Amratek Products VLC-80M-1.0 EZ-Stinger Owner’s Manual
- June 5, 2024
- Amratek Products
Table of Contents
Amratek Products VLC-80M-1.0 EZ-Stinger
Setup
Warning! Be aware of overhead power lines. Never set up under electrical
wires or where your antenna can fall over into possible hazards. Always set up
far enough from operators and bystanders that an antenna cannot fall over and
strike anyone.
Make sure that your set up complies with FCC RF exposure requirements.
See www.arrl.org/rf-exposure for
information
The EZ-Stinger is an aluminum telescoping whip antenna. It consists of 5
sections which are individually replaceable if damaged.
The EZ-Stinger has a standard 3/8-24 male connector on the bottom which can be
threaded into any standard base or tripod.
Do not overtighten the EZ-Stinger!
Never use tools to tighten the antenna. Finger tight is suffi cient. Damage can
occur if made too tight.
Each section of the antenna (except the top section) has a collar with a nylon thumbscrew for holding any section in the desired position. The thumbscrew should be adjusted for the minimum torque necessary to hold sections in place.
Do not over-tighten the thumbscrews!
Don’t underestimate the holding strength of the thumbscrews. Over tightening
the thumb-screws can dimple the aluminum tubing causing damage to the element.
Practice to fi nd the minimum torque needed to hold the sections in place.
- The EZ-Stinger is 51 inches long when collapsed, and 17.4 feet long when fully extended. This range covers all bands from 6M thru 20M.
- With the addition of the EZ-Slider 80M loading/matching coil (part number VLC-80M-1.0), The 80M band can be covered.
- With the addition of the EZ-Slider 40/30M loading/matching coil (part number VLC-40/30M-1.0), the 40M and the 30M bands can be covered.
- When using a loading coil, the EZ-Stinger should be set to the 20M length or to the maximum, which is with section D set to 40 inches (see table 1 for details).
The base section of the EZ-Stinger is 48 inches long. Each of the 4 telescoping sections can be extended 40 inches. There is a black ring around the tubing at the 40 inch position. Do not extend a section beyond this mark. Never adjust the length of a section to the point that the mark is where the thumbscrew falls as the mark will act as an insulator between the sections of tubing. There is still 5 inches of tubing beyond the mark to provide stability. The mark may wear away over time, You can go over it with a permanent marker to make it visible again.
To remove a section, just loosen the thumbscrew and pull the section out.
Table 1. lists the section positions for the U.S. amateur bands. These are
approximate and fi nal tuning can be done by adjusting the length of the lowest
section while standing on the ground. Section A is the top section (smallest
tubing).
Section| A (6mm O.D.)| B (8mm O.D.)| C (10mm
O.D.)| D (1/2” O.D.)
---|---|---|---|---
6M| 4 inches
(10.16 cm)
| 0| 0| 0
10M| 40 inches
(101.60 cm)
| 9 inches
(22.86 cm)
| 0| 0
12M| 40 inches
(101.60 cm)
| 25 inches
(63.50 cm)
| 0| 0
15M| 40 inches
(101.60 cm)
| 40 inches
(101.6 cm)
| 4 inches
(10.16 cm)
| 0
17M| 40 inches
(101.60 cm)
| 40 inches
(101.6 cm)
| 28 inches
(71.12 cm)
| 0
20M| 40 inches
(101.60 cm)
| 40 inches
(101.6 cm)
| 40 inches
(101.60 cm)
| 29 inches
(73.66 cm)
30M
40M
80M
| 40 inches
(101.60 cm)
| 40 inches
(101.60 cm)
| 40 inches
(101.60 cm)
| 29 inches
(73.66 cm)
Table 1. Antenna section lengths for U.S. amateur bands
Do not allow sections to collapse rapidly!
When taking down the antenna, lower each section slowly. Allowing a section to
collapse rapidly could cause damage to the section collars.