Getting the Best Range out of your ART-5490 Onboard Mini-Receiver

The range you get from your ART-5490 Onboard Mini-Receiver will depend on two things: Antenna placement, and elimination of electrical noise (which can cause interference with your receiver)

Here are some steps you can take to get the maximum range possible...

1. The closer the receiver is placed to the motor inside the locomotive, the greater the chance you will have electrical noise from the motor interfering with the receiver.

You should put a 0.1 uF capacitor across the terminals of your motor. The capacitor knocks out electrical motor noise. If your motor is putting out a lot of noise, you may want to move to a stronger capacitor. This is an inexpensive item and is readily available from stores such as Radio Shack.

2. DO NOT RUN ANY WIRES (POWER, MOTOR, OR ANTENNA) THROUGH THE 5490 ITSELF. In other words, don't put these wires in between the heat sink, resting on the circuit board. This will reduce range as those wires can affect the RF circuit board when it it so close.

You should keep all wires away from direct contact with the RF board. Have the wires run on the outside of the heat sink at the very least.

It is also important that the antenna wire be kept away from power sources, including but not limited to motors, sound systems and their speakers, and other printed circuitry. All of the wires should be held in place with tape in order to keep them from shifting.

3. The 27mhz frequency is very sensitive to antenna placement. It was easy when the receiver was installed on the ground at track level, sitting in one position with the antenna stretched out.

Now, with the receiver installed inside a moving engine, care must be taken in antenna placement to get best range. If you just jam the antenna wire into one corner of your engine, the range is going to be diminished...

What customers have been telling us is that they have no problem with range if they tape up the antenna to the full length of the inside top of the locomotive shell.

The important part here is to stretch out the antenna as much as possible. This works great in long locos like the RS-3 where you can stretch the antenna down the long inside of the shell.

A better alternative, if you are a little less caring about the visual appearance of the locomotive, is to stretch the antenna to the outside of the loco.

The best way to do this without diminishing the image of the train is by stretching out the antenna underneath the black undercarriage of your loco and rolling stock.

Do not cut the wire length and do not let the antenna touch any metal objects on the model.

4. Your receiver should have come with two RF filters. These filters should be placed on the output side of the receiver to the motor. RF filters are a common r/c component used to cut out electrical interference. (See figure below)

The RF filters need to be installed by the user and the motor lead wires need to be soldered to the filters.

5. Your receiver should also have a mica washer installed between the RF circuit board and heat sink. This washer is also used to cut out electrical interference.

If you are having trouble using your ART-5490 Onboard Mini-Receiver, please call us at 973-351-9800. We are open M-F 9 AM - 5:30 PM EST.