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Post by Bob on Jun 23, 2006 14:34:58 GMT -5
Welcome to the Antenna Analyzer Forum.
Here you can post information, questions, and tips about the use of any antenna analyzer of interest to amateurs or commercial users.
Please don't hesitate to email or PM me about ideas to improve the forum.
If you want to upload a file(s) related to antenna analyzers and you don't have a website, you can email the file(s) to me and I'll put them on my website so you can link to them: http: //w5big.com/forum/filename. The files can have extensions of: htm, txt, doc, pdf, zip, jpg, gif, png.
73/ Bob
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2006 17:32:42 GMT -5
Hi Bob! I am impressed with what I see on the analyzer. I will probably be ordering one within the month. Any more test equipment products on the design board?
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ve6dc
New Member
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Post by ve6dc on Apr 4, 2007 18:01:26 GMT -5
Thanks Bob for the kind words. I have ordered an analyzer last week and hope it is on it's way. I am looking forward using it and hope to learn lots from this forum. I have a question right of the bat. For 160 meters (and up) I am building a horizontal loop (square, 40x40x40x40 meters) fed with ladderline. Can I analyze this set up or does it have to be coax. Sorry for not waiting first and have a look at it, I am just too anxious. 73 Renze VE6DC
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Post by Bob on Apr 5, 2007 19:25:15 GMT -5
Thanks Bob for the kind words. I have ordered an analyzer last week and hope it is on it's way. I am looking forward using it and hope to learn lots from this forum. I have a question right of the bat. For 160 meters (and up) I am building a horizontal loop (square, 40x40x40x40 meters) fed with ladderline. Can I analyze this set up or does it have to be coax. Sorry for not waiting first and have a look at it, I am just too anxious. 73 Renze VE6DC Hi Renze, You can use a balun to convert the ladder line to the unbalanced input of the AIM4170. The balun can be small since it doesn't have to handle any power, but it should be good quality and broadband in the 160m range. You can test the balun itself by using a fixed resistor for a load. The AIM is very useful for evaluating baluns as well as other passive components. 73/ Bob
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Post by wb4eni on Apr 6, 2007 6:55:16 GMT -5
Hi,
I would also like to erect a loop (for 80 m). I'm planning to first measure the coax with the balun connected to it, then connect the loop to the balun and "refer-to-antenna". Would that be the appropriate procedure?
73 de Marius WB4ENI
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Post by Bob on Apr 6, 2007 8:26:49 GMT -5
Hi, I would also like to erect a loop (for 80 m). I'm planning to first measure the coax with the balun connected to it, then connect the loop to the balun and "refer-to-antenna". Would that be the appropriate procedure? 73 de Marius WB4ENI Yes, calibrating the balun and transmission line together will compensate for the balun too. 73/ Bob
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Post by Harold on Jul 18, 2008 1:07:08 GMT -5
Folks, I am a PRO user of network analysis gear, traveling all over the country, and this is quite possibly the best "bang-for-the-buck" in "real" test gear there is on the market anywhere. Having taken my new 4170B out on a test drive, it astounded the clients and impressed me as well. Setting up to work in 10-12 minutes instead of a heavy moving half hour or more and getting rapid and accurate results was a "gas". Thanks for this. 73 Harold
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Post by radtek on Jul 24, 2008 23:41:27 GMT -5
I am new here and english is not my native language, May i ask if Power AIM 120 can be used to correct beam tilt and null for antenna.
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Post by Harold on Jul 29, 2008 17:22:34 GMT -5
Radtek, Changing the beam tilt, and null fill for an antenna system is a function of the feed arrangement and physical spacing of the elements. To accurately measure a lines electrical length you would normally use a 2 port vector network analyzer. You "could" use the 120 or 4170, either by simply sweeping the lines with a short ( or open ) to view their electrical lengths with the Smith chart. Polar display is now an additional accessory to the 120 software. ( Thanks much Bob! ) You will need to do the math to determine just what affects line length changes will do to your pattern. Also physical changes of the elements will have a great affect on the results. Checks of this are usually done with models in the 450Mhz region, then measured on a test range for proper results. Regards, Harold K5GVR American Broadcast Consultants
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Post by radtek on Jul 29, 2008 19:24:56 GMT -5
Thank you very much Harold of your reply. I m going to buy this 4170 equipment for my antenna adjustment.
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Post by kb7vms on Jul 21, 2009 1:30:20 GMT -5
My name is Ray. I have had the aim 4170 for quite a while, but couldn't get reliable connection from usb serial port. I tried several different usb to serial cables. I am trying again with a new Dell machine loaded wit vista Pro (64 bit). using a USB Gear Serial interface, works fine for manual test using 57600 thru a terminal program call Putty. I get header message when powering on and K1 and K0 commands work. But still the version 684a program can see the hardware. Is it running at 57600 or some other bit rate? Hope you have some ideas.
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Post by denniskb7st on Mar 1, 2010 15:26:36 GMT -5
Hi Bob,
If I understand correctly, Marcus has two choices which should return the same results.
1) The 'refer-to-antenna' that he mentions. Or,
2) I disagreeumption is that Step 1 would be a Custom Cal with coax connected to balun (w/o balun connected to antenna) then Step 2 is to connect coax and balun to antenna and do a Scan. It seems that either approach gets us to our goal -- measure the antenna.
If I understand correctly, the Custom Cal approach gives better accuracy, but the 'refer-to-antenna' is used when it's inconvenient to disconnect coax-balun from the antenna. So then, in 'Refer to antenna', we put in the various parameters listed in Page 34 of the 4170 manual.
Dennis KB7ST
Hi,
I would also like to erect a loop (for 80 m). I'm planning to first measure the coax with the balun connected to it, then connect the loop to the balun and "refer-to-antenna". Would that be the appropriate procedure?
73 de Marius WB4ENI
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Post by Bob on Mar 1, 2010 17:53:07 GMT -5
Custom Cal gives the best results when it's feasible to put the cal loads at the far end of the transmission line. This also compensates for imperfections in the balun.
If you don't like climbing a 100 foot tower, then the 'ref to antenna' is an alternative. Unfortunately, the values of Zo, velocity factor and loss of any piece of coax may not be known with high precision, so the accuracy of the results will be affected. This method only works when the transmission line is made with only one type of coax. A balun will affect the results too.
--73/ Bob
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Post by greenwmg3ype on May 11, 2010 14:51:19 GMT -5
Hi Bob, Had an unexpected clitch with the aim 4170 the other day. I am running Aim vers 688d on Windows XP platform. I had completed several sweeps of an indoor 50 mhz dipole with a cal file which was calibrated to the end of the antenna feeder. I set a scan to start with this feeder o/c and the scan halted aborted at about 20% of the sweep. A message was displayed to say that the aim had been switched off due to the internal voltage not being 10V and was in fact greater than 104. I terminated the aim with 50 ohm load and restarted the sweep after repowering the AIM. Same result and change of psu had no effect, both psu's running 13.8 Volts. I closed AIM 688D and restarted and all was ok. I would be interested to know if you had seen this problem before? Best Regards Mike G3YPE
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Post by Bob on May 25, 2010 13:09:04 GMT -5
Hi Mike, The false voltage reading is due to a glitch in the communication between the AIM and the PC. It doesn't depend on the actual scan data. After this happens, you may have to restart the AIM hardware and the software, as you noted.
--73/Bob
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