"user manual"
Contents
1. and other coaxial Stubs cccceeeccceceeeeeeeees 19 5 2 6 Measuring the characteristic 1mMpedance ccccccseeeceeseeseeeaeeeees 20 5 3 Measurement Of Other Cl6MCntS sii sues cccassarceseavsccursaraceneennveiesavsdaageere 21 WoL Cap aCitOrs alG NAUC OS er a a aE 21 So AA E O E A E S A A SE E A TE 22 SA REsp nal cencralOr seride E 22 1 Description RigExpert AA 30 and AA 54 are powerful antenna analyzers designed for testing checking tuning or repairing antennas and antenna feedlines RigExpert Graphical SWR Standing Wave Ratio and impedance display are key features of these analyzers which significantly reduce the time required to adjust an antenna Easy to use measurement modes as well as additional features such as connection to a personal computer to plot Smith diagrams etc make RigExpert AA 30 and AA 54 attractive for professionals and hobbyists The following tasks are easily accomplished by using these analyzers e Rapid check out of an antenna e Tuning an antenna to resonance e Comparing characteristics of an antenna before and after specific event rain hurricane etc e Making coaxial stubs or measuring heir parameter oe on a a H button start stop able fault location measurement enter r e e Measuring capacitance or 5 ERAI button exit to main inductance of reactive loads menu cancel 9 6 Power on off button 7 USB connector Antenna connector LC2. s subbands bandpass filter frequency response graph With no load at the antenna connector the display should look like shown on the picture Press any key to erit The top of the curve should be located in the middle of the screen between the two horizontal dotted lines A small horizontal shift of the curve is allowed 13 0 go to the third page of settings which contains reset commands Settings page 3 of 3 Settings page 3 of 3 A Reset to factory defaults A Reset to Factory defaults fl lest page B Delete graph memories fl lest page MA appl ARA discard MA apply REGEN discard AA 30 AA 54 reset the entire analyzer to factory defaults reset all 100 graph memories AA 54 only i go to the first page of settings 4 7 Computer connection RigExpert antenna analyzers may be connected to a personal computer for displaying measurement results on its screen taking screen shots of the LCD as well as for updating the firmware A conventional USB cable may be used for this purpose The supporting software is located on the supplied CD or may be downloaded from the www rigexpert com website After installing programs please see the Software Manual for details 14 5 Applications 5 1 Antennas 5 1 1 Checking the antenna It is a good idea to check an antenna before connecting it to the receiving or transmitting equipment The SWR graph mode is good for this purpose at
3. Fe F100 200 kHz The above picture shows SWR graph of an HF antenna The operating frequency is 7 1 MHz The SWR at this frequency is about 1 1 which is acceptable The next screen shot shows SWR graph of a simple dipole antenna with a desired operating frequency of 14 1 MHz SwE 14170027000 KHz The actual resonant frequency is about 13 4 MHz which is too far from the desired one The SWR at 14 1 MHz is about 2 5 which is not acceptable in most cases 5 1 2 Adjusting the antenna When the measurement diagnoses that the antenna is off the desired frequency the analyzer can help in adjusting it 15 Physical dimensions of a simple antenna such as a dipole can be adjusted knowing the actual resonant frequency and the desired one Other types of antennas may contain more than one element to adjust including coils filters etc so this method will not work Instead you may use the SWR mode or the Show all mode to continuously see the results while adjusting various parameters of the antenna AA 54 For multi band antennas use the Multi SWR mode You can easily see how changing one of the adjustment elements trimming capacitor coil physical length of an aerial affects SWR at up to five different frequencies 5 2 Coaxial lines 5 2 1 Open and short circuited cables k 10000270000 kHz ks 100002 10000 kHz Open circuited cable Short circuited cable The above pictures show R and X graphs for a piece of cab
4. are not included with the analyzer Users can purchase these batteries with a corresponding charging adapter 3 Precautions Never connect the analyzer to your antenna in thunderstorms Lightning strikes as well as static discharge may kill the operator Never leave the analyzer connected to your antenna after you finished operating it Occasional lightning strikes or nearby transmitters may permanently damage it Never inject RF signal into the analyzer Do not connect it to your antenna if you have active transmitters nearby Avoid static discharge while connecting a cable to the analyzer It is recommended to ground the cable before connecting it Do not leave the analyzer in active measurement mode when you are not actually using it This may cause interference to nearby receivers If using a personal computer first connect the cable to the antenna connector of the analyzer Then plug the analyzer to the computer USB port This will protect the analyzer from static discharges 4 Operation 4 1 Preparation for use Open the cover on the bottom panel of the analyzer Install two fully charged 1 2V Ni MH or two 1 5V alkaline batteries watching the polarity Do not mix new and old batteries use batteries of different types at the same time overheat or disassemble batteries short circuit batteries try to re charge alkaline batteries To charge Ni MH batteries use charging adapters rec
5. the behavior of the reactive component X near the zero frequency e Ifthe value of X is moving from co to 0 the cable is open circuited e Ifthe value of X is moving from O to the cable is short circuited 18 5 2 5 Making 1 4 1 2 2 and other coaxial stubs Pieces of cable of certain electrical length are often used as components of baluns balancing units transmission line transformers or delay lines To make a stub of the predetermined electrical length 1 Calculate the physical length Divide the electromagnetic constant by the required frequency in Hz Multiply the result by the velocity factor of the cable then multiply by the desired ratio in respect to A Example 1 4 stub for 28 2 MHz cable is RG 58 velocity factor is 0 66 299 792 458 28 200 000 0 66 1 4 1 75 meters Or 983 571 056 28 200 000 0 66 1 4 5 75 feet 2 Cut a piece of cable slightly longer than this value Connect it to the analyzer The cable must be open circuited at the far end for 1 4 A 3 4 A etc stubs and short circuited for 1 2 A A 3 2 A etc ones Example A piece of 1 85 m 6 07 ft was cut The margin is 10 cm 0 33 ft The cable is open circuited at the far end 3 Switch the analyzer to the Show all measurement mode Set the frequency the stub is designed for Example 28 200 kHz was set 4 Cut little pieces 1 10 to 1 5 of the margin from the far end of the cable until the X value fa
6. D Liquid Crystal Display Keypad og a T 2 Specifications Frequency range AA 30 0 1 to 30 MHz AA 54 0 1 to 54 MHz Frequency entry 1 kHz resolution SWR measurement range to 10 SWR measurement for 50 and 75 Ohm systems SWR display numerical or easily readable bar R and X range 0 1000 1000 1000 in numerical mode 0 200 200 200 in graph mode Display modes SWR at single or multiple AA 54 only frequencies SWR R X Z L C at single frequency SWR graph 100 points R X graph 100 points RF output Connector type UHF SO 239 Output signal shape rectangular 0 1 10 MHz AA 30 or 0 1 10 8 MHz AA 54 For higher frequencies third or fifth AA 54 harmonics are used Output power about 13 dBm at 50 Ohm load Power Two 1 5V alcaline batteries type AA Two 1 2V 1800 2700 mA h Ni MH batteries type AA Max 3 hours of continuous measurement max 2 days in stand by mode when fully charged batteries are used When the analyzer is connected to a PC or a DC adapter with USB socket it takes power from these sources Interface 133x64 graphical backlit LCD 6x3 keys on the water proof keypad AA 54 multilingual menus and help screens AA 30 menus and help screens in English language USB connection to a personal computer Dimensions 22 10 3 6 cm 9 4 1 5 Operating temperature 0 40 C 32 104 F Weight including batteries 400g 14 Oz Batteries
7. RigExpert AA 30 Antenna Analyzer 0 1 to 30 MHz AA 54 Antenna Analyzer 0 1 to 54 MHz User s manual Table of contents Fed DOSCH Pll OM eena siete len ecenmannrinun laa eantinadsbAgaertanan Gesbie a deat ass 27s SPC CVC AMONG eena a bs nant be cnsa aes deaiaice Mua seneeten De NOM AVION G eraser ade oedema etgetarel des ners tect aout E EAE AE Be OPEO sce natadcae etc gusmsauen par NN A k Prepara On Ol WGC iaa E EE E E EE A2 T rme the analyzer onor Ol eseni A KONET sae e E eee eee eee ere 4 4 Single and multi point measurement modes seesseessseesseesssersseessse Ai l SWR MOJ oreore a E 4 4 2 Multi SWR mode AA 54 only nosennsssensssenssssenssssessssrsssssessserssss Ade SNOW alll TMOG e N E BD CTT ATO e EEE T E Als sare E ET E E EE E N EET aera ko R O a ee E A E E EE 10 IRA Orap eeraa E EE E NO E 10 4 5 3 Memory operation AA 54 only snnneseensesenssseenssseesssersssserssseres 11 KO SELON SS MENU one ed aarge ee eehancemenead ane sean 11 4 TC OMPULEMCONNECUOM assan E O 14 SAPPIA ONS ao E E E T E E 15 PLA ea a E E 15 A Ws Dre E AEE E E A EA E ee ae ee ere 15 SD PNG USUING the Anenii decer EE Ea 15 DD CO ARTA INES reina E T E aca seioa meats 16 5 2 1 Open and short circuited Cables ccceeccccsseeccceeeeecceeeeseesaeeeees 16 52 2 Cable lenoth measurement sssrin ann 16 52 3 Velocity factor measu remen aranense a a 18 5 24 Cable fault locion asinn OE 18 5 2 5 Making 1 4 A 1 2
8. cal length of the cable by dividing the above speed by the resonant frequency in Hz and multiplying the result by the number which corresponds to the location of this resonant frequency 1 4 1 2 3 4 1 5 4 etc Example 197 863 022 4 835 000 1 4 10 23 meters Or 649 156 897 4 835 000 1 4 33 56 feet The actual length of this cable is 10 09 meters or 33 1 feet which is about 1 off the calculated result 17 5 2 3 Velocity factor measurement For a known resonant frequency and physical length of a cable the actual value of the velocity factor can be easily measured 1 Locate a resonant frequency as described above Example 10 09 meters 33 10 feet of open circuited cable Resonant frequency is 4835 kHz at the 1 4 wave point 2 Calculate the speed of electromagnetic wave in this cable Divide the length by 1 4 1 2 3 4 etc depending on the location of the resonant frequency then multiply by the resonant frequency in Hz Example 10 09 1 4 4 835 000 195 140 600 meters per second Or e 33 10 1 4 4 835 000 640 154 000 feet per second 3 Finally find the velocity factor Just divide the above speed by the electromagnetic constant Example 195 140 600 299 792 458 0 65 Or 640 154 000 983 571 056 0 65 5 2 4 Cable fault location To locate the position of the probable fault in the cable just use the same method as when measuring its length Watch
9. e the square root of the product of these two values Example 1 sqrt 54 4 51 1 52 7 Ohm Example 2 sqrt 75 2 52 1 62 6 Ohm 5 3 Measurement of other elements Although RigExpert antenna analyzers are designed for use with antennas and antenna feeder paths they may be successfully used to measure parameters of other RF elements 5 3 1 Capacitors and inductors Analyzers can measure capacitance from a few pF to about 0 1 uF as well as inductance from a few nH to about 100 uH Be sure to place the capacitor or the inductor as close as possible to the RF connector of the analyzer 1 Enter the R X graph mode and select the full scanning range Perform a scan FRx 1680002 715 000 kHz R 160002 715 000 kHz 200 200 100 Example 1 Example 2 Unknown capacitor Unknown inductor 2 By using left and right arrow keys scroll to the frequency where X is 25 100 Ohm for capacitors or 25 100 Ohm for inductors Change the scanning range and perform additional scans if needed 21 3 Switch to the Show all mode and read the value of capacitance or inductance Show all show all 14 000 kHz Sw oo 139 000 kHz SWE oo Series model lel 597 6 0 Series model lel 57 10 Fi 0 0 n a OB T Fi 0 0 n aor ET Le 13a pF L 478 nH Example 1 Example 2 Unknown capacitor Unknown inductor 5 3 2 Transformers RigExpert analyzers can also be used for checking RF transformers Connect a 50 Ohm resistor to the seconda
10. guage F English El Sound P on B Backlit F on E Load F SU D El Sound F on B Model of 2 P series A Load FSO Best page fl Mest page A Model of Z F series fae apply AIRA discard fae apply AIRA discard AA 30 AA 54 language selection AA 54 only backlight on or off sound on or off reference impedance selection for SWR measurement 50 or 75 Ohm Kg select series or parallel model of load 0 go to the second page of settings which contains various test commands used for fast check of the entire analyzer 11 Settings page 2 of 3 A Resistive bridge levels B Detector response test Built in Filter test fl Plext page MA appl REGED discard RF bridge test With no load at the antenna connector the display should look like shown on the picture Press any key to egit For the 50 Ohm load the filled bars should stand at corresponding positions notice the no load and 50 Q marks gt ee AO os Press any key to exit If the bars are not filled at all the RF output stage or and the detector are not working properly in the analyzer 12 detector output voltage vs frequency graph With no load at the antenna connector the display should look like shown on the picture Press any key to exit Press any key bo eit AA 30 AA 54 The voltage curve should stay between the horizontal dotted lines The vertical lines are the bounds of analyzer
11. icator shows battery discharge level When the battery voltage is too low this indicator starts flashing e The USB icon is displayed when the analyzer is plugged to a personal computer or to a DC adapter with USB socket RigExpert antenna analyzers are self documenting pressing the key will bring a help screen with a list of available keys for the current mode 4 4 Single and multi point measurement modes In single point measurement modes various parameters of antenna or other load are measured at a given frequency In multi point modes several different frequencies are used 4 4 1 SWR mode The SWR mode press the A key in the Main menu displays the SWR bar as well as the numerical value of this parameter SF measurement 3 500 kHz 1 4 3 SWE A 1 Set the desired frequency the R key or change it with left or right arrow keys Press the key to start or stop measurement The flashing antenna icon in the top right corner indicates when the measurement is started Pressing the key will show a list of other commands 4 4 2 MultiSWR mode AA 54 only RigExpert AA 54 has an ability to display SWR for up to five different frequencies at a time Multis w P Ciba Multis wE AE B r00 kHz SwE 1 26 E700 kH WO 14100 kH SWE 2 5 14100 kHz E 21 200kHz SWR 1 28 21 200kHz WM PT5000kHz Sw 1 6 PTSO0OkKH M 100000 kKH2 SwR 41 27 100 000 kHz Zi Numerical display Bars You may use this feature t
12. increased or decreased Press the key to refresh the graph AA 54 only the 0 key opens a list of radio amateur bands to set the required center frequency and scanning range quickly Also you may use this function to set the whole frequency range supported by the analyzer Press the f key to access a list of additional commands for this mode 4 5 2 R X graph In the R X graph mode press the By key in the Main menu values or R active part of the impedance and X reactive part are plotted as solid and dotted lines respectively 6 592 S00 kHz Elta 6 532 500 kHz R X graph series model RII XII graph parallel model In these graphs positive values of reactance X correspond to inductive load while negative values correspond to capacitive load Please notice the difference in the plots when the series or parallel model of impedance is selected through the Settings menu 10 4 5 3 Memory operation AA 54 only In the SWR graph and R X graph modes you may choose to scan to memory the 6 key There are 100 independent memory slots Later you may recall 9 the plots from the specified memory Additionally the jj J combination opens the editor of memory slot names 4 6 Settings menu The Settings menu press the 0 key in the Main menu contains various settings for the analyzer The first page contains the following commands Settings page 1 of 3 Settings page 1 of 3 B Backlit F on A Lan
13. le with open and short circuited end A resonant frequency 1s a point at which X see the dotted line equals to Zero e In the open circuited case resonant frequencies correspond to left to right 1 4 3 4 5 4 etc of the wavelength in this cable e For the short circuited cable these points are located at 1 2 1 3 2 etc of the wavelength 5 2 2 Cable length measurement Resonant frequencies of a cable depend on its length as well as on the velocity factor A velocity factor 1s a parameter which characterizes the slowdown of the speed of the wave in the cable compared to vacuum The speed of wave or light in vacuum 1s known as the electromagnetic constant c 299 792 458 meters per second or 983 571 056 feet per second 16 Each type of cable has different velocity factor for instance for RG 58 it is 0 66 Notice that this parameter may vary depending on the manufacturing process and materials the cable is made of To measure the physical length of a cable 1 Locate a resonant frequency by using single point measurement mode or R X graph The 1 4 wave resonant frequency of the piece of open circuited RG 58 cable is 4835 kHz 2 Knowing the electromagnetic constant and the velocity factor of the particular type of cable find the speed of electromagnetic wave in this cable Example 299 792 458 0 66 197 863 022 meters per second Or 983 571 056 0 66 649 156 897 feet per second 3 Calculate the physi
14. lls to zero or changes its sign Do not forget to restore the open circuit 1f needed Example 11 cm 0 36 ft were cut off 19 5 2 6 Measuring the characteristic impedance The characteristic impedance 1s one of the main parameters of any coaxial cable Usually its value is printed on the cable by the manufacturer However in certain cases the exact value of the characteristic impedance is unknown or is in question To measure the characteristic impedance of a cable 1 Connect a non inductive resistor to the end of the cable The exact value of this resistor is not important However it is recommended to use 50 to 100 Ohm resistors Example 1 RG 58 cable with 51 Ohm resistor at the far end Example 2 Unknown cable with 51 Ohm resistor at the far end 2 Enter the R X graph mode and make measurement in the full frequency range Example 1 RG 58 cable Ris 15000275 O00 kHz 100 3 Changing the display range and performing additional scans find a frequency where R solid line reaches its maximum and another frequency with minimum At these points X dotted line will cross the zero line Example 1 975 kHz max 1 838 MHz min Example 2 1 988 MHz max 4 425 MHz min 20 4 Switch the analyzer to the Show all measurement mode and find values of R at the previously found frequencies Example 1 54 4 Ohm max 51 1 Ohm min Example 2 75 2 Ohm max 52 1 Ohm min 5 Calculat
15. o tune multi band antennas Use up and down cursor keys to select a frequency to be set or changed Press the 0 key to switch between SWR bars and numerical representation of this parameter 4 4 3 Show all mode The Show all mode the 8 key will show various parameters of a load on a single screen Particularly SWR IZI magnitude of impedance as well as its active R and reactive X components are shown Additionally corresponding values of inductance L or capacitance C are displayed Show all 142350 kHz SWF 1 04 Series model ll 52 1 0 FR 62 10 ma O20 L 2nH For this mode you may choose either series or parallel model of impedance of a load through the Settings menu e In the series model impedance is expressed as resistance and reactance connected in series Z R jx e In the parallel model impedance is expressed as resistance and reactance connected in parallel 4 5 Graph modes A key feature of RigExpert antenna analyzers is ability to display various parameters of a load graphically Graphs are especially useful to view the behavior of these parameters over the specified frequency band 4 5 1 SWR graph In the SWR graph mode press the RJ key in the Main menu values of the Standing Wave Ratio are plotted over the specified frequency range at Fe 6 69S 500 kHz You may set the center frequency the RA key or scanning range the By key By using arrow keys these parameters may be
16. ommended for this type of batteries Any leaks of electrolyte from the batteries may seriously damage the analyzer Remove batteries if the analyzer is not being used for a long period of time Store batteries in a dry cool place 4 2 Turning the analyzer on or off To turn the analyzer on or off use the power button located at the bottom right corner of the keypad When this button is pressed firmware version number as well as battery voltage are displayed on the LCD The on screen menu system of RigExpert antenna analyzers provides a simple but effective way to control the entire device Since capabilities of AA 30 and AA 54 are different menus of these analyzers are also slightly different When needed screen shots of both analyzer types are shown in the following examples 4 3 Main menu Once the analyzer is turned on the Main menu appears on the LCD Mainimenu O Z O Z F Mainimenu O Z Z F 0 Settings can Sir A Settings can SwE Ol Help A Scan A r Ol Help A Scan Er A Set freq E Show SWE A Set freq E Show SWE B Setrange 8 Show all B Setrange Git Mulhiswr AFC mode AFC mode 8 Show all Main menu Main menu of the AA 30 of the AA 54 The Main menu contains a brief list of available commands By pressing keys on the keypad you may enter corresponding measurement modes set up additional parameters etc There 1s a power indicator in the top right corner of the Main menu screen e The battery ind
17. ry coil for 1 1 transformers and use SWR graph or R X graph modes to check the frequency response of the transformer Similarly use resistors with other values for non 1 1 transformers 5 4 RF signal generator The output signal of AA 30 and AA 54 has rectangular waveform and level of about 13 dBm at the 50 Ohm load Therefore these analyzers can be used as sources of RF signal for various purposes For frequencies up to 10 MHz first harmonic of output signal can be used in the range of 10 to 30 MHz third harmonic in the range of 30 to 54 MHz AA 54 only fifth harmonic Enter the SWR mode or the Show all mode press to start then press the PM key to generate an uninterrupted RF signal 22 Notes 23 Copyright 2010 Rig Expert Ukraine Ltd http www rigexpert com RigExpert 1s a registered trademark of Rig Expert Ukraine Ltd 6 Sep 2010 firmware ver 101 24
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