Discovered a quick antenna fix

[w0uzr]

lMy home brew 135 foot off center/Windom antenna quit working a couple of days ago and developed very high SWR.  I got out in the woods today and took the barrel connector apart and that was in good shape, even though it was under the snow. So I checked the rest of it out and it is all hung up like I had it. Nothing came .loose.

So I went back and looked at the balun which of course the wire antenna is hooked to and found the Rustyest, Crustyest hardware I ever seen in my life.  It looks like it is too far gone to even clean up and put a better connection on it.  That is  the  Center part of the coax where all the power goes to from the radio and amp.  So I found out how important it is to seal up your connections which I didn't do.

Well, I took a piece or wire that you twist stuff together like a muffler hanging down or something and took a Scotch Bright Pad and cleaned the wire that is going to the  Eye tied to there before it loops down and up to the hardware and threads and scotch bright cleaned just behind the eye, where it was still pretty clean. Then I twisted the tie wire on the antenna wire and sqieezed  a pair of pliers and twisted the other end of the wire around the spot behind the eye.  And I took some electrial tape and did the best I could to seal that connection from the weather.

Well, so this is a temporary fix.  I have to something better because it isn't going to take long before that this connection is going to get just like the original.  But this is a neat, quick fix to do so you can get back on the air in a hurry,  and don't have to take the whole thing apart and try to do some major cleaning.


Steve

[kd0csx]

so is it up and going again