Hi All,
As some of you may be aware GB3JB, has been playing up a bit, over the last few days - Intermittent sensitivity.
One moment a signal being nice and strong, the next very noisy.
There was also the sort of effect that you would associate with "Rusty Bolt Syndrome".
Managed to get to the site, late this morning, Friday 10th.
Initially, did the waggling of cables & connectors bit ... no not that ...
Checked the VSWR into the antenna ... that's gone up a bit ... but nothing drastic. Now 1.5:1.
However, one of the radials is at a strange angle and appears to move slightly, in a strong wind.
Checked the VSWR, looking into the 2m / 70cm diplexer, from the cavities ... looks OK ... 1.2 : 1 (?)
But, I took it out of circuit, more on a whim than anything else, and signals went back to normal.
No intermittent variation in received signal strength, no "Rusty Bolt Syndrome".
I've brought the Diamond duplexer, back home, and will take apart to see if anything is a miss. On the basis that it's lumps of L & C, I'm currently working on the assumption, that perhaps over the last few days an internal component has been damaged, by static discharges, with all the lightning that's been around. Having said that, though, we do have a lightning arrestor in the feeder.
Although 'JB' appears to be back to it's normal capability, the Antenna will need to be looked at in due course.
Thanks to Dave, G0AYD, for his assistance today.
Please let me know if you notice any more peculiarities in the performance. I don't monitor the Repeater, all the time .....
Cheers & 73's
Dave, G3ZXX.