The Return of SOTA Fun Evening!

Tuesday 14th May 2019 - The Cloud G/SP-015

Well, the weather was lovely. And at last on this Tuesday evening we had quite a turn out from the SOTA activators:

M1EYP/P on The Cloud G/SP-004
GW6KLQ/P on Y Garn GW/NW-004
GW7WKX/P on Great Orme GW/NW-070
M0VXX/P on Titterstone Clee Hill G/WB-004

I ended up making a total of 83 QSOs:

70cm FM: 17
70cm SSB: 60
70cm CW: 1
2m FM: 5

My results were quite pleasing given the less-than-pleasing SWR indicated. With the 6-el 70cm beam from the SB270 still out of service, I tried using the MFD. VSWR was showing 5 bars on the FT-817. I’m sure I’ve had much better than this when using the MFD before on 70cm.

When I used the MFD on 2m later, all was fine. I can’t find a fault with the SB270, and the MFD was perfect on 2m - and used to be good on 70cm. So maybe there is something in ANdy FMF’s suggestion that there could be an issue with the feeder that causes issues on 70cm, but not on 2m.

1 Like

Hi Tom,

Assuming this was an ft817 did you have the right antenna connector selected? Perhaps you were using a 2m or 6m antenna on 70cm without realising it? Beyond a certain SWR level alarm bells ring as the risk to the output devices increases. And the ssb quality is affected by vigorous pumping of the ALC line.

Feedline problems normally display as a better than actual VSWR.

No doubt you will figure it all out and it won’t be any of the above.

73 Andrew VK1DA/VK2UH