Topband: Peru report....and how to make fireworks with an inverted L

[Jeff Maass]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: topband-bounces at contesting.com 
> [mailto:topband-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Henry Jack
> Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 3:33 PM
> To: topband at contesting.com
> Subject: Topband: Peru report....and how to make fireworks 
> with an inverted L
> 
I didn't find out what was happening until early 
> the next evening during a QSO with PZ5RA.  My wife came 
> running into the house shouting that the tree was on fire.  I 
> ran out but didn't see any fire. 
> When she calmed down she explained that there was a large 
> brilliant yellow fireball accompanied by a high pitch sound 
> everytime I sent CW.  A visual inspection showed that the 
> wind blew my once enameled #12 radiator into a branch of the 
> tree.  The branch was about 4 inches in dia. and the 3 hour 
> pileup created a nice V notch half way into the branch.
> 

At the PJ2T station, we have an 80-meter 3-element delta loop array pointed at Europe. It
has a driven element an parasitic driven element and reflector. During the CQWW CW trip,
we discovered a couple of issues in need of repair:

1) Where the insulated wire of the reflector
    came into contact with the insulated (with
    Scotch #33 plus tape), there was a serious
    amount of charring on the "insulated" wire;

2) Where the previously-insulated reflector wire
    was making contact with a limb of a bushy
    tree, the wood was seriously charred.

Note that this was the *reflector*, not a driven element!

Wires and trees do not mix, unless insulators are in between!

73,  Jeff  K8ND