Radio Shack 15-1625 Installation Manual

14-Inch 82-C hannel Omnidirectional TV Antenna

Cat. No.

15-1625

Your Radio Shack 14-Inch 82-Channel Omnidirectional
TV Antenna provides excellent recep tion of VH F/UHF T V
channels in most viewing l ocations. The antenna’s com­pact modern styling blends well with the decor of most
any home. The UV-protected hous ing is made of impact ­resistant filled copolymer, making the ext erior resistant to
weathering and color cha nge. T he antenna’s un ique om ­nidirectional characteristics provide exc ellent recep tion in
areas where broadcasts are received from different direc­tions.

WARNI NG

INSTALLING AN OUTDOOR ANTENNA
CLOSE TO OVERHEAD WIRES. IF THE
ANTENNA STARTS TO FALL, LET IT GO! IF
ANY PART OF THE ANTENNA MAKES CON­TACT WITH OVERHEAD POWER LINES,
TOUCHING THE ANTENNA, MAST, CABLE,
OR GUY WIRES CAN CAUSE ELECTROCU­TION AND DEATH. CALL THE POWER COM­PANY TO REMOVE THE ANTENNA. DO NOT
ATTEMP T TO REMOVE IT YOU R SEL F!

! USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN

IMPORTANT SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS

Many do-it-yourself and professional antenna installers
are injured or killed each year by electric shock. While
anyone can see the obvious danger of falling, the most
resourceful sometimes fail to recognize overhead wires
as being potentially lethal. To touch any part of the anten­na mast or guy wire to these overhead wires is the same
as touching the wires with your bare hand. A very serious
shock is almost sure to result when contacting an electri­cal wire, and in t he case of primary wires on t he top of
poles, the shock is like bein g struck by a bolt of lighten­ing. Many power wires are within 20 to 25 feet of the
ground and could easily be touched by an assembled an­tenna and mast.

Please read and follow these important safety precau­tions:

• Be sure to select an antenna site well away from all
overhead wires.

• Do not try to guess w hich overhead wires carry high
voltage. Check with the power company.

• If you notice anything making contact with the over­head wires, call the power company to have it
removed safely.

Radio Shack is a register ed trademark used by Tandy Corporation.

• Do not run the downlead cable over power wires.

© 1995 Tandy Corporation.

All Rights Reserved.

• Get help from a qualified professional when removing
the old antenna if th ere is a ny doub t o f cl earing over­head wires.

• Never install an antenna by yourself. Be sure to have
at least two people available for help, if needed.

• Never install the antenna when it is windy.

• Be sure to do all assembly work on the ground, then
raise the antenna.

If any devices are used in your home cabling system
(such as amplifiers, splitters, combiners , matching trans­formers, or 300-ohm cable), they must be connected only
between the power injector and your video equipment.
Any devices connected between the po wer injector and
the antenna might cause a short in the amplifier power
source. If this happens, the injector’s indicator does not
light and the signals to your video equipment (multiple
TVs or VCRs) might be significantly degraded.

• Make sure the antenna mast downle ad cable is con­nected to suitable lightning arrestors.

• Use 8 (or larger) AWG ground wire between the mast
and ground.

• Make sure the installation is secure. Use plenty of
guy wires and new hardware.

IMPORTANT ANTENNA NOTES

This antenna system is designed to work prop erly when
the power injector is connected to the antenna through
only 75-ohm coax cable.

The power injector has an indicator light to indicate that:

• DC power is supplied to the antenna

• There are no shorts in the connection between the
power injector and antenna

Video
Equipment

Power
Injector

Antenna

TV Signal

Pre-Installation Test

To make sure y our antenna system wo rks properly, per­form this tes t bef o re ins t a lling it.

1. Connect a temporary 75-ohm cable between the

ANT

power injector ’s
F-connector.

Note

: If installing new lead-in cable, use the actual

cable to be used in the installation.

2. Connect the power injector ’s TV cable to your TV’s
VHF/UHF 75-ohm F-connector.

3. Insert the supplied AC adapter’s small pl ug into the

DC 12V

Note

jack on the power injector.

: If installing the antenna in a motor home, we
recommend you use a DC cord (such as Cat. No.
273-1533, not supplied).

4. Plug the supplied AC adapter into a standard AC out­let. If the power injector’s indicator lights, the antenna
is properly connected.

75-ohm jack and the antenna’s

AC Power

Power/Short Indicator

The coax cable betwee n the power injector and the an­tenna is used for:

• Carrying DC power from the power injector to the
amplifier board in the antenna

• Carrying the amplified TV signal from the antenna,
through the power injector, to the video equipment

2

MOUNTING THE ANTENNA

Outside Mounting

For the best results, mount the antenna away from trees
or other obstructions. Higher frequencies are noticeably
affected by these obstructions.

The antenna is easy to install on any antenna mast or op­tional light-duty mount using simple hand tool s. The an­tenna package includes these parts:

Antenna 1
Antenna Mounting Bracket 1
Mast Clamps 2

1

/4-Inch U-Bolts 2

1

/4-Inch Split Lockwashers 4

1

/4-20 Hex Nuts 4

1

#12 X

/2-Inch Long Self-Tapping Screws 4
#12 Split Lockwashers 4
Power Inje cto r 1
AC Adapter 1

1. Attach the antenna mounting bracket to the bottom of
the antenna using the four #12 X

1

/2-inch long self-

tapping screws and four #12 split lockwashers.

2. Attach both mast clamps, U-bolts, four
lockwashers, and four

1

/4-20 hex nuts to the mount-

1

/4-inch split

ing bracket.

Note

: Do not tighten the hex nuts.

3. Plug one end of the 75-ohm coaxial downlead cable
to the antenna’s jack and seal the connection with
coax sealant tape or a weather boot.

Note

: If your existing downlead is 300-ohm cable,
you must replace it with 75-ohm coaxial ca ble. (300­ohm cable requires a m atching transformer that sig­nificantly interferes with the antenna’s operation.)

You need the following additional items (not supplied),
available at your local Radio Shack store.

• Coax Downlead, such as RG-6 (Cat. No. 278-1316)

• Coax Sealant Tape or Weather Boots

4. Mount the antenna on the mast, and secure it by
tightening the hex nuts evenly onto the U-bolts.

3

Lightning Protection (when mounting the antenna
outside):

• Ground wires for both the mast and downle ad s hould
be copper or aluminum wire, 8 AWG or larger.

• Mount a groun ding block, such as Radi o Shack Cat.
No. 15-909, as close as possible to where the down ­lead enters the house.

• Downlead wire from the antenna to the grounding
block and the mast ground wire should be secured to
the house with stand-off insulators, spaced 4–6 feet
apart.

• For a “ground up” a ntenna installation, you might not
need to ground the mast if the mast extends 4 or
more feet into the earth.

Grounding Clamp

Down­lead

CONNECTING THE ANTENNA TO
YOUR TV

1. Connect the coax downlead from the antenna to the

ANT

jack on the power injector.

2. If your TV has an F-connector, connect the short
piece of coax cable from the power injector to your
TV’s VHF/UHF 75-ohm F-connector.

Mast
Ground
Wire

Groundin g
Blocks

Lightning Arrestor

Groundi ng Rod

To TV

Inside Mounting

You can mount the antenna in an attic, closet or other
out-of-the way indoor location. The antenna can be
mounted on a horizontal mas t, closet rod, or on a short
piece of mast suspended from a roof support by a 4-inch
wall-mount bracket (such as Cat. No. 15-883, not sup­plied).

Or, you can simply place the antenna on a shelf in a clos­et. Be sure the antenna is not in a position where it could
easily fall or be damaged.

If your TV has screw terminals for VHF/UHF connec­tion, connect a 75-to-300 oh m transformer (such as
Cat. No. 15-1140, not supplied) between the power
injector and the VHF/UHF terminals.

If your TV has a 75-ohm VH F connection and a 300­ohm UHF connection, connect a signal splitter (such
as Cat. No. 15-1231, not supplied) between the
power injector and the TV’s VHF/UHF connections.

4

3. Insert the supplied AC adapter’s small plug into the
power injector’s

DC 12V

jack. Then plug the adapter
into a standard AC outlet. The LED on the power
injector lights to indicate that the antenna is prope rly
connected.

SPECIFICATIONS

Bandpass:

VHF58-88,170-216 M Hz
UHF470-810 MHz

VHF/UHF Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 dB Average

Impedance75 Ohms, Unbalanced
Power Requirement12V DC

120 VAC, 60 Hz (with supplied adapter)

Weatherproof
HousingUV-Protected Filled Copolymer

1

/2

Mounting1
Specifications are typical; individual units might vary.

Specifications are subject to change and improvement
without notice.

-Inch Outer Diameter Round Mast

Coaxial Cable Installation Precautions

:

• Do not bend coaxial cable (RG-59/U, RG-6/U) into
less than a 3-inch radius. Tighter bends can cause
shorts and change the cable’s impedance.

• Do not install coaxial cable where it will have a pulling
tension greater than 50 pounds ma ximum. Leave no
tension on the cable after installing it.

• Use only round-headed staples. Any clamps or
securing devices used with coax should grip the
cable evenly about the circumference without crush­ing the cable. Flat staples can damage coax cable.

• Do not expose coaxial cable to a temperature greater
than 176°F (80°C). Keep the cable away from heat­ing vents and water heaters.

• Do not install coa xial cable w here it w ill be crush ed,
stuffed, wedged, or pinched.

• The cable jacket withstands most outdoor environ­ments. However, you must seal connections and
splices against water entry.

5

RADIO SHACK LIMITED WARRANTY

This product is warranted against defects for 90 days from date of purchase from Radio Shack com­pany-owned stores and authorized Radio Shack franchisees and dealers. Within this period, we will
repair it without charge for parts and labor. Simply
chase date to any Radio Shack store. Warranty does not cover transportation costs. Nor does it cover a
product subjected to misuse or accidental damage.
EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN, RADIO SHACK MAKES NO EXPRESS WARRANTIES AND ANY
IMPLIED WARRANTIES ARE LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE DURATION OF THE WRITTEN LIM­ITED WARRANTIES CONTAINED HEREIN. Some states do n ot permit limi tat ion or exclusion of implied
warranties; therefore, the afor esaid limitati on(s) or exclusion( s) may not apply to the purchaser.

This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other right s which vary from state to state.

bring your Radio Shack sales slip

as proof of pur-

We Service What We Sell

9/94

12/95 Printed in the USA

RADIO SHACK

A Division of Tandy Corporation

Fort Worth, Texas 76102