11
Installing the antenna
Make certain that the mount you have purchased is capable of supporting the antenna.
Whether the antenna is to be used on a vehicle or at a home/base, the ground, radials or
counterpoise must be connected very close to the coax connector. All of those
connections should have one point of connection close to the coax connector on your
mount.
The all important ground, counterpoise or radial connection
ince the Sidekick is electrically a quarter-wave antenna, a good vehicle grounding
system, counterpoise or radials is absolutely essential so that there will not be
damaging voltages on the main coil. Also, any resistance introduced into the
system impacts performance and can also cause high SWR readings. Long ground leads
must be avoided.
If the SWR is higher than 2:1, the problem is likely the ground, counterpoise or radial
system that you have employed. It is not the result of something inside the antenna.
You must
use wide, flat strap for vehicle ground leads. We do not recommend the
use of braid. A counterpoise or radials must be connected directly to the mount next
to the coax connector.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
• For a ground strap to work, it must be at least one inch wide. You can use the
specially designed HS-GS ground strap from High Sierra.
• Wire and round cables generally will not work for a ground conductor.
Don’t use them!
• Don’t use braid. It will corrode over time and affect the SWR of the system.
Some braid has a high resistance path to ground. Pinching the braid to put it
into a solder lug reduces is effectiveness. Half inch wide braid is roughly equal to
#12 wire. In other words, braid is almost useless.
• For a vehicle installation, connect the ground strap to the sheet metal. Connecting
the ground strap to the frame may not be adequate.
• More than one ground strap may be necessary. That is especially true on 10 and
6 meters.
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