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SHOULD I BE MORE CONCERNED THAN I AM?

Sonar

Sr. Member
Apr 8, 2016
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I don't want to say it doesn't bother me because it does but should i truly be concerned?
This picture was taken while transmitting on 27.445 LSB.
I know the high swr is being caused by the fact the imax 2000 is about ten ft off the ground and just as problematic about 13 ft away from my house.
The high swr and reflected power has been that way since day one (18 months) without any issues meaning damaged equipment.
I did have to replace the final on my madison but it was the original 1969 and I'm totally convinced it's failure was due to age.
The madison (10-12 watts SSB) drives a 10 tube phantom.
The reason the imax is where it is was because of a new $5000 roof and putting holes in it wasn't and still isn't an option.
Now I've purchased a very Cherry HF and the thought of using it with the swr the way it is, isn't very appealing to me.
I've since learned of the many Way's one could install an antenna (imax 2000) above the roof line without drilling holes or even attaching the antennas to the roof or even the house.
I've narrowed it down to 2 different methods of which i will choose one soon.
I'm weighing the options of both methods and will most likely have the imax up before fall.
I enjoy my setup but having a new HF (new to me) sitting here and not wanting to hook it up because of the High swr is like having a gallon of water in the desert but it's a finger tip out of reach.
I can't put the imax where it will eventually be until the end of September.
What would you do?
My thinking is the madison works excellent in both receive and transmitt with the high swr and reflected power why wouldn't an ft 950?
Am I over Reacting or are my concerns warranted?
Should I wait until the imax is up above the roof where I'm fairly sure the swr and high reflected power caused by it lack of height and proximity to my house will be respectable? Should i use a new transceiver( Yaesu ft-950) or stick with what I'm using until the swr is more respectable? 20160717_185402.jpg
 

I don't want to say it doesn't bother me because it does but should i truly be concerned?
This picture was taken while transmitting on 27.445 LSB.
I know the high swr is being caused by the fact the imax 2000 is about ten ft off the ground and just as problematic about 13 ft away from my house.
The high swr and reflected power has been that way since day one (18 months) without any issues meaning damaged equipment.
I did have to replace the final on my madison but it was the original 1969 and I'm totally convinced it's failure was due to age.
The madison (10-12 watts SSB) drives a 10 tube phantom.
The reason the imax is where it is was because of a new $5000 roof and putting holes in it wasn't and still isn't an option.
Now I've purchased a very Cherry HF and the thought of using it with the swr the way it is, isn't very appealing to me.
I've since learned of the many Way's one could install an antenna (imax 2000) above the roof line without drilling holes or even attaching the antennas to the roof or even the house.
I've narrowed it down to 2 different methods of which i will choose one soon.
I'm weighing the options of both methods and will most likely have the imax up before fall.
I enjoy my setup but having a new HF (new to me) sitting here and not wanting to hook it up because of the High swr is like having a gallon of water in the desert but it's a finger tip out of reach.
I can't put the imax where it will eventually be until the end of September.
What would you do?
My thinking is the madison works excellent in both receive and transmitt with the high swr and reflected power why wouldn't an ft 950?
Am I over Reacting or are my concerns warranted?
Should I wait until the imax is up above the roof where I'm fairly sure the swr and high reflected power caused by it lack of height and proximity to my house will be respectable? Should i use a new transceiver( Yaesu ft-950) or stick with what I'm using until the swr is more respectable? View attachment 18398
looking at the pics several times the mfj appears to me to be on 21 mhz NOT 27 . i dont think the imax will tune to21 mhz.although a swr of 1.8 isnt bad the refelct is high though.second ive had antenna mount/bolted down to houses so i dont think being close to house is any issue at all. however if it was me i would raise it another 10-15 feet
 
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If it is a Yaesu FT 950, don't worry. If it does not like the SWR, it will cut back and not damage it.
 
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looking at the pics several times the mfj appears to me to be on 21 mhz NOT 27 . i dont think the imax will tune to21 mhz.although a swr of 1.8 isnt bad the refelct is high though.second ive had antenna mount/bolted down to houses so i dont think being close to house is any issue at all. however if it was me i would raise it another 10-15 feet
I thought that frequency counter would confuse some who don't know how they work. That's why I mentioned the frequency I was on.
On AM and SSB it shows the frequency you're transmitting on when modulating but doesn't freeze is my best desertion.
It jumpers all over the place..
I wish I could explain how it works but I don't use it.

I thought the antenna being close to any object especially something like a house would affect the swr.
I assumed the waves leaving the antenna would bounce back into it causing high swr and intern the high reflected power. Thanks. 73
 
If it is a Yaesu FT 950, don't worry. If it does not like the SWR, it will cut back and not damage it.
I recently posted a question about HF transceivers and amplifiers that actually have a feature that will the react when an SWR is too high. The reason for that question was my concern about using the ft-950 with a high SWR. I wanted to know what the protection curtailed. Whether it would totally shut down or as you say automatically drop down in power output. I was frankly worried it just wouldn't work or worse burn up a component.
The only amplifier I currently own that can handle a high-output transceiver is the Palomar 300 a.
The 300 a can be tuned with 10 through 100 watts with the high lo switch in the lo position .
I know it's not an ideal amp for use with an HF.
I will most likely want until I purchase an Ameritron.
I'm not sure which one. Most likely the 811.
With my SWR being where it is I'm not only concerned about the ft-950 developing an issue but am also worried about doing damage to the amp I'll soon be purchasing.
I am gonna wait and see if others reply to my question and see what the consensus is.
Thanks for the help. I take all the replies seriously and will take it from there.
Thank you. 73
 
Why are you on 21mhz?
The mfj 828's frequency counter reads frequency when modulating on SSB.
On AM the counter will show frequency you're transmitting on (dead key).
The meter holds the swr output and reflected power after you unkey and that's when the photo was taken.
I was actually transmitting on 27.4455 LSB and while modulating on that frequency 27.4455 did show on the meter. 73
 
A frequency counter (any counter) requires a steady carrier to indicate frequency properly. On SSB the carrier varies from maximum to zero with modulation therefore he counter cannot get a good lock. You should be using a steady carrier mode like AM or FM or CW to check frequency unless you are doing an alignment of the radio and then follow the proper procedure for determining the exact SSB frequency.
 
This goes for checking VSWR as well, use AM mode for VSWR readings. Or a mode that has a carrier. With a VSWR or 1.8:1, your HF radio isn't going to work properly I would suspect without the use of an antenna tuner or by getting a better match at the antenna. Like stated above, most HF radios will start cutting power back with a VSWR as low as 1.3:1 -1.5:1, and will shut down when the VSWR reaches a higher level with the power being folded back as the VSWR increases. Truly you want to get your VSWR at or below 1.3:1 before operating an HF radio IMO. Is there any way to get your antenna higher up? Add a tripod or use some guy wires or rope, or even use cinder blocks and mount your mast to to them. You need to get that antenna off the ground or at least work on getting your VSWR readings at the radio itself down. There are other ways to accomplish this, but they aren't a true fix for your issue. But at least if you can make the radio happy you can use it and not hurt it. Yes it's possible, read up on it. I'm not trying to justify this or truly recommend it as I would rather you get your antenna system corrected, but like I said, you can make the radio happy and be able to use it versus where you are now with a 1.8:1 VSWR. Like I said, tuners and others methods can be applied, but they are a mask for the real issue. JMHO's. Good day. And have fun with the new radio when you get it!!!
 
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A frequency counter (any counter) requires a steady carrier to indicate frequency properly. On SSB the carrier varies from maximum to zero with modulation therefore he counter cannot get a good lock. You should be using a steady carrier mode like AM or FM or CW to check frequency unless you are doing an alignment of the radio and then follow the proper procedure for determining the exact SSB frequency.
I purchased this meter with the idea it would make it easy for me to.get my ef Johnson ranger on frequency.
It would probably do a good job for that but after looking at the transmitter which I haven't seen in almost 30 years I decided it just wasn't worth the money to make it operational.
My madison is on frequency (unlocked clarifier) as is my ft 950 so I just use the 828 for swr, output and amp tuning.
For that it works OK I guess.
I purchased the Dawia you suggested when I posted a question about which meter to buy.
I decided to keep the 828.
That was before I decided not to use the ranger.
I sent the Dawia black.
I wish I hadn't .
I've no doubt the Dawia is a better meter than the mfj.
I just might pack the mfj up and put it in the closet with the rest of the junk and purchase another Dawia. This time I'll keep it.
The frequency counter on the mfj is useless to me. As i mentioned I'm totally convinced the Dawia's a better meter. Thanks for the explanation about how a frequency counter works. I guess the only thing I got out of the mfj was figuring out your lesson.o N frequency counters. Fairly expensiveleson lesson at that. $230! 73
 
For the money you've spent between the mfj and the diawa meters you could've gotten an LP-100a by Telepost. Now that is a nice meter!! Not cheap, but very nice. And appears to be well built and very useful in many other ways. Anyhow. The diawa meter should work fine. Just was giving you some food for thought. If you are getting serious about things, might be one to look at, the LP100a that. Have a good one!!
 
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Doesn't the 950 have an inbuilt ant tuner?

Mine certainly does, and works rather well with most coax feed antennas around 2:1< (maybe more ) range.
I will caution on this...If the radio was modded before you purchased it and they have "Jacked" with the software to raise the power level up on 11m past 100w PEP...the antenna tuner may already be damaged. I seen several for sale..."antenna tuner needs alignment"....RED FLAG! dead give away for someone raising the output on 11m(or even other bands possibly) to past 100W PEP(as they can produce more) and BURNED the tuner up using it on 100W+ of carrier (AM/FM/CW)
Factory Replacements are now Out of stock at Yaesu (I believe) and if you can find one prepare to spend up to $300 to find a new one! (GL)...not to mention having it installed and radio returned to factory specs.
JMHO
All the Best
Gary
 
For the money you've spent between the mfj and the diawa meters you could've gotten an LP-100a by Telepost. Now that is a nice meter!! Not cheap, but very nice. And appears to be well built and very useful in many other ways. Anyhow. The diawa meter should work fine. Just was giving you some food for thought. If you are getting serious about things, might be one to look at, the LP100a that. Have a good one!!
I've seen YouTube clips on the telepost LP 100a AND read the eham reviews.
You're correct it's a terrific meter.
Maybe in the future.
I'm going to list some equipment her and maybe I'll include the mfj 828. Thanks. 73
 
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This goes for checking VSWR as well, use AM mode for VSWR readings. Or a mode that has a carrier. With a VSWR or 1.8:1, your HF radio isn't going to work properly I would suspect without the use of an antenna tuner or by getting a better match at the antenna. Like stated above, most HF radios will start cutting power back with a VSWR as low as 1.3:1 -1.5:1, and will shut down when the VSWR reaches a higher level with the power being folded back as the VSWR increases. Truly you want to get your VSWR at or below 1.3:1 before operating an HF radio IMO. Is there any way to get your antenna higher up? Add a tripod or use some guy wires or rope, or even use cinder blocks and mount your mast to to them. You need to get that antenna off the ground or at least work on getting your VSWR readings at the radio itself down. There are other ways to accomplish this, but they aren't a true fix for your issue. But at least if you can make the radio happy you can use it and not hurt it. Yes it's possible, read up on it. I'm not trying to justify this or truly recommend it as I would rather you get your antenna system corrected, but like I said, you can make the radio happy and be able to use it versus where you are now with a 1.8:1 VSWR. Like I said, tuners and others methods can be applied, but they are a mask for the real issue. JMHO's. Good day. And have fun with the new radio when you get it!!!
I totally agree and have decided to continue using the madison until the antenna goes up above the roof line.
The ft 950 will sit in the box until that's done. 73
 
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