I will try to describe it best I can.

Its something loose but cant tell from Visual

10 meters when I rotate the antenna will go Numb as the antenna moves
and wiggles. It will settle down when it stops sometimes. but If i
tx and drop it will come back to hearing. Anytime the wind blows does
the same thing.

NOW here is the weird part, If I rotate while KEY DOWN ... SWR stays
flat .... but I unkey and it goes numb while moving.

Weirdest thing Ive seen. Driving me nuts too.

Im thinking trap but if it was loose it would stay that way i would
think



Help, going crazy.

Scotty W7PSK

Scotty,
No idea where, but it does sound like an intermittent connection
problem. Since the feed line 'loop' around the rotor does the most
moving, I think I'd check that first... then everything else,
naturally. Then again, since the problem area is always the last
place you check, start at the most unlikely place and work away from
it...
- 'Doc

On Jun 2, 10:58 am, wrote:
Scotty,
No idea where, but it does sound like an intermittent connection
problem. Since the feed line 'loop' around the rotor does the most
moving, I think I'd check that first... then everything else,
naturally. Then again, since the problem area is always the last
place you check, start at the most unlikely place and work away from
it...
- 'Doc

Thanks Doc, But if it was Feed Line Id assume 20 and 15 would be
effected, but they are not

Ill get up there soon and take a peek

R.Scott wrote:
but If i tx and drop it will come back to hearing.

Sure sounds like a cold solder joint to me. When
you TX, it heats up the joint.
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com

Cecil Moore wrote:
R.Scott wrote:
but If i tx and drop it will come back to hearing.

Sure sounds like a cold solder joint to me. When
you TX, it heats up the joint.

OR a bad connection on a Element (close to a trap)
(High Voltage Point RF wise, xmitting arcs it to make intermitant
contact at that joint- Maybe need to use No-Ox at EACH joint
on antenna?? Jim NN7K

I would take each piece apart a little, put some no-alox or penetrox on all
the joints and reassemble - one joint at a time until I had done them all.
It would probably be a good idea to use some emery cloth on the joints
first.
Probably oxidized alum joints. Alum oxide is an insulator, so the electrical
joint compound will probably fix it.

"R.Scott" wrote in message
...
I will try to describe it best I can.

Its something loose but cant tell from Visual

10 meters when I rotate the antenna will go Numb as the antenna moves
and wiggles. It will settle down when it stops sometimes. but If i
tx and drop it will come back to hearing. Anytime the wind blows does
the same thing.

NOW here is the weird part, If I rotate while KEY DOWN ... SWR stays
flat .... but I unkey and it goes numb while moving.

Weirdest thing Ive seen. Driving me nuts too.

Im thinking trap but if it was loose it would stay that way i would
think



Help, going crazy.

Scotty W7PSK

It's much more difficult to make a reliable "dry circuit" contact (low
voltage and current) than one handling substantial power. The reason is
that any oxidation or other crud will ruin a dry circuit contact, but
higher voltage and current will burn through the crud to make good
contact. So it's no surprise that your situation improves when you hold
the key down. I had some open frame relays in a plastic box outside
doing some antenna switching which would crud up after a while. But all
it took was a "dit" from the transmitter, and they'd behave for a while.
You apparently have a situation where the contacts are re-oxidizing
rapidly (as aluminum, for example, will do), or where some contaminant
runs down over the contacts to recontaminate them after the transmitter
key-down period. Track down the signal path, and put something like
DeOxIt on any contacts. The oil will prevent re-oxidation, and normal
wiping action should push the oil out of the way in the contact area to
allow good contact. I wouldn't use a grease like NoAlOx unless you have
a pretty fair amount of contact pressure. I've found that WD-40 works
quite well, too. You might find it handy to at least find the problem area.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

R.Scott wrote:
I will try to describe it best I can.

Its something loose but cant tell from Visual

10 meters when I rotate the antenna will go Numb as the antenna moves
and wiggles. It will settle down when it stops sometimes. but If i
tx and drop it will come back to hearing. Anytime the wind blows does
the same thing.

NOW here is the weird part, If I rotate while KEY DOWN ... SWR stays
flat .... but I unkey and it goes numb while moving.

Weirdest thing Ive seen. Driving me nuts too.

Im thinking trap but if it was loose it would stay that way i would
think



Help, going crazy.

Scotty W7PSK