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Message |
    
Wildrat
Advanced Member
Username: Wildrat
Post Number: 531
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 4:36 pm: | 
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I made a slight miscalculation in the amount of coax I would need with the antenna on one end of the house and the radio on the other. I don't want to put a barrel connector in-line to lengthen the run. If I ran the coax thru the attic it would be more than long enough. Now my question is can I put the PolyPhaser near the tower and then have my long run to the radio thru the attic? I sure did not want to do the attic thing. But it would be good if I could, because instead of needing 50 more feet, I would have an extra 50 feet plus the 80 feet I have on another roll. If I could put the PolyPhaser by the tower then run the coax thru the attic to the radio & amp I could take some of my extra coax and go help this old guy out that gave me the Monkey Made antenna. It would make his day. I will await an answer from the guru's of gurudyism.
Wildrat |
Starface
Intermediate Member
Username: Starface
Post Number: 386
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 6:54 pm: |
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Wildrat, thats the way Sinker did his.
PolyPhaser is outside in a box close to
his tower and then runs the coax thru his
attic.
Don't see any reason why it wouldn't work at your place either.
Good luck with it.
Till next time
Starface CEF#476
NEW HAM (Still awaits call sign)
Southeast Net Control
Auburndale,FL
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Sinker
Intermediate Member
Username: Sinker
Post Number: 329
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 7:11 pm: |
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I think the concern Wildrat has is if he should receive an electrical strike he does not want it to jump to the coax bypassing his Polyphaser. This too is a concern I had. Fortunately that did not happen when I did get struck though. I am rethinking the installation though but have not come up with anything better as yet. My only other option is to mount the polyphaser at the eave but then am looking at a 10' run down to the ground rod and was instructed to keep it less than 3 feet. Right now it is at 12" to the grounding rod with 1.5' Tinned braided copper.
Anyone know HOW TO TEST a polyphaser. I want to know if both of mine need replacing or not or the cartridge. |
Wildrat
Advanced Member
Username: Wildrat
Post Number: 532
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 8:27 pm: |
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Sinker, first of all it should not be bad, it should be able to take multiple strikes, but take an ohm meter and ck to see if you have continuity from the one side to the other on the center pin on the connectors. You should not have continuity. You see the polyphaser only allows the radio waves to pass thru. The lightning is shunted to ground. After you ck. for continuity as directed above, ck. for continuity from the center pins to the case of the polyphaser. If all this cks out hook it up and try it with just the radio, if it works then try it with the amp. if it works it's good to go.
The polyphaser are suppose to multiple strike, theoretically you should not even have to worry about it for quite awhile, but all of us have that concern with lightning until we can trust something we don't fully understand. It's kinda like a wave guide on the jets I worked on, all it was, was rectangle piping for radio waves.
Now back to me, I am going to move the polyphaser to the tower side, then I will probably run 3/4 to inch grey electrical conduit up the wall and then put a junction box there and go thru the wall into the attic with about 10 inches of the conduit and then on to the radios. The polyphaser will be happier down by the tower anyway because it will have 5 ground rods it can nuzzle with. The radio equipment will have the three at the other end of the house to get sweet with. That reminds me I need to hook the surge protector up in the mains panel. Once I go thru the attic I'll have plenty of coax left. I'll go over and hook up the old fellas antenna with some 213, instead of what he is using now. So anyway The next few days I might not have access to the net so if I don't get connected, "Y'all have a Merry Christmas!"
Wildrat |
Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833
Post Number: 1138
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Friday, December 23, 2005 - 10:50 am: |
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All your coaxes should have Polyphasers installed at the SAME point. If you have a coax running past your Polyphasers, that is likely where the strike will travel, then jump to another coax or whatever it wants.
It is best to install the Polyphasers where the coax enters the building. If you ran a run through your attic and had a Polyphaser where it enters, then your other coax runs along the ground or whatever then to another hole in your house, but you also have Polyphasers there, assuming you can bond the two Polyphasers somehow, it would be O.K.
Yes, Polyphasers can take multiple strikes. Testing with an ohm meter, it should show OPEN from center pin to center pin, and OPEN from center pins to ground. If your shunt cartridge needs to be replaced, you will see low impedance from center pin to ground on the antenna side. |
Wildrat
Advanced Member
Username: Wildrat
Post Number: 535
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 11:11 am: |
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Thanks for the replies! I am going to move my PolyPhaser to where the tower isat the other end of the house, that will also be where the single coax enters the house.
Wildrat |
Wildrat
Advanced Member
Username: Wildrat
Post Number: 548
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 30, 2005 - 4:20 pm: |
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Is a #4 welding wire big enough to go from the polyphaser to ground?
Wildrat
CEF675 |
Eagle_eye
Junior Member
Username: Eagle_eye
Post Number: 32
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Friday, December 30, 2005 - 7:54 pm: |
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personally if it was me i would just follow the instructions posted here on the copper forum and in the instructions that come with the polyphaser and use #1 copper wire or copper braid like 833 and 808 said.
ee |
Road_warrior
Senior Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 1101
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Friday, December 30, 2005 - 8:03 pm: |
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I read articles that said, to never use welding
wire. Maybe Tech 833 can shed light to
whether this is true or not.
JIM/PA/CEF 375 |
Road_warrior
Senior Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 1102
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Friday, December 30, 2005 - 8:07 pm: |
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Where can one find #1-#2 heavy copper
wire??? I have searched and searched, can
not find anything but #4-#6.
JIm/PA |
Tech808
Moderator
Username: Tech808
Post Number: 8816
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Friday, December 30, 2005 - 8:14 pm: |
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Road_warrior,
LOWES, MENARDS, HOME DEPOT all have it on hand in the Electrical Dept and sell it by the foot.
Hope this helps,
Lon
Tech808
CEF808
N9OSN |
Wildrat
Advanced Member
Username: Wildrat
Post Number: 549
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 30, 2005 - 9:53 pm: |
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I understand about needing a # 1 or 2 copper wire for the phaser. Whats wrong with the # 4 fine stranded welding wire. They use for grounding when you weld, I had planned on using it on my ground buss then running it out to the single point outside.
Wildrat
CEF674 |
Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833
Post Number: 1141
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Friday, December 30, 2005 - 11:47 pm: |
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Use bare copper if you can. The last resort would be that welding wire. It has a very high velocity factor compared to bare solid copper. |
Wildrat
Advanced Member
Username: Wildrat
Post Number: 553
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, December 31, 2005 - 9:01 am: |
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10-4, I thought this welding wire would be great. It's big, it's fine stranded, they use it on my MiG welder for grounding the item your welding. I guess I have 30 feet of wire I don't know what to do with now. I guess it will gather dust with the rest of the stuff that I'll need one day pile.
Thanks
Wildrat
CEF674 |
Chad
Advanced Member
Username: Chad
Post Number: 619
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, December 31, 2005 - 7:03 pm: |
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Use it in your next amp install  Makes perfect automotive cable / 12V in the home.
I use it in car audio all the time. Beware of the safety orange. EMT/Firefighters are trained to a large safety orange cable in a car. This is the industry standard high voltage color for Hybrids. This is especially important if you drive a compact. Thew will determine via a cutoff switch under the hood (oops not there) if it is disarmed to facilitate vehicle entry safely. Could be bad if your are in rough shape after an accident.
Just FIY
Chad |
Road_warrior
Senior Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 1103
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, December 31, 2005 - 9:42 pm: |
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Thanks Lon:
I think i stopped at Lowes, but, largest they
had here was #6/ I'll check again...
JIM/PA/CEF 375
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Wildrat
Advanced Member
Username: Wildrat
Post Number: 563
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, January 01, 2006 - 8:43 am: |
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RW, I found 4ga. solid copper in 25 foot rolls sitting on the shelf down about 10 feet from the wire on rolls. The 4ga. in the boxes is cheaper to buy. They charge more if they have to cut you a piece. I think I have bought about 12 25 foot boxes so far. That's a lot of copper. I have 9 8 foot ground rods in the ground. Then you have all the connectors to bring it all together. That's a pretty good chunk of change just for the grounding. At least it's being done pretty close to right this time, and hopefully not again.
WildRat
CEF675
East Gulf Coast Cheese Cutter |
Road_warrior
Senior Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 1108
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, January 01, 2006 - 8:29 pm: |
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I don't mind paying for grounding items
as it is very important and not a place
where one should skimp on.
I'll keep in mind about the rolls here when
i look again... Thanks
JIM/PA/CEF 375 |
