[TowerTalk] Ameritron RCS-4

Tue, 15 May 2001 18:15:49 -0500

This reflector is an excellent source of both good and bad information
on towers, antennas, antenna switching devices etc.  One should be
very careful though in taking everything posted as being correct or
properly technically explained.  There are a very few posters who seem
to have a personal axe to grind with some manufacturer and use this
reflector to take cheap shots or carry on their own petty agendas.

One recent poster even relates his experience with devices that send
AC power and signal down a coaxial cable and obviously doesn't care
for it.  I'm not doubting for one moment that the poster may have had
noise when he used the switch for the first time.  I seriously doubt
though that the problem is inherently with the design.  It probably
was due primarily to how it was applied and used or other mitigating
circumstances that were not addressed in the post.

Feeding AC Power in both directions down a coaxial cable with RF
signals passing in both directions simultaneously has been employed
for well over 20 years in the Cable Television industry.  In fact, the
AC Power is usually 60 volts AC RMS, square-wave which is inherently
rich in harmonics and noise passing through the coaxial cable
simultaneously without causing noisy interference to the RF signals
within the same cable.  This is an absolute necessity in Cable
Television so that the distribution amplifiers along the coaxial cable
can be powered along the way.  This same principle is employed and
utilized in underwater transoceanic cables.  If it works in these
environments, then there is simply no reason for it not working to
switch amateur radio antennas and feeds.  That's why various
manufacturers design around it and use it.  Posters who can't
understand this simply are limited in their knowledge of transmission
and powering fundamentals.

My opinion in this particular case is that the poster apparently
desires to lambast a particular manufacturer of switches rather than
explain technically why his didn't work "New Fresh Out Of The Box".
When the poster goes on to state he went 300 miles to purchase and
return junk and implied he "threw it back" leads me to think he either
has one very strong arm or one big line of bovine scatology that does
nothing to educate the rest of us on  the real merits or shortcomings
of the switch.  Besides travelling that distance, when UPS and the
USPS both have reasonable rates, seems foolish to say the least.  This
type rationale makes me wonder how some operators ever pass the
Amateur EXTRA Class exam.  One can go to the www.qrz.com website,
bring up the call of the poster and read the biographical sketch and
see my opinion is well founded.

J. Leon Pringle, Jr    W 5 N A

List Sponsor:  Champion Radio Products - We'll be at the Dayton Hamvention
with all of our safety equipment and other products. Stop by booth #559 and
say hi.
<A HREF="http://www.championradio.com">www.ChampionRadio.com</A>

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