[Amps] Automotive Relays,bad eng.

[Jim Thomson]

Date: Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:01:42 -0400
From: Pete Smith <n4zr at 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 ?   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.  

##  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.

###  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. 

Jim  VE7RF



73, Pete N4ZR