ik2jyw

Evaluation

 

Scoring 1 to 10

 

Delivery time

5/10 (missing parts and rework activities have delayed the installation of additional 30 days)

 

Mechanical

6/10 overall

3/10 mechanical pre-assembly

 

Electrical and software

Electrical: 3/10

Software and AD controller card: 2/10

 

Actual organization management support

 

availability and helpfulness 2/10

answers and explanations 1/10;

hardware problem solving = 1/10.

software problem solving 0/10.

​

Further considerations and narrative

 

As said before some missing parts and rework activities have considerably lengthened the antenna assembly time and deferred its activation. Anyway the antenna mechanical is quite good but, alas, some small and trivial flaws could have been fixed at the factory. I worked hard in fixing those “little” flaws but not everyone can do it at home without the proper tools and material.

 

Also the assembly manual is not that clear, not exhaustive and illustrations are obsolete.

 

Not of less importance was the process of obtaining the license for the full functionality of the SW. The request was sent via E-mail to the specified address but the mailbox was closes (now I know the reasons) and the auto answer redirected me to another address. In few words after six days I was not able to receive any information from the actual organization on how to get the activation key. Somebody else has informally helped me (tnx Silvano - i2ysb e Claudio - ik0zio).

 

Furthermore on top on the above, after days of testing and verifications, constrained by the continuous deficiencies of the software, being missing any possibility, ability and willingness by the AD organization to solve said deficiencies, I decided to build a new software using a stand alone controller based on a MicroMedia board (mikroe.com) with color and touch screen etc.(I had to “sniff” the communication protocol between the PC and the AD controller). 

This is an hobby, so the time to spend is limited but after a couple of weeks the first wails came out and after a further period of intensive tests it was completely operative. I can assure, , while I’m writing, that it works perfectly and, listening to those that saw it in operation, it is very much superior to the system supplied by the AD antenna organization, deaf in listening to customer problems and unwilling to compare itself with the reality and to improve its product (he said “what you have done is just a little thing to make the stepper motors turning, anybody can do it in half a day”).

On the contrary it doesn’t seem true to me that the software provided by AD org doesn’t offer different or better functions than my little stand alone baby,and, better, supposing that my baby is a “toy to make stepper motors turning”, then I ask myself – why many owners and/or possible buyers of the AD antenna are waiting for a new stand alone controller many times announced and continuously deferred?  If one can build a software to make stepper motors turning in half a day why is there (and what are the reasons of) this eternal waiting time? – After all, differently from me, they have already a code base from which to start, or not ? bah, no comment.

 

By the way, a stand alone controller preferably wireless, maybe an app for tablet/phones, could be much more effective than the actual PC SW provided by AD org but would eventually raise the price of the product and consequently reduce the quality/price ratio just promoting analog products on the market.

 

But the best is yet to come !!!

 

Alleluja. The storm of the last June 5th 2017 caused what I never wanted to happen. One of the stepper motor driver died causing a short circuit on the 24 VDC power supply. I was lucky because my power supply is protected against current overloads and cuts the power when the current limit is reached otherwise the damage would have been much greater. In fact during the inspection I discovered that the only fuse in the AD Controller circuit is rated at a current of 10 Amperes, too much for the thin pcb traces going to the supply connectors of the motors. ​

 

I reiterate here my opinion: mechanical could be defined of a good quality but the rest if really a SHAME! In any case I repaired the driver card and ordered additional spare driver cards from a different provider because no answers were received to my phone calls to the AD org.

 

June 29th, 2017: the strong storm raging in the area caused the 24VDC power to go to protection again. Without doubts another motor driver is dead with the hope that no other components are involved. Cannot go up to roof with this whether.

 

July 1st, 2017 effectively and luckily it was as supposed. Another stepper motor driver was broken. After a deeply inspection I noticed that the upper size of the AD controller box was wet, due to the condensation caused by the sudden temperature drop, probably dripping on the underlying driver card. Then it was mandatory to put in place the correct remedies, i.e. replacement of the box with a brand new one with thermal insulation inside against the condensation; I added also a circuit where each motor is independently powered through a dedicated 2A fuse as suggested by the Toshiba Stepper motor driver datasheet in order to remove the stepper motor power from the pcb traces of the AD Controller.

 

Crossing the fingers, on 24th of July 2017 the remedies put in place seem to resist and survive to the low-pressure in action and to the previous storms of the 13th and 21st of July, when the temperature dropped below 19 degrees Celsius. No condensation was visible in the box ... but 

 

Friday 11th of August 2017, a beautiful, clear and warm summer day the last stepper motor driver gave up apparently without reasons, replaced with a new one ... mumble ... mumble ... mumble,  see that Michail was fully in the truth when he wrote:

 

Michail Vassiliadis

 

1. Ordered May and came after 7 months in open boxes without protection;

2. Antenna quality is bad;

3. Stepper controller is dying one after another;

4. Main element is not making good contact;

5. Motor housing are aquariums;

6. Communication with factory is a joke;

7. AD is not a company. It is a backyard workshop.

BEWARE

​

 

One could say that’s enough, but here comes the antenna element M3, used as director for 6,10,12, 15, 17, 20 e 30 meters and as driver for 40 meters which doesn’t do its job anymore. The motor turns, the current load shown by the power supply is correct. Probably the inner strip doesn’t come out or it is a bad contact between the sleight and the strip. This was revealed on 18th of August when, operating the 40 meters band, the SWR went south and the other bands required the tune of the elements length to come back to an acceptable SWR level. All the clues were pointing at the M3 element as the culprit.

 

Now I’m worn out, dead tired and bothered by this steady steam of problems. When I’ll be better and I will have a piece of time and willingness I’ll go up again on the roof and I will dismount the M3 element and its motor box and check and report about it. My situation now is very similar to that described by  Michail, point 5 is still to be verified, but, if so,  then the Michail story will carbon copy match my story  “.. beware .. beware .. beware! “

 

4th of September, 2017: finally a slot of time to check the M3 problem. BINGO! The missing Michail point 5 is now verified and confirmed. I abstain from putting additional comments here in order to avoid the improper use of non diplomatic words and/or direct insults. After all these ordeals, where the moral is gone under my shoulders, I simply include these self explaining pictures. ​