DN55 Quick Trip 70cm EME

Date/Time: May 30, 2020 Moonrise 2000Z
Call: KB7Q
QTH: DN55gl, Absarokee, Montana
Frequency: 432.089 MHz KB7Q always first, JT65b
Gear: 1x 13wl Yagi, 500 watts, WD5AGO preamp, IC9700 w/GPSDO
Note: Have Internet, and will come up on the HB9Q Logger

Social Distancing is not a problem in Montana.

 Well that didn't go exactly as planned. Joyce and I did roll out to the ranch site a day early with the camper and get the station set up on May 29th. Conditions were quite good and I completed easily with the following stations: DL9KR (CW 539), DL7APV (-13), UA3PTW (-17), and PA2V (-17). I figured I was sitting fat and sassy for the next day's operation, but Mr. Murphy had other ideas. We had heavy rain overnight and when I fired the station up in anticipation of moonrise on  May 30th I found I had 7:1 SWR.Yikes!

After swapping out all the coaxial cables and even the relay/preamp box with no effect on the high SWR my best guess was that water infiltrated the driven element block on the M2 432-13WLA Yagi. I was QRT. Still we had a great camping trip, and it was good to get out of the house.

Postscript - It wasn't water infiltration after all, rather the internal balun connection inside the aluminum housing on the driven element failed. A replacement part is on the way.