[TowerTalk] Explorer 14 with high SWR

[K7LXC@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-05-03 14:16:35 EDT, kb0onf@juno.com (david l hyman)
writes:

>   When first installed . . . the swr's were very good an all the
>  antennas (1.5 or below) . . . except for 10 meters (which was 5).
>  
>      Hy-gain was very responsive and sent me replacement traps for 10m.
>  Installed them . . . but no change in the swr.
>  
>      As we came into winter . . . the swr's on ALL the antennas jumped to
>  3 (40 m) and 5 (10 and 20m). SWR for the dipole and R5 also went to 5.
>  
>      My first thought was a bad antenna switch. As soon as temperatures in
>  the 60's came around . . . I bypassed the antenna switch.  NO CHANGE.
>  
>      Has anybody got any thoughts as to what might be happening and how to
>  correct it?

      The first thing I would do would be to go up on the tower with an
MFJ-259 Antenna Analyzer and test the antenna directly.  Go right to the
antenna terminals first and then go back down the system.  If the antenna
checks out, then you've probably got a bad coax connection.  If the antenna
SWR is still bad, then you've got an antenna problem.  There are ways to
check the traps to see if they're bad.  

     This is a good start.  Other TowerTalkian comments?

73,  Steve  K7LXC

--
FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
Submissions:              towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-towertalk@contesting.com