RigExpert AA-230 ZOOM
Contents
1. 230 200 Antenna and cable analyzer RigExpert RigExpert AA 230 ZOOM Cam 8 5 162 i 5 G B 5 Q El e ory GE Table of contents riii GIG 4 Operating the 2380400 9 First time use 5 Main menu eneeneentneneneeeeeeeee 5 Multifunctional keys 6 Connecting to your antenna s 6 SWR 7 Chart ZOOM 1 Data sereen ence 8 Frequency and range ccc ccc ceceeccessssnnnteessessennnnnaneeeeeee 8 Returnlosschart 8 RACIAN E eee hee esau 9 epe rere rere rette 9 Memory operation 10 SWR mode ooo 10 Display all parameters a 11 MultiSWR mode 12 Applications 000 13 Antennas 13 Coax MVS eee E 14 Measurement of other elements 21 PRION OS 24 Annex 1 Specifications 0 0 o 24 Annex 2 Precautions 25 Annex 3 Tools menu 26 Annex 4 Setup menu 0 29 5 mode s 30 Annex 6 Calibration 34 Introduction Thank you for purchasing RigExpert AA 230 ZOOM Antenna and Cable Analyzer We did our best to make it powerful yet easy to use The analyzer is designed for measuring SWR standing wave ratio return loss cable loss as well as other parameters of cable and antenna systems in the range of 100 kHz to 230 MHz A built in ZOOM c2. Calibration Not performed Press v to start calibration Exit Calibration Step 1 of 3 Connect an OPEN calibration standard then press key Exit 144800 10000 kHz 10 y Min 1 30 146 2 mHz To perform open short load calibration select Calibrate in the Main menu or just press the F 2 key combination Following the instructions on the screen connect open short and load calibration standards to the antenna connector of the analyzer You may connect calibration standards to the far end of a cable so the cable will be nulled To apply calibration press the E key combination in any measurement mode The CAL mark will appear at the bottom left corner of the screen 35 Copyright 2015 Rig Expert Ukraine Ltd RigExpert is a registered trademark of Rig Expert Ukraine Ltd Made in Ukraine Doc date 12 Oct 2015
3. Voltage A short electrical pulse is sent over the line and then a reflected pulse is observed By knowing the delay between two pulses the speed of light and the cable velocity factor the DTF distance to fault is calculated The amplitude and the shape of the reflected pulse give the operator idea about the nature of the fault delay Time Pulse Echo sent received Instead of a short pulse a step function may be sent over the cable 30 Unlike many other commercially available reflectometers AA 230 ZOOM does not send pulses into the cable Instead another technique is used First R and X the real and the imaginary part of the impedance are measured over the whole frequency range up to 230 MHz Then the FFT Inverse Fast Fourier Transform is applied to the data As aresult impulse response and step response are calculated This method is often called a Frequency Domain Reflectometry but the TDR term is used in this document since all calculations are made internally and the user can only see the final result reflection Impulse coefficient Response 1 frequency 0 distance 1 reflection Step coefficient Response 1 frequency 0 distance 1 The vertical axis of the resulting chart displays the reflection coefficient 1 for short load 0 for matched impedance load ZLoad Z0 or 1 for open load By knowing the cable velocity factor the horizonta
4. 141 000 kHz To display various parameters of a load 1 05 32 a single screen press the 8 All 51 1 key Series model 91 0 2 9 2 20 912 7 This screen displays values for series as well as parallel models of impedance of a load the series model impedance is the parallel model impedance is expressed as resistance and reactance expressed as resistance and reactance connected in series connected in parallel 11 MultiSWR mode MultiSWR Press the Functional key and Multi key combination to see the SWR 3550 kHz 1 31 at up to five different frequencies This 7150 kHz 1 39 mode may be useful for tuning multi 14150 kHz 1 36 band antennas 21100 1 24 28120 kHz 1 98 Press 1 for help Use Up and w Down cursor keys to select a frequency to be set or changed then press the Frequency key to enter a new value Do not forget to press the OK key to start the measurement 12 508 145500 10000 kHz Min 1 88 146 7 mHz Antennas Checking the antenna It is a good idea to check an antenna before connecting it to the receiving or transmitting equipment The SWR chart mode is good for this purpose The picture on the left shows the SWR chart of a car VHF antenna The operating frequency is 145 5 MHz The SWR at this frequency is about 1 25 which is acceptable The next screen shot shows SWR chart of another car antenna The actual resonant frequency is
5. R X chart mode Positive values of reactance X correspond to inductive load while negative values correspond to capacitive load The chart will display R and X for series or parallel models of a load Press F Functional key and to switch between these models The marker at the bottom of the screen shows a resonant frequency closest to the center of the scan Smith chart The 2 Smith chart key opens a screen where the reflection coefficient is plotted on the Smith chart For a list of hot keys press the EB Help key as usual A small marker is used to indicate the center frequency Memory operation Press the Save key to save the chart into one of 100 available memory slots To retrieve your readings from the memory press then O Load key select a memory slot number and press 0K Select slot 00 141 01 140 146 02 void 03 void press 1 for help To rename any existing memory 5101 press F Functional key and 9 Edit key combination SWR mode To watch the SWR at a single frequency press the SWR key Do not forget to press the OK key to start or stop the measurement Change the frequency with Left or 3 Right cursor keys or press the Frequency key to enter a new frequency SWR 141 000 kHz 1 15 2 2 2 Return loss 8 61 dB The SWR icon in the top left corner flashes when the measurement is performed 10 Display all parameters
6. ZOOM is designed for use with antennas and antenna feeder paths it may be successfully used to measure parameters of other RF elements Capacitors and inductors The analyzer can measure capacitance from a few pF to about 0 1 uF as well as inductance from a few nH to about 100 Since measuring of capacitance and inductance is not a main purpose of RigExpert analyzers the user will have to gain some experience in such measurements 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 chart mode and select a reasonably large scanning range Perform a scan RIXII00000 100000 kHz 75 50 25 0 RIX BL 25000 25000 kHz 75 75 Resonance 98muz Resonance 32 5muz Example 1 Example 2 Unknown capacitor Unknown inductor 21 2 By using left and right arrow keys scroll to the frequency where is 25 100 Ohm for capacitors or 25 100 Ohm for inductors Change the scanning range and perform additional scans if needed 3 Switch to the Data at cursor screen by pressing the O key and read the value of capacitance or inductance Data at 18000 kHz Data at 25000 kHz 00 0 03 00 0 02 99 7 23 3 Series model Series model 0 21 492 7 0 08 148 4 99 7 158 7 23 3 213 2 1 model other exit 1 model other exit Example 1 Example 2 Unknown capacitor Unknown inductor Transformers RigExpert analyzers can also be used
7. about 146 7 MHz which is too far from the desired one The SWR at 145 5 MHz is 2 7 which is not acceptable in most cases 13 Adjusting the antenna When the measurement diagnoses that the antenna is off the desired frequency the analyzer can help in adjusting it 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 the All parameters mode or the Smith chart mode to continuously see the results while adjusting various parameters of the antenna For multi band antennas use the MultiSWR mode You can easily see how changing one of the adjustment elements trimming capacitor coil or physical length of an aerial affects SWR at up to five different frequencies Coaxial lines RN 20000 20000 kHz 2001 A Open and short circuited cables The pictures on the right show R and X charts for a piece of cable with and short circuited far end A resonant frequency is a point at which X reactance equals to zero the open circuited case resonant RIX 20000 20000 kHz frequencies correspond to left 200 to right 1 4 3 4 5 4 etc of the wavelength in this cable For the short circuited cable these points are located at 1 2 1 3 2 etc of the wavelengt
8. for checking RF transformers Connect a 50 Ohm resistor to the secondary coil for 1 1 transformers and use SWR chart R X chart or Smith chart modes to check the frequency response of the transformer Similarly use resistors with other values for 1 1 transformers 22 Traps A trap is usually a resonant L C network used in multi band antennas By using a simple one turn wire coil a resonant frequency of a trap may be measured SWR 15000 15000 kHz Min 2 8a417 4w Example A coaxial trap constructed of 5 turns of TV cable coil diameter is 6 cm was measured A one turn coil about 10 cm in diameter connected to the analyzer was placed co axially a few centimeters away from the measured trap The SWR chart shows a visible dip near 17 4 MHz which is a resonant frequency of the trap 23 Annex 1 Specifications Frequency range 0 1 to 230 MHz Frequency entry 1 kHz resolution Measurement for 25 50 75 and 100 Ohm systems SWR measurement range 1 to 100 in numerical modes 1 to 10 chart modes SWR display numerical or analog indicator R and X range 0 10000 10000 10000 Ohm in numerical modes e 0 1000 1000 1000 Ohm in chart modes Display modes e SWR at single or multiple frequencies SWR return loss R X Z C at single frequency e SWR chart 100 to 500 points R X chart 100 to 500 points e Smith chart 100 to 500 points e Return lo
9. frequency 150 120 90 52 10 at 71369 kHz Exit Cable impedance To measure the characteristic impedance use a piece of an open circuited cable a half of a meter or a foot or longer should be fine Press OK to start Next the far end of the cable should be short circuited Press OK to continue There are several reasons why the resulting chart does not look smooth SO we need to use lt Left and 3 Right cursor keys to find the location where the impedance is stable The result is shown at the bottom left corner of the screen use E 03 up E Down key combinations to change the scale if needed 27 Self tests There are several built in self tests in the AA 230 ZOOM analyzer which can be run by the user to make sure the analyzer is working properly Make sure all cables or adapters are disconnected from the antenna connector of your analyzer then press OK to start the first test Detector test You should see the Passed message in case of success Continue with two more tests the second Built in filter test and the third Test with load For the third test make sure to connect a good 50 Ohm load directly to the analyzer s antenna connector 28 Self tests Step 1 of 3 Detector test Before starting the test please unplug any cables or adapters from the analyzer then press the 7 key Exit Self tests Detectortest Passed
10. 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 25 For the quick access to the the Tools menu press the F 8 key combination Cable loss To measure the oss in a coaxial cable connect a piece of a cable to the antenna connector of the analyzer Make sure the far end of the cable is open circuited Press OK to start Next short circuit the far end of the cable and press OK to continue Once the analyzer finishes the measurement you will see the Loss versus frequency chart Use Left and Right cursor keys to change frequency and watch the loss value in decibels at the bottom of the analyzer s screen To see the list of other keypad shortcuts press the Help key 26 Cable loss measurement Step 1 of 2 Connect an OPEN CIRCUIT cable to the antenna connector then press the v key to start Exit dB Loss vs frequenc 1 25 1 0 67 dB at 115050 kHz Exit Characteristic impedance Step 1 of 2 Connect open circuit cable to the antenna connector Then press v key Om Reo vs
11. Cursor down keys to scroll through the menu then press OK to select an item SWR meter For your convenience a_ battery Press for help indicator is shown at the top left corner of the screen This indicator is replaced with a USB icon when the analyzer is connected to your computer R X chart You may use hot keys for the quick access to certain tasks For instance press the EB SWR chart button to open the SWR chart screen immediately 9 Multifunctional keys Most keys on the analyzer s keypad perform several functions For instance numbers 1 are used to enter frequency and other numerical parameters Main functions 2 provide quick access to most common tasks Alternative functions 3 are executed if the user holds the F Functional key For the convenience alternative functions are marked with yellow Connecting to your antenna Plug the cable to your analyzer s antenna connector and then tighten the rotating Sleeve The rest of the connector as well as the cable should remain stationary If you twist other parts of the connector when tightening or loosening damage may easily occur Twisting is not allowed by design of the N connector SWR L15000 115000 kHz A SWR chart Once your antenna is connected to the analyzer it is time to measure its characteristics Press the 4 SWR chart key to open the SWR chart screen then press OK to start a new meas
12. Press the key to perform the next test Exit Self tests Step 3 of 3 Test with load Now connect a 50 Ohm load directly to the analyzer then press the v key Exit For the quick access to the Setup menu Palette Orange press the F key combination Battery Optimal There are several settings the Setup Sound Loud menu Press 1 for help e Language select a language for the analyzer s menus e Palette choose a color scheme Setup e Battery select a power consumption scheme Sys imp 90 Ohm e Sound select sound volume Units Metric e Sys imp select system impedance 25 50 75 or 100 Ohm which affects SWR and return loss readings Cable vel factor 0 66 e Units select metric meters or imperial feet units Press 1 for help Bands select region for highlighting of radio amateur bands e Cable vel factor choose a velocity e t Setup factor of the coaxial cable for the TDR mode Freq corr 0 ppm Freq corr frequency correction of Data points 100 the analyzer s oscillator e Data points select a number of data Reset settings points for each frequency sweep e Reset settings reset the analyzer to factory defaults Press 1 for help saved charts clear all memory slots 29 Annex 5 TDR mode Theory Time domain reflectometers TDR are electronic instruments used for locating faults in transmission lines
13. apability makes graphical measurements especially effective An integrated Time Domain Reflectometer mode can be used to locate a fault within the feedline system The following tasks are easily accomplished by using this analyzer e Rapid check out of an antenna 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 their parameters e Cable testing and fault location measuring cable loss and characteristic impedance e Measuring capacitance or inductance of reactive loads RigExpert AA 230 ZOOM 1 Antenna connector 2 Liquid crystal display 3 Keypad 4 USB connector Operating the First time use AA 230 ZOOM Please insert four AAA batteries either alkaline or Ni MH ones into the battery compartment of the analyzer watching the polarity Instead you may power it from a spare USB port of your computer by using a conventional USB cable Press the Power key located at the bottom right corner of the keypad to turn on the analyzer After displaying the initial message showing a firmware version and a serial number of the instrument a Main menu appears on the screen The analyzer will be turned off automatically if not in use for too long Main menu The Main menu acts as a starting point Mainmenu from where different tasks may be Smith chart launched SWR chart Use WY Cursor up and 4
14. h Resonance 19 2muz 14 Cable length measurement Resonant frequencies of a cable depend on its length as well as on the velocity factor A velocity factor is 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 is known as the electromagnetic constant c 299 792 458 meters or 983 571 056 feet per second 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 the R X chart 5300 5000 kHz 200 Example The 1 4 wave resonant frequency of a piece of open circuited RG 58 cable is 4100 kHz Resonance 4 1 wuz 2 Knowing the electromagnetic 299792 458 x 0 66 constant and the velocity factor of the 197 863 022 meters per second particular type of cable find the speed of Or electromagnetic wave in this cable 983 571 056 x 0 66 649 156 897 feet per second 15 3 Calculate the physical 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 Velocity factor measurement 197 863 022 4 100 000 x 1 4 12 06
15. he 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 far end of the cable The exact value of this resistor is not important However it is recommended to use 50 to 100 Ohm resistors 2 Enter the R X chart mode and make measurement in a reasonably large frequency range for instance 0 to 200 MHz Resonance 92muz Example 1 50 Ohm cable Example 1 50 Ohm cable with 75 Ohm resistor at the far end Example 2 Unknown cable with 50 Ohm resistor at the far end RIXIEI00000 100000 kHz 200 M Example 2 Unknown cable 19 3 Changing the display range and performing additional scans find a frequency where R resistance reaches its maximum and another frequency with minimum At these points X reactance will cross the zero line 4 Switch to the Data at cursor screen by pressing the o Data key and find values of R at previously found frequencies 5 Calculate the square root of the product of these two values 20 Example 1 30 00 MHz min 60 00 MHz Example 2 41 00 MHz max 88 40 MHz min Example 1 33 0 Ohm min 78 5 Ohm Example 2 99 2 Ohm max 53 4 Ohm Example 1 square root of 33 0 x 78 5 50 7 Ohm Example 2 square root of 99 2 x 53 4 72 8 Ohm Measurement of other elements Although RigExpert AA 230
16. l axis is shown in the units of length Single or multiple discontinuities can be displayed on these charts While the Impulse Response chart is suitable for measuring distance the Step Response chart helps in finding the cause of a fault See the examples of typical Step Response charts on the next page 31 reflection reflection Open circuit Short circuit coefficient coefficient 1 1 0 distance 0 distance 1 1 reflection 7 gt 7 reflection 7 lt 7 coefficient Load 0 coefficient Load 0 1 1 0 distance 0 distance 1 1 reflection Capacitive reflection Inductive coefficient discontinuity coefficient discontinuity 1 1 0 distance 0 distance 1 1 reflection Capacitive reflection Inductive coefficient termination coefficient termination 1 1 0 distance 0 distance 1 1 reflection Lossy reflection Cable with coefficient cable coefficient 2220 1 1 0 distance 0 distance Practice Press a TDR to open Impulse Response IR and Step Response SR charts IRISR TDR mode 0 25 0 0 25 0 50 1 29 5 16 m 8 82 m The velocity factor of the cable as well as display units meters or feet may be changed in the Settings menu You may disconnect your antenna or leave it connected to the far end of the cable This will only affect the part of the chart located behind the far end of the cable The OK key starts a new measurement which will take some time Use the arrow keys to move the cursor o
17. meters or 649 156 897 4 100 000 x 1 4 39 58 feet 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 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 3 Finally find the velocity factor Just divide the above speed by the electromagnetic constant 16 Example 5 meters 16 4 feet of open circuited cable Resonant frequency is 9400 kHz at the 1 4 wave point 5 1 4 x 9 400 000 188 000 000 meters per second or 5 16 4 1 4 x 9 400 000 616 640 000 feet per second 188 000 000 299 792 458 0 63 616 640 000 983 571 056 0 63 Cable fault location To locate the position of a probable fault in a cable just use the same method as when measuring its length Watch the behavior of the reactive component X near the zero frequency f the value of X is moving from co to 0 the cable is open circuited RX 10000 10000 kHz 200 M FA Resonance 9 6muz f the value of X is moving from 0 to the cable is short circuited Resonance 19 2 17 Making 1 4 A 1 2 and other coaxial stubs Pieces of cable of certain electrical length are often used as componen
18. r to change the display range Watch the navigation bar at the top right corner of the screen to see the current position of the displayed part of the chart The 6 Save key will start anew measurement saving results one of 100 memory slots The 9 key will retrieve saved data Use the F 9 combination to edit memory names if needed Pressing O Data opens a data screen which displays numerical values of impulse and step response coefficients as well as Z estimated impedance at cursor The key will display the help screen as usual 33 Annex 6 Calibration Although RigExpert AA 230 ZOOM is designed for high performance without any calibration an open short load calibration may be applied for better precision The standards used for calibration should be of high quality This requirement is especially important for high frequencies 100 MHz and upper Three different calibration standards should be used an open a short and a load usually a 50 Ohm resistor A place where these standards are connected during calibration is called a reference plane If the calibration is done at the far end of a transmission line parameters of this line will be subtracted from measurement results and the analyzer will display true parameters of a load open short load Reference plane open short load Reference plane 34 Calibration
19. ss chart 100 to 500 points DR chart Time Domain Reflectometer e Cable tools loss and characteristic impedance 24 Optional open short load calibration RF output e Connector type e Output signal shape square e Output power 10 dBm at 50 Ohm load Power Four 1 5V alkaline batteries type AAA e Four 1 2V Ni MH batteries type AAA e Max 4 hours of continuous measurement max 2 days in stand by mode when fully charged batteries are used e When the analyzer is connected to a PC or a DC adapter with USB socket it takes power from these sources Interface e 290x220 color TFT display e 6x3 keys on the water proof keypad e Multilingual menus and help screens e USB connection to a personal computer Dimensions 82 x 182 x 32 3 2 x 7 2 x 1 3 in Operating temperature 0 40 C 32 104 F Weight 236 0 8 32 02 Warranty 2 years RigExpert AA 230 ZOOM is made in Ukraine Annex 2 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 fin ished operating it Occasional lightning strikes or nearby trans mitters may permanently damage it Never inject RF signal or DC voltage into the antenna connector of the analyzer Do not connect it to your antenna if you have active transmitters nearby Avoid static discharge
20. ts 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 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 3 Switch the analyzer to the All parameters measurement mode Set the frequency the stub is designed for 4 Cut little pieces 1 10 to 1 5 of the margin from the far end of the cable until the X value falls to zero or changes its sign Do not forget to restore the open circuit if needed 18 Example 1 4 stub for 28 2 MHz cable is RG 58 velocity factor is 0 66 299 792 458 28 200 000 x 0 66 x 1 4 1 75 meters 983 571 056 28 200 000 x 0 66 x 1 4 5 75 feet 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 28 200 kHz was set 11 cm 0 36 ft were cut off Measuring the characteristic impedance The characteristic impedance is one of the main parameters of any coaxial cable Usually its value is printed on the cable by the manufacturer However in certain cases t
21. urement A few moments later the result will be displayed on the analyzer s screen Press the key combination to run a continuous sweep Chart 200 Use the arrow keys to increase or decrease the center frequency or the scanning range Watch the chart zooming in or out or changing its position Use the Functional key and A Cursor up or Ww Cursor down key combination to zoom the vertical scale of the chart Data screen The data screen is available in all chart modes Press the O Data key to display various parameters of a load at cursor Frequency and range entry To enter the center frequency or the sweep range press the Frequency Range key Use cursor keys to navigate or the o to keys to enter values Do not forget to press the OK key to apply 115 000 kHz 1 05 32 91 1 Series model 51 0 3 0 2 20 628 6 Center frequency kHz 135 500 025 000 Enter X Cancel Freq Range F Bands ess y Up ork Down cursor keys while holding the Functional key to quickly choose radio amateur band Return loss chart The return loss RL chart which is very similar to the SWR chart is activated by pressing the F Functional key and RL chart key combination in the Main menu 135500 25000 kHz 200 100 0 100 200 CAL 5 127 5 R X chart Press the R X chart key in the Main menu to access the
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