From: Dave 'YXM

Well done Peter and Brian, is this the first QSO from CT1?

It was Brian's first QSO so I guess it must be

I sympathise about the insulators, with QRO it's a battle just to keep
things running...

Yes, I wondered if a coating of salt from tthe sea some 400m away had
precipitated the event.

As regards plastic as an insulator - when I first located coils outside they
got wet but this did not initally seem to cause any losses. If you tried to
dry them it the losses got a lot worse befor they got better.
I then put a plastic bag over the coil, see page 13 of LF book, and this
proved so successful I have stayed with it. The plastic does not get warm
(to the touch with the transmitter off!) although frost on the plastic next
to the coil windings gradually disappears during long QRSS sessions.
I test the antenna by inspecting it in the dark with the transmitter on.
With high power you can just see corona on imperfectly made joints or on
dirty insulators.

Last night had a pleasant supprise. I heard Finbar, EI0CF, calling CQ. We
had a QSO; it was, apparently, his first LF QSO this year.


Regards,
Peter, G3LDO

<[email protected]>.