The View From The Tower

Wednesday was that, all right. 15 hour long workday. But all ready to go for the concrete truck this AM & the pour went off w/o a hitch. Tower base & three deadman anchors. Moving East tomorrow, to the PVRC Field Day exercise. 21A or some variation thereof.
Be sure to look for W3AO & work us….

Then some repairs to W3LPL, then some
tower parts to be picked up (K3TW & W3BP) & then a site survey, & then home, at last….

stay tuned…

Success at N4TX’s mountain QTH this afternoon! The rotator (the more difficult task, I thought, because of the high, constant wind up here) turned out to be relatively easy–all finished in less than an hour. No trouble whatsoever, although there was a moment when I wasn’t sure I was going to get the baseplate bolts in, but the old SpudWrench made alignment easy.

Then I climbed up & faced the daunting task of rewiring that damn 16-conductor SteppIR control cable! Tiny little wires, faded colors (from the WX), those ever-present 25MPH winds, & having to rework the PVC covering SteppIR uses to protect the EU-molex connectors, all made me a bit apprehensive, but it came off without a hitch! Steve is happy, & he once again has a turning, MonstIR. Me, I’m pleased, & sitting here looking out, over the expansive view, & typing away at the Tower Book MSS.

stay tuned…

The long tower work trip began with a bang, not a whimper…or maybe I WAS whimpering…finding things not, shall we say, quite to Rohn factory specs at WA2BJN’s installation, while heading North to MD/VA, etc. But clever solutions to those problems prevailed, and it was on to NI4F’s, where I off loaded Jerry’s Rohn 45G sections, dis-assembled the old T-12, (which will find a home at KI4TZ’s new SC home), then headed to the W3LPL open house. I-95 traffic was horrendous, and I arrived much later than expected. The WX probably kept the crowd down, but manged to see everyone I wanted to see, etc. Then on to WN3R’s, where I left the trailer of 25G sections for Dick’s new tower, and then headed for WV, to N4TX’s mountain home.  The plan was to replace the failed Prosistel 71-D, but steady 30MPH winds said we should wait, so we spent a couple hours troubleshooting the MonstIR, which has suddenly simply stopped working. We can’t find any driven element stepper motor continuity to the shack, so will try to resolve that riddle, and also hopefully get the rotator changed out, later this morning. The WX is cool, but calm today, so we should be able to get some work done.

Then, back to WN3R’s to dig in the dirt, always fun….then back to W3LPL’s, where Frank and I will haul all the aluminum for the PVRC Field Day Yagis over to the site and begin assembly…something that IS always fun.  Look for W3AO on all bands/modes during FD!

stay tuned

Tried to wrap up the N4IZ install yesterday, but Don’s T2X was found to be faulty after we installed it. So….that will have to wait until I return from this pending trip to MD/VA/WV, et cetera, where a number of jobs/errands are awaiting attention: W3LPL, K3TW, N4TX, WN3R, etc. And then there’s the ever-popular PVRC Field Day event, a truly fun time, where we make a contest out of this non-contest event!

Work planned as stopovers on the way North, too, with K2LS, et al, on the list.

stay tuned

W2GD & I spent another workweek in Texas, arriving home late last night (John to NJ; me to NC). The week in Texas was hot, hot, hot–with temps averaging above 100-degrees every day. Not the worst conditions we’ve experienced there, but brutal nonetheless. Heliax too hot to pick up & hold, steel that burned your hand, & even the ever-present breezes out of the South were blowing hot. Progress? Finished off the new 6M tower–ready for the antennas. Got two ring rotators installed on the new 80M tower (for the 20M mult antennas which will stack below the 80M Yagi at 185 feet, at 140/70). Installed the Heliax runs for everything.

Still unresolved–why some of the K0XG rings run ridiculously fast! We assume it’s a simple gear reduction error in the transmissions or right angle reducers, but exactly WHAT the error is, is yet to be determined. Oh for a simple exploded-view type diagram, or even a parts list…!

Home to NC w/the final 30 minutes of the flight in terrific lightning storm, always fun in the Continental Express puddle jumper from Houston. Conditions finally resulting in a downpour as I turned into my neighborhood. It’s good to be home, but the work week will resume w/more tower work tomorrow.

stay tuned

First thing this AM, K4DXA, K4IZE & myself arrive at N4IZ’s & begin preparations to tram up his new TH-11. Five minutes after we arrive, it starts raining, but five minutes later, it quits, so we forge on, etc. The beam trams up perfectly, despite Don’s backyard not being very deep (indeed, we had maybe 30 ft of working space–a very steep tram!). Then, the real fun began. He also has this 50-1200mHz log periodic he wanted ABOVE the TH-11. Relatively light, but a million tiny little elements & long boom, but severe taper (of course, like all LPs), & I just could NOT get the damn thing oriented around, through, & over the TH-11 elements (which are also bunched close together). Ended up taking the log APART & putting it back together in the air. If you thought it was unbalanced before…but I kept after it & finally got it installed. Then the real rains came (the kind that didn’t end in five minutes). Hopefully I can raise the mast, install the rotator & get the Heliax runs grounded tomorrow.

W2GD called to relay his telephone chat with NR5M today. We’re good to go next week for another trip to Texas.

If the WX holds, perhaps we can get some KI4TZ work done this weekend….?

stay tuned

Well, that old song, “the best laid plans” truly held true this morning. While moving the mower to the shop for some repairs, the wheel bearing failed on the trailer & the righthand wheel came off the trailer on I-485. Lots of smoke, lots of wobbly wheeling around, etc. Gotta luv it… Parked the trailer, went on to other things & finally found a suitable hub this afternoon & laid alongside the road (amidst the debris & 70MPH rush-hour rushers) & replaced it. Now HAVE both trailers in the driveway (one w/the mower; one w/Rohn 45 & 25 stacked on it). K4CEB called & cancelled coming over for the tower. The HOA police are gonna luv me tomorrow…~!

stay tuned, indeed…

Just typing those two words brings back the melody…& a flood of memories. The 60s truly do seem like only yesterday, & the harmony (both literal & metaphoric) from The Mamas & The Papas & that era seem truly distant, now…

Spent the day painting WN3R’s soon-to-be new Rohn 25G flat black, so it’ll be nearly invisible once installed at his mountain top QTH. Gathered up some more 25G for K4CEB, too. Hope to deliver 45G to KI4TZ tomorrow. Thursday we’re all aiming to finally get N4IZ’s TH-11 in the air. Next week another trip to Texas. Monday, Monday….every day this week!

stay tuned