All-Band Roof Antenna (200-0014) Installation Faxback Doc. # 7164 Do's and Don'ts for This Antenna If you're not sure about careful, safe installation-don't try to do it yourself. Call for professional help (Yellow Pages under Television Antenna Systems or call your local power company). Do not mount this Antenna on a Tower or on a mast assembly over 30 feet long. Such antenna installations should be done only by professional installers. Measure the maximum length of the antenna and mast assembly and then stay at least twice that distance from all power lines. (If you don't have at least that much space, get a professional to do the job.) For mast support, use only 1 1/4" antenna mast sections. Lengths over 10 feet should be guyed at least each 10 foot section. If you use plumbers-type water pipe (1-1/4" metal) for masting - use no more than a 10 foot length. Longer lengths or multiple lengths are not to be used due to excessive weight and difficulty of attaching guy wires. ACCEPTABLE TYPES OF ANTENNA INSTALLATIONS TRIPOD - Use a 3 or 5 foot Tripod bolted securely to a roof or other sturdy mounting surface. For safety, use no more than a 1-foot mast assembly. No guy wires are required. EAVE or WALL MOUNT - Use heavy-duty brackets, securely attached to solid wood or masonry. Mounting surface and bolts must be able to withstand the full weight of the antenna assembly, including flexing and pressure caused by wind. For safety, use no more than a 10 foot mast assembly. No guy wires are required. NOTE A SELF-ADHERING DANGER LABEL IS ENCLOSED IN THE HARDWARE BAG. ATTACH THIS LABEL TO YOUR MAST AT EYE LEVEL. CHIMNEY MOUNT - Use heavy-duty Chimney Mounts, Straps or Brackets securely attached to the chimney or a solid wall. For safety, use no more than a 10-foot mast assembly. GUYED MAST - Use Radio Shack's Heavy Duty 19', 27-1/2' or 36' Telescoping Antenna Mast. Guy wires should be in at least three directions - 1/3rd of a circle for each. Use at least three guy wires for each 10 foot section of the mast. SITE SELECTION Where you locate your antenna can be decided by many factors. HOWEVER, THE MOST IMPORTANT IS ELECTRICAL SAFETY. We recommend that you make sure your antenna will be at least twice as far to the nearest power line as the maximum length (or total height) of the antenna system. Thus, if your antenna and mast is 15 feet long - the closest power line should be at least 30 feet away. If you are up on the roof - the same rule of thumb applies. This way you know that even if the antenna begins to fall (or is blown over) there is no chance it will touch the power lines. To be sure you have adequate distance, assemble the antenna on the ground. Use a yard-stick or tape measure and measure the longest element of the antenna (total length from tip to tip). Then measure the length of the mast. Add these two measurements together and then double the total. This is the absolute minimum distance you must be from any power line. ASSEMBLING YOUR ANTENNA Before doing any assembly, read all the information. This is a three-element, all band monitor antenna. Its three vertical elements provide for VHF Lo, VHF Hi, UHF Lo and UHF Hi monitoring. It has an overall height of 70" (1.7 m). It has a ground plane diameter of approximately 13' (4m). Keep these dimensions in mind when choosing a mounting location. Your antenna package includes the following parts. Item Description Qty. Part Number 1 Tube & Connector Assembly 1 5-0325-1 2 Tube, Short Thin 1 7-1001-1 3 Tube, Medium Length 1 7-1002-1 4 Tube, Long Thin 3 7-1846-1 5 Tube, Long 3 7-1152-1 6 Tube, Short 1 7-1003-1 7 Insulating Strap 3 10-0851-1 8 Base Bracket 1 10-4153-1 9 Radial Clamp 1 10-4645-1 10 Shorting Strap 1 10-4648-1 11 Nut, Extra-Large 1 15-5003-1 12 Nut, Large 3 15-5012-1 13 Nut, Small 9 15-5067-1 14 Nut, Large 2 15-5162-1 15 Bolt, Large 3 15-6037-1 16 U-Bolt 1 15-6042-2 17 Screw, Small 4 15-6086-2 18 Bolt, Medium 6 15-6286-1 19 Bolt, Long 3 15-6404-1 20 Lockwasher, Extra-Large 1 15-7002-1 21 Lockwasher, Small 13 15-7085-1 22 Lockwasher, Large 3 15-7152-1 23 Lockwasher, Large (Split) 2 15-7107-1 24 Caplug, Large 2 15-8041-0 25 Caplug, Small 4 15-8250-1 Read through the instructions and organize the parts for easy assembly. 1. Select the Tube and Connector Assembly. (Item 1). Note the three holes near the connector The top hole is for drainage; the lower hole is used later on. 2. Select three Insulating Straps (Item 7). Note that one end is slightly larger than the other. Slip the larger end of the straps over the end of the Tube and Connector Assembly. (Item 1). 3. Select the Short Thin Tube. (Item 2). Slip the drilled end of Item 2 into the end of item 1. Fasten in place with one small Lockwasher (Item 21) and one small Screw (Item 17). Place a small Caplug (Item 25) on the end of item 2. 4. Select the Shorting Strap (Item 10). Fasten to Item 1 with a long bolt (Item 19), a small Lockwasher (Item 21) and a small Nut (Item 13). 5. Select the Short Tube (Item 6). Fasten to Item 10 with a long Bolt (Item 19), a small Lockwasher (Item 21) and a small Nut (Item 13). 6. Slip one end of the lowest Insulating Strap (Item 7) over the top of Item 6. Fasten each end of Item 7 with a medium Bolt (Item 18), a small Lockwasher (Item 21) and a small Nut (Item 13). Place a large Caplug (Item 24) on the top of Item 6. 7. Select the Medium "Length Tube (Item 3). Fasten to the Shorting Strap (Item 10) as in Step 5. 8. Slip two Insulating Straps (Item 7) over Item 3. Position one Strap at the center of Item 3 and the other near the top. Fasten as in Step 5. Place a large Caplug (Item 24) on the top of Item 3. 9. Select three Long Tubes (Item 5) and three Long Thin Tubes (Item 4). Slip Item 4 into the end of Item 5 that has a small hole in one side only. Fasten with one small Lockwasher (Item 21) and one small Screw (Item 17). Place a small Caplug (Item 25 on the end of each Item 4. 10. Select the Base Bracket (Item 8) and the Redial Clamp (Item 9). Place a Tube Assembly (Step 9) between Item 8 and 9 as shown in Figure 4. Align all holes and fasten with a large Bolt (Item 15), a large Lockwasher (Item 23) and a large Nut (Item 12). 11. Repeat step 10 for each Tube Assembly. 12. Slip the threaded end of Item 1 through the large holes in Items 8 and 9. Fasten securely with an extra-large Lockwasher (Item 20) and an extra-large Nut (Item 11). 13. Slip the U-Bolt (Item 16) through the holes in the base Bracket (Item 8). Place a large Lockwasher (Item 23) and a large Nut (Item 14) on each leg of the U-Bolt. 14. Slide the Antenna onto the Mast (not supplied) and tighten the Nuts on the U-Bolt. Note: The top of the Mast must not exceed the top of the Base Bracket (Item 8). 15. Attach a Coax Cable (not supplied) to your Antenna and tune your Receiver to the band you most frequently monitor. Rotate the antenna for best reception. 16. Tighten all nuts, bolts and screws securely. Coax Cable We recommend RG-58/U or RG-8/U type coaxial cable for this antenna. For runs over 50 ft. (15m) use RG-8/U because of its lower line losses. You should have a connector on each end of your cable. A PL-259 connector for your antenna and a Motorola plug for your monitor. If your coax cable does not have a PL-259 connector on it, here are some tips on how to install it: 1. Place the threaded shell of the connector on the cable. 2. Carefully remove 1" (2.5 cm) of outer cable insulation. 3. Separate the braided wire from the inner insulation or twist it to form a smooth, pointed tip. 4. Remove 1/2" (1.3 cm) of inner insulation from the center wire. 5. Carefully insert both the center wire and the braided wire into the connector. Guide the wires so that the braided wire exits at a hole in the side of the connector and the center wire exits from the pin. 6. Solder the center pin to the wire and the inside shroud to the braided wire. Then trim any excess wire. 7. Screw the threaded shell onto the connector. Grounding Your Antenna To protect your house and your receiver, installation of your antenna system must be properly grounded will also aid in reducing static-induced RF noise. To ground the system, drive a 4 to 8 foot (1.2-2.4m) Ground Rod into the ground as close as possible to the antenna supporting structure or antenna base. Then connect a #3 (or larger) copper or aluminum wire between the base of the Antenna and the Ground Rod. Ground Rods, ground wire and clamps are all available from your Radio Shack store. (br/all-7/12/94)