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Weird/different SWR between radios

Quiksilver

Quiksilver

Active Member
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Oct 23, 2006
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Washington State, USA
Hello group,
Weird SWR readings with different radios when using Tuner & Amp. See below:
  • Yaesu FTDX101MP, DK 5W, tuner 1.08-1.20 SWR, 350-375W output
  • Corbra 148GTL, DK 8W, tuner 1.3-1.70 SWR, 350-380W output
  • President Lincoln (gen. 1) DK 5W, tuner 6.00-8.50 SWR, 280W output.
  • Tuner: Palstar HF-Auto
  • Amp: New Carl Built 2-pill base. (20012C)
Is this a common occurrence between rigs? Could it be spurious emissions from older rigs?
 

Quiksilver said:
Hello group,
Weird SWR readings with different radios when using Tuner & Amp. See below:
  • Yaesu FTDX101MP, DK 5W, tuner 1.08-1.20 SWR, 350-375W output
  • Corbra 148GTL, DK 8W, tuner 1.3-1.70 SWR, 350-380W output
  • President Lincoln (gen. 1) DK 5W, tuner 6.00-8.50 SWR, 280W output.
  • Tuner: Palstar HF-Auto
  • Amp: New Carl Built 2-pill base. (20012C)
Is this a common occurrence between rigs? Could it be spurious emissions from older rigs?
Click to expand...
Where is the SWR meter located? Between the radio and amp or between the amp and antenna?
 
Quiksilver said:
Same result. Lincoln radio just wont tune. 7.47 SWR
Click to expand...
Wow! SWR of 7.47? With the amp and tuner removed and only the SWR meter between the radio and antenna? The obvious question everyone asks, is the jumper coax between the radio and SWR meter A-OK?
 
Last edited:
Recon said:
Wow! SWR of 7.47? With the amp and tuner removed and only the SWR meter between the radio and antenna? The obvious question everyone asks, is the jumper coax between the radio and SWR meter A-OK?
Click to expand...
Sorry, 7.47 with amp on. amp off SWR 1.30. Same jumper as other radios. (did swap jumper, same high SWR results). Even with amp off, the tuner still "freaks-out" when trying to tune the Lincoln. The longer I dead key, the more the tuner gets erratic. By my crude process of elimination, the issue seems to be with the Lincoln and it's interaction with the tuner & amp. Stock, radio sounds great by reports. The Lincoln was a recent purchase, so maybe I should get the rig checked out by Rogerbird....
 
Quiksilver said:
Sorry, 7.47 with amp on. amp off SWR 1.30. Same jumper as other radios. (did swap jumper, same high SWR results). Even with amp off, the tuner still "freaks-out" when trying to tune the Lincoln. The longer I dead key, the more the tuner gets erratic. By my crude process of elimination, the issue seems to be with the Lincoln and it's interaction with the tuner & amp. Stock, radio sounds great by reports. The Lincoln was a recent purchase, so maybe I should get the rig checked out by Rogerbird....
Click to expand...
Yeah, something is out-of-whack. Just about 1800 PEP out of my ten-pill and the SWR is 1.5 and I do not have an antenna tuner.
I am confused as to why would the radio be the cause of the high SWR after the amp or tuner. Have you tried removing the tuner?
 
Last edited:
Quiksilver said:
No, but antenna is a Zero-Five multi-band 10-40 G/P vertical. It's not very resonant on any one band. I'll try no tuner here in a bit.
Click to expand...
FYI: Bands of operation —10/12/15/17/20/30/40 meters with full bandwidth. Recommended length of rg-213 coax is 75 feet for best tuning. You may need to call Tom at Zero-Five for advice.
 
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Quiksilver said:
I definitely need to raise antenna above the roof line.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your purchase of this antenna. We hope that you’ll look over the instructions and tips provided before you install the antenna. Taking advantage of this information will help to make your installation easier and much more reliable. The 27 foot HOA multiband vertical antenna was designed to be a usable single antenna solution for most hams. This antenna fills the niche for a multiband vertical that has HF band coverage without lossy traps and tricky adjustments when you install it. The performance varies from band to band when compared to a single band quarter wave vertical for each band it covers, it provides useable transmit coverage from 10 to 40 meters for most types of ham radio use. It also provides good receive coverage on all the bands from 10 to 80 meters. Mounting and Fold over The fold over mount included with your vertical is designed to mount to a 2 inch OD water pipe, which will have a 1 1/2 inch ID. A five foot length will do fine and you can buy it at Home Depot, Lowe’s or any other good hardware store. When driving the pipe in the ground use a block of wood to protect the end of the pipe so it’s not deformed. Put 3 1/2 feet in the ground and leave 18 inches above ground for mounting your vertical. If you decide to mount the pipe in cement, the hole in the ground should be at least 10 inches in diameter and 3 feet deep. Most home improvement stores carry concrete footer forms that can be used to help center the pipe in the hole and make a neater installation. Use a 5 foot length of pipe. Six inches of the pipe will go in the soil in the bottom of the hole. The fold over mount has 180 degree rotation, so it will be optimum for most installations. When folding the vertical down remove the top gold colored grade 8 bolt with 3/4 inch box wrenches and slowly walk the vertical down. This normally takes only one person. When raising this antenna, make slow movements in walking it up into place. The fold over allows a full 180-degree range. This is perfect when mounting on uneven ground or on top of a hill. Make sure when you install the antenna that it stays well away from any power lines or other wiring when raised or lowered and other obstructions in the lowered position. The antenna should be on the ground, NOT propped up on a building or other obstructions. Assembly of the vertical NOTE: Please use caution in tightening the clamps! Over tightening can break the clamps. DO NOT USE POWER TOOLS to tighten the clamps. Hand tools ONLY.Matching transformer wiring – Two wires are supplied with ring terminals on each end. The positive side of the matching transformer connects to the quarter inch bolt directly above the black insulator. Make sure this wire does not contact any other metal other than the two connection points. The negative side of the matching transformer connects to the quarter inch bolt just below the black insulator. These wires are preinstalled from the factory. Even though this is a no radial vertical, radials are recommended for the best performance with any vertical. Your ground radial system is the most important part of vertical antenna performance. When installing ground-mounted radials use radial lengths between 10 and 27 feet, with 27 feet being the choice for best performance. If you must use shorter length radials, put more down. A good place to start is a minimum of 8 and 60 being the best. When choosing radial wire, #14 insulated stranded wire should be used. You can buy it at Home Depot or most local hardware stores. When installing radials on a ground-mounted vertical, they do not have to be cut to resonance. Only when using elevated radials isolated from ground do the radials need to be cutto length for the various bands. Coax Choice A good low loss coax should be used with this vertical. For runs up to 150 feet, RG-213 works great. Please remember this antenna system is NOT resonant on any of the amateur bands. As a result, the feed line is operating at a slightly higher than normal SWR most of the time. If you have to bury the coax cable, make sure the jacket material is rated for direct burial. Otherwise, you might be able to use an old garden hose to bury the coax. Simply run the coax cable inside the hose then bury the coax/hose combination. When using an auto tuner, use a coax run of at least 100 feet. When using a manual roller inductor tuner, use a 50 foot or longer run of coax. Grounding of Antenna An 8 or 10 foot ground rod should be installed at the base of this vertical. Use # 8 or larger wire from the ground rod to the fold over plate to ensure a good ground. Maintenance One critical piece of maintenance on this antenna is to make sure the weep hole (located a few inches above the black insulator at the base) remains open. This hole allows water (rain) or condensation that builds up on the inside surfaces of the antenna to drain away. Do not block this hole with electrical tape! In order to provide the strongest possible joint at the insulator, the insulator is machined to precisely fit into the first tube of the vertical. The fit is tight enough that it is essentially a water resistant joint. Water that builds up in the antenna can freeze in colder climates and damage the antenna so be sure to keep the weep hole clear. It is also a good idea to examine all the bolts and nuts every three to six months to make sure nothing has worked loose. If your area is subject to frequent high winds, examination of the antenna on a more frequent basis is strongly recommended. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LOWER THE ANTENNA IF A THUNDERSTORM IS ALREADY UNDER WAY. If you can hear the thunder then the lightning is close enough to strike. Handling a 27 foot lightning rod when a storm is approaching is not a good idea.
 

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