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[Amps] Dummy load varying R

To: "amps@contesting.com" <amps@contesting.com>
Subject: [Amps] Dummy load varying R
From: Al Kozakiewicz <akozak@hourglass.com>
Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2011 11:22:11 -0400
List-post: <amps@contesting.com">mailto:amps@contesting.com>
Maybe not quite amps related, but this is the best forum I know of for RF 
expertise ...

Without belaboring irrelevant details, I'm calibrating an LP-100A wattmeter I 
just built. With a brand new MFJ 300W dummy load I measure 50.1 ohms with my 
old Fluke DMM.  The dummy load is connected to the coupler with about 6 feet of 
RG-8U.  It appears as though the resistance of the dummy load increases with 
frequency, to the point where it is 65 ohms in the 20m band and the LP-100 can 
no longer compensate.

After fiddling with the coupler with no joy I decide to connect my MFJ-259 to 
the cable and verify that the resistance is actually 50 ohms across all the HF 
bands.  Turns out that it's not.  In the 20m band the impedance at the end of 
the RG-8 has risen to 66+6j.

This is as simple a setup as I can imagine - a 50 ohm resistor in a metal box 
and 6 feet of new 50 ohm coax cable.  Tonight I will test again without the 
cable if I can find a M-M UHF adapter.  But I'm puzzled as to what the issue 
could be.

Any ideas?

TIA

Al
AB2ZY
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