Labor Intensive…

That describes the month so far.

Joe managed to get back up to NC, coinciding with the VHF contest at AA4ZZ, so we’d planned a variety of client jobs.

Wanted to finish the install at K2XN first. Hardest part was figuring out just HOW to get the big JK tribander plus 40M beam up & on to his 25G tower. There is, simply, no room in his yard to do anything. Plus, when W4WMQ built the tower 30 years or so ago, he didn’t do things “according to Rohn,” which further aggravated the situation. We prevailed, however, after fixing some issues, by simply taking the guys down, raising the Yagi straight up the tower, then re-attaching at each guy station,  et cetera. Very labor intensive process, but the only way I could see to solve all these problems. (No, Virginia, a crane wouldn’t work either…) Then it was over to K4MD to install the swinging gate portion of his side-mounted 30M Yagi. Careful study & analysis made short work of that, less than an hour of tower time. He has 290 degrees of rotation, should suffice for everything. Then I journeyed to Danville, VA while Joe was at the contest station station in Boone, to take down a little 25G for AC8LJ’s father, NI4E. Fifty feet unguyed, with two sections that would just not come apart, in 95-degree weather…what a day! Then after the weekend, N4ZC let me know his Tennadyne wasn’t working & wanted to know if I could somehow get him back on the air. Having spent considerable time at Roger’s place in years past (we had a nice little M-M setup once upon a time), & storing stuff in his back forty, I felt obligated to help him as soon as possible. So, we took down his old T-12. The problem was obvious–the boom was broken! With the passing of K4SQR two weeks ago, Rog wondered if perhaps his widow would sell HIS T-12, which she agreed to do, so we had to go take down Jim’s LP down. By now, we’ re practically experts at that, & Jim’s came to earth in less than 30-minutes, with just the two of us! Then we dis-assembled it, but left the 30-ft boom intact, & hauled it out to Gaston County (on the van roof, with the excess boom hanging over the towed trailer, where we re-assembled it & then got it up on Roger’s 130-ft 45G tower, again in less than an hour once the rigging was all set in place.

Joe’s back in Florida & I’m doing shop work. Hoping the rain holds off for a while so I can actually get something accomplished, hi hi.

stay tuned…

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