[GreenKeys] Saturday Morning Woes

[John, W9DDD]

I find the number one problem at my QTH is touching something after I 
had it working. Followed by trying to demonstrate to a visitor.

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You said "tomorrow" yesterday.

The above comments or recommendations are SWAG. Use at your own risk.
John, W9DDD

On 11/12/2023 1:00 PM, Tom Hunter wrote:
> Eugene,  You aren''t the only one who had trouble Saturday, I have a 
> Dovetron for copying The 850 group.
> But it does not always play nice. The Signal Loss sometimes flickers 
> with space and that throws it into mark hold.
> That makes it useless. I dug out a URA-17 and got it working. It 
> worked like  a champ two Saturdays ago.
>
> My 28 is on top of a rack just above eye level so I have to stand on a 
> 9 inch stool to see it.
> With the arthritis in my knees, it is hard do get up and hell to get 
> down. I decided to run my 32 from the URA-17.
>
> That day the Dovetron was working so I was printing while I was 
> shooting the 32 problem
>
> Could not even get a good looking reading on the URA-17 loop current 
> meter.
>
> First problem - I must have fooled with the URA-17 during the week. 
> The controls were set all wrong. Corrected them.
> Problem solved.
>
> I set the loop for 20 Mils and because I have a 3-circuit plug on the 
> 32 and 2-circuit plugs everywhere else, I built an adapter cable.
>
> The 32 ran open. I normally  use the 32 on an IRL FSK-1000 through a 
> box with a 50 mil meter and a 275D mercury relay which I can use to 
> key a 60 mil loop. I confirmed that the 32 worked with the IRL and the 
> box. So I plugged the box into the URL-17 loop. The 32 ran open. I 
> pulled the box on the bench several times and rang out the wiring with 
> an ohmmeter.
>
> Second problem - box finally failed on the bench, The coil in the 
> relay was intermittent. Another relay solved that.
>
> Still the 32 ran open and there was no indication on the meter. Yet 
> another meter in the same loop read fine.
>
> Back to the bench. The box now tested fine, even through the adapter 
> cable.
>
> Third problem - The jack I was using did not like a Switchcraft 
> plug.When I plugged it in, the shorting contact on the jack stayed 
> shorted. I formed the contact ( that is technical speak for bend it 
> until it works.) Problem solved.
>
> Now the meter read and I could hear the relay clicking. But the 32 ran 
> open
>
> Fourth problem -  had to increase the current to 30 mils. The 32 
> started printing. Final Problem solved.
>
> By now it was 7 PM. But I will be all ready for next Saturday!
>
> Tom   N3CRK
>
>
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