Is it possible you're setup is arcing inside the relay? You're probably very familiar with shipboard environments and have taken precautions so forgive me if I'm stating the obvious to you. I keep remembering how often I've been knocked on my a$$ simply by carelessly grabbing onto a disconnected antenna wire. Even the common 22 ft fiberglass marine "whips" have been known to produce arcs. One time I walked into a darkened radio room and saw a tiny flash and heard a "snap" before I turned the lights on. I waited and a few seconds later it happened again. It was coming from a disconnected PL259 on the end of a coax leading to one of those whips that "Sparky" had left disconnected. Static was collecting fast enough to cause regular flash-over from the center pin to the shell.
So what I have in mind is that if your antenna doesn't have a good enough d-c ground return circuit for extreme conditions perhaps enough charge is developing to arc over inside the ATU and, in this case, perhaps it has found a path from the relay contacts to the coil then to a ground, taking out the bypass cap with it. As you know, once an arc occurs the carbon path it creates will encourage further discharges to follow the same circuit (and through the same parts) Ron AC7AC ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
