Hello to the group!
I've had a Cushcraft D3W rotatable dipole up for over a year and a half without
a problem and really like the antenna. Following a very bad rain storm
(tornados in the area) a couple of months ago, iIt developed a problem that I
cannot seem to isolate. The antenna's SWR increases after a rainfall but after
a day or so of dry weather, the SWR falls back to normal. It is not a slight
increase either. The usual SWR (BTW all 3 bands are affected ie. 30-17 and
12M) for 30 M for example is 1.3:1 and increases up to 4.2 - 4.8:1 after a
rainfall. Then falls back to 1.3:1 after a day or so. I am feeding the antenna
with a 1:1 balun and have checked to ensure that both the balun and coax are
sealed properly and that the venting holes are on the bottom of the traps.
Could water be getting into the end caps of the traps and causing the problem?
Although the caps seem to be on properly and tight. Not quite sure what to look
for? Anyone encountered a similar
problem using any type of antenna?
Any advice / suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
73's
Serge
VA3SB
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