  We describe an experiment to produce 87Rb Bose-Einstein condensates in an
optically plugged magnetic quadrupole trap, using a blue-detuned laser. Due to
the large detuning of the plug laser with respect to the atomic transition, the
evaporation has to be carefully optimized in order to efficiently overcome the
Majorana losses. We provide a complete theoretical and experimental study of
the trapping potential at low temperatures and show that this simple model
describes well our data. In particular we demonstrate methods to reliably
measure the trap oscillation frequencies and the bottom frequency, based on
periodic excitation of the trapping potential and on radio-frequency
spectroscopy, respectively. We show that this hybrid trap can be operated in a
well controlled regime that allows a reliable production of degenerate gases.
