Ringo Ranger ARX-2B issues

[n9lea]

I've had a Ringo Ranger ARX-2B sitting around in the basement for a number of years. It worked well when I took it down from an old house.

I put it up on the roof the other day, mostly for use as a scanner antenna on VHF, and it barely performs better than a rubber ducky.

There's new feedline to it - it and the various connections appear good and check out just fine with an ohmmeter.

Here's the question: When I measure the resistance across the feedline with the antenna connected, I get 1 ohm, which is basically a short. Is this normal? I wouldn't expect so. If not, is there a particular place on this antenna (like that coil or somewhere) that I should be checking out? I do plan to check that coax stub once I get up on the roof again.

Thanks!

 

[FLRAILMAN]

Check the post on this forum dated: 06-25-09 at: 6:01 PM by member "CSXRiverline" entitled: "Receive BW Ringo Ranger ARX-2B" It may help you find a solution to your problem, good luck.

(PS) I was still in junior high school when Cushcraft was producing them, you have a relic there.

Cushcraft Amateur Radio Antennas

FLRAILMAN

 

[zz0468]

It's normal to read a short on a Ringo Ranger. Tuning on those things is pretty critical, so if you're using it way out of band from where it was tuned, I'm not too surprised that it doesn't perform as well as you think it should.

 

[n9lea]

Thanks for the replies, guys!

 

[kb2vxa]

If you haven't disassembled it just mark off the sections, take everything apart for a good cleaning and reassemble it. Old, weathered antennas have a nasty habit of failing if not cleaned up periodically. So what did you do with the assembly chart? That antenna can cover the entire VHF Hi Band and has plenty of gain BTW. FYI, the chart is for tuning it to resonance so first you have to get that right, adjusting the ring (a gamma matching section) only matches the base impedance to 50 ohms so don't let your SWR meter lie to you.

I should mention one thing often overlooked is always measure the SWR AT THE ANTENNA when tuning and matching impedance, you want a proper 50 ohm antenna load to start out with. Ordinary meters are not true VSWR bridges and are fooled by phase angles so they'll give erroneous readings depending on where in the transmission line they're placed even when everything is perfectly matched. Due to this phenomenon there is the other side of the coin, it can look good when you have a severe load mismatch, the particular length of coax acting as an impedance transformer again fooling the meter. It LOOKS like 50 ohms but is it really?

Edit: Remember The Trashmen? That song applies here, the Bird is the word! (;->)

As a footnote, not exactly there ZZ. I used one both for 2M and for VHF scanning and it worked out rather well. It's agreed that when not properly resonated to the band segment in question receive performance falls off but it doesn't go deaf.

 

[prcguy]

If you mean Bird as in Bird Thruline 43 wattmeter, it is a simple directional coupler with diode detector just like the $20 CB type SWR meters. It will be affected by its placement along the feedline just like the CB SWR meters.

The Thruline is usually more trustworthy than a CB SWR meter but with +/- 5% accuracy full scale and less at lower readings its not the bottom line in power or VSWR measurements.
prcguy

If you haven't disassembled it just mark off the sections, take everything apart for a good cleaning and reassemble it. Old, weathered antennas have a nasty habit of failing if not cleaned up periodically. So what did you do with the assembly chart? That antenna can cover the entire VHF Hi Band and has plenty of gain BTW. FYI, the chart is for tuning it to resonance so first you have to get that right, adjusting the ring (a gamma matching section) only matches the base impedance to 50 ohms so don't let your SWR meter lie to you.

I should mention one thing often overlooked is always measure the SWR AT THE ANTENNA when tuning and matching impedance, you want a proper 50 ohm antenna load to start out with. Ordinary meters are not true VSWR bridges and are fooled by phase angles so they'll give erroneous readings depending on where in the transmission line they're placed even when everything is perfectly matched. Due to this phenomenon there is the other side of the coin, it can look good when you have a severe load mismatch, the particular length of coax acting as an impedance transformer again fooling the meter. It LOOKS like 50 ohms but is it really?

Edit: Remember The Trashmen? That song applies here, the Bird is the word! (;->)

As a footnote, not exactly there ZZ. I used one both for 2M and for VHF scanning and it worked out rather well. It's agreed that when not properly resonated to the band segment in question receive performance falls off but it doesn't go deaf.

 

[kb2vxa]

Er, I never mentioned the 43 specifically, please note the smiley. Now just to be pedantic, it's not an SWR meter but rather it's a directional watt meter so you have to use the chart to determine the standing wave ratio.

Oh don't start, I'm just being my usual self... again. (;->)

 

[blueangel-eric]

I once tried a scanner on the ARX-2B and it was deaf as a doorknob because the FM broadcast overloads and desenses the scanner. on the ham radio it was superb. so i thought i would mention it as no one else did. gain antennas aren't always good for scanners.

 

[kb2vxa]

The problem had nothing to do with the antenna and everything to do with the receiver, you said so yourself without realizing it.