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U-75R UHF 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 main 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
Main
Boom
Strain-Relief Tab
Lead-In
Terminals
Flat Washers
Large
Wing Nuts
Spade
Terminals
If you plan to add this antenna to a VHF antenna’s mast, refer
to “Adding the UHF Antenna to a VHF Antenna Installation” on
Page 2 for instructions. This type of setup requires twin-lead
cable. See “Using Twin-Lead Cable” to connect the cable to
your antenna. If you are connecting this UHF antenna directly
to your TV, follow these steps to make this connection using
coaxial cable.
1. Thread a matching transformer’s spade terminals through
the antenna’s strain-relief tab. (Matching transformers are
available at your local RadioShack store.)
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.
F-Connector
Weather Boot
Matching
Transformer
Main Boom
Backup Plate
Lock Nuts
2. Press the supplied large end plugs into the main 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.
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.
Using Twin-Lead Cable
Main
Boom
Lead-In Terminals
Flat Washers
Strain-Relief Tab
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.
Twin-Lead Cable
Large
Wing Nuts
1997, 2000 Tandy Corporation.
©
RadioShack and RadioShack.com are trademarks used by Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
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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.
UNFOLDING THE ANTENNA’S ELEMENTS
1. Hold the main boom’s longer elements near the pivot points
and pull them away from the boom until they snap into the
self-locking plastic support insulators.
Caution:
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.
2. Hold each wing boom and turn its elements until they snap
squarely into place (perpendicular to the boom).
3. Press the supplied small end plugs into the wing booms.
4. Bolt the triangular wing boom brackets onto the main boom
using the supplied 1
shown.
To avoid damage to the elements, do not pull
1
/2-inch screw and small wing nu t, as
antenna to a VHF antenna’s mast, refer to “Adding th e UHF Antenna to a VHF Antenna Installation” for instructions.
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.
Wing Boom Elements
Mast
Main Boom
Short Elements
Toward TV
Stations’
Antennas
Main Boom Long Element
ADDING THE UHF ANTENNA TO A VHF
ANTENNA INSTALLATION
Wing Boom
Brackets
Small Wing Nut
11/2-Inch
Screw
Main Boom
5. Insert the top and bottom wing booms into the wing boom
brackets. Secure them with the four supplied 1
1
/4-inch
screws and small wing nuts, as shown.
Top Wing Boom
Wing Boom
Brackets
11/4-Inch
Screws
Small Wing Nuts
Bottom Wing Boom
To connect your UHF antenna to a VHF antenna, follow these
steps.
1. Loosen the lock nuts on the VHF antenna’s mast clamp
assembly. Slide the VHF antenna down the mast about 70
inches, then tighten the lock nuts to hold the antenna in
place. Do not overtighten the lock nuts.
2. Mount your UHF antenna at the top of the mast. (See
“Attaching to the Mast.”)
3. Use only about 70 inches of twin-lead cable to connect
your UHF antenna to the VHF antenna. Be sure the cable
is long enough to reach from the lead-in terminals of one
antenna to the lead-in terminals of the other. Connect the
cable to your UHF antenna first. (Follow the steps in the
section “Using Tw in-Lead Cable” on Page 1.)
4. Split the other end of the twin-lead cable for a length of
about 3 inches. Then strip about
1
/2 inch of insulation from
both leads.
5. Remove the VHF antenna’s large wing nuts and flat washers from its lead-in terminals. (If you used coaxial cable to
connect the VHF antenna to your TV, also remove the
spade terminals from the lead-in terminals.)
ATTACHING TO THE MAST
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 for recommended methods. If you plan to add this
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