[Icom] Icom AH4 Quit on me

Fri, 18 Oct 2002 14:39:30 -0400 (EDT)

Hi Brian,

Your no. 2 setup sounds like what I have in mind, I hope the results 
will be better than the existing no longer functioning 10 meter long 
vertical + 4 10 meter long randomly laid radials + 4 more 5 meter 
long random radials + ground rod...

:-)

Anyway, I'm off the air because of the AH-4 being on the bench while 
the loop is being build, finding time to put it on the roof is a 
problem...

73
Demetre - SV1ENS

> Very interesting Demetre....
> 
> It turned out my relays were doing OK. The problem was in the
> shack...
> 
> I have tried it with the following antennas:
> 
> 1) A low 40m dipole fed with the coax feeders tied together to the
> top of the AH4, and the ground side on the bottom connected to a
> good 6 foot copper ground rod. So this was a "T" shaped random
> wire in effect. lead-in was at an angle so mostly more vertical
> than horizontal, and with a large "capacity hat" if you will...
> 
> Results excellent on all bands 160 - 10 m
> 
> 2) Horizontal loop approximately 300 feet - rather a mish-mash of
> angles and heights, anywhere from 15 feet to 40 feet but most of
> it is around 30 to 35 feet above ground. Fed with open wire
> feeders to the AH4, no ground.
> 
> Results: fairly good on all bands, but have not tried it long yet
> or on all of the bands. Tunes fine 160-6m. Seems like it is no
> better than the 40m flat top so far!!
> 
> 3) Same antenna as in umber 2 above, but tied the feeders together
> and connected them to the top of AH4 and reconnected the ground
> rod to the bottom.
> 
> Results seem to be about the same as in #2 configuration
> interestingly!
> 
> On 18 Oct 2002 at 4:23, Demetre Koumanakos wrote:
> 
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> Actually cleaning the contacts on the relays is not that easy...
>> After my AH4 started to not tune the lower bands I tried locating
>> a faulty relay or dirty contacts. It was impossible removing the
>> relay cover without damaging the relay or the PCB. Apparently the
>> relays are soldered on the board too bloody close. In my case it
>> turned out that the coax or the ground were damaged and the tuner
>> worked fine with a test random wire I installed. I'm now in the
>> process of building a vertical loop to use with the AH-4.
>> 
>> 73
>> Demetre - SV1ENS
>> 
>> 
>>> Hi Brian
>>> 
>>> I have a AH4, and used it with a 41 mtr LW, I had exactly the
>>> same problems as you after 2 - 3 month. The cure is to clean the
>>> contacts in the relays in the AH4.
>>> 
>>> Then it will work flowlesly again
>>> 
>>> Vy 73  Per OZ1EQC
>>> 
>>> IC-7400(IC-746Pro), IC-4KL 1 Kw QSK
>>> Antenna:  SOMMER XP-808 - up 65 Feet
>>> Log: Log Windows 4.03
>>> Member of: EDR, ARRL, HSC
>>> [email protected]
>>> www.oz1eqc.dk
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Brian Carling" <[email protected]>
>>> To: <[email protected]>
>>> Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2002 12:30 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Icom] Icom AH4 Quit on me
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> Does anyone know if there is a fuse in the AH4?
>>>> 
>>>> Any other idea what could cause it to suddenly quit?
>>>> 
>>>> On 17 Oct 2002 at 5:52, Brian Carling wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> Hmmmmm, seems odd though that it worked OK for several weeks
>>>>> on two different antennas with the length of coax I am using!
>>>>> 
>>>>> It makes no sense to have to put the tuner that close to my
>>>>> shack.
>>>>> 
>>>>> On 16 Oct 2002 at 19:23, Van van Bergen wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>>> Brian,
>>>>>> I had the same problem and found out the AH4 wanted the
>>>>>> length of coax that came with it 16' 4" for it to work with
>>>>>> the 706 I had it working with. I had a  shorter piece of coax
>>>>>> as I did not need the length to reach between the rig and the
>>>>>> tuner. It would start to tune and then shut down ( 706 would
>>>>>> quit tuning mode).
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Hope this helps.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 73
>>>>>> Van
>>>>>> WD6FGB
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> ----
>>>>>> Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan W6OLD,
>>>>>> [email protected] Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z,
>>>>>> 14.315 MHz Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> ----
>>>>> Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan W6OLD,
>>>>> [email protected] Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z,
>>>>> 14.315 MHz Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> ----
>>>> Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan W6OLD, [email protected]
>>>> Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.315 MHz Icom FAQ:
>>>> http://www.qsl.net/icom/
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> ----
>>> Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan W6OLD, [email protected]
>>> Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.315 MHz Icom FAQ:
>>> http://www.qsl.net/icom/
>> 
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>> Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan W6OLD, [email protected]
>> Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.315 MHz
>> Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
> 
> 
> ----
> Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan W6OLD, [email protected]
> Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.315 MHz
> Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/

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