West Mountain Radio TARGETuner User manual

www.westmountainradio.com
1020 Spring City Drive
Waukesha, WI 53186
262-522-6503
[email protected]
©2014 West Mountain Radio, All rights reserved. All trademarks are
the property of their respective owners.
TARGETuner
Antenna Management System
for Screwdriver Antennas

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Thank you for choosing the TARGETuner from West Mountain Radio.
This product is designed as mobile antenna management system that
includes motor control for the antenna and sensing for frequency band
matching. It is ideal for mobile antennas with a remote control head.
TARGETuner senses the RF Signal going to the antenna and will work
with any Transmitter or Transceiver. It does not depend on radio data link
for band selection and does not need to control the radio for activation.
The motor control uses a bipolar transistor direct switch that incorporates
pulse width modulation for control of motor speed and direction. Stall
Current Sensing is programmable and available for some current limit
settings.
TARGETuner provides a digital display of Basic Transmitter Frequency
and SWR Readout, as well as Manual Tuning Control options which
allows the user to monitor antenna performance and manually adjust the
antenna if necessary. The TARGETuner continuously monitors transmitter
frequency and antenna performance and can adjust the antenna
accordingly with vehicle movement, antenna icing, or any other proximity
or environmental related antenna detuning effects.
The TARGETuner RF Sensing Module is remote from the radio
controls. This limits the RF Exposure to other radio and antenna control
components. An industry standard shielded RJ-45 Cable serves as
an interconnect between the TARGETuner RF Sensor Module and
TARGETuner Controller. Power is supplied through industry standard
Powerpole connectors for ease of power connection and fusing.
Product Contents
• TARGETuner Controller Unit
• TARGETuner RF Sensing Module
• Shielded RJ-45 Cable
• Power Cable with standard Powerpole connectors
• PL-259 Coaxial Jumper Cable
Installation
Antenna Installation:
Follow the antenna manufacturer’s installation instructions outlining
Antenna Placement, Grounding, Control Cable preparation and Ferrite
Choke Placement. Follow the pre-tuning instructions for the antenna
model and record the useable tuning range of the installation based on the
antenna element length. An Antenna Analyzer is handy for this. (Record
the useable “Frequency Range” for use later).

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
RF Sensing Module Installation:
1. Install the TARGETuner RF Sensing Module close to the radio inline with
the antenna feed with the provided PL-259 Coaxial jumper cable.
2. Connect a short ground braid from the grounding stud to a metal body
panel or the vehicle frame. Be sure to scrape off a patch of paint to
insure a good RF Ground.
3. Connect the antenna manufacturer’s Antenna Control Cable between the
antenna and the TARGETuner Controller. Be sure the Ferrite RF Choke
is placed as close to the antenna as possible.
4. Connect the antenna manufacturer’s longer coax cable between the
TARGETuner RF Sensing Module and the Antenna.
5. Connect the RF-45 Sensor Cable between the TARGETuner Sensing
Module and TARGETuner Controller.
TARGETuner Control Unit Installation:
1. Select a location close to the radio transmitter control panel that will be
using the tunable antenna.
2. Connect the Antenna Control Cable between the antenna and the
TARGETuner Controller Unit.
3. Connect the controller end of the shielded RJ-45 sensor cable from the
RF Sensing Module to the TARGETuner controller unit.
4. Connect the Powerpole power cable to the 12V power source for the
radio.
InitialConguration:
1. Push and hold the “PWR” button on the TARGETuner to apply power to
the antenna controller.
2. Press “MENU” button until “Menu Select” appears in the LCD display.
3. Use Down button and scroll to “Antenna Range” and press Save button.
4. The LCD should now say “Press DOWN to limit then SAVE”. Press
the DOWN button until the antenna hits the down limit of the antenna
and press the SAVE button to save the down limit of the antenna. The
direction the antenna moves in relation to the Up and Down button can
be changed with the “Motor Direction” setting.
5. The LCD should now say “Press UP to limit then SAVE”. Press the UP
button until the antenna hits the up limit of the antenna and press the
SAVE button to save the up limit of the antenna.
6. Press the Auto or Manual button to return to normal operational modes.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Manuf. Coax
Cable
Ground
Braid
Manuf. Antenna
Control Cable
RJ-45 Cable
Powerpole
Power Cable
PL-259 Coaxial
Jumper Cable
Rig CTL
Cable
• The Ground for radio power should be kept as short as possible.
• Keep the vehicle Ground Reference for both RF and DC power,
making sure the negative battery lead is tied to the body as well as
the engine block.
• Ground straps for multi-point grounding of the vehicle body to
vehicle frame will aid in eliminating RF noise from the vehicle
controls to the antenna system.
Additional tips: www.westmountainradio.com/TARGETuner/FAQ
Troubleshooting Tips


Turn Unit
ON/OFF
Menu
Options
LCD Display
shows readings
of Frequency and
SWR
Changes to
Automatic
Mode
Moves
Antenna
DOWN
Add or
Remove
frequency
and SWR
to internal
memory
list
Changes
to Manual
Mode
Moves
Antenna UP







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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Establish Channel Positions
Repeat the following for each desired frequency:
Tune radio to a desired frequency.
Automatic positioning:
1. Press the AUTO button until the display shows “Auto SWR Tuning”
2. Key up the transmitter to desired frequency with at least 5 Watts in
AM/FM mode (use 10 Watts for 6 meters)
3. Keep the radio in transmit until the antenna stops moving and the
LCD says “Auto SWR Locked”
  4.PressandholdtheSAVEbuttondownforve(5)secondstostore
the frequency/position in memory.
Manually set the position:
1. Press the MANUAL button until the display shows “Manual Control”
2. Transmit in AM or FM mode
3. Use the UP and DOWN arrows to position the antenna to the
desired position
  4.ContinuetoTransmitandholdtheSAVEbuttondownforve(5)
seconds to store the frequency/position in Memory.
Operating Modes
The TARGETuner can run in one of four operating modes: “Manual Control”,
“Manual Memory”, “Auto Memory” and “Auto SWR”. To select “Manual
Control” or “Manual Memory”, press the MANUAL button to toggle between
those choices. To select “Auto Memory” or “Auto SWR” press the AUTO
button to toggle between those choices.
Operating Mode: Manual Control
TARGETuner will not move the antenna unless the user presses the UP or
DOWN button. Pressing the UP or DOWN button will cause the antenna
to move in that direction, and the antenna will stop moving when the button
is released. The antenna position, motor load current (Amps), detected
frequency and detected SWR will be displayed on the LCD. Pressing and
holdingtheSAVEbuttonforve(5)secondswillsavethecurrentlocation,
frequency and SWR in memory for use in Manual Memory and Auto modes.
Operating Mode: Manual Memory
The user can select from previously saved memory positions by pressing
the UP and DOWN button. The LCD will display the selected position on the
LCD screen. Pressing the SAVE button will cause the antenna to move to
that position.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Operating Mode: Auto Memory
The TARGETuner will not move the antenna until a new valid frequency
has been detected, at which point the antenna will be moved to the closest
position in memory for that frequency. If using the serial rig control port, the
frequency will be read directly from the radio and will move the antenna the
moment the frequency is changed on the radio. If serial rig control port is
not used, the frequency is not detected until the sensor unit has detected a
transmit from the radio.
Operating Mode: Auto SWR
When the LCD shows “Auto SWR Tuning”, the TARGETuner is detecting
SWR and frequency from the sensor unit and serial rig control port while
attemptingtondthebestSWRontheantenna.TheTARGETunerwillnot
move the antenna unless the transceiver is transmitting. When the LCD
displays “Auto SWR Locked”, the TARGETuner has found the best SWR.
Whenlocked,pressingSAVEbuttonforve(5)secondswillcausethis
position to be saved to memory. When locked, if the frequency changes or
thedetectedSWRgetssigncantlyworsetheTARGETunerwillexitlocked
mode and go back to “Auto SWR Tuning”.
Menu and settings
PressingtheMENUbuttonloadsthesettingsmenu.TherstlineoftheLCD
will show “MENU SELECT” and the second line will display a menu setting
that can be changed. When in “MENU SELECT”, pressing UP and DOWN
can be used to select different settings. Press the SAVE button to select
a setting to view/edit. Once an item has been opened for viewing/editing,
pressing SAVE will save the new setting and MENU can be used to exit and
cancel any changes.
Description of Menu Settings and Values:
Antenna
Range
Usedtocongurethetopandbottomrangeoftheantenna.
SeethesectionofthismanuallabeleledInitialConguration.
Encoder
Wheel
If using a screwdriver antenna that has an encoder wheel or
hall sensor to detect movement, select YES, otherwise select
NO. If the antenna does not have such a sensor then the
TARGETuner cannot save any positions to memory because
the TARGETuner cannot detect position of the antenna.
View
Memory
Used to view the memory points saved to memory. Press UP
and DOWN will cycle through the memory points. Pressing
andholdingdowntheSAVEbuttondownforve(5)seconds
can be used to clear a point from memory.
Clear
Memory Allows the user to erase all points from memory.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
User Motor
Speed
This is used to select the fastest speed the TARGETuner will
move the antenna. Generally you want to use the “Fastest”
setting, which is the DC power directly applied to the motor
on the antenna for full speed. This speed setting is used
in “Manual Control” when the users presses the UP and
DOWN button. This is also used in all other modes when the
TARGETuner wants to move at the fastest speed. This is
congurableintheeventtheuserwantstolimitpowerused
by the antenna motor.
Auto Motor
Speed
This speed is used by the TARGETuner in auto modes and
movment modes when it wants to operate at a slower speed.
One usage is in memory mode and it is close to the desired
position, the TARGETuner will use this slower speed to
movethenalamounttoreduceovershoot.Anotherusage
is in Auto SWR mode, when the SWR is getting close it will
use the slower speed. If memory mode or Auto SWR mode
appears to overshoot position, try reducing this speed.
Motor
Direction
The direction the antenna motor moves when the UP or
DOWN button is pressed can be set with this option.
Motor
Ramping
If set to “Yes”, the TARGETuner will slowly ramp the
antenna motor speed to the desired speed. This is useful
for performing manual tuning, tapping the UP and DOWN
keyswillresultinslowmovementsoftheantennaforne
adjustments. If set to “No”, the TARGETuner will not ramp
the speed of the antenna motor and instead go directly to the
“User Motor Speed”. This is useful if the PWM driving the
DC motor in the antenna is causing a received whine noise.
Fuse
Current
Thissettingconguresthemaximumcurrentthatisallowed
to be used by the DC motor on the antenna. If the current
goes over this setting the TARGETuner will stop the motor
and display an error on the LCD. This check can be disabled
with the “Ignore” setting. Refer to the manual of your
screwdriverantenna,orndvalueviaexperimentation,to
ndasettingthatallowsoperationofthemotorbutafailsafe
in the event of a short.
Stall Current
If the Encoder Wheel setting is set to “No”, this current is
used in “Auto SWR” mode to determine if the TARGETuner
has hit the top or bottom limit. If in “Auto SWR” mode and
current goes over this value then the TARGETuner will
reverse direction and look for best SWR in the new direction.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Beep on
Motor
Unitcanbeconguredtobeepifthemotorismoving,
proving useful when unable to see the antenna and want to
be alerted that it is moving.
Never – TARGETuner will not beep because the motor is
moving.
Always – TARGETuner will beep at any time the motor is
moving.
In Auto Mode – TARGETuner will not beep if the motor is
moving due to pressing UP and DOWN button in “Manual
Control” mode, will beep at any other time motor is moving.
Beep on
SWR
UnitcanbeconguredtobeepiftheSWRdetectedisover
thespeciedthreshold.
Rig CTL
Protocol
If set to DISABLED, the TARGETuner will only use the
sensor module for detecting frequency transmitted. In certain
congurationsandSWR,thefrequencydetectedusingthe
sensor module can be inaccurate. Alternately the user could
use a serial rig control protocol to read the frequency directly
from the radio. Reading frequency directly from the radio
over serial is always 100% accurate. This feature requires a
compatible radio and an optional accessory cable to connect
to the connector on the TARGETuner labeled “Rig CTL”. The
following choices are available:
•DISABLED–Notusingrigcontrol,onlyusethesensor
module
•IcomCI-V–compatiblewithallIcomradiosthathaveCI-V
•YaesuFT857–compatiblewithYaesuFT-817,FT-857and
FT-897.
Rig CTL
Baud
If Rig CTL Protocol is not set to DISABLED, this is the serial
port baud rate used to communicate with the radio. Refer to the
manual of your radio to determine what baud rate is being used
by your radio.
CI-V CTL
Address
If Rig CTL Protocl is set to Icom CI-V, this sets the CI-V address
ofyourradio.Refertothemanualofyourradiotondthis
value.
LCD Auto
Off
TheLCDbacklightcanbeconguredtoautomaticallyturnoff
if there has been a period of inactivity (no buttons pressed). If
“Always ON” is selected the backlight is always left on.
Sensor
Module
Set to YES to use the sensor module, set to NO if you do not
have the sensor module connected. It is strongly recommended
that you use a Rig CTL Protocol if you want to set this to NO and
not use the sensor module. When this is set to NO the SWR will
not be displayed or saved to memory.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Rig Control Accessory Cable Options
• Rig Control Cable for CI-V (Icom) Radios (#58107-971)
• CAT Cable for Yaesu FT-100,100D,817,857,897 (#58108-972)
Specications
Primary Power 13.75VDC
2.1 Amp max.
33mA Standby (internally monitored and fused)
Antenna Motor Voltage 13.75VPWMSpeedControlled
Antenna Motor Current Monitored. Maximum current selectable -
2.0A max (intermittent)
Antenna Encoder Range 0 to 9999
Frequency Range 1.800Mhz to 54.000Mhz
Frequency Readout +/- 0.01%
Useable RF Power Range 2.0 to 800 Watts
SWR Range 1.0:1 to 9.9:1 (auto level and ranging)
Frequency/SWR Antenna
Location Memories
35
FCC INFORMATION
For a Class B digital device or peripheral, the user instructions shall include the
follow-
ling or similar statement, placed in a prominent location in the text of the
manual:
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for
a class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits
are designed to provide reasonable protection again harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates,uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy, and if not installed and used in accordance with the guaran-
tee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment
does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be
determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to
correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
 •Reorientorrelocatethereceivingantenna
 •Increasetheseparationbetweentheequipmentandreceiver 
 •Connecttheequipmentintoanoutletonacircuitdifferent 
from that to which the receiver is connected.
 •Consultthedealeroranexperiencedradio/TVtechnicianfor 
help.
Modicationsnotexpresslyapprovedbythemanufacturercouldvoidtheuser’s
authority to operated equipment under the FCC Rules.

TARGETuner Warranty
TARGETuner is warranted against failure due to defects in workmanship or materials for
one year after the date of purchase from West Mountain Radio. Warranty does not cover
damage caused by abuse, accident, misuse, improper or abnormal usage, failure to follow
instructions, improper installation, alteration, lightning, or other incidence of excessive
voltage or current. If failure occurs within this period, return the TARGETuner or accessory
to West Mountain Radio at your shipping expense. The device or accessory will be repaired
or replaced, at our option, without charge, and returned to you at our shipping expense.
Repaired or replaced items are warranted for the remainder of the original warranty period.
You will be charged for repair or replacement of the TARGETuner or accessory made after
the expiration of the warranty period.
West Mountain Radio shall have no liability or responsibility to customer or any other person
or entity with respect to any liability, loss, or damage caused directly or indirectly by use
or performance of the products or arising out of any breach of this warranty, including,
but not limited to, any damages resulting from inconvenience, loss of time, data, property,
revenue, or profit, or any indirect, special incidental, or consequential damages, even if
West Mountain Radio has been advised of such damages.
Except as provided herein, West Mountain Radio makes no express warranties and any
implied warranties, including fitness for a particular purpose, are limited in duration to the
stated duration provided herein.
www.westmountainradio.com
1020 Spring City Drive, Waukesha, WI 53186
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