Hi all:

Here's a sum up of my issue and the tests I've done.
1ST off I got an MFJ-986 tuner which can switch to bypass for a dummy load,
2 coax either direct or through tuner and a balance line which is not used.
My dummy load is connected to about a 3 foot length of coax and to the by
pass on the tuner. The SWR on this is 1.0/1.
When I removed the dummy load from the 3 foot length and connected it to
the 100 foot length of coax at the base of my antenna, in coax 1 and 2, I
got a 30/1 SWR, didn't try direct 1 and 2 with the dummy load on the 100
foot length.
In direct 1 on 40M this morning, I got an SWR of 2.5/1. Every piece of coax
I've had in my 10 years as a ham, I've always got an SWR of 30/1 with an
antenna connected before tuning. I've also gotten this type of figure when
the dummy load was connected to the tuning circuit but not in the bypass. I
can only take from that my coax or connecters haven't been done properly
over the years.
On the actual issue I'm having, there's an SWR spike of 6/1 and its
intermittent. It goes away for probably 45 minutes to an hour, then
returns.
The tuner used was connected to another antenna and was perfect on the
bands it operates on and handled a KW with no issues. As soon as I pay for
my Amp, I'm going to buy a brand new length of coax and see if that fixes
things.
The only thing I can recall is when I 1ST put up the antenna, I was using a
75/80 foot length and there was no issues. I shortened it up because I
thought is was to much laying on the ground and then the problems
persisted.

73:
Mike VO1AX