[TowerTalk] Ringo AR2 Problems - a possible solution

[jpk5lad at cox.net]

Kip --
Although your problem doesn't sound like it 
completely matches my solution, it might 
depend on the manufacturing age of your 
problem ARX2B.

Back in the 1970s I owned a ham store 
(Derrick Electronics) and I was a Cushcraft 
dealer.  There was a time that they contacted 
the dealers and let us know that they had 
failed in the manufacture of a batch of these 
antennas and had cemented the whole batch 
incorrectly.  Nothing you as a user could do 
would allow you to bring the SWR down to 
1:1, no matter what you tried.  They sent 
dealers a new batch according to their store 
stock and any you could identify as already 
sold from that batch.  We discarded all the 
bad ones (at least were supposed to but I 
wonder if some may have remained out in the 
field.)  I had bought one from that batch for my 
own station use and I remember it nearly 
drove me crazy until I discovered why and 
what was the solution.  After all, what could be 
wrong with a Ringo Ranger since they're so 
simple?

I tried to remember about when that was and 
the nearest I could come up with was perhaps 
some time within 1976 to 1978.  Don't hold 
me to that date because I've torn an awful lot 
of pages off the calendar since then.

If your used antenna is a very (VERY) old 
model from that era, that might answer why 
you're unable to get it to tune.  If others on the 
reflector ever ran across a CushCraft 2 meter 
Ringo Ranger which was impossible to tune, 
perhaps this will answer their long-term 
question too.

Good luck and 73,
Jim - K5LAD




On 10 Mar 2013 at 19:19, Kipton Moravec 
wrote:

> I was given a used Ringo ARX2B antenna. 
> 
> I checked out the manual and set the three measurements to 145 MHz.
> When I tried to tune it, the SWR was 10:1 +/- 50 MHz around 146 Mhz. 
> 
> The piece of coax looked weathered and I checked it out and it was
> fine with the Ohm Meter and did not seem to change SWR or Ohms when I
> flexed it. But I replaced it anyway. 
> 
> Found their was no contact through the hair pin to the upper section
> from the Ohm meter. So I replaced the screws and got a good connection
> according to Ohm Meter. 
> 
> I checked the connections from the end of the coax to all the points
> on the antenna, and it worked as expected with the Ohm Meter. No
> unexpected opens or shorts.
> 
> When I tried the analyzer, I still had a 10:1 SWR for +/- 50 MHz
> around 146 MHz.
> 
> So now I have disassembled everything and an using emery cloth on all
> the connections and replacing all steel nuts and bolts with stainless,
> and replacing the brass nuts. 
> 
> What else should I look at before I reassemble? 
> 
> I really do not understand how I could have such a bad SWR unless I
> had an open or a short -- which I proved I did not have before I
> disassembled. I am not sure what else to look for. 
> 
> The manual is here:
> http://www.radiomanual.info/schemi/ACC_antenna/Cushcraft_ARX2B_user.pd
> f
> 
> Kip
> AE5IB
> 
"It's so simple to be wise. Just think of 
something
stupid to say and then don't say it." -- Sam 
Levenson
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