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    The Tenna Dipper A Poor Mans Antenna Analyzer Compress

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    Ratinho Lima

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    The Tenna Dipper A Poor Mans Antenna Analyzer Compress

    Uploaded by

    Ratinho Lima
    119 views39 pages

    Original Title

    The Tenna Dipper a Poor Mans Antenna Analyzer Compress

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    © © All Rights Reserved

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    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    119 views39 pages

    The Tenna Dipper A Poor Mans Antenna Analyzer Compress

    Uploaded by

    Ratinho Lima

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    You are on page 1of 39

    The 'Tenna Dipper: A "Poor

    Man's" Antenna Analyzer


    Mac A. Cody
    AE5PH
    Introduction
    • Who am I?
    • What is antenna tuning?
    • What is antenna analysis?
    • The minimalist approach
    • History of the 'Tenna Dipper
    • My spin on a homebrew 'Tenna Dipper
    • Using the 'Tenna Dipper to tune an antenna
    • Using the 'Tenna Dipper to analyze an antenna
    • Comparison Testing: 'Tenna Dipper vs miniVNA Pro
    • Questions?
    Who Am I?

    • Kansas State University: BSEE '79, MSEE '81


    (Digital signal processing and instrumentation)
    • Motorola GED, Chandler AZ: '81 - '88
    • Sunair Electronics, Ft. Lauderdale FL: '88 - '92
    (Adaptive Link Establishment modem)
    • '92 - Present: E-Systems/Raytheon IIS, Garland TX
    • Technician and General Class: '09 - KF5DAF
    • Amateur Extra: '10 – AE5PH
    • Interests: SDR, home brewing, EMCOMM
    What Is Antenna Tuning?
    • Adjusting an antenna such that it is near or at
    resonance for a desired range of frequencies
    • Adjusting an antenna such that it has nearly the
    same impedance of a connected radio for a
    desired range of frequencies
    • Adjusting a transmatch to compensate for the
    impedance mismatch between an antenna and a
    radio for a desired range of frequencies
    Using a Radio and SWR Meter
    Can Be Problematic
    • Many radios and transmatches do not have built-
    in SWR meters (especially true for home brew
    radios)
    • Good SWR meters can be expensive and
    fragile, either electrically, mechanically, or both
    • Using a radio to tune the antenna may damage
    the radio, the SWR meter, or both
    • An SWR meter is one more piece of radio gear
    to hook up (and transport, if in the field)
    What Is Antenna Analysis?

    • Determining the impedance of an antenna


    over a range of frequencies
    • Determining the Voltage Standing Wave
    Ratio (VSWR) of an antenna over a range
    of frequencies
    • Determining the resonant frequency (or
    frequencies) of an antenna
    • Determining the gain pattern of an
    antenna
    Using an Antenna Analyzer Can
    Be Problematic
    • They can be expensive (good ones are very
    expensive) - $99 to $$$$
    • Many antenna analyzers must be calibrated in
    order to produce reliable, realistic results
    • The operator must use the antenna analyzer
    properly to obtain reliable, realistic results
    • Improper use of an antenna analyzer can
    damage it, resulting in an expensive repair bill
    (or the purchase of a new analyzer, ouch!)
    The Minimalist Approach

    • Antenna tuning: Determine that an antenna or


    transmatch are adjusted such that the radio is
    not likely to be damaged during transmission for
    a desired range of frequencies
    • Antenna analysis: Determine the range of
    frequencies that an antenna is unlikely to cause
    damage to the radio during transmission
    • These similar goals can be accomplished with
    one, relatively simple and (potentially)
    inexpensive piece of test equipment: A Resistive
    SWR Bridge
    A Resistive SWR Bridge
    • A Wheatstone bridge with the
    antenna as the unknown
    resistance Zx (blue circuitry)
    • The green circuitry measures
    the forward voltage
    • The yellow circuitry measures
    the reflected voltage
    • The red circuitry measures
    the bridge imbalance, hence
    the ratio between Zx and 50Ω
    • Only the red circuitry is
    required if only an indication
    of imbalance is needed
    History Of The 'Tenna Dipper
    • Created by Steve "Melt Solder" Weber, KD1JV
    • A digital VCO (74HC46) drives an antenna
    resistance bridge (Harmonics? You betcha!)
    • Four frequency bands are set by four trimmer pots
    forming a tapped voltage ladder, with another
    trimmer pot used for fine adjustments
    • Two 2N3904 transistors, arranged as a Darlington
    pair, drive an LED to indicate the amount of antenna
    mismatch
    • Provides a tap for your frequency meter
    • Fits in an Altoids® tin with a 9V battery!
    4SQRP 'Tenna Dipper Kit
    • Commercialized version of the 'Tenna Dipper
    formerly sold by the Four State QRP Group
    • Added a modified version of the Arizona
    ScQRPions Stinger frequency counter chip,
    which reports the frequency measured in Morse
    code at 27 WPM
    • Isolates VCO and frequency counter from bridge
    via a logic gate
    • Still fits in an Altoids® tin (if you trim the PCB)
    with a 9V battery
    Hendricks Deluxe 'Tenna Dipper
    Kit
    • Currently sold as a kit by Hendricks QRP Kits for
    $75 (Is there value for this cost?)
    • Provides frequency counter with a four-character
    LED, with two frequency scales
    • Two MPS5179 RF transistors to improve detector
    performance at higher frequencies
    • One, single turn pot to set frequency in two bands
    • Kit includes components, PCB, decals, and an
    unfinished case
    • Yahoo group provides support
    My Spin On a Homebrew
    'Tenna Dipper
    • PIC micro-based LED frequency counter designed
    by Wolfgang "Wolf" Büscher, DL4YHF
    • Diode separates bridge from VCO and frequency
    counter to avoid signal reflection interference
    • Still uses two MPS5179 RF transistors, after some
    enlightening experimentation
    • Ten-turn pot to improve frequency selectivity
    • Created single-sided PCB using Eagle CAD
    • Discovered frequency sensitivity issues - VCO,
    transistors, bridge transformer?
    Homebrewing is a learning experience!
    AE5PH 'Tenna Dipper PCB
    Completed AE5PH 'Tenna Dipper
    Power Output Frequency Sensitivity
    Power Output Over Frequecy Range (50Ω Load)
    0.04

    0.03

    0.03

    0.02
    Power (W)

    Power w/ Diode (W)


    Power w/o Diode (W)
    Power w/ HC04 (W)
    0.02 Power w/ AC04 (W)

    Possible causes of power loss are VCO duty cycle


    0.01

    reduction, transistor gain frequency roll-off, or frequency


    sensitivity in the bridge transformer – Hendricks QRP
    0.01

    Deluxe 'Tenna Dipper probably has this problem too!


    0
    0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

    Frequency (MHz)
    Using the 'Tenna Dipper to
    Tune an Antenna
    • Select the frequency band and adjust the pot to
    display the desired frequency
    • Adjust the antenna until the LED brightness "dips" to
    a minimum, or ...
    • Adjust the transmatch until the LED brightness
    "dips" to a minimum
    • Adjust the pot and watch the brightness of the LED
    and the frequency counter value to estimate the
    match frequency range
    • Multiple LED "dips" may be due to VCO harmonics
    Using the 'Tenna Dipper to
    Analyze an Antenna
    • Switch between bands and adjust the pot until the
    LED brightness "dips" to a minimum
    • The frequency counter displays a local maximum
    resonance point
    • Adjust the pot and watch the LED brightness and
    the frequency counter to get a sense of the range of
    locally maximal resonance
    • Perform this task over the frequencies of interest, as
    there may be multiple resonance points
    • Multiple LED "dips" may be due to VCO harmonics
    Comparison Testing
    • How does the 'Tenna
    Dipper compare to a real
    antenna analyzer?
    • The mini Radio Solutions
    miniVNA Pro is a PC-
    based Vector Network
    Analyzer (VNA)
    • It will be used to provide
    “truth” measurements for
    a test antenna
    • Provided by Doug Knabe
    KN5DK
    Testing at QTH of Doug KN5DK
    Subject: Homebrew Buddipole
    • A Buddipole is a “walking
    portable”, loaded dipole
    developed by Budd
    Drummond W3FF
    • Band selection (20, 17, 15,
    12, or 10 meters) through
    selection of loading coils
    • Tuning done by adjusting
    the length of the whips
    Buddipole Setup

    • Buddipole configured with 20-meter coils


    • Black whip - Fully extend all five sections
    • Red whip - Fully extend the inner four
    sections and extend the outer, fifth section
    by 3½ inches
    • Raise Buddipole to sixteen feet above the
    ground
    • Goal: Operate at 14.180 MHz with an
    SWR < 2:1
    Reflection Measurement
    Single Frequency Measurement
    Smith Chart Measurement

    14.180 MHz
    'Tenna Dipper Results
    • LED dimmed, but did not fully extinguish,
    at about 14.15 MHz
    • This is the frequency at which the complex
    impedance vector is closest to 50 Ohms
    • Errors in the 'Tenna Dipper's frequency
    counter are not taken into account
    • Bench testing indicated that frequency
    counter may be have about ±10 KHz error
    'Tenna Dipper Tuning Table
    Red Aerial Whip Sections* Frequency where LED is Dimmest
    4 Sections + 6.5” of Section 5 14.00 MHz
    4 Sections + 6.0” of Section 5 14.02 MHz
    4 Sections + 5.5” of Section 5 14.05 MHz
    4 Sections + 5.0” of Section 5 14.07 MHz
    4 Sections + 4.5” of Section 5 14.10 MHz
    4 Sections + 4.0” of Section 5 14.12 MHz
    4 Sections + 3.5” of Section 5 14.15 MHz
    4 Sections + 3.0” of Section 5 14.17 MHz
    4 Sections + 2.5” of Section 5 14.19 MHz
    4 Sections + 2.0” of Section 5 14.21 MHz
    4 Sections + 1.5” of Section 5 14.23 MHz
    4 Sections + 1.0” of Section 5 14.25 MHz
    4 Sections + 0.5” of Section 5 14.28 MHz
    *Black aerial always has all five sections of whip fully extended
    Questions?

    Thanks and 73, Mac / AE5PH

    ...and a big thanks to Doug Knabe KN5DK


    for his hospitality and support during testing!
    Back-up Slides
    Smith Chart Measurement

    14.180 MHz

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