[WARC] 146.835 Repeater Is Down for the Time Being

[Len Litvan]

Russ N0QK and I went to the 146.835 repeater site this morning to 
trouble shoot the weak audio which had been observed for several weeks.  
We found ice in the feed line-to-lightning arrestor connectors.  This 
condition seems to be a repeat of a problem of moisture in the feed line 
observed several times in the past two years.

As a result, the repeater is out of operation for awhile.  We brought 
the Polyphasor lightning arrestor down from the repeater site to 
properly dry and clean it.  We also routed the feed line from the base 
of the tower to the floor of the shack so that it has a continual 
downward grade toward the end connector.  The objective is to encourage 
moisture which might be in the feed line (in the normal droop between 
the tower and shack entrance) to thaw and drain out the end of the line.

Russ examined the feed line all the way up the tower and found no 
visible fault in the feed line jacket.  The repair to the jacket 
performed previously seemed to be intact, but the patch was removed and 
new splicing tape and liquid electrical tape applied.  Another small 
"dent" in the jacket which did not appear to represent a failure in 
jacket integrity was coated with liquid electrical tape.

The antenna-to-feed line connections at the top of the tower appeared to 
be protected from the weather and sound.

No timetable for bringing the repeater back up has been set, but it is 
thought that the repeater will be out of operation for up a couple of 
weeks while the feed line thaws and moisture has an opportunity to drain.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.  A more 
detailed report will be posted on the repeater changelog on the club wiki.

73,
Len