Antenna Mast
The recommended support mast for the MFJ-1799 is steel water pipe between the sizes
of 1-3/4" OD to 2 1/2" OD and with a length that will place the antenna base at a safe
height.
Do not use
thin walled conduit, aluminum tubing, or "TV" mast. The MFJ-1799
is designed to operate at a height of 10 or more feet for proper performance. Placement
on the side of a house or garage at eaves level is acceptable as long as the capacitance
hats will not be in contact any snow on the roof.
Antenna Grounding
Although the MFJ-1799 is designed to operate efficiently without the requirement of an
earth ground, SAFETY GROUNDING must still be provided to protect equipment,
property and persons from the hazards of lightning strikes and other weather related
electrical discharges. In addition the coaxial cable feeding the antenna should have the
shield grounded to eliminate the risk of any indoor equipment failure from allowing
hazardous voltages from appearing indoors and creating a shock hazard. The support
mast should be grounded with a large diameter ground wire.
The MFJ-1799 is DC grounded for static discharge. This is accomplished with a shunt
coil at the feet point.
Additional protection can be accomplished by grounding the shield of the coax where
it enters the building to a good earth ground or directly burying the cable in the earth
for several feet before it enters the building. The coaxial cable should be totally
disconnected from the station during threatening weather conditions for maximum
lightning protection.
Customer Supplied
Components
•
Quality low-loss 50 ohm coax cable with PL-259 connectors
•
VSWR Analyzer (MFJ-259B or equiv.) or HF transceiver with VSWR
meter
.
Mounting mast with required hardware to provide sturdy support
