That's great. Looks like you are making progress.
It seemed that when you tested it with the generator it was passing the signal, so I thought that the controller board/ADC was the remaining possibility.
Glad you found it. As you said, on to the antennas...
Do the suspect ferrite's antenna wires have continuity with an ohm-meter? Maybe it is acting like a "wick" and the ground side is open? Is there a solder connection between the ferrite magnet wire and your hookup wire? That magnet wire was a bear to solder to as I recall.
Greg H.
I checked the continuity of both ferrites to their terminals (3.2Ohms) -- yes, had to carefully scrape the varnish off, tin the wire, then solder it to some Amphenol pins (gold plated) to use for the connections to the antenna block on the amplifier (also shrink-wrapped the connections).
A question: what does the knot on the lead to the ferrite mean? Is it the start of the wrap or the return? Should the knotted wire be used for the signal input or connected to the common ground on the antenna terminals? Or, does it really matter as long as both ferrites connect the same way (knot to signal or not)?
I've connected the Controller and Amp with a 50ft shielded Cat-6 cable so I could walk the antenna to various locations. The interference is stronger towards the kitchen area (even with RE1000 repeater, florescent lights and house phone unplugged, and family room TV/lights off). Signal is weaker in master bathroom at other end of main all, but still unable to determine where the interference is coming from. Grrr...
As I rotate the antenna in the horizontal plane, I can see the interference peak on one channel, then the other, so my prior statement about it not moving was incorrect. The signal is strongest on the ferrite pointing along the long axis of the rod. Does that mean the longitudinal axis is pointing in the direction of the signal, or is the perpendicular the direction of the signal?
It's been too long since EE school to remember that.
Edit: found that answer
The ferrite rod antenna operates using the high permeability of the ferrite material and in its basic form this may be thought of as "concentrating" the magnetic component of the radio waves. This is brought about by the high permeability μ of the ferrite.
The fact that this RF antenna uses the magnetic component of the radio signals in this way means that the antenna is directive. It operates best only when the magnetic lines of force fall in line with the antenna. This occurs when it is at right angles to the direction of the transmitter. This means that the antenna has a null position where the signal level is at a minimum when the antenna is in line with the direction of the transmitter.
So the perpendicular points to the signal source (and 180 from it). Search
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