Instruction manual

SM100 • 15
Wrap another six turns of foil and cut it. You may wish to hold down the
foil with a small piece of tape at each end.
 56. Using a sharp hobby knife, cut away a strip of aluminum foil the
length of the 1/2 inch PVC about 2/10 of an inch wide. There must be no
electrical connection across this gap. By cutting away the aluminum foil,
we have retained the foils ability to block electrostatic waves, but not
magnetic waves because it is not a full turn. See the diagram on page
17 for a pictorial description.
 57. Wrap tape around each end to hold the foil down, and run a strip
down the length of the strip. This should help make your antenna more
durable. Make sure that the paperclip that you have installed is still
there.
 58. Using the length of coax supplied, first strip off the outer insulation.
This is done most easily by carefully and lightly cutting the jacket all the
way around about one half inch from the end and slipping the jacket off.
Be careful not to cut any of the stranded wire inside. Using the tip of
your knife, carefully unbraid the wire, and twist it all together on one side.
Next, strip the insulation off of the center wire using wire strippers. Be
sure not to strip it too close to the outer wire...we don’t want the braided
shield touching the center connection.
 59. Solder the center connection to one end of the coil. Be sure to strip
the insulation off of the wire first. The easiest way that you will be able
to do this is with a sharp hobby knife and a lot of patience. (Advanced
hobbyists: Our Engineering Department has concluded after extensive
testing, that a lighter or hobby torch not only doesn't remove the
insulation easily, but you may actually be able to see the insulation turn
black and bake itself securely onto the wire if you’re paying attention!)
The best method is to just scrape away at it until all of the red coating is
gone.
 60. Now, solder the braided shield to the other stripped coil connection,
and to the paperclip on the 1/2 inch PVC. If the aluminum foil is not
grounded, it will pick up large amounts of static noise instead of
cancelling them out.
 61. Insert the antenna section into the PVC pipe with the coax cable
extending out through the 90 degree elbow.
 62. Connect the end of the coax cable to the connections on the
antenna board marked “TO LOOP.” The center conductor should be
placed in the hole closest to C11 while the braided shield should be
placed in the hole closest to R16. The coax cable should be about nine
inches long.