High SWR alarm disable?

Mark_WS7M

Ok, In one area of 80m my antenna match is not very good.  But I've got a tuner right there at the antenna, a remote MFJ tuner.

To get this thing to tune I need to send say 10w and give it time to tune.  During this process I've seen the analog SWR meter bounce well up above 4.0 as it searches for the best match.

Unfortunately at some point this causes SSDR to shutdown transmit with a high SWR warning.

I think there needs to be a way around this as I was only tuning at 10w and I'd expect those finals in the 6500 can probably take 10w at 5.0+ SWR for quite some time. I don't know their exact specs and I will bow to the knowledge of Flex on this.

But this is kind of a problem.  I cannot output 10w long enough for the tuner to complete it's tune and lower the SWR to a reasonable value.  Is there some way around this?

Jim Gilliam

K0UNX

My RAT stores tuning solutions, so what I've done is to tune to where the tuner already HAS a solution, then "walk down the band" in steps of say, 20 kHz, building a bank of solutions.  To avoid annoying others, I do this when the band isn't open.  Once I have a bank of stored solutions, nearby frequencies are easy to populate.

Mark_WS7M

Hi Jim,

This is a great idea.  I will make sure to do this during peak band operation for maximum results (JUST KIDDING!)

Mark

SteveM

Huh. I have never experienced this issue and I run a 43' vertical with a remote tuner. Even on the top band where the SWR is theoretically the worst I don't have a problem tuning. Is the MFJ really slow to zero-in?

How are you tuning, normal PTT/MOX, or are you using the TUNE button? I use the TUNE button to send a 10W carrier.

Mark_WS7M

Yes tune button, set at 10w.  Now I am going through a SPE amp which is on but in standby mode.  I have been wondering if it is interfering somehow.

The MFJ is directly wire powered (IE not coax powered).

BTW tell me about your 43 vertical and how you like it?  I have been considering putting one up using a tree and the area where the tree is would support a ton of radials without much trouble.

Larry _ NY8T

Wouldn't the remote tuner be adjusting the swr between the spe and antenna? Have you tried using the flex atu to lower the input swr between the flex and spe? You have 3 tuners in line, (flex atu, spe auto tuner and remote mfj) that's a lot going on there. The SPE 1k-fa manual says disable the SPE auto tuner if using an external tuner.

Mark_WS7M

Yes...   I have the ATU in the flex disabled, I also have the SPE tuner disabled.  In fact I even tried this with the SPE turned off so it was in effect in bypass mode.

I started with 2W and slowly increased the tune power to about 8w and began to see the MFJ starting to tune.  It brought the SWR down to 3.5:1 then it jumped up to like 4:1 and SSDR bombed out with the SWR warning.

I don't remember this happening before so I've been searching for a setting that sets the max allowable SWR for the warning.  I seem to remember one but I cannot determine where it was.

Larry _ NY8T

Most likely in DDUTIL.

SteveM

Mark,

I'll try to be honest about the 43 footer - there's the good and the bad.

The good:

1. I don't need a tower or trees, neither of which I have right now.
2. It seems to work equally well in any direction.
3. It takes one man less than 10 seconds to take it down (disconnect the wire, lift the 7lb. fiberglass pole off the pipe, lay it down).

The bad:

1. Switching bands requires a tuning cycle.
2. Burying radials is tedious - not a problem if you plan to lay them above ground.
3. High noise floor. I can only stand to work 80m during the cool/cold months of the year. During the hot part of the summer I see S8 noise on 80m, it's unbearable. This may be less of a problem depending where you live.
4. I can tune it on 160m, but the system is so lossy that it's virtually unusable.

Mark_WS7M

Yes sir that is EXACTLY where it is at...  Thanks!

Mark_WS7M

Thanks Steve,

Good info.  I'm currently using a 130 foot end-fed wire with a matching network on it.  It works quite well from 80 to 10 however my 80 meters is a mess.  I mean it is usable but I have all kinds of little swirly noises and dips and peaks.  I just have not had time to try and find them all.

I had a jpole in a vertical format in a tree and when I put up the end fed wire I was genuinely surprised by how much better it heard than the roughly 40 foot jpole.  Also the noise went down a lot.

I guess I'm pretty convinced at this point that horizontal antennas seem better.

KY6LA_Howard

I think you meant by Good @2 Equally POORLY in all directions. Hi Hi

SteveM

Ha, Howard! I knew it. I imagined a jab from you when I read back what I had submitted for #2. I tried to edit it, but I was too late (got the red bar from the server).

SteveM

@Mark,

Yes, I don't doubt you are correct. I would also have a multiband horizontal, but I'm in a new development area which means no room (tiny lot size), and no natural towers (trees are all <20' tall). I didn't know I was going to be a Ham when I bought the place. It's on my bucket list to move out of town when the kids are gone and convert a farm from cows to antennas.

Oh ****, I admitted that I am a new Ham. Now Ernest, Guy, and Burt will be coming around to poke fun ;-)

K0UNX

You said, " It's on my bucket list to move out of town when the kids are gone and convert a farm from cows to antennas."  That's called "repurposing."  Find one with a tall SILO, and build an all-glass SHACK on top, similar to an aircraft control tower.  That's been a lifetime dream for me.

At 71, I've already transferred that dream to my bucket list for my NEXT lifetime.
;D

Jim
K0UNX

SteveM

Jim,

That's a great idea. I think a lot of the rigging and equipment is already inside of a silo for an elevator up to the shack.

I'm continually reminded of the ingenuity of hams. For example, I met a local ham who was recently licensed. He got started in amateur radio rather late in life and at this point he walks with a cane. So to construct his tower he had the local power company set four of their longer (+50ft) utility poles in a small square pattern. Then he built steps up to the top. I thought that was a good idea, too.

SteveM

Removed double post.

DrTeeth

@SteveM. Never have and never will take the **** out of a new ham :-).

K0UNX

Mark, you said: " however my 80 meters is a mess.  I mean it is usable but I have all kinds of little swirly noises and dips and peaks."

Look at the screenshot below.  Is that what you are seeing?  It come in here in the early mornings when we have a path to the noise source.  There had been a problem in our area with similar noise from 3.8 to 5.1, but the FCC worked with the local phone company to locate the source.  Turned out to be the UPLINK from a customer's VDSL internet service.  That affected hams over a wide area, and was instantly fixed by a technician replacing the defective modem.  In that case, we had the problem at all hours, so it was known to be local.  What I'm showing in the screenshot below is definitely NOT local, as it is affected by propagation.

Mark_WS7M

Hi Jim, I have not spent much time to examine it yet.  Here is typically what I see.

There are just some areas with constant noise above the basic floor (left arrow)

Right two arrows are the swirly things I mention.  They just lazily oscillate back and forth.  This is better than it usually is.  160 is far worse as far as the swirlys go.  Pic of that below this one.





I am pretty sure these swirlys are local somewhere but I've just not had time to try and find them nor do I have the tools.

Mark

K0UNX

Wow!  Your swirly things are very different than mine.  Yours repeat across the band like mine do, but yours are narrow-banded, and mine are very broad-banded.  You can determine if they are local by noting if they are there during mid-day when 160 and 80 are not open to DX.  I'm guessing that since I've never seen YOUR swirly things, that they are local to you.  You and I are almost line-of-sight to one-another, at about 120 kM distance.

Mark_WS7M

Jim where are you located?  What is your call?

K0UNX

I'm 12 kM SW of downtown Littleton, and just NW of Chatfield State Park.  The call is K0UNX.  Using an on-line map, my address is 8098 S. Carr Ct. Littleton, Co. 80128.

Tim - W4TME

A few things.  Sorry I am late to this post and it seems to have drifted way off topic.  There is no way to disable the High SWR alarms that SmartSDR generates.

Second, I suspect there is some sort of standing wave issue going on.  Try removing the amp out of the signal patch (and anything else) and see if the problem still occurs.

Ross - K9COX

Sorry