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Page 8
OK
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-
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NOW WHAT?
(continued)
(Sage advice from Jim Streible, K4DLI, SK)
Your Antenna Has Arrived!
What is the first thing to do?
(continued)
6.
When you have finished working with the controller, be sure the display indicates
“
Elements
Home
”
and the controller has been turned OFF. When the controller is connected to the anten-
na and the controller is turned back on the next time, it will assume the antenna is extended to
whatever the controller display indicates. If the antenna is in the home position the controller
needs to be set to
“
Home
”
as well before you plug in the control cable.
7.
Once the antenna is completely assembled and ready to mount on the antenna tower, use an
antenna analyzer, if you have one, to test resonance of the antenna. If you don
’
t have an ana-
lyzer, try to borrow one. It will save you a lot of time and worry. Check the antenna on each
band for some sign of resonance within the frequency range. Leave the antenna on the default
frequency and tune the analyzer to see where the dip occurs. It will be somewhere below the
lower band edge on each band with the antenna 3 or 4 feet above the ground on saw horses.
Since it is so close to the ground, don
’
t expect to see a 1:1 SWR here, just look for a good indi-
cation of resonance, something in the range of 1.5:1 to 3:1.
Once it has been determined this part of the antenna is working correctly do the following: Se-
lect the lowest band and establish the dip condition by tuning the analyzer. Do not touch the
analyzer again. Retract the elements and then reselect the same band. The antenna should
come back to very near the same setting. Do this 2 or 3 times on each band. Also, try going
from the band being tested to any other band and back again and observe that the antenna
comes back to the same SWR reading. Now you know the antenna is tuning correctly from
band to band and is consistent.
8.
When you are ready to use the antenna, be sure to
“
enable
”
all of the options you have pur-
chased with your controller or antenna. If you purchased the serial interface option, be sure to
set it up for your radio type and baud rate. When done enabling,
save and then turn the con-
troller off, and back on again
.
9.
Enjoy the antenna!
73
Jim Streible
—
K4DLI
Jim passed away in early 2016, but his advice has enduring value.
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