antenna on operator side radio modem
 

Posted by Alan Federman at 03/02/2001 6:34 PM EST


Engineer on team #255, Odyssey, from Foothill HS, San Jose and NASA.



Someone stepped on the antenna and broke it in half, and guess what - it doesn't work anymore. Can I replace it with an approximate replacement from Radio Shack or is the exact size/impedance important. I got it to work for a second, but can't seem to get a handshake now.

Re: antenna on operator side radio modem
 

Posted by Adam Krajewski at 03/04/2001 5:06 PM EST


Engineer on team #221, MI Roboworks, from CCISD and Michigan Tech..


In Reply to: antenna on operator side radio modem
Posted by Alan Federman on 03/02/2001 6:34 PM EST:



We broke not one, but TWO antennas last year. The first one only the tip was broken off. It worked fine. The second one, most of the antenna was snapped off. We simply replaced it with a new off-the-shelf antenna and it seemed to work perfectly fine. I don't think size/impedance is of major importance, but I'm not sure. We used a slightly longer, retractable model of similar diameter/material. I would encourage all teams to, with whatever type of 'control box' they build, make sure you can SECURELY and SAFELY affix the radio modem to it.

Re: antenna on operator side radio modem
 

Posted by Bryan Lee at 03/06/2001 3:12 PM EST


Engineer on team #151, Nor'East Beast, from Nashua HS and BAE SYSTEMS.


In Reply to: antenna on operator side radio modem
Posted by Alan Federman on 03/02/2001 6:34 PM EST:



We had someone do this last year as a result of a poor packing job in shipping from the Nationals. We called Innovation First and they were kind enough to send us a replacement for free.

We're a little more careful now, and FYI, you could take out the screw holding the antenna in place and pack it a little differently. I don't do this because I'm afraid of losing that small screw, but it can be done.

Bryan

: Someone stepped on the antenna and broke it in half, and guess what - it doesn't work anymore. Can I replace it with an approximate replacement from Radio Shack or is the exact size/impedance important. I got it to work for a second, but can't seem to get a handshake now.

Re: antenna on operator side radio modem (EOM)
 

Posted by Matt Ryan at 03/06/2001 6:43 PM EST


Student on team #69, HYPER, from Quincy Public Schools and Gillette.


In Reply to: Re: antenna on operator side radio modem
Posted by Bryan Lee on 03/06/2001 3:12 PM EST:



Just checking something.

Re: antenna on operator side radio modem
 

Posted by Michael Betts at 03/06/2001 7:16 PM EST


Engineer on team #177, Bobcat Robotics, from South Windsor High School and International Fuel Cells.


In Reply to: antenna on operator side radio modem
Posted by Alan Federman on 03/02/2001 6:34 PM EST:



Alan,

You can order the exact antenna replacement from InnovationFirst.

Check out http://www.innovationfirst.com/FIRST...hop/enter.html and click on "Cables and Accessories" and then look at the bottom of the page. Cost is $7.50 each.

Mike