Topband: Beverage maintenance and problem detection

[VE6WZ_Steve]

Here is a video of some of the methods I use for problem detection on my Beverage rx system:
https://youtu.be/PA67Tz-1TO4 <https://youtu.be/PA67Tz-1TO4>

At VE6WZ I have 12 Beverage wires (8 directions with 4 broadside phased arrays).
If a tree falls on a wire, or I lose a termination, the only way to know for sure is to physically “walk my lines” and inspect the wires.
I have over 10,000’ or 2 miles of Beverage wire, so if I walk each line out and back, and include the distance between wires, then my total walk can be almost 5 miles (8 km). This can take many hours or more…especially in the winter wearing snow-shoes.

In the video I show a method using the AIM antenna analyzer to sweep and save files for future comparison that can be used to quickly check each Beverage wire at any time.  Before CQWW or after a windstorm I do not need to physically check my wires. With confidence I can know if there is a problem.
I show the set-up that allows me to do these AIM sweeps remotely from home. 

I also have about 4,000 feet of RG-6 coax feedlines going to the various Beverages. I explain in the video how I use TDR and save files to quickly find coax faults were animals may have cut a coax line.

A switching method is also explained that allows me to isolate each wire and feedline in my broadside phased pairs.

de steve ve6wz.