-ARAH3-1P
Active Receive Horizontal antenna is
probably operating normally.
The
DXE-ARAH3-1P
is designed to be a very low to no gain, low noise system for greatly
improved signal-to-noise performance over a very wide range of frequencies.
The installation location should be away from towers, transmitting antennas, metal structures and
metal fencing in order to take advantage of the
DXE-ARAH3-1P
Active Receive Horizontal
antenna capabilities. The antenna should me mounted on its own mast at a minimum of 20 feet in
height.
Normally the Active Receive Horizontal antenna will properly reject high angle sky wave signals,
which is the goal for a low band DXing receive antenna. Low angle, long range DX signals are
easier to copy using an Active Receive Horizontal antenna system.
Here are a few things that you may check to be sure that the Active Receive Horizontal antenna is
operating normally:
1) Measure the voltage arriving at the antenna end of the feedline. The
DXE-FVI-1
Feedline
Voltage Injector unit should be providing in excess of +13.5 Vdc, and the Active is expecting
11 Vdc or more for proper function. Bench tests on the
DXE-ARAH3-1P
are normally
about 60 mA, so with some voltage drop on the line, 40 to 50 mA should be okay. If the
measured voltage at the end of the line is under +11 Vdc, then there may be a resistive
connection along the feedline being used. As a point of reference, DX Engineering has many
customers using the
DXE-F6-CTL/1000
high quality 75 Ω “flooded” F6 type coax. Flooded
style cables have the distinct advantage of automatically sealing small accidental cuts or
lacerations of the jacket. Flooding also prevents shield contamination and can be direct-buried.
This low-loss cable features dual shields and an 85% Velocity Factor and is ideal for long runs
on four and two antenna arrays without trouble.
2) Double check the jumpers inside the
AVA2
unit. As shown in the manual, for full range
coverage, a default condition of no jumpers installed should be found and used for broadcast
band reception. If any jumpers are installed, you can expect signal levels to be dramatically
reduced in the broadcast band. However, even with no jumpers, there is a significant roll-off of
signal level from the top to the bottom of the broadcast band.
3) After tuning in a steady, non-fading reference signal on the broadcast band and noting the signal
level, add 4 radials that are about 15 feet long to the negative terminal ground rod connection on
the
AVA2
. If this significantly increases signal level, then adding another ground rod and/or
more radials, as described in the manual for the
DXE-ARAH3-1P
, should improve your signal
results for all bands.
