Pacific Antenna PAC-12 User manual

PAC-12 Kit Contents
Part Quantity
Screws: 8/32 x 3/8” 8**
Screws: 8-32 x 5/16” 2
Screw: 8-32 x 1/4” 1
#8 internal tooth washers **
#8 solder lug ring ter inals 6
Bolt: Alu inu , 1/4-20 x 1.5” 1
1/4” internal tooth washer 1
Nut: Alu inu hex, 1/4-20 1
Stainless wing nut, 1/4-20 1
BNC connector 1
BNC ounting plate 1
Stranded wire red and green 3”
#18AWG ena el wire for standard coils or **
Tinned copper wire for ulti-band coil **
Ground coupling radial kit 1 1
Feed point insulator PVC tube 1
Feed point insulator end caps 2
Full size coil kit and **
2 Co pact coil kits or **
Multi-band coil kit **
Alu inu Rods 12” 2
Alu inu hex coupling nut 1
72” telescoping antenna 1
Antenna whip adapter 1
Ground spike 1
Tools Needed
Soldering iron
Phillips screwdriver
Wire stripper
Wrenches, 7/16” and 1/2”
Ter inal cri p tool
Pliers
Solder
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** Note, the quantity of these ite s in the kit depend on whether the ultiband coil or standard
coil kit is purchased.. All antenna hardware is the sa e for both kits, only the coil kit hardware
will vary.
Feed point insulator assembly
Parts:
PVC base tube (1)
Aluminum end aps (2)
8-32 x 5/16” Phillips head s rews (2)
#8 star washers (2)
#8 Size rimp ring terminals (2)
BNC mounting plate (1)
BNC onne tor (1)
Red and green stranded wire (3”)
Stainless wing Nut (1)
1.5” ¼-20 aluminum bolt (1)
¼” aluminum nut (1)
¼” star washer (1)
Start by inserting the 2 s aller alu inu end caps into the ends of the PVC tube to check the fit.
Align the holes and secure using the two 8-32 x 5/16” stainless screws. Be sure to use the
correct screws, as the longer 3/8” screws supplied for the loading coil will interfere with the
threaded sections screwing into the end caps.
The screws should start s oothly and should not require uch effort to tighten. If otherwise,
ake sure the threads are aligned properly. Be careful not to over tighten as the end cap etal is
alu inu and is it possible to strip the threads. It will be necessary to re ove the screws later
but they are installed now to prevent crushing the tube while installing the BNC plate.
Using the ¼ -20 x 1.5” bolt, lock washer and nut, attach the
BNC ounting plate to the feed point insulator PVC tube by
inserting the bolt through the PVC tube and then through the
alu inu bnc ounting plate.
Secure with a lock washer and the ¼-20 nut. Tighten fro the bolt head side while holding the
BNC plate in position.
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Mount the BNC in the plate and secure using its nut. The BNC
connectors ay be supplied with a red rubber gasket that should
be re oved before installation
Install the stainless wing nut screw onto the end of the 1/4-20
bolt in the center. It is used to secure the ring ter inals for
connection of the radials.
Once the BNC is securely installed, use the sections of green
and red wire to connect fro the BNC to the cri p ter inals.
The red wire goes the center ter inal of the BNC. The red wire
will indicate the antenna end of the feed point.
Measure the necessary wire and cri p and or solder the
ter inals to the wire. Next, re ove each screw and place it
through the ring ter inal and reattach to the end cap.
This co pletes the asse bly of the feed point insulator. Check for continuity using an
oh eter between the center and shell of the BNC and the end caps of the antenna. Resistance
readings should be no ore than one or two oh s including the eter lead resistance. Also
verify that there is no short by checking resistance between the end caps or across the BNC.
Resistance should read very large or infinite here.
Note that the feed point insulator is sy etric. This feature allows the antenna to be used as a
dipole as well as a vertical. When used as a dipole, the bolt in the center serves as the antenna
support point for attaching to a ast. When using the antenna as a vertical, ake sure to install
the feed point insulator with the center conductor of the BNC connected to the antenna and the
shell to the radials.
PAC-12 standard oil kit assembly
Full size oil kit assembly
Note: If asse bling the ulti-band coil version, skip ahead to that section.
Parts:
PVC oil form, light gray (1)
Aluminum end aps (2)
8-32 x 3/8” Phillips s rews (4)
#8 internal tooth lo k washers (4)
#8 rimp ring terminals (2)
#18 enameled opper wire
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This is what the coils will look like when co pleted. The
instructions below will step through the process of asse bling
and winding the coils for your PAC-12.
The loading coils are asse bled using the 2 larger end caps, the larger light
gray PVC coil for , 4 of the 8-32 x 3/8” screws and four #8 lock washers.
Insert the end caps and align the holes
Install these one screw and washer in each end cap on the sa e side of the coil
for . The other side will be used for securing the coil windings.
Full Size Coil Form
Once the end caps are installed, the coil for is
ready for winding the coil. The coil for has a
series of holes used to secure the ends of the
winding. Depending on which band you plan to
construct the coil for, you will use different sets of
the holes. The full size coil for can be built for any band but it is typically constructed for the
40 or 60M bands and the co pact coil kits used for higher bands. The charts show which set of
holes to use for each band.
Chart for full size oil winding
Band
Meters
Turns to
wind
Hole set(see
photo)
10 1 or jumper D
12 4 D
15 8 D
17 11 D
20 17 D
30 29 C
40 57 B
60 93 A
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A B C D D C B A

Compa t oil kit assembly
For winding the co pact coils, use the sa e
technique and winding chart as for the full size 6”
coils. There is sufficient space on the for for
winding coils for 30M and higher.
The coil for s have 4 holes used for securing the ends
of the coils during and after winding. See the photos
and chart below for infor ation:
Chart for ompa t oil winding
Band
Meters
Turns to wind Hole set
(see photo)
10 1 or jumper B
12 4 B
15 8 B
17 11 B
20 17 A
30 29 A
This drawing shows how the wire is
routed when winding the coils. When
using the inner sets of holes, the wire can
be run through the hole set at the end of
the coils and then looped back through the
next hole set to provide additional security
and protect the wire.
The next photos illustrate the asse bly of the co pact coil for . The asse bly process for the
full size coil is the sa e except that different hole sets ay be used
First, tin the end of the ena el wire by heating with a
blob of solder. Feed extra solder in as necessary and
you will see the ena el begin to peel off and the solder
will coat the bare end. Tin approxi ately 0.25 to 0.5”
of the wire to prepare it for connection at the cri p
ter inal later.
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Deter ine the hole set to be used fro the winding
chart and pass the end of the ena eled wire through one of
the holes so that is passes through the coil for fro one side
to the other.
If the inner set of holes are being used, pull enough extra
wire to loop back through hole set A and to reach the screw
on the end of the coil for .
Attach a ring ter inal by cri ping and or soldering to the
tinned end of the copper wire. Be sure that the ter inal is
securely attached to the wire.
Attach the ring ter inal on the end of the wire to the end
cap of the coil with a screw and lock washer.
Begin winding the coil by turning the for while feeding the wire onto it.
Using the thu b and forefinger will work to guide the wire. Wind the
specified nu ber of turns on the coil. A turn counts each ti e the wire
loops co pletely around the coil fro the starting point. If in doubt, put
on extra turns as it is easier to re ove an extra turn than to rewind the coil.
When finished, cut off the excess wire leaving about 6”. This will allow
the end to be passed back through the coil for .
While winding, you ay find it necessary to occasionally push the turns together for a tighter
coil. On ost coils except for 60M, there is extra space and this is not strictly necessary, it just
i proves the appearance.
Pass the wire back through the coil for and align with the hole in the
end cap. Check the required length to reach the end cap plus enough
to go around the screw, cut off the excess and tin the end.
If you do not plan to opti ize the coil tuning, si ply attach the ring
ter inal by cri ping and or soldering
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To allow adjusting the coil turns, attach this end as shown in the photo.
This is te porary to allow re oving turns if necessary to opti ize the
coil.
Coil Optimization
Opti izing the coil is done by asse bling the antenna, and checking with an antenna analyzer or
SWR bridge. The coil should be adjusted so that the whip has approxi ately one half section
collapsed at the low frequency end of the band. This can be done after the antenna asse bly is
co plete and ready for testing.
This is how a co pact coil looks when co pleted.
This coil is wound for 30 eters.
A omplete set of oils for 40, 30, 20, and 17M
Note in the photos of the entire coil set how the wires pass into the for on one
side and along the for on the opposite side to secure the coils. Fro one side
you should have the coil ends disappearing into the coil for and fro the
other, the wires e erge, lie along the coil for and re-enter at hole set A, pass
through and connect at the solder lugs. If using the inner hole sets, you can loop
the wire back and forth through the unused hole sets to prevent a long run down
the coil for on one side.
Secure the ter inal and fold the wire down to lie flat along the ter inal.
Once co pete, check the end-to-end resistance of the coil using an oh eter. It should be no
ore than one or two oh s or less for any of the coils. If a higher resistance value is noted,
recheck the tightness of the screws and that the solder joint and loop ake good contact.
PAC-12 Multi-band Coil Kit
Assembly
The PAC-12 ulti-band coil kit is designed to replace a fixed
coil in the antenna syste to provide continuous tuning fro
40 eters through 10 eters. The coil kit is wound with tinned
copper wire and has a tap lead to adjust the effective inductance and tune the resonant frequency
of the antenna syste .
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Contents:
1 PVC coil for
2 alu inu coil end caps
4 #8 screws and washers
3 cri p or solder lugs
1 roll of #18 tinned copper wire
1 clip lead
1” heat shrink tubing
Coil Assembly:
To asse ble the coil kit, start by
feeding the bare #18 wire
through the holes at the end of
the lengthwise slot along the coil
for . Pass the wire into the hole
through the tube and out the
other side. One of the ring
ter inals should be installed on
the end of the wire by cri ping
and/or soldering the ter inal to
the wire end.
Next, install the end caps into the PVC tube and secure with 2 screws
and washers on the sa e side of the coil as the lengthwise slot.
A #8 screw with washer can then be inserted through the ter inal
end and attached to the other hole in the alu inu end cap through
the coil for side.
Once the end of the wire is secured,
begin winding the wire around the tube
by laying it into the grooves for ed by
the threads cut into the coil for . Maintain tension on the wire as
you wind. If you need to take a break, secure the wire te porarily
with tape or other ethod so that the wire will not beco e loose.
Continue winding to the other end of the tube until you have reached
the end of the threaded area of the for . It is important to wind all
the way to the end of the threaded area as this ensures suffi ient number of turns on the
oil.
Should the wire be loose on the coil winding, you can use your hand to work it in a twisting
otion to re ove the slack and pull the excess at the end of the coil.
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Next, leave a few inches (~6) beyond the last turn on the coil and cut the wire fro the spool.
This end should be long enough to be passed through the holes in the for . Push this end trough
the holes at the end of the coil as was done when starting the coil winding so that it co es out
the other side. Secure the end with another cri p ter inal and cut off any extra wire. Secure the
end by soldering or cri ping the wire to the ter inal and connect with a screw and washer.
Coil Tap Assembly
The flying tap lead is created using the test clip lead with cri p
ter inal placed on the end and covered with heat shrink tubing.
First, strip approxi ately 1/4” of the insulation fro the end of
the clip lead wire.
NOTE: Be sure to slip the shrink tubing over the wire before
atta hing the ring terminal.
Next, attach the ring ter inal on to the stripped end of the wire by
cri ping and or soldering.
Once the wire is cri ped, slide the head shrink down and over the
cri ped area of the ring ter inal and apply heat to shrink the
tubing to secure the wire and protect fro flexing.
Once the lead is co plete it should be secured under one of the screws at the end of the coil
for as shown below.
This co pletes the
asse bly of the PAC-
12 Multi-band coil.
This is how it should
look when co pleted:
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Operation with multiband oil:
The ulti-band coil kit is installed into the PAC-12 antenna syste by screwing it onto the top
of the base rods and screwing the whip adapter and whip into the top end.
The ulti-band coil can be installed either with the tap lead up or down. The coil can be
adjusted for operation on any frequency between 40M and 10M. For operation on 10M, the
telescoping whip ay need to be collapsed a bit as the antenna ay be a bit too long for
resonance.
The antenna should be tuned by oving the tap position, checking the SWR and if necessary
adjusting the whip length to achieve a good atch (<2:1).
To insert the tap, grip the clip and press on the back end to expose the etal end. Align it
parallel to the direction of the winding and while holding it extended, insert it between the turns
of the coil in the desired area, rotate it by a quarter turn so that the etal end is under the wire
and then release. Reverse this process to re ove the clip.
Check the SWR and ove up or down the coil as needed to achieve a atch. See the chart and
sketch on the next page for guidance in finding the tap points.
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Approxi ate tap points with tap
lead end of the coil oriented up as
shown here.
Band Coil Tap Position
40M: 10 turns fro top
30M: 57 turns fro top
20M: 22 fro botto
17M: 10 fro botto
15M: 6 fro botto
12M: 1 fro botto
10M: 1 fro botto *
*whip partially collapsed
40M
30M
20M
17M
15M
12/10M
The chart and sketch are included on this page for assistance in
finding the tap points for each band.
This page can be printed and held next to the coil to aid in
deter ining the tap location.
This guide ay be cut out and la inated and carried with the kit to
aid in coil adjust ent.
Note: The tap locations shown are approxi ate and will vary with
location, length of radials and surroundings.

A B C D D C B A
80 Meter Coil Assembly
Note: This coil kit is an option, not part of the standard kits.
Parts:
PVC coil for , light gray (1)
Alu inu end caps (2)
8-32 x 3/8” stainless Phillips screws (4)
#8 internal tooth lock washers (4)
#8 ring ter inals (2)
#22 insulated copper wire
The coil is asse bled using the 2 larger end caps, the larger light gray PVC coil for and 4
of the 8-32 x 3/8” screws. Four #8 lock washers and 2 #8 ring ter inals are used. Two
lock washers go on one side to secure the screws and the 2 ring ter inals are used for
connecting the coil windings.
Insert the end caps, align the screw holes
and insert the screws.
Once the end caps are installed,, the coil is ready for winding.
The coil for showing holes to secure windings. For 80M hole set “A” will be used.
Band Meters Turns to wind Hole set(see photo)
80 145 A
Start by winding 145 turns on the coil. This should al ost entirely fill the space between
the hole set (A) At this point, you ay prefer not to solder one end of the coil. This will
allow adjusting the coil without unsoldering. Once you are happy with the coil you ay
choose to cri p or solder the wires to lugs or leave as is.
The Co pleted 80 eter coil
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Teles oping Antenna Assembly
Parts:
72” teles oping whip (1)
Aluminum whip adapter 1)
8-32 x 1/4” Phillips head s rew (1)
To asse ble the whip, slip it into the whip adapter until it
hits botto . If the fit is tight, it ay require rotating the
whip slightly while inserting.
Once in place, secure using the 8-32 x 1/4” Phillips head
screw. This co pletes the whip asse bly.
Radial kit
Parts:
16- ondu tor ribbon able
4 -1/4” ring terminals
The ribbon cable supplied is used to produce a set of
short radials. These are intended for operation when
the antenna is ground ounted as an earth coupling
syste .
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First, separate the 16-conductor ribbon cable into 4-conductor
sections giving a total of 4 sections of 4 wires each.
Strip the ends of the wires back a half-inch or so,
and twist the together.
Cri p the ter inal and use electrical tape or
heat shrink tubing to strain relief the connection.
Separate the sets of 4 wires into two wire sets
fro the end up to the strain relief on the ring
ter inal.
This will for 2 radial wires connected to each
ring ter inal. Each radial will have 2 parallel conductors.
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Cautions
As with any antenna, do not use near ele tri al wires either overhead or
buried.
Use aution whenever using the ground spike to make sure the area is
lear of buried plumbing or ele tri wires. If in doubt, do not use the
ground spike.
Also, use aution with the ground spike as the end is sharp and an ause
injury. Do not allow hildren to play with the antenna.
Assembling the PAC-12
To asse ble the antenna, gather the parts that
have been prepared. In addition to the
co ponents that you have already asse bled,
you will need the 2- 12” alu inu rod sections,
coupling nuts and the ground spike (if ground
ounting the antenna).
If it is available, so e alu inu antioxidant
grease will ake asse bly and disasse bly of
the antenna easier as well as aintain good
conductivity between the sections. S all tubes
of a suitable aterial can be found in the
electrical sections of ost hardware stores
where it is sold for use with alu inu house
wiring and interconnects. Alternatively, a s all
a ount of dielectric grease or even engine oil
will work. Be sure to wipe off any excess to
reduce the chance of it collecting dust.
Screw the ground spike into the grounded side
(BNC shell) of the feed point adapter. Screw a
12” rod section into the other end. Place a
coupling nut on this rod and add the second
section of rod. The loading coil screws onto the end of the second rod. Tighten all
connections securely but do not over tighten as the threads ay be da aged.
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Connect the whip to the other end of the coil by screwing the adapter into the threaded
opening in the coil. This co pletes asse bly of the antenna.
For operation, connect the radial wires or
counterpoise to the ¼” bolt in the center of the
feed point using the supplied wing nut to
secure the ring ter inals on the radial wires.
Deploy the radials around the base of the
antenna as unifor ly spaced as possible.
The antenna will also ount on any standard
ca era tripod using a 1/4-20 thread.
If ounted above ground, it will usually be
necessary to use resonant radial wires for best
perfor ance. The radial kit supplied is
intended for close ground ounting and is
designed for coupling to the ground under
such conditions.
When the ground is not present, longer,
resonant radial wires will i prove
perfor ance.
Testing
Asse ble the antenna and test for lowest SWR. You ay need to collapse up to one full
section or ore of the whip to achiever a low SWR at the low end of the band. The coil
turns specified above will put the SWR ini u at or near the low end of each band. To
go higher, you si ply collapse the whip. You ay need to collapse up to one full section or
ore of the whip to achiever a low SWR at the low end of the band. If ore than one
section is collapsed, re ove a turn fro the coil and retest. Once you are happy with the
coil, you can solder the end to a solder lug or just leave it looped under the screw.
Thank you for purchasing the PAC-12 antenna kit, please contact us via e ail if we can
help in any way.
The latest version of this anual will also be posted on our website.
Ja es
KA5DVS
Email:
qrpkits. om@gmail. om
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Website:
www. qrpkits. om/pa 12.htm
Frequently asked questions and hints
Q How long does it take to build the PAC-12?
A. The antenna kit can be asse bled in around one to two hours using si ple hand tools
and a soldering iron.
Q: How uch power does it handle?
A: The PAC-12 is rated to 100W of power when adjusted to a atched condition.
Q. What is the difference between the fixed coils and the ulti-band version?
A. The only difference is the coils used. All other hardware is identical and it is possible
to use both single band and ulti-band coils depending on the application and operating
situation.
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