VTronix Antenna

[Trevor_swfyc]

Help this is driving me insania! I have fitted a new Hawk Antenna and wind indicator. The old one worked but as I was up the mast fitting the Nasa wind speed cups I would treat the boat to a new aerial. The fitting looked idiot proof, but no try as I might the reception is somewhat lacking like dead. Thought it might be the radio fitted a spare old aerial and it worked so radio is ok. Rewired the plug to radio still dead, went out to the boat today to try another plug cut the wire off the plug and got a static belt off the wire. The cut wire was actually hissing as static jumped from the outer to inner core.
It looked to me that the hollow nosed bullet that fits to the aerial is pre wired is this correct or do you have to pull the bullet off the wire and wire it up?.
Note also I wired through the deck with a gland so the wire is continuous from the aerial to the radio.
I have sent an email to info@communicationaerials.com but in the meantime any help would be much appreciated.
Trevor



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[Talbot]

I fitted one of these last year. The only connection I made was to the deck connection - used old cable from deck connection back to radio, and just made a normal co-ax join to the wire on outside of deck connection - reception is superb. I pick up portland all the time from Portsmouth harbour, and even further afield on occasion - a superb aerial, so guess there is something wrong with yours.

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[Trevor_swfyc]

Talbot,
Thanks for your reply, also top marks for a reply from aerialcommunications.com they suggest taking the whole lot down and returning it to the shop so it can be returned to them for checking, clearly easier said than done.
There is a moral here check it works before you fit it, I did with the wind speed but sadly not the VTronix aerial.

Trevor



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[Trevor_swfyc]

Just for the record aerialcommunications have now confirmed that the bullet has to be connected. The wire has to be stripped back 6mm leaving braid showing else a proper contact will not be made and the inner should protrude through the bullet.
So I expect the wire is just stuffed into the bullet which made it look as though it was factory prepared.
Anybody tried soldering while up the mast, hohum.
Maybe the instruction want looking at, nowhere did it say anything about fitting the bullet.
Ian was your bullet connected to the wire and did you remove it and then solder it to the prepared wire?

What a saga!
Thanks Trevor





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[Bassman]

Trevor

I am replacing the cable for my VTronix aerial. Can the existing bullet be reused or do I have to buy a new one? How do I get the old one off? Soldering Iron and tension?

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[Trevor_swfyc]

Bassman,

My bullet was not soldered on and the only preparation of the wire was about 5mm of the inner with its insulation protruding from the outer wire with no braid exposed.
The wire if crimped was only partially so as I was able to pull the bullet from the wire. No wire protruded or touched any part of the bullet.
I would say providing the bullet has not been aggressively crimped or damaged you could not reuse it. Evidently the current thinking is to crimp and not solder, there was a thread on this some months ago, also you must use the correct wire ie not TV coax.
The lesson from my problem was make sure the connect works before you fit it all up the mast. Also understand how the connection is being achieved. I now wonder if a pin in the aerial was supposed to penetrate into the cable inner and hence make contact and I did not push the bullet hard enough up into the aerial socket to achieve this.
You should have no problem if you replace as you found it!

All the best.
Trevor








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