I have been out of town for a few days and unable to try it out. I finally tried it today and with your info I think I was finally able to get it to work. I don't think I was waiting long enough for the spell to take effect. I was using the rod immediately after casting the spell. Once I saw the spell was cast in the log, I used the rod and got the results I was looking for.
Thanks so much for your help.
tg