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[TowerTalk] FW: Tuner SWR won't stay down

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Subject: [TowerTalk] FW: Tuner SWR won't stay down
From: "Jim Hargrave" <w5ifp@gvtc.com>
Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2015 09:09:37 -0600
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Hargrave [mailto:w5ifp@gvtc.com] 
Sent: Saturday, January 3, 2015 9:08 AM
To: 'Tom Osborne'
Subject: RE: [TowerTalk] Tuner SWR won't stay down

Tom,
Have you replaced the 1N34 diodes?
Does the forward power meter change or just the reflected meter.

73, Jim – w5ifp@gvtc.com

>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf 
>> Of Tom Osborne
>> Sent: Friday, January 2, 2015 11:11 AM
>> To: towertalk@contesting.com
>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Tuner SWR won't stay down
>> 
>> I have 7 antennas here.  It will drift on every antenna.
>> 
>> There seems to be some confusion on my first posting.  This is what I 
>> asked:
>> 
>> "Hi
>> 
>> I picked up an MFJ-989C tuner that has a problem (don't want to hear 
>> about 'mitey fine junk).
>> 
>> The problem is that the SWR goes down and then slowly creeps back up.
>> 
>> I got a new roller inductor and installed it and the SWR still 
>> doesn't stay low, even at low power.
>> 
>> I took the roller inductor out and put in a switch/coil combo to 
>> eliminate the coil problem.  SWR still climbs up.
>> 
>> Bypassed the SWR circuitry and ran the input from the antenna 
>> directly to the capacitor.  Still won't stay low.
>> 
>> I thought it might be the SWR circuitry but I put another tuner in 
>> front of this one and when I tune the SWR down with the other tuner, 
>> it stays down, so don't think it should be the SWR circuit.
>> 
>> This really has me puzzled.  Can't see anything left to check.  Any 
>> ideas?  Thanks and 73 Tom W7WHY "
>> 
>> I would think the fact that I can tune the SWR down and it stays down 
>> with the other tuner would mean the jumpers and coax are all OK as 
>> the 2 tuners are in series with each other.  There is definitely a 
>> problem with the bad tuner, but just can't figure it out.
>> 
>> But - I did put the output of the tuner into the dummy load and it 
>> still drifts at low power.  Maybe it's time to strip out the parts 
>> and build it into something else :-)
>> 
>> One last thing I'm gonna try is borrow one of those heat sensors from 
>> a friend of mine and shoot it at all the components and see what is 
>> heating up.  It has to be that what is causing the problem. 73 and 
>> appreciate all the suggestions.
>> Tom W7WHY
>> 
>> 
>> On 1/1/2015 10:10 PM, Jim Thomson wrote:
>> > Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2015 18:56:58 -0600
>> > From: "Bill Aycock" <billaycock@mediacombb.net>
>> > To: "Charles Farr" <cefarr@hughes.net>,
>> <towertalk@contesting.com>
>> > Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Tuner SWR won't stay down
>> >
>> > I'm puzzled that no one has mentioned the FIRST and most
>> helpful
>> > trouble shooting test-- substituting a dummy load for the
>> antenna.
>> > Bill—W4BSG
>> >
>> > ##  agreed !   We don’t even know what ant he is using.  Is it a
>> yagi, or
>> > an OCF dipole, or is it a dipole fed with open wire line, OR coax.
>> > What band or bandS  does it drift on. Do you have some kind of 
>> > defective balun at the feedpoint of the ant ??
>> >
>> > ##  Since it drifts, even with low power, you gotta real problem.
>> >
>> > ##  Run ONE good coax, directly from the output of the tuner....
>> to a dummy load.
>> > Don’t even mess with a wattmeter, or anything else between
>> output of
>> > tuner and input of dummy load.
>> >
>> > ##  Then try and.... match the dummy load..and do it on every
>> band, IF
>> > it doesn’t drift, your tuner is not the issue.
>> >
>> > ##If it does still drift, the tuner is the problem.
>> >
>> > Jim  VE7RF
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > TowerTalk mailing list
>> > TowerTalk@contesting.com
>> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> 
>> 
>> 
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