[TowerTalk] M2 20M5 SWR - WX0B SIXPACK

Thu Dec 31 14:42:15 PST 2009

Hi Bill,

Remember that we used this stuff mostly in the very cold winter WX for the DX contests and you had the relay boxes mounted in the hallway behind the main shack in a fairly unheated area that might have been cold.  In a warmer climate the RYs might have pulled in easier.  I don't really know, but it's a theory.  :-P

Steve WB2WIK/6

-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com on behalf of Bill K2OWR
Sent: Thu 12/31/2009 1:30 PM
To: Jorge Diez - CX6VM
Cc: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] M2 20M5 SWR - WX0B SIXPACK

:::: Either keep it close by so you can smack it, or get a long stick to 
reach it with :-)
BILL K2OWR

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jorge Diez - CX6VM" <cx6vm.jorge at adinet.com.uy>
Cc: <towertalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 31, 2009 14:31
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] M2 20M5 SWR - WX0B SIXPACK

Hi,

Well, really not good after know I bought a $450 box and will not be able to
use it all times.

I have all setup properly, according to sixpack manual it´s connected to a
reliable 13.8V power supply (same Kenwood PS I used to power the radio) and
not to a 12V wall plug supply.

So if I need to change for another power supply for more than 13.8 volts
just will be different as the manual suggest.

Anyway, I use it for MS or SO2R contests, so I need to use it, but need it
to work properly.

I think that any box you add to the station is decreasing the quality of the
setup. You need all this for a easy way to change bands, antennas, protect
RX, but seems hard to find the right one.

Thanks to all the people for the feedback!

Happy New Year 2010!!

73,
Jorge
CX6VM/CW5W

-----Mensaje original-----
De: Bill K2OWR [mailto:k2owr at comcast.net]
Enviado el: Jueves, 31 de Diciembre de 2009 01:56 p.m.
Para: Jorge Diez - CX6VM
CC: towertalk at contesting.com
Asunto: Re: [TowerTalk] M2 20M5 SWR

:::: My guess? The six pack is notorious for intermittent relay contacts.
I had several of them for years and I was always needing to yank the
feedlines around on them till the rcvr would come back to life or the sudden

high swr would go back to normal.

For a while I found that raising the voltage to 15volts or so would make it
behave better, but ultimately we just learned to notice when it was
happening, go to where the boxes were, and smack them around a little :-)

Seriously though, unless you really need them, like for two operating
positions, I would try to use an old fashioned coax switch instead. This is
just my personal experience, but we found a lot of others who went thru
this. This was 5 years ago, but maybe they made them better now?

BILL K2OWR

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jorge Diez - CX6VM" <cx6vm.jorge at adinet.com.uy>
To: <john at kk9a.com>; <TOWERTALK at contesting.com>
Cc: "'Hector Garcia XE2K'" <j_hector_garcia at sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Thursday, December 31, 2009 10:38
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] M2 20M5 SWR

Hello,

I just returned to do some measurements.

I have right now installed my back up radio (TS450), with a Diamond SWR, a
Drake L7 amp and a WX0B sixpack

All the reports I read before, where from my swr meter in the TS450, that
displays many bars to up to 2.5-2.9:1 SWR.

But today I notice that is only when the sixpack is connected

I put the antenna direct to the radio and the SWR is 1.4:1 in 14000 and
1.8:1 in 14400 in both TS450 meter and Diamond SWR meter.

This also happens with my 15M6 antenna: with the antenna to the sixpack it
have in the TS450 meter a SWR of 2.5 in 21000 to 21400.  With the antenna
direct to the radio it have 1.2:1 from 21000 to 21300 in both TS450 meter
and Diamond SWR meter.

What´s wrong?

I change the loop that go from the Diamond SWR to the sixpack and is the
same, so the problem is not in this coaxial.

Any idea why with the antennas to the sixpack the radio meter display high
SWR? (here the Diamond display the 1.4:1 in 14000 so is only in the radio
meter this difference when antennas going to the sixpack)

I fully rotate the antenna and SWR was constant in all the 360 degrees (just
a little diference from 1.4:1 to 1.6:1 I think is not a problem)

Anyway in next days I will change the 20M5 to be in parallel with the XM510
antenna

Thanks!
Jorge
CX6VM

-----Mensaje original-----
De: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] En nombre de john at kk9a.com
Enviado el: Lunes, 28 de Diciembre de 2009 11:05 p.m.
Para: TOWERTALK at contesting.com
CC: cx6vm.jorge at adinet.com.uy
Asunto: Re: [TowerTalk] M2 20M5 SWR

Is the SWR OK higher in the band or bad all across.  If it is bad all over
it is possible that the 10m boom is interacting.  I think that the Cushcraft

elements are not insulated making it difficult to guess if there is any boom

interaction without modeling the system. Why is the 10m antenna at 90
degrees?  There should be little interaction if they are parallel and it is
easier to operate the station when the rotators have the correct reading.

John KK9A also P40A

To: <TOWERTALK at contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] M2 20M5 SWR
From: "Jorge Diez - CX6VM"
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:40:23 -0200
List-post: <towertalk at contesting.com">mailto:towertalk at contesting.com>

Hello,

I installed a M2 antenna, 20M5 at 33 mts.  I assembly it for FULL BAND
dimensions

I have in the same tower a stack of three XM510 monobanders for 10 mts, the
top one is 3 mts over the 20M5 cross at 90 degrees from the 20M5.

At 14000 I have 2.9:1

This will be because of the other 10 mts antennas in the same tower?  Or at
FULL BAND the 20M5 have this swr at 14000?

Thanks!

73,

Jorge

CX6VM

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