A bit melodramatic title perhaps, but maybe not, all things considered.
Got back to N2ZZ’s to install everything. The mast was already inside the tower, so it only remained to build the beams, paint everything flat black (or camo) & get them ON said mast. Of course, Jim has NO ROOM whatsoever in which to maneuver, so everything was corkscrewed up, on to the tower, in the case of the VHF/UHF beams, and then the SteppIR was built in place, using a PVRC mount. Only trouble? I used the original SteppIR-supplied boom-to-mast plate, which SteppIR mounts diagonally, and not square. Which causes the EHU to hit the plate when you try & rotate the boom inside the mounting clamps. Normally, of course, one is NOT trying to rotate the elements, but I am, in order to actually mount them on the boom, while flipping the boom around at 70 ft. Damn it, this will require another trip back to Aiken…
Another issue is the Heliax, all installed on a supporting arm of UNI-STRUT. The connectors are all
ending at the EHU location, which I never considered. Even moving them to another face does not solve the issue, as the driven element will also be in the way of the rotation loop. Back to the drawing board on that one, at least for the time being. It’s always something, as little Roseanna used to exclaim….
stay tuned….
