AARONIA AG Magno Tracker ELF-6 Active Magnetic Tracking Antenna Installation Guide
- June 11, 2024
- AARONIA AG
Table of Contents
Manual
Magno TRACKER
Aaronia AG
Installation Guide
Introduction
Dear customer,
By purchasing this MagnoTRACKER you acquired a professional Antenna, which
allows measurement from 1Hz to 9kHz (ELF Versions) and 9kHz – 1MHz (LF
Versions).
This product fulfills the requirements of the applicable European and national
guidelines.
1.1. Liability
This document was compiled with great care and checked for accuracy.
But nevertheless mistakes cannot be excluded. We do not take over any
liability. We cannot guarantee the completeness, the correctness and the
accuracy of information.
We reserve ourselves the right to change our products, specifications and
documentations without any notice. We have no obligation for revision of
documents and manuals we delivered in the past.
1.2. Warranty
Despite the greatest care in development and production of this device and
the free MCS software; Aaronia AG takes only liabilities for certain purposes,
if this has been assured in writing. No warranty can be assumed for the
performance and flawlessness of the software for all usage conditions and
cases and for the results produced when utilized by the user. No additional
guarantees or assurances are made regarding marketability, freedom of defect
of title, integration or usability for certain purposes unless they are
required in accordance with the law and cannot be limited. Justified guarantee
claims are limited to the right of require rectification or replacement
delivery. Regarding infringements, violations of patents, rights of ownership
or the freedom from interference by third parties, Aaronia AG cannot warrant
or guarantee that it is free of error.
1.3. Safety Guidelines
In the event of any damages resulting from failure to follow these
operating instructions the claim under guarantee is discharged. We accept no
liability for consequential damages.
In the event of property and personal damages resulting from improper handling
or failure to follow safety advice, Aaronia AG accept no liability.
For reasons of safety and admissibility (CE) the unauthorized conversion
and/or alteration of the product is not permitted.
As voltage source please only use a proper mains socket (100-240Volt,
50/60Hz). Make sure that the cable isn’t squeezed or damage by sharp edges.
In order to avoid any damage, please read this user manual carefully before
starting to use the device.
The commissioning should only be performed by qualified and instructed
personnel.
Never expose the device to water. Never use it outdoors while it is raining.
Otherwise the sensitive electronics could be damaged.
Avoid to high temperatures. Do not leave the device on a heating, in direct
sunlight or in your car.
Only clean it externally with a damp cloth.
The antenna is sensitive to shock. So never drop the antenna and for
safekeeping and transport please use the carrycase.
Even though the device is well secured through the use of counter-sunk screws,
it should still not be reachable by children as it could easily be diverted
from its intended use.
This devices that is connected with mains voltage and derived voltages, is not
meant for the hands of children.
Consider the regulations for prevention of industrial accidents for electrical
installations and equipment, by government safety organization in industrial
facilities.
In schools, educational establishments, hobby and self-help workshops the
operation of this product must be supervised by trained personnel.
1.4. Scope of delivery
| LF2 and ELF2 | LF6 and ELF6 |
|---|---|
| 
-
MagnoTRACKER antenna
-
Adapter plate (blue) with screws (pre-installed on antenna in case tripod is ordered)
-
Transport Case
-
International Power supply
-
Internal pre-amplifier with integrated LiPo-Battery
Accessories (optional) -
Pistol Grip
-
Tripod incl. Bag
-
GPS-Logger
-
N to SMA Adapter
-
SMA Cable
Please check the package contents for completeness before first operation. Report missing parts immediately at Aaronia or your Aaronia dealer.
Technical data
| MagnoTRACKER LF-2| MagnoTRACKERLF-6| MagnoTRACKER ELF-2|
MagnoTRACKER ELF-6
---|---|---|---|---
Design| Magnetic Field
Tracker| Magnetic Field
Tracker| Magnetic Field
Tracker| Magnetic Field
Tracker
Impedance:| 50 Ohm| 50 Ohm| 50 Ohm| 50 Ohm
Connector| SMA (female)| SMA (female)| SMA (female)| SMA (female)
Tripod connector| 3/8“| 3/8“| 3/8“| 3/8“
Warranty*:| 2 years| 2 years| 2 years| 2 years
| Pistol grip ¼“ & 3/8“| Pistol grip ¼“ & 3/8“| Pistol grip ¼“ & 3/8“| Pistol
grip ¼“ & 3/8“
| N to SMA Adapter| N to SMA Adapter| N to SMA Adapter| N to SMA Adapter
| Tripod incl. bag| Tripod incl. bag| Tripod incl. bag| Tripod incl. bag
Internal
Preamplifier| 25dB Version with integrated
LiPo-battery (3-4hrs. runtime)
and Power supply incl. Adapter Set (optional 35dB with Option 708)| 25dB
Version with integrated
LiPo-battery (3-4hrs. runtime)
and Power supply incl. Adapter Set (optional 35dB with Option 708)| 25dB
Version with integrated
LiPo-battery (3-4hrs. runtime)
and Power supply incl. Adapter Set (optional 35dB with Option 708)| 25dB
Version with integrated
LiPo-battery (3-4hrs. runtime)
and Power supply incl. Adapter Set (optional 35dB with Option 708)
Weight:| 3kg| 5kg| 4,2kg| 9kg
Dimensions| | | |
Length:| 26 cm| 66 cm| 26 cm| 66 cm
Width:| 32 cm| 32 cm| 32 cm| 32 cm
Height:| 11 cm| 11 cm| 11 cm| 11 cm
Case:| Plastic (shock-resistant & watertight)| Plastic (shock-resistant &
watertight, long version with rolls)| Plastic (shock-resistant &
watertight)| Plastic (shock-resistant &
watertight, long version with rolls)
Weight:| 4kg| 11kg| 4kg| 11kg
Length:| 51 cm| 113 cm| 51 cm| 113 cm
Width:| 41 cm| 42 cm| 41 cm| 42 cm
Height:| 16 cm| 16 cm| 16 cm| 16 cm
*No warranty on batteries
Connectors
3.1. Battery / Power supply
All MagnoTRACKER antennas are by default equipped with an internal 25dB
preamplifier.
These internal preamplifiers come with LiPo-Battery which has 3 – 4 hours
runtime.
The charging time for the LiPo-Battery is about 90 minutes. The Charge-LED
will turn red in the beginning of charging. When charging is completed, the
Charge-LED turns off.
When the antenna is turned on, the ON/OFF LED lights red. By pressing the
ON/OFF switch, you can turn on and off the antenna.
For a continuous operation, the included power supply can be used.
Frequency-Selection
The Selection can be done by choosing four control dials which cover four
different scopes respectively:
x1; x10; x100; x1000
A fine-adjustment can be done by the big control dial (0-15).
The frequency selection of this antenna is very accurate, so that the
disturbing and „uninteresting“ signals will be reduced very efficiently. The
antenna has a SMA connector as output with 50 Ohm impedance. You can simply
connect the antenna to your receiver, spectrum analyzer, oscilloscope, power
meter, etc.
Attention: The MagnoTRACKER ELF Models (ELF-2 und ELF-6) do not offer any
kind of frequency selection!
These antennas are usable over the full frequency range from 1Hz to 9kHz
without selection.
4.1. Control dials x1 to x1000 and Big control dial (0-15)
With the control dials the center frequency can be adjusted. Turn left for
high frequency. The more you turn right, the lower the frequency will get
(tuning more finely with Big control dial in the middle). For better
understanding of the functionality, it is recommended to connect the antenna
to a spectrum analyzer and start a quick sweep with 9 kHz to 1MHz Span. Then
you will understand more clear on the operation modes of the antenna.
4.2. Slide switches 1 to 4
With 2 Slide switches (1-4) the antenna can be adjusted to 4 different
internal antennas (here both Slide switches must always have the same
position). The higher frequency you want, the smaller setting you should
choose. (1= high frequency, 4= low frequency, see page 11).
Application Example
The MagnoTRACKER is a magnetic field antenna. The antenna is not suitable for
measurements of electric fields.
One of the typical application areas of the MagnoTRACKER is the detection of
disturbing signals (e.g. on telecom wires like DSL, ADSL, etc.), which are
generated e.g. from switching power supplies. Further typical application
areas would be amateur radio, reception from submarine communication, maritime
radio, Sferics and RFID appliance.
The possibility to fine-adjust the antenna offers a directivity/resolution of
up to 1 degree or even better.
First measurement
Example: Time Signal Transmitter DCF77
Let’s say we measure a long-wave transmitter in Mainhausen (Germany), which
provide standard time for most of the radio-controlled clocks in western
Europe. The transmitter works at frequency 77,5 kHz with 50 kW power and it is
possible to measure with the MagnoTRACKER and a proper instrument / Spectrum
analyzer (e.g. SPECTRAN NF-5030) within Germany and a big part of neighboring
countries.
Frequency setting 77,5 kHz
| Slide switch (X and Y) | both set at 1 |
|---|---|
| Control dial x1 | set at 0 |
| Control dial x10 | set at 0 |
| Control dial x100 | set at 6 |
| Control dial x1000 | set at 4 |
With correct signal reception, you should be able to see the amplitude changes of the DCF77 Signals without any problems (Signal strength changes in constant rhythm).
6.1. Direction finding
Locating the signals can be achieved by turning the antenna around very
slowly. The most effective way of signal direction finding can be managed by
means of the Minimum-Method.
To do so place the antenna exactly 90° to signal source and then it will have
the lowest sensitivity (see picture below). This method is generally the best
and the easiest way in
practice to quickly detect a signal, instead of time consuming search for the
signal maximum.
Recommended Settings
You can find a recommended selection of settings depending on the measuring frequency in the following table.
Frequency| Slide switch X & Y| Control dial x1| Control dial
x10| Control dial x100| Control dial x1000
---|---|---|---|---|---
10kHz| 4| 0| 0| 3| 5
20kHz| 4| 0| 5| 3| 1
30kHz| 3| 0| 0| 2| 2
40kHz| 3| 0| 2| 2| 1
50kHz| 2| 0| 4| 9| 2
60kHz| 2| 2| 2| 0| 2
100kHz| 2| 0| 2| 7| 0
500kHz| 1| 7| 9| 0| 0
1MHz| 1| 0| 0| 0| 0
In general, it is possible to set various frequency adjustments and different
positions for the Slide switches (see point 4.2.). The data in this table are
just recommendations for orientation.
The most neutral and wide-band setting for LF-2 and LF-6 antennas can be
achieved by setting all the Control dial at postion 0 and both Slide switches
at position 1. This setting is recommended for measuring signals with unknown
frequency and signals higher than 500kHz.
Below graphic shows the typical resonance characteristics of the internal antennas (particularly determined by the position of the Slide switches) of the MagnoTRACKER LF-2 and LF-6 antennas:
Forum
Please visit our Support- and Forum-Website: www.spectran- developer.net
Here you can find, amongst others, a forum with a lot of helpful tips & tricks, especially about handling the MagnoTRACKER. This Forum is open for the public. After a short registration process, you can place your questions and exchange information with other Aaronia users.
www.aaronla.com
HW © 2015 Aaronia AG, DE-54597 Strickscheid