Antennacraft DAS-ST-2 - getting nothing at all?

ronsonol · Dec 2, 2014

Hi, I just got an Antennacraft DAS-ST-2 (http://www.amazon.com/SCANNER-ANT-BASE-30-1300MHZ-50RG6-15ELM/dp/B001JT1KEG/ref=cm_cd_ql_qh_dp_t) and though I haven't gotten it up on a mast yet (too cold out there!), I was assuming I would be able to receive something at all with it hooked up to my Pro-164. I got it up into my garage "attic" area (highest point indoors) and I am getting basically nothing on it. If I hook up my Radioshack 800mhz rubber duck and get up in that area, I can receive quite a bit.

Should I be able to receive something or does it have to be way up there on a mast to get anything? I was assuming with this crazy 10' thing I'd be able to receive quite a bit better. Or is there something that might be broken in the setup that I should check? (And how could I do that?) I moved out to the sticks but I still want to hear what's going on.

Thanks very much.

rbm · Dec 2, 2014

You should be able to receive something.

I do a lot of my antenna testing at 5-10' or so before I mount the antenna at it's final location and they'll work fine.

Two things to check.

Disconnect the coax connectors and make sure there isn't a 'stray' strand of the shield shorting out the center conductor.

Also, if the connector on the balun at the antenna 'spun' when you connected the coax, the wires inside may be broken.

Rich

By the way, make sure you look closely at the diagram of the antenna so you get the 800 MHz elements properly positioned.

ronsonol · Dec 2, 2014

Thanks Rich, I was wondering if the cable or balun could have something to do with it. it's got molded cable ends, so I will probably try another cable first (duh). The balun seems intact as far as I can tell. Thanks a lot.

ronsonol · Dec 2, 2014

The manual doesn't appear to show which elements are which, is there any way to tell? I tried to get it like the picture, basically everything folding out symmetrically as much as possible I figured.

rbm · Dec 3, 2014

Here you go.

This is in a thread that has a lot of information about the ST2.

http://forums.radioreference.com/sc...antennacraft-st2-scantenna-4.html#post1863284

Rich

And from the image on the box here:

ronsonol · Dec 3, 2014

Ah, thanks. Looks like I might have two of the smallest ones wrong, I'll have to check. Would be nice if that were the whole problem somehow.

ronsonol · Dec 3, 2014

I did have the two smallest ones pointing out from the mast instead of perpendicular to it, but that didn't seem to matter. I tried another cable and it worked marginally better, but it's still not much better than my rubber duck, if at all. I am pretty far away from the city now and up against some woods, but I figured this huge thing would be better than that tiny rubber duck.

How much does the orientation matter? I had it vertical like the picture, sideways, tilted etc. Didn't seem to make much difference. I wonder if there's something about my location that needs it to be up really high.

jonwienke · Dec 3, 2014

That is entirely possible if you live in a valley or hollow, especially for VHF and higher frequencies. With 800MHz, you probably won't hear squat until you get the antenna up out of the "shadow" of surrounding hills/trees, etc.

Voyager · Dec 3, 2014

Test it using some local weather channels.

mass-man · Dec 3, 2014

+1 on NOAA channels for VHF test.

Pick an 800mhz CC channel that you can hear and test with that.

popnokick · Dec 3, 2014

Since the other coax cable you tried worked "marginally better" there may be something wrong with the RG6 coax/connectors that came with the ST2. Another possibility: a problem with the 75 to 300 ohm balun/matching transformer that is supplied with the antenna. They are inexpensive and easily replaced... if you don't have one to test with run out to a home/hardware store or Radio Crap and pick one up as a tester/replacement. When you mount the antenna outdoors, ensure you use a good quality balun/transformer that is properly booted and weatherproofed.

Blackink · Dec 3, 2014

+1 on trying a new/different 75 to 300 ohm balun/matching transformer.

ronsonol · Dec 5, 2014

I will dig around for a balun - used to have a pile of them from the console video game days. Depot doesn't have them in store and the RS one has very bad reviews. If that fixes it, is there a recommended one I should order? I'm not going to have a weatherproof one in my parts bins.

Thanks - will definitely try some of the other testing ideas.

rbm · Dec 5, 2014

ronsonol said:
I will dig around for a balun - used to have a pile of them from the console video game days. Depot doesn't have them in store and the RS one has very bad reviews. If that fixes it, is there a recommended one I should order? I'm not going to have a weatherproof one in my parts bins.

Thanks - will definitely try some of the other testing ideas.

I bought a dozen of these a few years ago.
They work for me.

300 to 75 Ohms Matching Transformer Indoor Outdoor Balun Off Air Antenna | eBay

Rich

Blackink · Dec 5, 2014

ronsonol said:
I will dig around for a balun - used to have a pile of them from the console video game days. Depot doesn't have them in store and the RS one has very bad reviews. If that fixes it, is there a recommended one I should order? I'm not going to have a weatherproof one in my parts bins.

Thanks - will definitely try some of the other testing ideas.

And if you put on a new balun, if you're still having problems, trying using the shortest piece of coax you have between the scanner and the antenna and see what you get there. Move around outside if you can, even if it's just a few feet-even higher might help it.

Robertolson · Dec 8, 2014

I just Put Together a ST2 on Saturday and once I got it put together, I hooked up My Handheld at (Ground level) with no Mast........ I was Very Surprise on it's Performance at Ground level.........once I got it installed on my roof.......... The ST2 really blow me away, on It's Performance....... I did notice That The 75 to 300 Transformer was fragile so be careful handling it.

ronsonol · Apr 21, 2015

I finally got around to hooking up the new balun to the antenna via both the cable that came with it and a different coax cable, and still no luck. Strangely, I got decent reception (on NOAA weather) when the center conductor of the coax touched the antenna body, much better than when it was hooked up to the balun. I still get better reception with the RS rubber duck antenna than with this huge thing. I'm going to try putting it up on a mast, but it mystifies me how my 6" "800mhz" antenna works better for 150MHz reception than this gigantic piece of metal. Not that I know anything about it, but it just seems impossible.

Voyager · Apr 21, 2015

Bad coax maybe?

ronsonol · Apr 21, 2015

I got it up about 10' from the ground to the bottom of the antenna and hooked it up with a few different coax cables, and got basically no reception on 800mhz. I'm seriously puzzled. If I go up in the attic with my rubber duck antenna I will get something at least once in a while from Seattle, but this antenna was up higher than that and got nothing. It doesn't seem like it is something that could really be defective - it's just a bunch of metal riveted together. Very weird.

jonwienke · Apr 22, 2015

You've got to be doing something wrong.

Either you don't have the connections right, or else the balun, coax, or BNC adapter is bad.

If you have all the extensions unfolded properly, the thing will pick up all kinds of signal from CB to over a gigahertz.

Antennacraft DAS-ST-2 - getting nothing at all?

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