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An antenna tuning hut or helix house is a small shed at the base of a
The radio frequency current from the transmitter is supplied to the antenna through a cable called the feedline. The antenna tuning hut contains a matching network made of high wattage
An antenna tuning hut or helix house is a small shed at the base of a longwave
In radio, longwave, long wave or long-wave, and commonly abbreviated LW, refers to parts of the radio spectrum with wavelengths longer than what was originally called the medium-wave broadcasting band. The term is historic, dating from the e ...
or mediumwave
Medium wave (MW) is the part of the medium frequency (MF) radio band used mainly for AM broadcasting, AM radio broadcasting. The spectrum provides about 120 channels with more limited sound quality than FM stations on the FM broadcast band. Du ...
radio transmitting antenna. It contains antenna tuner
An antenna tuner (and any of the names in the list below) is a device that is inserted between a radio transmitter and its antenna; when placed close by the antenna and properly adjusted (tuned) it optimizes power transfer by matching the i ...
– radio equipment for coupling the power from the feedline to the antenna. Alternative names include ''antenna tuning house'', ''coupling hut'', and ''dog house''.
Equipment
The radio frequency current from the transmitter is supplied to the antenna through a cable called the feedline. The antenna tuning hut contains a matching network made of high wattage capacitor
A capacitor is a device that stores electrical energy in an electric field by virtue of accumulating electric charges on two close surfaces insulated from each other. It is a passive electronic component with two terminals.
The effect of a ...
s and inductor
An inductor, also called a coil, choke, or reactor, is a passive two-terminal electrical component that stores energy in a magnetic field when electric current flows through it. An inductor typically consists of an insulated wire wound into a ...
s (coils) that in combination match the antenna's impedance to the feedline, to efficiently transfer power into the antenna. The inductor
An inductor, also called a coil, choke, or reactor, is a passive two-terminal electrical component that stores energy in a magnetic field when electric current flows through it. An inductor typically consists of an insulated wire wound into a ...
s, made of large helix
A helix () is a shape like a corkscrew or spiral staircase. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is formed as two intertwined hel ...
es of wire, give the name ''helix house''.
The powerful radio wave
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, typically with frequencies of 300 gigahertz ( GHz) and below. At 300 GHz, the corresponding wavelength is 1 mm (sho ...
s near the antenna can be a hazard for workers, so the interior of the antenna tuning hut is typically shielded with copper or aluminum sheeting or wire mesh, in order to reduce radiation from the tower. In operation the components can have a voltage of several hundred thousand volts.
The building may also contain lightning protection devices and power transformers for aircraft warning lights on the tower. The radio transmitter which generates the radio frequency current which powers the antenna is generally located away from the antenna, to prevent the powerful radio waves from interfering with the sensitive transmitter circuits.
See also
* Antenna tuning unit *Radio frequency power transmission
Radio frequency power transmission is the transmission of the output power of a transmitter to an antenna. When the antenna is not situated close to the transmitter, special transmission lines are required.
The most common type of transmission l ...
References
Radio technology {{radio-comm-stub