Radio Shack Radio Antenna User Manual

15-2163.fm Page 1 Wednesday, April 26, 2000 7:31 PM

Six-Element Triple-Drive FM Antenna

OWNER’S MANUAL — Please read before using this equipment.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before you begin installation, read this manual and the sepa­rate Consumer Product Safety Commission information sheet.
For your safety and convenience, plan each step of the inst alla­tion and purchase the necessary hardware in advance. The
hardware required and the order in which you perform th e steps
depend on the mounting and connection method you choose.

Warning: When you install your antenna, use extreme caution.
If the antenna starts to fall, let it go! It could contact overhead
power lines. If the antenna touches the power line, contact with
the antenna, mast, cable, or guy wires can cause electrocution
and death. Call the power company to remove the antenna.

Do

not attempt to remove it yourself.

ASSEMBLING THE ANTENNA

Assemble the entire antenna on the ground.

1. Use the supplied hardware to loosely attach the supplied
mast clamp assembly to the boom, as shown.

Note: To access the mast clamp ho les, move the ant enna’ s
elements out of the way as needed.

U-Bolt

Mast Clamp

Using Coaxial Cable

Lead-In Terminal

Main
Boom

Weather Boot

Matching

F-Connector

Transformer

To connect coaxial cable to your antenna:

1. Thread the supplied matching transformer’s spade termi­nals through the antenna’s strain- relief tab.

2. Slide the spade terminals around the antenna’s lead-in ter­minals (on both sides of the boom), then secure them with
the supplied flat washers and large wing nuts.

3. Screw the cable’s F-connector onto the matching trans­former.

4. Slip the weather boot over the connection. If you use a
rebuilt cable without a weather boot, cover the connection
with weather-resistant tape.

Spade Terminals

Strain-Relief Tab

Flat Washers

Large
Wing Nuts

Boom

Backup Plate

Lock Nuts

2. Press the supplied large end plugs into the boom.

CONNECTING LEAD-IN CABLE
TO THE ANTENNA

We recommend RG-6 cable and, if you prepare your own ca­ble, a quality F-connector. You can also use 300-ohm flat, twin­lead cable. (RadioShack carries a variety of suitable cables and
connectors.)

Note: If you prepare your own coaxial cable, be sure to slide
the supplied matching transformer’s weather boot onto the ca­ble before you attach the F-connector.

Using Twin-Lead Cable

Lead-In Terminal

Main
Boom

Twin-Lead Cable

To connect flat, twin-lead cable to your antenna:

1. Split one end of the twin-lead cable for a length of about 3
inches. Then strip about

1

/2 inch of insulation from both

leads.

2. Thread the stripped leads through the antenna’s strain­relief tab.

3. Wrap each lead around one of the antenna’s lead-in termi­nals (on both sides of the boom). Be sure there is enough
slack between the strain-relief tab and the antenna termi­nals to prevent stress on the cable or the terminals.

4. Secure the leads with the supplied flat washers and large
wing nuts.

Strain-Relief Tab

Flat Washers

Large
Wing Nuts

1998, 2000 Tandy Corporation.

©

RadioShack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation.

RadioShack.com is a trademark used by Tandy Corporation.

All Rights Reserved.

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UNFOLDING THE ANTENNA’S ELEMENTS

Hold the boom’s elements near the pivot points and pull them
away from the boom until they snap into the self-locking plastic
support insulators.

Caution:

To avoid damage to the elements, do not pull them
near their outer ends. Once the elements are locked into posi­tion, do not attempt to unlock them. Doing so might break the
self-locking tabs.

ATTACHING TO THE MAST

For the best FM reception, do not mount the FM ant enna on the
same mast with a TV antenna. We recommend that you enlist
the help of another person before you put up the mast or attach
your antenna to it. How you set up your mast depends on your
specific installation. Refer to the separate Consumer Product
Safety Commission information sheet fo r recommended meth­ods.

1. Slide the antenna’s mast clamp assembly over the end of
the mast.

2. Tighten the mast clamp assembly’s lock nuts to hold the
antenna in place. Do not overtighten the lock nuts.

3. Set up the mast, then rotate it so the antenna’s shorter ele­ments point toward the broadcast antennas of the stations
you want to receive.

ROUTING THE CABLE TO YOUR
FM RECEIVER

If you use coaxial cable:

• Use plastic tape or mast standoff insulators to secure the
coaxial cable to the mast at about 3-foot intervals. Co ntinue
down the roof and the side of the house using roof and wall
standoff insulators.

• Use coaxial cable nail-in clips every few feet to secure the
cable between the mast and where the cable enters the
house.

• Use a 75-ohm grounding block at the point where the coax­ial cable enters the house. Read the Consumer Product
Safety Commission sheet for grounding instructions.

• Use a wall-through lead-in tube (not supplied) to neatly
route the coaxial cable through walls.

If you use twin-lead cable:

• Be sure the twin-lead cable remains at least 4 inches away
from all metal surfaces.

• Use standoff insulators about every 4 feet. Twist the twin­lead cable about three turns between standoff insulators.

• Read the separate Consumer Product Safety Commission
sheet for grounding instructions.

Short Elements

Toward FM
Stations’
Antennas

Mast

Long Element

CONNECTING TO YOUR FM RECEIVER

Connect the antenna’s lead-in cable to your FM receiver’s antenna terminals according to the type of cable you used. RadioShack
carries a variety of matching transformers, if one of these suits your needs. Below are some sample connections.

Make connections as described if you have:

• Coaxial antenna lead-in

• Twin -lead FM antenna terminals

Connect to FM Receiver’s
300-Ohm Screw Terminals

RadioShack
Indoor/Outdoor
Matching Transformer
Cat. No. 15-1140

2

Connect
Coaxial Lead-In
from Antenna