I thought I had a 'bad' antenna, but it turns out the feedline is bad, or so it seems.
I installed a known good dummy load (tests good attached to a Bird 43) at the antenna end and checked fwd & rtn readings on VHF and UHF and I get around a 50% return reading (50% reflected). I checked the cable w/ a DVM and it shows 2.5 ohms with the other end shorted (out and back), a 50' length of RG-8 (Carol 1180).
I changed the antenna fitting (both SO-239 each end) which looked fine. No corosion, water etc. though there was a little oxidation of the braid. This didn't change anything.
The radio end is a BNC fitting (for RG-8) which looks good (no shorted braid).
The center conductor is solid with that hollow space around the dielectric with that sprial nylon piece that acts as a spacer. I have had a few somewhat sharp bends in the run, but nothing exessive.
This runs to on a antenna above a TV antenna on a rotor so it does twist, but there is an ample loop for this.
Again, NO sign of mosture ingress, no cracks in the outer insulation. Any ideas why the cable tests bad w/ a Bird meter??
I installed a known good dummy load (tests good attached to a Bird 43) at the antenna end and checked fwd & rtn readings on VHF and UHF and I get around a 50% return reading (50% reflected). I checked the cable w/ a DVM and it shows 2.5 ohms with the other end shorted (out and back), a 50' length of RG-8 (Carol 1180).
I changed the antenna fitting (both SO-239 each end) which looked fine. No corosion, water etc. though there was a little oxidation of the braid. This didn't change anything.
The radio end is a BNC fitting (for RG-8) which looks good (no shorted braid).
The center conductor is solid with that hollow space around the dielectric with that sprial nylon piece that acts as a spacer. I have had a few somewhat sharp bends in the run, but nothing exessive.
This runs to on a antenna above a TV antenna on a rotor so it does twist, but there is an ample loop for this.
Again, NO sign of mosture ingress, no cracks in the outer insulation. Any ideas why the cable tests bad w/ a Bird meter??