2019 brought another solo operation for IOTA, but return to Cape Lookout for the event. Weather was much better than 2018, the only WX challenge being the winds. Normal for the islands on the NC coast, and very agreeable for comfort, but it caused the only bit of trouble for the antennas.<\/p>\n
Antennas were set up on Friday. This year two folded dipoles were used, one for 40m and the second on 20m. A hy-gain AV-18VS vertical was set up in the unlikely event 15m or 10 would open. (Neither did for me)<\/p>\n
Checking the tuning on the antennas had me chasing shadows for too much of Friday afternoon. After sorting out the feedlines, there was still an SWR problem on the 40m folded dipole. These had been tested at home before the contest, but had been tugged on quite a bit trying to straighten the mast in the high winds. So as a fallback measure I hoisted the 40m\/20m trap dipole, and tabled the folded dipole problem. In the end it turned out to be a problem with the antenna analyzer rather than the antennas. Since it was already in the air, I just re-positioned the trap dipole to be at right angles to the folded dipoles. But that was after all too much walking from shack to antenna several times looking for problems.<\/p>\n\n\t\t