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Collinear antenna install	Reply
by JAKSIEMASZ on October 7, 2008	Mail this to a friend!
Just got my ticket a week ago (KE5WNJ) and can't wait to get on the air....Should have my new FT-60R dual band in a couple days... I bought a dual band collinear base station antenna for my home. Not sure what type of cable to use for the install....the antenna has an so239 connector..... I'm familiar with using rg58u for hf work but not sure what to use for v/uhf work. Any other installation tips will definitely be appreciated. Stan P

RE: Collinear antenna install	Reply
by WA7NCL on October 7, 2008	Mail this to a friend!
You will want to use the larger RG 8 types at VHF/UHF. Figure out how long of run you need. Go to a web site like Hamradio.com or AESham.com or other ham store. Look at the various types of cable. Check their loss per 100 ft and the cost per ft. Decide what you can afford for keeping losses in the coax under 3db (1/2 power loss). In the interest of economy I would suggest that losses under 1db are not really necessary either. Remember the system gain is the antenna gain less the loss in the coax. What you will end up with is probably you need to use an RG 8 foam type or for long runs an LMR type. You could also call the ham stores I mentioned and ask them for advice. Just make sure you know how long of run you need. I'm sure they could also help you.

RE: Collinear antenna install	Reply
by KB3RHV on October 8, 2008	Mail this to a friend!
Hi Stan, I have to agree with WA7NCL on the loss, it would be pretty bad for the 5 Watts that your going to outputting. I would use RG-8 or better for your run. Times Microwave has a online Cable Performance Calculator that will show you the loss of different coaxes at the frequency range that you want to use. Link: http://www.timesmicrowave.com/cgi-bin/calculate.pl Also depending on ware you are going to mount the antenna, like say out side, you may want to add a in line lightning arrestor. Like one from polyphaser or ice. One other thing I would get is one of these..... http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/cable/4513.jpg On the FT-60, the antenna connects to the radio with an SMA connector. Using the cable above, lets you connect the the heaver antenna coax to the HT with out fear of riping the female SMA out radio.

RE: Collinear antenna install	Reply
by KC2RGW on November 3, 2008	Mail this to a friend!
Look at Belden 9913, or LMR400 as a baseline. I'd recommend using flex too, makes moving it around simpler. Use as little as possible to make the connection. To connect an HT you will want one of the SMA to SO239 pigtail adapters so you aren't pulling that fat cable around against the connector.

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