Ok, What the heck!

[airplane1]

Don't know what is wrong now. I got new Davis bury flex from RF connection, put 259 connectors on it, checked the coax with a ohm meter and all seems ok till I hook it up.

When I plug it into the back of the radio and all is quiet, can not hear a thing but quiet static.
I unplugged the coax from the back of the radio and as I am pulling it out I get a loud static and picked up so truckers and I thought that it was strange to hear good signals with just the center conductor in. I push the connector back in till the outer part of the 259 connector touches and it gets very quiet again.

I went through the process of checking continuity again and it checks good. I hooked the mfj 259 and when I pull the connector out that just the center conductor is in the anilizer I get 4.0 and when the connector is screwed down I get off the scale.

What the heck is going wrong?

Help!

AP

 

[airplane1]

Well I been looking and and trying to figure it out when after testing everything over and over I thought about the newest part of my system and it is the switch. I bypassed the Ameritron remote switch and the swr dropped to 1.2 and the coax connector stopped acting funny when touching the outer part of it on the radio.

Now to figure out the problem with the switch. It is new and I do hear it switching inside when the XYL switches the control in the shack.

I guess I will call Ameritron or buy a better switch from a better company.

AP

 

[Marconi]

Sometimes these commercial switches might sound good, but do a continuity check on the input ports to the common port, that is what is important not the sound. This will make sure each port is making contact as expected.

You may have to go inside and adjust the reeds or whatever design used that is not making contact.

 

[airplane1]

Thank you Marconi, I will check it tomorrow after work. I just got in from checking the switch wires to be sure I do not have them crossed but they are fine. I did take the cover off the remote switch and had my wife work the controller, I seen that the #1 relay did not activate and the #2 and 3 worked at the same time. I need to walk away tonight and start again tomorrow or I will not think clear.

How would the input ports to common ports be checked? I have an ameritron switch just like yours.

 

[Marconi]

Thank you Marconi, I will check it tomorrow after work. I just got in from checking the switch wires to be sure I do not have them crossed but they are fine. I did take the cover off the remote switch and had my wife work the controller, I seen that the #1 relay did not activate and the #2 and 3 worked at the same time. I need to walk away tonight and start again tomorrow or I will not think clear.

How would the input ports to common ports be checked? I have an ameritron switch just like yours.

Before you take it apart, using your VOHM meter set to continuity, check the shield for each port 1,2,3, one at a time, against the shield of the common port. Do the same for the center connector.

If something is shorted and not making good contact, then un-screw the back off and that releases the cover plate and exposes the workings inside. Be careful on removal however, there are parts that may be loosened when the plate is removed and if you're not careful they could fall out of place and make it difficult for you to figure out where or how the parts are installed.

As I recall these parts are plastic, and the main one in the middle is used as a retainer under the rotating arm that holds everything in place on reassembly, where again you need to be careful. The copper reeds have a plastic screw assembly (common screwdriver slot) in each switch position that is used to adjust tension and position...if it is not making proper contact.

Check it out closely and you can easily figure out what does what. The Ameritron idea for the working type switch is pretty good, but the parts used may not be the best...like you might expect.

Be sure and re-check the switch after re-assembly.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

What model number is the switch? Some switches activate two relays in some positions. I think they are the RCS-4 and RCS-10. The RCS-8 switches only one at a time IIRC.

 

[airplane1]

I have the RCS-8v

 

[Marconi]

I have the RCS-8v

Sorry Airplane, I was mistaken with the kind of switch you told us about. Ignore what I said above.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I have the RCS-8v

Well, that switch does only activate one relay at a time for each port. You are sure it is wired with A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4, and E=5? You can test each port by placing one lead of an ohmmeter on the common port and selecting one antenna at a time and moving the other lead of the multimeter to the corresponding antenna port. Look for any shorts inside the relay box.

 

[airplane1]

Sorry Airplane, I was mistaken with the kind of switch you told us about. Ignore what I said above.

So all that instruction you gave me in null and void? Well I will check each port with the meter like Captain Kilowatt says but if that fails to discover the problem I guess off to Ameritron it goes, I never had a problem with there items till now. It is brand spanking new from HRO.

 

[Beetle]

Many times when I troubleshoot symptoms just like you describe (very low receiving with PL-259 firmly attached but normal receiving with the barrel unscrewed and just the center pin connected), it's because of a bad (intermittent) connection at that connector. Flex the cable a bit with the VOM connected and see if you have an intermittent short.

This doesn't discount the remote switch, but it'd probably be easier and quicker to fix if it happens to be that PL-259.

 

[airplane1]

Figured it out, found the problem but I am to embarrassed to say what the problem was.

AP

 

[hookedon6]

Figured it out, found the problem but I am to embarrassed to say what the problem was.

AP

OK,.... let me be the first to call ya a <<More audio>>

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Figured it out, found the problem but I am to embarrassed to say what the problem was.

AP

With a statement like that you know we will pester the crapout of you until you tell us.let me guess........you did have it wiredwrong?

 

[airplane1]

With a statement like that you know we will pester the crapout of you until you tell us.let me guess........you did have it wiredwrong?

Yes, you got dead on, I have control wire with 8 wires in it. I used brown, blue and green solid and the white with brown, white with blue and white with green on the controller. I thought it was the same on the remote switch but instead of the white with brown I used the white with orange instead. The # 1 port was not switching so it messed up all the rest.

In my defence my eyes are not the best and the white and orange wire looks mighty close to the white and brown wire lol. I even checked it like 4 times before I noticed it.

I feel so stupid, I will tell everyone on the forum to take your time when checking for problems and not get worked up right away like I did. You can miss simple things.

AP