[TenTec] Omni VII, Antenna tuning, etc.

[Dr. Gerald N. Johnson]

On Mon, 2007-09-10 at 09:08 -0400, waltk8cv4612amos at att.net wrote:
> Just a thought, you know, sometimes one wonders ? What / how, does the 
> remote station protect ITSELF from lightening? Does it stay on all the time? 
> I know repeaters do so do they just EAT the damage or is there some 
> protection or maybe a telephone total disconnect command ? I can't be the 
> first person to think about this can I ? :-))))
> 
> Walt K8CV Royal Oak, MI.
> 
I can't speak for all repeaters but the local club repeater is mounted
in a steel case that is bolted to a leg of the water tower that holds up
the antenna. Gets a better than average ground that way. Then the
antenna coaxes come in through coaxial Polyphasers and the power line
does also. The repeater antenna is the tallest thing in a mile or two.
Its a Cablewave, not a dinky imported ham grade antenna. The remote
control receiver keeps phone lines from being needed and its the second
coax into the box.

Three keys to continued operation: Grounding, weatherproofing coax
connections, Polyphasers on everything. We ran 9913 with its supposed
water problems for more than a decade and never had a water problem in
the coax. But when KI0Q makes a waterproof connection it really is. 3 to
5 layers each of Scotch 33 and Scotchkote. Good enough for direct buried
service entrance wires in a swamp.

The remote unattended station needs as much attention to these factors
to protect the radio and controls.

73, Jerry, K0CQ