FROZEN OVER ANTENNA?

[357]

ya thats the thing, when it had the ice, it was a bit high, 1.5-1.7.
Then when it melted, it was back to normal, 1.2 or less.

This year after the ice melted (not as much as in last years picture) it went up to 2.5.
This is not normal for me so I have no clue what happened.
I can only assume that (A) the antenna is full of ice the hasn't melted yet ot (B) the coax connection has corroded, or (C) I got water in my coax, or (D) all of the above.

I gotta wait for the ice to clear off the sidewalk under the antenna before I can use the extension ladder to reach the coax connection.I'll report my findings when I do though.

good luck

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Whenever I had snow or ice build upon an antenna the SWR always went up. Pretty much all my antennas were yagis and were horizontal so they wold build up with snow and ice more than a vertical. In some cases what would be near perfect match hen dry would become unusable when covered in snow and ice. The SWR would often exceed 3:1 at times. It got even worse the time the driver element broke under the weight of ice and snow.

 

[w9cll]

Need these antennas, electrically adjustable.

 

[Sonar]

Whenever I had snow or ice build upon an antenna the SWR always went up. Pretty much all my antennas were yagis and were horizontal so they wold build up with snow and ice more than a vertical. In some cases what would be near perfect match hen dry would become unusable when covered in snow and ice. The SWR would often exceed 3:1 at times. It got even worse the time the driver element broke under the weight of ice and snow.

The temperature is supposed to rise to around 40 degrees sometime early next week. I will give it another try then. I'm guessing the worst situation is that I will have to replace the IMAX 2000. The transceivers, amplifiers, and meters are all working fine with the dummy load and line. Thanks for responding.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Need these antennas, electrically adjustable.

I wouldn't have one. Too expensive for what you get. The elements remain full length regardless of tuning thus windload remains high even when shortening the elements to 10m during high winds. The motors are expensive and the beryllium-copper tape elements have been known to seize. A lot of money for the few benefits they offer IMHO.

 

[Sonar]

More like 'iced over' antenna.
Tried wobbling/shaking the antenna in order to knock off the ice yet?

No. I didn't. I'm a WC user and there's no way for me to get threw the snow.
I could send someone out there but don't like asking for favors if there not nessesry. There's about a foot of snow out there. I'm going to wait and hope the 40 degrees Tuesday will rectify the issue. If not I will then have someone go out there to tap on the mast with a piece of 2 by 4. Hopefully by then the snow on the ground will have melted somewhat. Making it easy for somebody to get to the antenna in order to beat up the mast a little bit. I have this feeling my IMAX may have been damaged permanently. If that is the case I will purchase a new one from cheap ham. I purchased the one that's out there now from them, and they seem to have the cheapest price. Free shipping, and the fact that they are located approximately 25 miles from my qth makes it a no-brainer. I actually received the first one two days after purchasing it. I hope that isn't the case. It's not buying the new antenna that bothers me. It's having to ask someone 2 put it up for me. It's brutal out there. The temperatures with the Wind have been in the single digits, and it seems as if there's no end in sight. Thanks for the information my friend. 73 s

 

[357]

I checked mine, first the coax, looks good, about 2200pf
Then I put a dummyload up there, 1.1:1 50 ohms.
So its the antenna...not sure what to do now, got some thinking to do.

 

[357]

OK I cleaned the pl259 tip and the so239 socket with sandpaper, it was pretty good already but I did it anyway.
I hooked it back up and swr was 1.5 and the more I talked the more it went down.
After about a minute it was flat again...I can only imagine its that uncrimped bottom plate that holds the so239 on the antenna, its not a tight fit and is floppy a bit. (THANKS SOLARCON)
Monkeying with it must have fixed the connection.

See the yellow arrow is the botton crimp solarcon didn't do on my antenna, only the one above it.
I didn't have $150 to sent the antenna back after paying over $200 for it.

 

[Sonar]

I checked mine, first the coax, looks good, about 2200pf
Then I put a dummyload up there, 1.1:1 50 ohms.
So its the antenna...not sure what to do now, got some thinking to do.

View attachment 22347 View attachment 22348 View attachment 22349 View attachment 22350 View attachment 22351

I don't have the knowledge or equipment to check my coax, but I'm confident my 4 year old LMR 400 (times microave) is problem free. It has to be my IMAX. Maybe it's wishful thinking. Having to purchase and then getting someone to remove the old one and replace it with the new one in this Northeastern winter weather is going to be tricky. I have yet to give it another go in order to see if the problem has resolved itself. The fact that it's sunny doesn't really mean much being as it's 14 degrees. Since the snow storm the temperature hasn't risen above freezing. As a matter of fact it hasn't risen above 26 degrees. So I'm going to have to assume that if the problem was caused by snow and ice Gathering up on the IMAX, the chances are that Frost is still there. If snow or ice somehow got inside the antenna, I'm assuming that the expansion damaged the antenna Beyond repair. I might just give it a quick check, but in all honesty I'm not expecting the problem to have magically gone away (although I have seen stranger things.) I do believe the temperature on either Monday or Tuesday will reach 40 degrees. That would probably be the best time for me to give it a one more try before purchasing a new one (cheap ham.) By the way that mast and antenna setup you have looks pretty damn sweet. I understand your frustration. For me I'm just going to have to purchase another IMAX which is the easy part. Haveing it installed is where it gets tricky. Being that it's only 10 feet in the air does make it quite easy, the fact that I can't do it myself is a bitch, but I do have many friends and family members who wouldn't have a problem taking care of it. The problem is me having to ask. I really don't like asking family and friends to do anything that's not totally necessary or important. Even though they would change It out out for me in a driving snowstorm (if I asked,) doesn't make it any easier for me to have to ask. So, if the problem still exists after the Meltdown on Monday or Tuesday I might just have to wait until a winter weekend where the temperatures are ubseasonably mild. Or wait until springtime. Good luck my friend. I have little doubt that you will figure out the problem and rectify it in little time.73's PS. what antenna is that that's on top of your mast (imax 2000?)

 

[Sonar]

OK I cleaned the pl259 tip and the so239 socket with sandpaper, it was pretty good already but I did it anyway.
I hooked it back up and swr was 1.5 and the more I talked the more it went down.
After about a minute it was flat again...I can only imagine its that uncrimped bottom plate that holds the so239 on the antenna, its not a tight fit and is floppy a bit. (THANKS SOLARCON)
Monkeying with it must have fixed the connection.

See the yellow arrow is the botton crimp solarcon didn't do on my antenna, only the one above it.
I didn't have $150 to sent the antenna back after paying over $200 for it.

View attachment 22352

Do you think the freez had caused the issue? Or was it just coincidental and the weather had nothing to do with what happened with your SWR issues? Happy to see you figured it out. I'm not surprised at all.

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

I don't have the knowledge or equipment to check my coax, but I'm confident my 4 year old LMR 400 (times microave) is problem free. It has to be my IMAX. Maybe it's wishful thinking. Having to purchase and then getting someone to remove the old one and replace it with the new one in this Northeastern winter weather is going to be tricky. I have yet to give it another go in order to see if the problem has resolved itself. The fact that it's sunny doesn't really mean much being as it's 14 degrees. Since the snow storm the temperature hasn't risen above freezing. As a matter of fact it hasn't risen above 26 degrees. So I'm going to have to assume that if the problem was caused by snow and ice Gathering up on the IMAX, the chances are that Frost is still there. If snow or ice somehow got inside the antenna, I'm assuming that the expansion damaged the antenna Beyond repair. I might just give it a quick check, but in all honesty I'm not expecting the problem to have magically gone away (although I have seen stranger things.) I do believe the temperature on either Monday or Tuesday will reach 40 degrees. That would probably be the best time for me to give it a one more try before purchasing a new one (cheap ham.) By the way that mast and antenna setup you have looks pretty damn sweet. I understand your frustration. For me I'm just going to have to purchase another IMAX which is the easy part. Haveing it installed is where it gets tricky. Being that it's only 10 feet in the air does make it quite easy, the fact that I can't do it myself is a bitch, but I do have many friends and family members who wouldn't have a problem taking care of it. The problem is me having to ask. I really don't like asking family and friends to do anything that's not totally necessary or important. Even though they would change It out out for me in a driving snowstorm (if I asked,) doesn't make it any easier for me to have to ask. So, if the problem still exists after the Meltdown on Monday or Tuesday I might just have to wait until a winter weekend where the temperatures are ubseasonably mild. Or wait until springtime. Good luck my friend. I have little doubt that you will figure out the problem and rectify it in little time.73's PS. what antenna is that that's on top of your mast (imax 2000?)

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, I think you could check the coax by putting a dummy load in place of the antenna. Hope you get this figured out without too much expense.

 

[Sonar]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, I think you could check the coax by putting a dummy load in place of the antenna. Hope you get this figured out without too much expense.

Are you suggesting putting the dummy load at the pl259 that would go to the anntenas so239?
I seriously doubt it's my coax, but after the thaw I will check my station out by running it as usual (threw the anttena) and if the problem still exists I will install the dummy load at the pl259 where it goes into the antennas feed point (so239). Just waiting for the 40 degree day predicted for this week. it makes sense. If there was an issue with the jumper that goes between the transmitter and dummy load, it would show erratic SWR readings. So putting it between the transmitter and the end of the antennas coax would also show erratic readings. Letting me know if it is indeed a coax issue. Thanks again.

 

[Sonar]

I'm happy to report that today's above 32 degree temp has resolved my extremely high SWR issue.
The SWR rose above 2 and stopped below the 3+ (swr) it reached during and after the storm, and single digit temperatures. The SWR was low enough to where I felt comfortable putting some modulation through it. As I did I noticed that the SWR slowly dropping. I powered Up The Amplifier and left it in standby until the SWR took a place place at 1.5.
I then returned the amplifier and the SWR with 450 Watts going through the antenna dropped a bit lower. I don't know exactly how it works, but is it possible the 450 Watts RF (heat) going through the antenna melted any residual ice that might have been left on the antenna?
The SWR with the amplifier on is now at its regular position of 1.3.
Because no one hears me with my station stock at 2 Watts (imax 10' from Feed point) the amplifier is always on if I plan on transmitting.
Now I can move on to replacing the rocker switch in the Palomar 350Z.
I purchased and received those switches yesterday. I'd like to thank LC for sharing the Ebay link that sold those rocker switches individually or in bunches, at a much reduced price then what was offered through RF Parts.$16 and change got me four 4 switches. Did I need four? Probably not. But one never knows. If anyone needs a rocker switch for the on-off power of their 350Z just drop me a PM. I'd be glad to send you one. I'll use one and keep the other two for backups. 73 s, and thanks to all who replied and helped with my stated antenna/ SWR issue.

 

[Sonar]

I received the insulator test meter I purchased. I was just waiting for the moisture coax tape before I went out into the yard with somebody in order to figure out what had happened to either my antenna or coax. So I received the tape a few days ago. I turned on the station in order to check it to make sure the issue was still affecting my set up with the high SWR (3.)
And as my luck would have it the problem not only fixed itself, but my SWR is as low as it's ever been. I operated my station with a 1.5 from day one.
Swr is now just a cunt hair above a 1.1.
How can I fix something or figure out what the issue is when the issue is no longer there?
I have little doubt that the issue will show up again. There's no point taking down the antenna, and checking the coax for possible moisture issues, and the antenna itself. I've been using the Station for 2 or 3 days now and the SWR is where it was when I checked out the setup for the first time since the issue (almost a month ago.). The temperatures were in the single digits, and I had little doubt that whatever happened to cause the highest swr had to do with the low temps and foot of snow.
Since the last time I checked out the station which was about 3 weeks ago the swr was still Sky High. And now as I mentioned above it's not only back down, but lower than it's ever been.. I don't get it! I'm guessing the only thing I can do is wait for it to happen again, and then get out there and try to figure out what's going on. It's going to be difficult to find a problem that is currently non-existent. I have the tape and the insulator meter ready to go. I actually hope it never happens again, but the chances are it's going to occur again. The temperatures have been much higher then they were at the time the issue first showed up and sometime after that. Is it possible some moisture got inside the antenna itself, but has since evaporated? I not only used the two wm1's to checkout the swr, but got my old first Workman 3 window meter that I purchased when I first got back on the air almost 4 years ago. That meter showed the same swr as both auteks. ???? Strange shit!!!

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

I received the insulator test meter I purchased. I was just waiting for the moisture coax tape before I went out into the yard with somebody in order to figure out what had happened to either my antenna or coax. So I received the tape a few days ago. I turned on the station in order to check it to make sure the issue was still affecting my set up with the high SWR (3.)
And as my luck would have it the problem not only fixed itself, but my SWR is as low as it's ever been. I operated my station with a 1.5 from day one.
Swr is now just a cunt hair above a 1.1.
How can I fix something or figure out what the issue is when the issue is no longer there?
I have little doubt that the issue will show up again. There's no point taking down the antenna, and checking the coax for possible moisture issues, and the antenna itself. I've been using the Station for 2 or 3 days now and the SWR is where it was when I checked out the setup for the first time since the issue (almost a month ago.). The temperatures were in the single digits, and I had little doubt that whatever happened to cause the highest swr had to do with the low temps and foot of snow.
Since the last time I checked out the station which was about 3 weeks ago the swr was still Sky High. And now as I mentioned above it's not only back down, but lower than it's ever been.. I don't get it! I'm guessing the only thing I can do is wait for it to happen again, and then get out there and try to figure out what's going on. It's going to be difficult to find a problem that is currently non-existent. I have the tape and the insulator meter ready to go. I actually hope it never happens again, but the chances are it's going to occur again. The temperatures have been much higher then they were at the time the issue first showed up and sometime after that. Is it possible some moisture got inside the antenna itself, but has since evaporated? I not only used the two wm1's to checkout the swr, but got my old first Workman 3 window meter that I purchased when I first got back on the air almost 4 years ago. That meter showed the same swr as both auteks. ???? Strange shit!!!

Can you still get out on it? Maybe the antenna turned into a big dummy load. If you do nothing, it will surely be a problem again. I would give it a once over before the cold snaps again. Check everything you can, maybe you will spot something obvious like a cracked antenna or something. If everything looks good the tape up the connector and see what happens.