Published on
March 29, 2009 in
Blog.
Another work trip to NR5M in Texas during the week just passed.
While we were worried about the weather on this trip (the forecast included lots of wind & rain), we got lucky. All the prep work went off fine. The crane arrived at 7:30 on Thursday, and after two hours of setup, we pulled the modified 80M Yagi up 60-70 ft and checked the bandwidth and SWR. Having added the new M2 switching relay boxes, we were not sure what (if any) changes might have taken place. The beam had shifted a tad higher in the band (we set it up for phone), but we decided the changes were insignificant, and so proceeded with lifting it into place. W2GD and I climbed up, and once at the top, it took about seven minutes to haul the beam up and secure it. We worked on hooking everything up, while the crane crew began tearing the crane down, in order to move to our next location. It was amazing to watch them move the crane down the driveway with the boom EXTENDED! Looked like NASA moving an ICBM at Cape Kennedy or something. They kept the outriggers extended, mere inches above the ground, and crept slowly toward our unfinished 55G tower. This tower has been at NR5M for over 10 years at 100 ft, but George has always wanted to have it extended to 185 ft. We had pre-assembled the 55G sections, and the cane (once set up), lifted it up and I bolted the final 80 ft in to place, all in just a few minutes. Then W2GD and gang ran around hooking up the guy lines.
Friday and Saturday were spent working on some repairs–all corrosion issues (rotator & coax junctions need to be enclosed in Hoffman boxes, which we’ve been saying since our earliest worktrips). Once those were completed, we moved once again to the 6M tower, installing star guy brackets and orbital ring rotators.
George was doing SOABHP in the CQ WPX contest, and we were very pleased to see him have a 240 first hour! Tower and antenna installers/builders don’t always get to watch the results obtained or possible from their labors.
So this was a true treat.
I hopped on 20M this AM and gave George a point with my own WPX call, KZ4AA….he was closing in on 3000 QSOs….!
Published on
March 20, 2009 in
Blog.
It’s been a slow week.
Started with the Charlotte Hamfest, where I was selling a bunch of estate items, which went pretty well. At least I was able to clear out the dining/living rooms, which the XYL appreciated.
On Monday, I finally gave in & went to my opthomologist for an eye exam, where I learned I have an infection in my right eye–no real explanation, just that it’s there & I should stop wearing contacts until the drops & goopy medicine clear it up. Makes climbing weird, with monocular vision. Trying to get used to glasses (after 25 years, that’s hard!) so next week in Texas won’t be so difficult. Lots of NC work awaits my return from that trip.
W2GD has surged ahead in the www.eham.net reviews race.
Progress on the tower book, although not as much as I would have liked, et cetera.
stay tuned
Published on
March 10, 2009 in
Blog.
BAND QSOs COUNTRIES OPERATORS
160 170 71 K1HTV W3LPL K3RA K4ZA
80 720 91 NI1N K3MM
40 1133 104 WR3Z KD4D AC6WI
20 2469 136 WX3B N3KS K3RA AC6WI
15 320 77 W3IDT K4ZA
10 74 21 K1HTV W3LPL K4ZA AC6WI
————————————–
Totals 4886 500 = 7,329,000
That’s where & how I spent my weekend! Very nice to win both modes in ARRL! Fun moving from band-t0-band. 10M opening at 2130 was amazing–went from simple band noise to 20 over signals. The bandmap was full.
Two site surveys netted two probable new tower jobs for the spring. Which threatens to break at any moment–temp hit 83 yesterday in CLT.
Today we’re in SC taking down another estate for sale at this weekend’s Charlotte Hamfest.
stay tuned
Published on
March 4, 2009 in
Blog.
The day started out okay…but went downhill quickly.
Drove out to Gaston County storage site, to meet a couple of the locals, who were coming out to buy & pick up some items, & to retrieve a Ham-M rotator for W3EKT. When I got there, the first thing I noticed was the 5X8 work trailer had its doors open. Yes, victim of robbery #5 at this location! Three toolboxes stolen, along with an assortment of tower hardware (turnbuckles, thimbles, & shackles). An my DeWalt AM/FM/charger. About $2000 worth of gear. Why anyone would want or think the tower hardware worth stealing remains a mystery….
Large pry bar used to simply wrench the doors open & off. Spent the DAY working up a solution to secure the trailer overnight. At least the brand new capstan winch wasn’t stolen (probably too heavy to haul away).
Of course, one of the locals forgot to show up; that truly made the day….~!
stay tuned
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