[Elecraft] Low activity

[Dauer, Edward]

There is one additional drawback.  

Last weekend, after having been off the air for just over three months, I went to the shack to operate in the Nebraska QSO Party -- needing only NE on 10 to finish the CW 5BWAS.  Dead quiet on 10 meters.  After an hour of CQ NEQP every 20 seconds, a familiar old-tyme burning smell filled the room.  By sniffing everything I found the culprit.  Somehow in my absence (or in the absence of my working memory) the KPA had been switched to ANT2, which is my dummy load.  It's rated at 1500 watts but it has a time limit.  I guess I exceeded it.

But no matter.  I opened a window, aired out the room, took the fried dummy load out to the patio, switched the amp to ANT1 (a real antenna), and the sound of the band didn't change.  At all.  Nada.  All day.  What fun.

Ted, KN1CBR
    
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    Message: 1
    Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2019 16:14:15 -0500
    From: Bob McGraw K4TAX <rmcgraw at blomand.net>
    To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
    Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Low activity
    Message-ID: <d680b6a6-7f9f-9f46-c34e-c11345fef366 at blomand.net>
    Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
    
    A 50 ohm dummy load.?? There's never any noise, never any QRM, the 
    frequency is always clear, and always a 1:1 SWR.?? Of course getting a 
    DXCC is much more of a challenge.
    
    73
    
    Bob, K4TAX