ARX2B Ringo Ranger
 

I was recently given a Ringo Ranger. I downloaded the manual and found out
that I'm missing a radial kit. Is it needed? How can I cheaply home brew the
radial kit?

Randy ka4nma

You can buy the replacement (missing) parts direct from Cushcraft...at
least you could a few years ago when I odered some replacment parts for
my 6M yagi. I believe there was a version simply called the Ringo
(minus the Ranger part) which was just the antenna without any sort of
groundplane radials. You might just try using what you have and see
what the SWR is like and/or how well it works.

Scott
N0EDV


Theplanters95 wrote:

I was recently given a Ringo Ranger. I downloaded the manual and found out
that I'm missing a radial kit. Is it needed? How can I cheaply home brew the
radial kit?

Randy ka4nma

--
Scott
http://corbenflyer.tripod.com/
Building RV-4
Gotta Fly or Gonna Die

"Theplanters95" wrote in message
...
I was recently given a Ringo Ranger. I downloaded the manual and found out
that I'm missing a radial kit. Is it needed? How can I cheaply home brew
the
radial kit?

Randy ka4nma

Randy -

Scott is partially correct.

In the early 1970's Cushcraft introduced the "Ringo" series (AR-xxx) for a
number of VHF bands (10 meters, 6 meters, 222 MHz, 440 MHz) - both amateur
and commercial (business band).
http://www.cushcraft.com/support/pdf/951284.pdf

The "Ringo Ranger" series (ARX-xxx) was developed a couple of years later.
At first this antenna did NOT have the radials that you are missing.
http://www.cushcraft.com/support/pdf/951289.pdf

The "Ringo Ranger II" (ARX-xxxB) was introduced a number of years later
(late 1980s) and this model added the Radial Ring and radials at a fixed
distance below the Ranger.
http://www.cushcraft.com/support/pdf/951290.pdf

Greg
w9gb

"Theplanters95" wrote in message
...

I was recently given a Ringo Ranger. I downloaded the manual and found
out
that I'm missing a radial kit. Is it needed? How can I cheaply home brew
the
radial kit?

Randy ka4nma

I would imaging that your Ringo Ranger never had the radial kit, because it
is not a Ringo Ranger II. As Scott mentioned, you can purchase the specific
parts from Cushcraft to convert your Ringo Ranger to a Ringo Ranger II
(these part numbers can be found in the assembly / instruction manuals)

Cushcraft actually had a upgrade kit (specific parts as one order) in the
1970s and early 1980s -- for earlier Ringo buyers to "upgrade" their Ringo
models to the Ringo Ranger model.

w9gb

Randy:

I noticed nobody answered question 1.

When the original Ringo was introduced, performance reports were all over the map. Some worked fantastically well,
others fantastically poorly. It was finally discovered the difference was due to mast and feedline radiation.
Sometimes the lengths were right to radiate well, other times, the antenna radiation was canceled by unwanted from the
support and feed. So, the radial kit was added. Four radials just over a quarter wave (20 inches seems to work well),
but I don't recall the exact position on the antenna. Just below the feedpoint seems right, but I defer to CushCraft if
you can get the location from the Ranger II manual.

--
Crazy George
Remove N O and S P A M imbedded in return address
"Theplanters95" wrote in message ...
I was recently given a Ringo Ranger. I downloaded the manual and found out
that I'm missing a radial kit. Is it needed? How can I cheaply home brew the
radial kit?

Randy ka4nma

"Crazy George" wrote in message
...
Randy:

I noticed nobody answered question 1.

When the original Ringo was introduced, performance reports were all over
the map.
Some worked fantastically well, others fantastically poorly. It was
finally discovered the
difference was due to mast and feedline radiation. Sometimes the lengths
were right to radiate
well, other times, the antenna radiation was canceled by unwanted from the
support and feed. So, the radial kit was added. Four radials just over a
quarter wave
(20 inches seems to work well), but I don't recall the exact position on
the antenna.
Just below the feedpoint seems right, but I defer to CushCraft if you can
get the
location from the Ranger II manual.
--
Crazy George


CG & Randy -

Correct about the Ringo and original Ringo Ranger performance reports --
some lamented that it was the best dummy load Cushcraft ever built !
I liked mine, and actually used a Ringo Ranger at 200 feet hung upside down
(for proper radiation pattern) for a repeater's transmitting antenna in
1976 - with great results. We replaced it 2 years later -- with a heavy
duty commercial unit (that could take the wind abuse).

The Ranger II has a coax of specific length between the radial ring and
Ranger -- so that the distance of the radials is correct. This is covered in
the Ranger II manual.
http://www.cushcraft.com/support/pdf/951290.pdf

So, you have a standard Ringo Ranger and you can purchase the parts from
Cushcraft - IF you desire to upgrade it to the Ranger II model !!

Greg
w9gb

In article 6NWdd.225660$wV.134835@attbi_s54,
"w9gb" wrote:

The Ranger II has a coax of specific length between the radial ring and
Ranger -- so that the distance of the radials is correct. This is covered in
the Ranger II manual.
http://www.cushcraft.com/support/pdf/951290.pdf

So, you have a standard Ringo Ranger and you can purchase the parts from
Cushcraft - IF you desire to upgrade it to the Ranger II model !!

Greg
w9gb

Greg,

Thanks for posting the URL to the RR .pdf file. The Ringo Ranger
(standard) was the first ham gear I every purchased and it is still in
use today (27 years later).

Dick, aa5vu (the RR was purchased when I was wt7aan)

If the radials are to decouple feedline radiation, then why wouldn't coax
coiled into a choke balun work? Maybe 6 or 10 turns at about 5 or 6 inches?

Randy

On 23 Oct 2004 04:27:21 GMT, ospam
(Theplanters95) wrote:

If the radials are to decouple feedline radiation, then why wouldn't coax
coiled into a choke balun work? Maybe 6 or 10 turns at about 5 or 6 inches?

Randy

You could give it a try and see how it works for you, definitely
simple to do. Just because Cushcraft uses the 1/4 wave coax & radials
doesn't make that the 'only' solution. Another possibility is a
ferrite balun; type 43 ferrite torroids with an ID to provide a snug
fit over the coax. This approach is shown on some of the variation of
the J-pole so if you do a search for that antenna you may find a
starting point for the number/size of the torroids.

Howard
KE6something or other

The mast is just as much a problem as the feedline, and difficult to coil up.

--
Crazy George
Remove N O and S P A M imbedded in return address
"Theplanters95" wrote in message ...
If the radials are to decouple feedline radiation, then why wouldn't coax
coiled into a choke balun work? Maybe 6 or 10 turns at about 5 or 6 inches?

Randy

Howard wrote:
On 23 Oct 2004 04:27:21 GMT, ospam
(Theplanters95) wrote:


If the radials are to decouple feedline radiation, then why wouldn't coax
coiled into a choke balun work? Maybe 6 or 10 turns at about 5 or 6 inches?

Randy


You could give it a try and see how it works for you, definitely
simple to do. Just because Cushcraft uses the 1/4 wave coax & radials
doesn't make that the 'only' solution. Another possibility is a
ferrite balun; type 43 ferrite torroids with an ID to provide a snug
fit over the coax. This approach is shown on some of the variation of
the J-pole so if you do a search for that antenna you may find a
starting point for the number/size of the torroids.

Howard
KE6something or other
Also, consider that those radials arn't there just to decouple the coax!
they are also there to form a 1/4 wave ground radial, 1/2 wave down the pipe
to form a counterpoise for the Ringo- Something that the toroid would NOT do,
if memory serves me correctly!
Jim NN7K

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On Sat, 23 Oct 2004 21:04:21 GMT, "NN7KexNOSPAMk7zfg"
wrote:

Howard wrote:
On 23 Oct 2004 04:27:21 GMT, ospam
(Theplanters95) wrote:


If the radials are to decouple feedline radiation, then why wouldn't coax
coiled into a choke balun work? Maybe 6 or 10 turns at about 5 or 6 inches?

Randy


You could give it a try and see how it works for you, definitely
simple to do. Just because Cushcraft uses the 1/4 wave coax & radials
doesn't make that the 'only' solution. Another possibility is a
ferrite balun; type 43 ferrite torroids with an ID to provide a snug
fit over the coax. This approach is shown on some of the variation of
the J-pole so if you do a search for that antenna you may find a
starting point for the number/size of the torroids.

Howard
KE6something or other
Also, consider that those radials arn't there just to decouple the coax!
they are also there to form a 1/4 wave ground radial, 1/2 wave down the pipe
to form a counterpoise for the Ringo- Something that the toroid would NOT do,
if memory serves me correctly!
Jim NN7K

Hadn't fully looked at that aspect as this antenna is billed as a 1/2
wave not requiring a ground plane. Your memory does serve you
correctly though; the toroids, or a choke balun, would not perform
that function. Those I know who've used this antenna fall in two
camps, with no middle ground, some swear by it and others say it's a
nice antenna to use to mount their 1/4 wave verticals. Can't say from
direct experience though as I've never used one. For verticals I've
only used 1/4 and 5/8 wave antenna's and those have been home brewed
so easily I couldn't bring myself to pay for one.

Thanks for the added perspective Jim,
Howard KE6MAK

Howard wrote:



Hadn't fully looked at that aspect as this antenna is billed as a 1/2
wave not requiring a ground plane. Your memory does serve you
correctly though; the toroids, or a choke balun, would not perform
that function. Those I know who've used this antenna fall in two
camps, with no middle ground, some swear by it and others say it's a
nice antenna to use to mount their 1/4 wave verticals. Can't say from
direct experience though as I've never used one. For verticals I've
only used 1/4 and 5/8 wave antenna's and those have been home brewed
so easily I couldn't bring myself to pay for one.

Thanks for the added perspective Jim,
Howard KE6MAK


Howard- one other perspective-- ' twas at ARRL convention , Many moons
ago, in Seattle (home of AEA , at that time)- They were selling their "NEW"
Isopole sntenna" . One of their bigger selling points was " NO extra radiation
from their antenna And, with a loop, and a # 43 lamp, demonstrated, side by
side with the Ringo Ranger --, and the lamp lite brightly, next to feedline, and
the MAST of it, while NO Light was exhibited from the feed, or mast of the Isopole.
This showed that there was no "Wasted power", Wrongful radiation from the coax
or mast to screw up the antenna pattern, and it was only a short time thereafter
that Cushcraft introduced the model II, with the ground radial on present day
versions! That was their answer to the problem of getting a consistant pattern
from these antennas! NN7K

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