Saturday, July 30, 2011

IOTA continued

Here we are after a nap and still on break.
I started thinking about the situation with the rfi.  I don't know why it started all of a sudden; but the idea is that rf is traveling back down my feedline (coax ) and getting into my rig.
The only 1 - 1 unun I have is on the vertical before the coax goes underground.
Wish I had another some times but.  So a coax choke to the rescue.  One coax choke made under the desk on a platic jar and a six foot jumber seems to have done the job.  Will know more later this evening but initial tests are promising!
Nice to be home and have the scrap materials to do this with.

73 and good dx
Leslie, ad5wb
Galveston Island, Texas

IOTA contest

Well it is here.  The IOTA contest is at hand.  It started this morning. 
The bands are interesting.  They are shifty and sometimes there is propagation and other times it seems there isn't.  I think I worked more JA's this morning than at any one other time.
I started the morning on 40 meters and listened to my signal through the monitor.  Horrible.  Noisy!  Not intelligent at all.

Went to 20 then to 15 and have alternated between 20 and 15 meters for the first part of the contest.  I usually take a long break in the middle of the day and finish my 12 hours in the late afternoon, evening and early morning.
I spoke with some hams on 40 meters, late morning my time and they helped me identify that I have rf getting into the transceiver on 40 meters when I have the compressor turned on and especially when  transmitting through the amplifier.
I am not sure how this is occuring.  I never experienced any problems with this before.
The amp is usable on 40 with the compressor off.
Well we will see how it works tonight.
I moved some stuff around and changed a piece of coax, but the problem is still there.
Oh well.
Off to take what I hope is a long nap to get ready for the late shift tonight.
73 and good dx
Leslie AD5WB
Galveston Island, Texas