Corroded Coax!

The 15m band has been quite active for DX lately, which is very welcome.

But, on listening around, the received signals were intermittently loud, then quiet, then loud.

Something was wrong!

I checked the external speakers in case the connection there was bad.  The problem persisted with the internal speaker. 

The coax braid on the old RG58U has turned to green dust!

I then checked the other bands.  They were fine.  Probably not the rig's audio circuitry, then.

Finally, I switched out my 15m delta to listen on 15m using my 20m delta.  Perfect audio!

Aha!  Must be the coax. A wiggle on the cable seemed to confirm this. After 6 years out in the harsh coastal environment here, the old RG58U had corroded to a nice green powder from the PL259 connecting to the antenna to a length of about 6 inches (150mm) from it.

So, out came the cutters, and the RG58, only ever used in my early days, is in the bin.  The new RG8-X is hanging out the wall, waiting for a calmer day for replacement!