Summary of Contents for Heath Tech Sidekick
- Page 1 HEATH TECH INC. High Sierra AntennAs Sidekick ™ Professional Antennas for the Amateur...
- Page 2 Kenwood, Icom, embassies, utilities and amateur radio operators around the world. Heath Tech Inc. which owns High Sierra Antennas has worked hard to produce the highest quality products at the best possible price. As with our first antennas, others will copy our products but none will have the same high quality.
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Page 3: Table Of Contents
T able of Contents OVERVIEW..........1 MAINTENANCE........3 INSTALLATION........5 ..5 HE FIRST STEP IS TO UNPACK THE BOX ....6 NSTALLING THE CONTROL BOX HE ALL IMPORTANT GROUND .......... 11 CONNECTION RF F ......12 ILTER SSEMBLY ......13 EHICLE NSTALLATION . -
Page 4: Overview
Please don’t call it a screwdriver antenna! And, please do read this manual. ongratulations on your purchase of our new, compact continuous coverage motorized Sidekick. This new version has several improvements over previous models (HS-750 & HS-900). The major improvement is our new motor. - Page 5 Installing an HF motorized antenna system is very different from a VHF or UHF antenna. A good grounding system, counterpoise or radials is absolutely essential. Operating this antenna without radials or a counterpoise can cause damage to the main coil. The main coil is tightly wound in order to get coverage from 75 to 6 meters.
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Page 6: Maintenance
Chapter Maintenance High Sierra Antennas has learned over the years that good maintenance is the key to good performance. That’ s why we are discussing maintenance even before installation of the system outine maintenance includes doing the following items: 1. Frequently clean the antenna and check for loose screws. 2. - Page 7 spring with sandpaper. Do not use steel wool. Fibers from the steel wool can contaminate the main coil. One shorted turn on the main coil can cause it to no longer function! Replacement springs are always available here at High Sierra. 5.
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Page 8: Installation
Chapter Installation The first step is to unpack the box arefully check all shipping boxes for contents since material is often packed in layers, put in plastic bags and taped to the inside of the box. If purchased from HIGH SIERRA AntennAs, email immediately if you feel any item is missing. We maintain a packing record for each box and can verify what went into each order. -
Page 9: Installing The Control Box
We have provided the plug for the wires to the motor. You can simply use butt connectors to make the connection to the wires that go to the antenna’s motor. The Black Hawk Motor™ will operate from 9 to 24 volts DC. For home or base use, power supplies are available from High Sierra. - Page 10 Operation of the i-Box, Powered by Icom Think of the switch in the control box as having an extra set of contacts that close when the switch is rocked up or down. Each time you rock the switch the motor is turned on and the transceiver will transmit a carrier with reduced power.
- Page 11 Operation of the i-Box 7000 Because of the firmware inside the IC-7000, it does not have a functioning SWR meter when the transceiver is in the tune mode. That is very different from other Icom transceivers. In order for the transceiver to indicate an SWR, it cannot be in the tune mode but must be transmitting in RTTY, FM or AM.
- Page 12 Operation of the k-box. The k-Box controller works a little differently from the i-Box due to the internal circuitry of the Kenwood transceivers. If you are using the Kenwood TS-480HS, please see the paragraph at the bottom of this section. The k-Box handshakes with the transceiver so that it thinks there is an antenna tuner connected.
- Page 13 Installing the Universal y-Box, EZ-Tune Controller . The Universal y-Box Controller should be mounted in a convenient location since it will be used to tune the antenna. The controller is prewired. Turn off the transceiver. There are three cables coming from the box.
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Page 14: Connection
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. -
Page 15: Rf Filter Assembly
• The ground strap must be connected to a screw on your mounting bracket that is adjacent to the coax connector. • For home or base use, the counterpoise or radials must be connected to a screw on your mounting bracket that is adjacent to the coax connector. -
Page 16: Vehicle Installation
Vehicle Installation Our experience is that the antenna can function well in several locations on a vehicle. The length of the ground strap should be kept to less than three feet long (from a screw on the mounting bracket to the vehicle body/frame). Sometimes it's a good idea to test the location first. - Page 17 Trunk lip mounts are availabe from High Sierra Antennas. Please call for information. Comet and Diamond trunk lip mounts will work when the mount is properly grounded. In addition to planning where you will mount the antenna, also consider how the cables will be routed.
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Page 18: Base Installation
Base Installation For a base installation, the radials or counterpoise must be connected to a screw on your mount adjacent to the coax connector. The radials can be as simple as wire that is cut to a quarter wavelength. We have found that wires 32, 16, 11 and 8 feet long will provide continuous coverage from 3.5 to 30MHz. -
Page 19: No Matter Where You Install The Antenna, Here Are Some Things To Keep In Mind
No matter where you install the antenna, here are some things to keep in mind • Think about safety, safety, and more about safety! Your first concern is making sure that neither you nor anyone else will be injured. Adding a db to the signal strength won’t matter if someone is injured. -
Page 20: Operation Of The Antenna
Chapter Operation of the Antenna The ups and downs of the antenna The following assumes that there is a three foot whip attached to the top of the antenna: Adjust the control switch so that about 1.5 inch of the coil winding is above the collar. Set the transceiver to a mode that produces a steady-state carrier (AM, RTTY, CW or FM). - Page 21 Here are some approximate positions of the main coil. The measurement shown is from the top turn on the main coil to the top of the collar. 75 Meters 5 3/8 inches 40 Meters 1 7/8 inches 20 Meters 5/8 inch 15 Meters 1/4 inch 10 Meters 1/8 inch Due to the variables in any given installation, the position of...
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Page 22: Troubleshooting, Questions And Answers
Chapter Troubleshooting, Questions and Answers Here are some of the typical questions that we get How long is the three foot whip? The whip is 36 inches long. I was driving down the road and decided to tune the antenna. I looked down at the transceiver’s SWR meter to tune the antenna and my car crashed into a tree. - Page 23 short out No, it is not possible for the antenna to . Replace the coax with some known to be good that already has the connectors installed. The coax should be at least 15 feet long. I think something is loose inside my new antenna. When I turn it upside down, I hear a rattle. Should I send the antenna back? No.
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Page 24: Warranty
High Sierra Antennas have a 10 year limited warranty High Sierra Antennas and Heath Tech Inc. warrants to the original purchaser of the antenna and accessories are free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of original purchase when used in compliance with the instructions and maintained as shown in this instruction manual. -
Page 25: Index
Index base installation, 9 quick disconnect, 3 braid, 10 radials, 9 collar, 16 Routine maintenance, 3 contact spring, 3 RV, 8 control box, 5 corrosion, 4 safety, 10 SWR, 15 fingerstock, 16 SWR is very high, 15 fuse, 5 SWR of 2:1 or less is good, 2 ground connection, 15 trailer, 8 ground strap, 10, 15...
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