Advice with broken element on c490

rhinoslim · 5-Sep-2015, 6:42 PM

Hello,

I had the antenna craft c490 on a temporary mount until I could get it up on the chimney. Nevertheless, a storm came through and blew it off the roof. All the elements seemed OK except one of the longest on the end. Is there a preferred method to repair this or (based on my report) is it really necessary to?

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...ec2f38b7f4714e

Thanks,
Jake

rabbit73 · 5-Sep-2015, 10:55 PM

Hi, Jake:

The C490 covers VHF-Low, in addition to VHF-High and UHF. The largest elements are for VHF-Low, real channels 2-6. If you don't need WNDC on real channel 2, you probably will not notice any difference if that element is broken in whatever way it is. The proper repair would return it to its original condition.

I'm wondering why you thought you needed that large all channel antenna in the first place. A VHF-High/UHF combo antenna like the Winegard HD7698P would seem more suitable.

Are you using a preamp?

The coax shield should be grounded with a grounding block that is connected to the house electrical system ground with 10 gauge copper wire for electrical safety and to reject interference. For further compliance with the electrical code (NEC), the mast should also be grounded in a similar manner to drain any buildup of static charge, but the system will not survive a direct strike.

rhinoslim · 6-Sep-2015, 3:03 AM

That's good news to hear.

Yeah I thought it was a bit much myself. I had received the recommendation from some people over here to purchase the 7698P, the hbu44, or hbu55. I checked with my local radioshack and they didn't carry any of those models. So, they instead recommended the c490 which is a model they had in the store. It seems to work ok.

Without a pre-amplifier, I'm pulling channels 7,9,14,66 pretty consistently. At times I can pull in channels 4,5,20,26. I am looking toward purchasing the 10g201(?) preamp hoping to get a little more consistency.

Thanks for the grounding information. That is something I was going to ask about.

rabbit73 · 6-Sep-2015, 11:28 AM

You are welcome. Good luck.

Todd Humphrey doesn't speak for the NFPA that publishes the NEC code, but he has some ideas that are helpful. The local electrical inspector has the final say if you are willing to get him involved. Some inspectors are more friendly than others; a local electrician could tell you.

http://www.dbsinstall.com/diy/Grounding-2.asp