[Towertalk] Amertitron RCS8V Remote antenna switch

Mike & Coreen Smith ve9aa@nbnet.nb.ca
Tue, 13 Aug 2002 22:42:03 -0300


Speaking anecdotally (sp?), I had the K8UR array on 6m for a short period of
time.
Seemed to work quite well even w/o the shields floating.  I think something
lacked a bit
in the gain dept., but the F/S & F/B was truly awesome.  It may have worked
better with
floating shields, I dunno.
Certainly is a nice little switch.

Now that I've ripped 90% of my station apart for an expected move (that did
not materialize) I don't relish the thought
of fishing all that coax, hardline and otherwise, back underground in my PVC
pipe.  I plan to butcher the 6m array for the
coax switch to instantly give me 4 lines ! (original and 3 more)

FWIW

Mike VE9Antenna Antenna

----- Original Message -----
From: "Pete Smith" <n4zr@contesting.com>
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2002 10:21 PM
Subject: Re: [Towertalk] Amertitron RCS8V Remote antenna switch


> At 12:50 PM 8/13/02 -0400, KI7WX@aol.com wrote:
> >Many of us view this as a feature because without modification the RCS8V
> >is readily used in phasing circuits for two yagi stacked arrays, and in
> >low band setups like the K8UR / K3LR vertical dipole arrays which require
> >open rather than shorted lines.
>
> Half correct, I think.  K3LR says in the QST article on this array --
> actually first used by W9LT as far as I can find out -- that BOTH the
> shield and the center conductor of the coax feedlines must be floated in
> order for them to properly function as loading for the reflector function
> of the undriven elements.  If I'm not mistaken, the K8UR article also
shows
> a switching system that floats all unused shields AND center conductors.
>
> A point I don't think anyone has yet made this time is that there may be
> circumstances in a given configuration of antennas on the tower where
> either a shorted or an open configuration may be desirable, to achieve
> needed detuning of antennas not in use, to avoid interaction.  I think
K6LL
> has commented on this as a way to detune a 40-meter yagi to avoid
> interaction with a tribander on the same tower.
>
> 73, Pete N4ZR
>
> Check out the World HF
> Contest Station Database at
> www.pvrc.org
>
>
>
>
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