On 09/21/2013 04:11 PM, DALE LONG wrote:
Bill:
Expect the unexpected. If you are using insulated wire, it can be broken
inside the insulation...Easy to check the wire for continuity.. Be absolutely
sure all connections are really clean..
If you have a 1/4 vertical that is not touching another metal object, it should
tune up.
Try bypassing the tuner completely (not just putting the tuner in bypass mode)
and check with antenna analyzer where it is resonant. That should give you
some ideas. Perhaps your antenna is too short or too long. If you have a 1/4
vertical, you should not need a tuner unless you want to ragchew above 1900
KHz...You really need to find the resonant frequency of what you have.
An ineffective antenna is one thing, but sounds like your antenna is not even resonant on
160m. (from your description of "not loading on 160"). Antenna analyzers are a
wonderful tool.
Best 73
Dale - N3BNA
Hi Dale,
Thanks for your comments. I do have a couple of Grid dip
oscillators...one grid dip and one gate dip. I need to figure out where
the dial calibration on both them actually is and get the resonance
info. That will still not tell me what impedance I'm looking at.
After I posted I dug an old power supply board out and found a two and
half inch ferrite donut with heavy wire windings on it (two of them
actually). I fooled around and ended up with the rig and 'tuner' getting
happy on 160. I have 18 turns on the antenna side and 5 turns on the
radio side. I'll give it a try tonight when there are some people on and
the RBN skimmers are back on the band. Obviously that changed the
settings for 80 and 40 but 80 and 40 still load up okay. The real test
is successful QSOs! I have to wait for dark when those other people come
out to play.
73,
Bill KU8H
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Topband Reflector
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