VE6WZ 160m RX System

This page briefly explains the 160m RX system at VE6WZ.

The objective is to be able to actively phase the various RX antennas available using the DX-engineering NCC-1 phase box for either noise elimination, or for pattern and RDF development.  There are two en-echelon (end-fire) staggered 140m long beverages to EU which can be phased with the NCC-1, the 2 el 80m Yagi at 100' has vacuum relays at each element to switch in CAT-5 feedlines so that each element can be either actively phased with the NCC-1 unit, or passively phased with a homebrew unit. There are 2 short vertical pair arrays (spaced 50') which can also be either actively or passively phased. There is a single 100m JA beverage wire and a single 120m SA beverage wire which can also be routed through the the NCC-1 phase box and phased with another antenna.  The switching system also allows for any antenna, or passively phased pair, to be routed to the SUB-rx of the FTdx-9000d while any other antenna can be used on the main RX port to allow for antenna diversity RX.  For example, the EU end-fire beverage pair will be used in the main RX of the radio, while either the passively phased  RX Yagi or EU short vertical array will be fed to the the sub-rx.

Here is a video of the construction method used at VE6WZ for the 2 wire beverage boxes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JrWBUdtkKsg

Below is a photo of the current VE6WZ operating position

Below is a google-earth view showing the RX antenna layout at VE6WZ

The photo below shows a close-up of the 160m RX switching console...from bottom up: NCC-1 Active Phasing unit, on top of that, the Switch Box which provides routing options to the NCC-1 unit, and on the very top is the Passive Phase unit which contains a switchable delay-line unit to passively phase the 160m rx yagi and two 50' spaced short rx vertical pairs.

Below is an ugly sketch of the basic lay-out and switching/routing logic for the 160m RX antennas at VE6WZ

Below is another ugly sketch of the Passive Phase Unit box.

Below are two photos of the Passive Phase Unit

Below is a field recorded Polar Plot patterns of the 160m RX Yagi. Recorded using a 160m low-power source at various distances from the tower to simulate different wave angles.