Re: [IRCA] HLAZ 1566 kHz 0842 UTC/EWE Antenna/Matching transformer

[mwdxer@xxxxxxxxx (Patrick Martin)]

Nick,

With all of the rain we have had this Winter, I found the wire in some
of my matching transformers, over time have been breaking down too. We
had some lightening strikes within a mile or so of here and I found the
wire going to the coax from the matching transformer totally burnt and
the matching transformer also black on one side. It smelled burnt too.
The second time I have had problems with the lightening strikes in the
area getting into my system. There is so much water in the ground and
standing everywhere. Lightening is very rare here, with less that 5
storms a year. Five would be very rare. Anyway, per Bill Block's
suggestion, I have now changed over from the enameled magnet wire to the
small #30 insulated wrapping wire on my coils. Hopefully that insulation
will hold up better with little voltage surges from lightening. 
  Also in the process with the breakdown of the enameled wire, I found a
half a scale reading on the VOM between the two sections!  So my
impediance was all messed up with the breakdown.  Rewrapping the
matching transformer I gained 5-10 DB and my nulls are back on the SW
EWE as they should be. 
   Last Fall in the rain, lightening distroyed the 5K pot I had (I now
use 2.5 k Ohm pots). It turned the inside to powder. In the 25 years I
have had the EWE, this is the first year I have had any lightening
troubles. But this had been a very unusual year for weather. As I type
this, we had 1/2-3/4 inch of snow on the ground this morning. Most of it
is melted, but very odd here for mid March.

73,

Patrick

Patrick Martin

Come to Seaside Oregon for the 2006 IRCA Convention! It will be held at
the Comfort Inn on September 22-24,2006.

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