Back on the Air, but the Ameritron RCS-4 Gets Taken Down

Over the weekend I repaired my Hy-Gain AV-640 vertical and replaced the coax.  Everything is working nicely again. I talked to N3EON Steve in Baltimore this afternoon and he gave me a nice 59 report.

However, as I was tuning up, Sweet Lady Wife walked into the ham shack and said “You are turning my radio on and off”.  Her radio is a Bose WaveRadio, and it sits almost exactly opposite the RCS-4 antenna switchbox.  The RCS-4 box is mounted outside the house, and the Bose is right inside, up against that same wall, just 10 inches from the RCS-4.  And the RCS-4 switchbox has a plastic cover instead of metal.  I took the RCS-4 out of the equation, did another tune up, and the Bose was quite happy. So much for the RCS-4.

I tried breaking thru a pileup to reach a PJ4 (Bonaire) station that was booming in, but my little pistol was no match for the big guns.  He said he wil be on every night this week so I’ll keep trying.  When the income tax refund arrives, I’ll get an electrician in here to run a dedicated line for the Ten-Tec Centaur amplifier.  Then perhaps I’ll have more success.