[Boatanchors] OT: My 10M beacon, OOOPS!

[Phil]

Just realized something today.  Since I've put it back on the air I've 
been telling everyone (and posting) that my Beacon was feeding 20W to 
the base of the Ringo antenna (25W out of the radio).

Well, that was an (unintentional) lie.  I didn't realize it, but I had 
the power switch set to LOW power, or about a 10W CW signal, NOT High, 
probably putting about 8W to the antenna with coax loss.  I thought 
something didn't 'look right' on the meter of the MFJ antenna tuner, but 
figured that maybe I had to recheck it's calibration :(

When I got it I had to do some repairs to it and then recalibrate it.  
Nope, just my brain needed calibrating!!!

Also, except for the usual 'pipeline' between here and Washington State 
I wasn't seeing the "spots" that I expected, even in this sunspot low.  
I wondered why it didn't seem to 'pump' the noise floor of the Softrock 
HDSDR display like it used to.

-- 
73 From "The Beaconeer's Lair"
Specializing in DXing NDBs (Longwave Beacons)
Phil, KO6BB,  http://www.qsl.net/ko6bb/
KO6BB/B beacon, ~20W on 28.290 MHz, Ringo Vertical

HF/LF RADIOS:
HOMEBREW:   7 Tube+Rect 1v3 Regen RX for LF (built 2015)
Icom:       IC-7200 Xceiver, DSP IF & filters (~2015).
Kenwood:    TS-450SAT Xceiver, cascaded 250/125Hz Inrad filters.
10M Beacon: Realistic HTX-100 on 28.290MHz
SDR:        Softrock Ensemble II LF (built from a kit 2017).

ACC:   HOMEBREW  LF-MF Pre-Amp, 8Hz Audio Filter.
        HOMEBREW  4 Port Antenna Multicoupler, Feeds 4 RX's.
        
ANTENNAS: 88 foot Long Ladder-line fed dipole, 35 feet AGL for MW/SW.
           Active Mini-Whip, 36 Feet AGL for LF/MW/SW.
           37 foot "Low Noise Vertical", 11 feet AGL for LF/MW/SW.
           Cushcraft AR-10 Ringo Vertical, 14 feet AGL for 10M beacon.
Merced, Central California, 37, 18, 37N   120, 30, 6W CM97rh


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