[Elecraft] Blown trap?

[Rick Bates]

Water intrusion?

73,
Rick wa6nhc

Tiny iPhone 5 keypad, typos are inevitable

> On Dec 15, 2014, at 9:28 AM, Vic Rosenthal 4X6GP/K2VCO <k2vco.vic at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> The good news is that I called MFJ, got a technician immediately, he agreed that the 30M trap is the problem, and said he would send me a new one under warranty. Elecraft-style service (so far).
> 
> The bad news is that despite the statement in the manual that it is rated at "1500W CW," he told me not to exceed 800-1000 watts. Not Elecraft-style design/documentation!
> 
> So if you have an R8 or similar antenna, be warned. I wasn't tuning up or running RTTY -- I was calling CQ on 40M running about 1200W.
> 
> Other bands are unchanged but 30 and 40M are gone.
> 
> Thanks to everyone that responded.
> 
>> On 15 Dec 2014 15:07, David Cole wrote:
>> Hi,
>> 
>> No matter what happens, you will probably end up taking the antenna
>> down...  If nothing else to check to be sure it is fine...
>> 
>> Grab an analyzer and connect it as close to the antenna base as
>> possible, and see if it is resonant on all bands...  Probably won't
>> anymore.  If you are lucky, it is some strange feedline thing, or a
>> connector issue, but having the antenna work on some bands, while not on
>> others reeks of blown trap.  I fear your diagnosis is in fact
>> correct...
>> 
>> If you are going to "fix" it, and if it were me, I would get a trapless
>> antenna of some sort...  No traps blow.  I currently use a GAP
>> Challenger DX, (trapless), and have a band by band review of it at:
>> http://nk7z.net/review-of-the-challenger-dx-antenna-by-gap-antenna/
>> 
>> The antenna takes power, and does not break, I have run 1000 Watts into
>> it on RTTY for 15 minutes with no issues.  I have had it up for at least
>> 7 years, and I think 10 or more years.  Never a problem beyond the three
>> radials coming off once...  It is a pretty good performer on 40, and 20.
>> I finally got one of the mono gaps, and it does a good job.  I do take
>> it down every few years and check things, and change out anything that
>> looks like it is going bad.
> 
> 
> -- 
> 73,
> Vic, 4X6GP/K2VCO
> Rehovot, Israel
> http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/
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