Hi J, yes check the antenna current meter in the shack but use a dummy load
not the antenna. Thermocouple RF meters are easily damages by transient
overloads.
If it is a ferrite torroid device they can give weird and erroneous results
within the field of the loading coil....if you cant physically get clear it
may be better to put it in the grounded side of the coil.
Dont knock the 100 watts, you should be getting much much further. Joe VO1NA
was only running 100w to a much smaller antenna (-6dB) and got reports from
Russia (or was it Poland) OK some of that is water path. John A has been
copied in the UK running 10 w into his loop which is probably not as
efficient as a vertical. Stations running that power (100w) have worked much
greater distances on QRSS, so have a look at the antenna again when you have
OKed the meter.
Good Luck, it will come right soon
Alan G3NYK
----- Original Message -----
From: J. Allen <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: 17 July 2006 19:48
Subject: LF: Re: RE: DFCW, power and time.
snip---------
> Steve pointed that out and asked me to check the coil temperature and I
was
> to do it last night and forgot. I will put the carrier on and leave it
then
> drop the carrier and check for heat immediately.
> Signal reports and captures are quite good for a 100 Watt transmitter from
> down in southern BC, so something is right.
>
> I have never taken the antenna current meter out of the circuit, so
perhaps
> it is time to put it in the coax inside the shack on the line going out to
> the antenna. In a 50 Ohm system, the current should be 1.414 amps. If I
> still see nearly no current, the problem is with the meter.
>
> How does that sound as a plan: check for heat, check the meter?
>
> Any other suggestions?
>
> J.
>
>
>
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