SIGNAL ENGINEERING Lightning 6 CB Antennas

FAQs

• Q: How do I change the batteries?
  • A: To change the batteries, locate the battery compartment at the back of the product, remove the old batteries, and insert new ones following the polarity markings.
• Q: What should I do if the product malfunctions?
  • A: If you encounter any issues with the product, refer to the troubleshooting section in the user manual. If problems persist, contact customer support for assistance.

Lightning 6 Specifications

Lightning 6

The Lightning 6 is a 6-element directional base station antenna. The Lightning 6 takes all of the benefits of Signal Engineering’s full wave design – and takes performance figures to the maximum with six elements on a wide-spaced design! If you desire the performance of our Lightning 6 but space or budget is a problem now, check out the Lightning 4+ – our 4-element beam that you can easily upgrade to 6 elements (making it a Lightning 6) whenever the time is right with our upgrade kit! The Lightning 6 is an optimized directional quad antenna incorporating all of the most desirable features for superior two-way communications. Six heavy copper wire radiating elements are precisely spaced and mounted on a rugged aluminum and fiberglass frame, forming a high-gain parasitic antenna. Exclusive SFS (Signal Feed System, patented) matching system gives maximum directional performance and dual polarity to allow switching between close (local) and long haul signal paths (DX).

ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

LIGHTNING 6

WARNING: INSTALLATION OF THIS PRODUCT NEAR POWER LINES IS DANGEROUS. INSTALLATION DIRE HONS.

1. The boom of the anterna consists of five 2″‘ diam. sections and four 1 7/8″ diam. Coupling sections. These parts are identified in the drawings below.
   • The boom is assembled by first putting together 5 sub-assemblies, then joining these to form the complete structure which is 30′ long.
2. Install 2 of the 1/2″‘ dia X 18″ long rod support brackets in one end of an A-type boom section. Refer to figures 2a & 2b. Secure in the boom section with 10-32 X 2 1/2″‘ bolts, nuts, and lockwashers.
3. Install the E-type coupling (identified from fig.) in the appropriate end of the B-type boom section, as shown in fig.3. Insert 2 of the 1/2″‘ dia rod support brackets through both the boom and coupling sections after aligning the 1/2″‘ holes. Again bolt the rod support brackets in place with 10-32 X 2 1/2″‘ bolts. Note: You will not be able to install nuts and lockwashers inside the boom.
   • Install the “C” type coupling in the other end of the “B” type boom section. Insert 2 of the 1/2″‘ diam. Rod support brackets through both the boom and coupling sections. (Refer to figure 9)
4. Install the F-type coupling at the appropriate end of an A-type boom section. Agair inserts 2-rod support brackets through both the boom section and coupling after aligning the 1/2″‘ dia holes. Refer to figure.
   • Install the D-type coupling at the appropriate end of an A-type boom section. Install 2 rod support brackets after aligning the 1/2″‘ holes. Refer to Figure 4a.
5. Install 2-rod support brackets in the last A-type boom section, as in step 2.
6. There are 6 bundles of fiberglass rods. Select the 4 longest rods, and insert them in the 1/2″‘ dia rod support brackets in the A-type boom section from step 2. (The drilled end of the rods must be away from the boom). Carefully unroll the REFLECTOR element wire. This wire is identified by WHITE shrink tubing, marking the points of attachment to the fiberglass rods. Attach the wire to the rods using 4 wire clamps and 4-40 hardware, including 4-40 X 3/4 bolts, nuts, & lockwashers. Refer to figures 5 & 6.
   • slide each ot the fiberglass rods out equally (approximately). Secure two opposing rods (180 degrees apart) in place in the rod support brackets by installing a #8 X 1/4 self-tapping screw in the hole in the bracket. The screw should be started at an angle, and screwed in at an angle to capture the fiberglass. Refer to figure 7.
   • Now slide the other two fiberglass rods out to tension the element wire, and lock the rods in place with self-tapping screws. The rods should be pushed out until they are just ready to low but are not bowed. This will ensure adequate tension in the wire and correct element spacing.
7. Select the 4 next-longest fiberglass rods, and the B-type boom section (with E-type Insert the rods approximately l’ from the end of the boom. Carefully unroll the driven element wire. This wire is in two pieces and is identified by blue shrink tubing marking two attachment points to the fiberglass rods. Attach this wire to the fiberglass rods using two wire clamps and two 4-40 X 3/4 bolts(use a single bolt in an outermost hole at feedpoint A &feedpointB). Refer to Figure 8.
   • Note: Make certain that the wires leave the bolts at feed point A & feed point B at a 45-degree angle as shown. This is best accomplished by not tightening these two nuts until the fiberglass rods have been pushed out to tension the site minute to Eden pleased eaten due con flexure in the wind. It is a little difficult to judge the tension in the driven element wire, as it is not on a flat surface as was the reflector wire during tensioning. Therefore it is best to make a trial tensioning and pick up the boom section so the element is vertical, and note the tension/bowing. Again the rods must be pushed out to the point where they are just ready to bow.
8. Insert 4 of the remaining fiberglass rods (the remaining rods are all the same length) in the rod support brackets at the other end of the B-type boom section. Carefully unroll the Ist director element wire, identified by red shrink tubing. Attach this wire to the fiberglass rods at the points marked by shrink tubing as before. Tension the wire as before.
9. Insert 4 fiberglass rods into each of the remaining boom sections. Attach one of the director wires identified by yellow shrink tubing to each set of rods; and tension as before. All of the wires with yellow shrink tubing are the same length. At this p, elements are assembled and tensioned on the 5 bucm sections. You are sections now ready to join the boom sections together. Refer to Figure 9 for the proper sequence. Although the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th directors are the same length, the boom sections they are mounted on must be joined together as shown in Figure 9.
10. The final steps in assembling the boom involve the preparation of your mast section as shown in fig. 10 (this is the last section that goes into the rotor), and the installation of this mast along with the boom-to-mast plate on the boom. Figure 11 the location of guy points on the boom and the height of the short mast section above the boom. There will be a bit of sag in the boom when it is assembled, and the turnbuckles are used to eliminate this. Simply support the boom near the center and tighten the turnbuckles until the boom sag is eliminated. After the turnbuckles have been adjusted, it is a good idea to tape them over with electrical tape to prevent them from loosening•
    • Note: When attaching the short mast and plate to the boom, align the part of the mast that will be going to the rotor with one of the fiberglass rods havifeedfeed point”‘ or “feed point B” (from fig.8) on it. This feed point which will be down and parallel to the tower, will be used to connect the feed stub for vertical polarization.
11. INSTALLATION OF THE SFSE MATCHING SYSTEM to the fiberglass rod, and then along the boom toward the boom to the mast plate. The stub wires are supported by 2″ plastic insulators where they run along the boom, and they such that both stub wires can be fed through each insulator. Refer to the figures below for details of the stub wire installation andconnectionn to the driven element.
12. Prepare your two 50-ohm coax cables as shown in fig. 12 below. The crimp terminals are simply crimped to the coax center conductor, however, soldering is recommended in addition to crimping. One coax line is attached to each stub wire as shown in Fig. 13a,b below. A good starting point for the attachment of the coax to the stub is about 2″‘ in from the insulator. The coax center conductor goes to the bare stub wire, and the braid simply is clamped directly to the boom, directly opposite the center conductor point of attachment, using a 9″ strap.
    • Note: Make certain to seal the coax against moisture where the braid stops, as shown in fig. l. A silicone-type sealer works fine, as long as the coax is not moved around too much after the sealer is applied. It is therefore best to apply the sealer after any matching adjustments (described in nthe ext step) are performed.
13. SWR ADJUSTMENT
    • IF SWR TDO HIGH ON CHANNEL 1- Move the coax attachment point toward the end of the stub.
    • IF SWR TOO HIGH ON CHANNEL. 40- Move the coax attachment point away from the end of the stub. Make certain the connections to the stub and boom are tight. Tape the coax cable to the boom where it leads away from the stub. SWR should be adjusted with the final length of the coax feeding the antenna. The typical sex is shown in the figure below.
      • Note: The horizontal and vertical feedlines may attach to the stubs at different points.

A two-position switch may be used to select between horizontal and vertical polarization at the operating position. For optimum results, follow the tips below;

• • Break up all guy wires in the vicinity of the antenna with egg”‘ insulators spaced at 10-13’ intervals.
  • Locate Lightning 6 as far as possible from other antennas and metal objects.

WARNING: INSTALLATION OF THIS PRODUCT NEAR POWER LINES IS DANGEROUS. YOUYOUP, SAFETY FOLLOW THE INSTALLATION DIRECTIONS.

1. WHEN PUTTING UP OR TAKING DOWN THE ANTENNA, CARE MUST BE TAKEN TO ENSURE THAT NO PART OF THE ANTENNA OR SUPPORTING STRUCTURE COMES INTO CONTACT WITH ELECTRIC POWER LINES. IF CONTACT IS MADE WHILE A PERSON IS HOLDING THE ANTENNA, COAX, OR SUPPORTING STRUCTURE, ELECTROCUTION CAN RESULT.
2. A COMMUNICATIONS TOWER IS THE RECOMMENDED SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR THIS ANTENNA. THE TOWER SHOULD BE RATED TO CARRY BOTH THE WEIGHT OF THE ANTENNA, ROTOR, AND MAST AS WELL THE COMBINED WIND LOAD. TV-TYPE TELESCOPING MASTS AND TUBULAR, NON-TELESCOPING MASTS ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO USE WITH THIS ANTENNA, AND PIPE IS NOT RECOMMENDED AS IT IS TOO DIFFICULT TO RAISE WITH THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF ANTENNA, ROTOR, ETC.
3. CARF MUST BE TAKEN TO LOCATE THE ANTENNA INSTALLATION SUCH THAT IF THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY WERE TO FALL DOWN, NO PART WOULD CONTACT AN ELECTRIC. POWER LINE. A GOOD RULE TO FOLLOW IS TO LOCATE THE TOWEP. RASE TWICE AS FAR FROM THE NEAREST. POWER LINE AS THE DISTANCE FROM THE GROUND TO THE TOP OF THE HIGHEST PART OF THE ANTENNA,
4. IF THE TOWER YOU ARE GOING TO USE TO SUPPORT THE ANTENNA DOES NOT HAVE A WARNING LABEL ON IT, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO ATTACH THE ONE PROVIDED WITH THE ANTENNA TO THE TOWER.

PARTS LIST

PARTS LIST- LIGHINING 6 SIX ELEMENT QUAD

CONTACT INFORMATION

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• SIGNAL ENGINEERING
• 3091 Lawrence Expy
• Santa Clara, CA 95051
• Telephone 408-247-2300
• Toll free Message Center 1-800-761-9409
• Email Us: sigeng@att.net

Documents / Resources

SIGNAL ENGINEERING Lightning 6 CB Antennas [pdf] Instruction Manual Lightning 6 CB Antennas, Lightning 6, CB Antennas, Antennas

References

• User Manual