How can you verify that your anntena is working correctly

Started by JohnOlanMills, May 31, 2016, 02:06:47 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

JohnOlanMills

Humor me if this question is too obvious for some but I have a sneaking suspicion that my antenna is not working correctly.

It is on a tower clear of any obstacles, no obvious breaks in the line, it is about 30ft in the air so I can't just take it down so easy.

Can I check with a multimember the ohms or shorts, and if so what show they read.

Thanks Guys,

John

neroon79

The Ohm value of coaxial cable e.g. 50 Ohm is the wave resistance or the characteristic impedance of the cable. This value can't be measured with a multimeter.

If the cable isn't faulty, you would measure a high mega ohm or giga ohm resistance between the core lead and the shield lead of the cable, regardless if the antenna is connected or not. If you measure some kilo Ohms or below it is possible, that the cable or one of the connectors is drowned and corroding has started.

More is as far as I know not possible with a DMM.

Ingo
Greetings from northern Germany, Ingo
11.75nm ESE of EDDV

SW: ANRB v5.00.072/6.01.001 on WIN10 64Bit Pro&Home
HW:
Ant.: DPD Productions ADS-B Vertical Outdoor Base Antenna
AMP: Kuhne electr. KU LNA 1090 A TM
Cable: 25m of ECOFLEX 15+
NB: Asus P53E 24/7 op.
PC: 28"4K + 24" Monitor
AirSpy mini @RPi3

James Harris

Quote from: JohnOlanMills on May 31, 2016, 02:06:47 PM
Humor me if this question is too obvious for some but I have a sneaking suspicion that my antenna is not working correctly.

It is on a tower clear of any obstacles, no obvious breaks in the line, it is about 30ft in the air so I can't just take it down so easy.

Can I check with a multimember the ohms or shorts, and if so what show they read.

Thanks Guys,

John

John,

I would contact either [email protected] or [email protected] and they might be able to help you out as well ?

James

JohnOlanMills

Yesterday I took a multimeter to check my antenna cable and it shows a dead short, I could only test the end of the cable, I have the antenna on a tower with a tall pole, maybe 30', so I will have to take that one down and replace it.

neroon79

Many thanks for the feedback about your status.

Ingo
Greetings from northern Germany, Ingo
11.75nm ESE of EDDV

SW: ANRB v5.00.072/6.01.001 on WIN10 64Bit Pro&Home
HW:
Ant.: DPD Productions ADS-B Vertical Outdoor Base Antenna
AMP: Kuhne electr. KU LNA 1090 A TM
Cable: 25m of ECOFLEX 15+
NB: Asus P53E 24/7 op.
PC: 28"4K + 24" Monitor
AirSpy mini @RPi3