[TowerTalk] A3 problem

[Doug Renwick]

Tony,

I worked on a friends A3 and checked the traps with a dip meter.  One
trap (can't remember which...doesn't matter) did not dip where it should.
If you pull back the inner black cap you will find a sheet metal screw
that attaches the trap cover to the antenna.  The connection had corroded
and the cover was now not part of the antenna.  I clean the connection
and tightened the screw and now it dipped correctly.  I continued and
checked for corrosion and tightened all the trap screws.  This may be your
answer.

Doug, ex KP2/VE5RA


N2TK wrote:

> Looking for suggestions with a Cushcraft A3 problem. Up till this year it
> worked well. The swr was minimum at 14.1, 21.2, 28.4. Now it resonates at
> 14.5, 21.2, 28.0.
> 
> Compared to a C3E on another tower at the same height, 35', 15 and 20M are
> comparable. On 10M, signals are down from 4-6 s-units on the A3 compared to
> the C3! The element dimensions have not changed. I would guess it would have
> to be a 10M trap. What else could it be? But which trap(s)? Puzzled that 15M
> resonance didn't change.
> 
> Was thinking of using a dip meter to check the traps. 
> 
> Any ideas or have you seen a similar problem?
> 
> Tnx
> 
> N2TK/NP2, Tony

-- 
Doug Renwick VA5DX
PO Box 50, Clavet, Saskatchewan, Canada S0K 0Y0
VE5RA at sasktel.net
First VE5 9BDXCC
What profit it a ham if he gains all the awards yet forfeits his soul?
I'll run the race and I will never be the same again.