On 8/10/2010 6:27 AM, Jim Thomson wrote:
> Date: Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:01:42 -0400
> From: Pete Smith<n4zr@contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [Amps] Automotive Relays,bad eng.
>
> Per the RCS-10 manual, you can put a shorted PL-259 in the Antenna 1
> jack, and when you power down the control box, the line to the shack is
> grounded. Since I only have 6 antennas, this is ideal, but I'm sure
> others will grumble about the loss of one position. I put my dummy load
> out there under a plastic bucket.
>
> ## Interesting. You have the line to shack grnded..but the 6 x coax line's
> to the 6 x ants
> are floating , and not grnded. I have just the opposite, with the 6 x ant
> ports grnded,
> and line to shack is floating. i have a lightning arrestor at bottom of
> tower. Instead
> of adding yet another relay to the remote box..to grnd the line to the
> shack, it could be
> done at the shack end. IE: a 2 in, one out switch box... with the one out
> being the
> line to the tower. The 2 x inputs could be for the xcvr/amp.. and the 2nd
> one a solid grnd.
>
>
> Aside from saving a little money on coax, it seems like a bad idea to
> have your antenna switch at the top of the tower. I far prefer having
> it at the bottom.
>
> ## I thought the entire concept was to save coax ?
For me it's convenience and like Pete, I do not want the things up top
where they are hard to get at and prone to lightning damage.
> I have too much loss from
> base of tower...going up 91'-101' to get to the 4 ants..then out onto the
> boom's.
> 100' of 213 doesn't work on 15m..never mind 10/12/6m.
>
100' of LMR-400, or Davis BuryFlex works just fine although I use
LMR-600 and BuryFlex for the pigtails at each end.
> ## I can't envision folks using multiple runs of 7/8" cable ,one per
> ant...so why not
> put the switch box at the top of the tower ?
>
>
>
> I have only had the RCS-10 for a few months, so we'll see how it goes in
> the longer term, but so far every receiving problem has traced back to
> the Stackmatch.
>
>
I had to rebuild one of the RCS8s but that was due to a few months with
nothing on the connectors and in that time they had become so rough I
could not get the PL259s screwed on. I get a lot of coronal damage on
things on top of the tower and particularly connectors. I've never noted
it on the tower proper, but the antennas do appear to be etched a bit.
Other than adjusting, I've not had to do any maintenance on the
relays...so far.
> ### If it's int relay contacts.... you could put out 10-50 watt cxr
> through it..and hot switch it back and forth
> several times. The real fix is to take it apart..... before
> fall/winter/monsoon rains/cold sets in.
>
73
Roger (K8RI)
> Jim VE7RF
>
>
>
> 73, Pete N4ZR
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