Programmable Antenna Controller

Instruction Manual

913 Old Honeycutt Rd.

Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526

919-552-8788

919-552-4970 www.tarheelantennas.com

E-mail: [email protected]

Introduction

The Tarheel Antennas Programmable Antenna Controller provides manual operation for tuning motorized antennas. In addition, tuned positions can be saved in one of the 10 presets so it can be recalled later. A 4-digit counter is used to display the current antenna position.

Features

4-Digit Turns Display

10 Programmable Presets

Manual Up/Down Buttons

Current Sensor Trip for Antenna/Motor Protection

Auto-Park: Lowers antenna to lowest position and zeros counter

Powered from 1 2V Vehicle Supply

Front Panel

Power: Push button switch powers the controller on and off.

Up: Moves the motorized antenna up.

Down: Moves the motorized antenna down.

Buttons 1 - 5: Top bank of preset buttons.

Buttons 6 - 10: Bottom bank of preset buttons.

Installation

1. The red wire needs to be fused and connected to the vehicle's +12 VDC supply. Typically a 1.5 amp slow-blow fuse will work. Some installations may require additional wire. Use 16 AWG wire to add additional length.

2. The black wire needs to be connected to the vehicle (station) ground. If the supplied red and black wires are not long enough, use 16 AWG wire to add additional length.

WARNING: Do not reverse the polarity of the Red and Black wires.

Damage will occur to the controller.

3. The remaining cable with the Molex connector plugs into the control cable that is attached to the antenna cable.

WARNING: An RF choke (ferrite core) must be placed around the control line at the antenna The Controller may be damaged if an RF choke (ferrite core) is not used

Motor Operating Voltage

This control unit is designed to operate with a motorized antenna that operates on 12 volts.

WARNING: Do not apply voltages greater than 18 volts to this unit, or permanent damage to the unit and antenna may result.

Quick Setup Menu

The controller leaves the factory set up for our larger antennas, Model 75 thru Model 1200. For the

Little Tarheel II the trip current setting needs to be changed.

Make sure the unit is off. Then while holding the #6 button power the unit on. The display should show C 75, which means the current is set at .75 amps for the Model 75 thru Model 1200 antennas, however the Little Tarheel II antenna needs a lower setting. While pressing the DOWN button the current setting needs to be from C 20 to C 30 for most installations. To get out of the menu setting, press the #6 button again which will take you to the DELAY setting which does not need to be changed -- press the #6 button again to go back to normal operation.

To Store Memory

Before you start storing memory make sure the counter is zeroed out. Depress UP & DOWN simultaneously for two seconds (Auto Park). This will bottom the antenna and zero the counter. To store memory, tune antenna to the lowest SWR on the band or frequency you choose, then press the 1 - 10 number until you see DONE in the window.

Menu

The table below lists the features and options of the Programmable Antenna Controller. Use this table and the following section to adjust these settings specific to your motorized antenna and its requirements for proper operation.

Function

Reset

Auto Park

Current Mode

Setup Menu

Activate By:

Hold Down while powering up unit.

Depress Up and Down simultaneously for 2 seconds.

Press Button 2 while powering up unit.

Press Button 6 while powering up unit.

Displays Motor Current when moving antenna

Allows setting the trip current and relay delay.

Description

Clears all memory positions

Bottoms antenna and zeros the counter

Setup Menu Flow

Hold Button 6 + Power On ► Trip Current (C) ► Relay Delay (D) ► Setup ► Normal Operation

Setup Menu

The Programmable Antenna Controller must be calibrated for the motorized antenna that it will control. This includes calibration of the counter and the selection of the motor trip current.

Setup Menu Navigation

After entering setup, the setting and the value are displayed. Pressing Up or Down changes the value. Pressing Buttons 1 - 10 will save the selected value and move to the next setting. After the end is reached the last value is saved and the controller continues with normal operation.

Trip Current

This is shown in the menu with a "C" in the left-most digit. The other 3 digits will display the currently selected value. The trip current value is used to determine when the motor has stalled and immediately shuts the motor off. This feature protects the motor from damage if the antenna becomes stalled. The current is displayed as Om, which translates into x.xx amps. The default setting is C075 or 0.75 amps.

Trip Current Selection

The trip current value is used to determine when the motor has stalled and immediately shuts the motor off. In order to determine the trip current value that needs to be set, the controller can be turned on in current mode to display the current that is read from the current sensor. In this mode, when the antenna is moved, the current drawn by the motor is shown. Stalling the motor by moving the antenna all the way down will show the stall current of the motor. A value between 1/4 and 3/4 of the stall current should be enough for the trip current setting and is shown on the display in the same way as setting the trip current.

Relay Delay

This setting controls the amount of time the relays are reversed when the motor is stopped. When the motor is stopped, the relay that was moving the motor is deactivated and the opposite relay is activated for the duration set in the menu. The default setting is 20ms. The values range from Urns -

200ms.

Up

This determines which button will move the antenna up. This can also be used to move the antenna correctly if the motor terminals are reversed. When UP is on the display, press the corresponding button

(Up or

Down), which moves the antenna up. This is then saved to memory. Pressing any other key will not make any changes and simply exit setup. Since this is the last setting in the setup menu.

The controller will proceed with normal operation.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

If you have any problems with this unit, please read the manual

again.

If this manual does not reference your problem or reading the manual does not solve your problem, you may call Tarheel Antennas at 919-552-8788.