A wrap up or narrative of some recent tower experiences…
- Far West TN, at WB4YDL’s, where the primary focus was to replace the non-working Prosistel 120-ft, no longer turning his big F-12 620. Turns out, an adapter plate I’d made, designed to allow us to use the K7NV mast clamp (from an Orion 2800), had “failed,” in that the bolts securing it to the rotator had come loose. Doc Jamie made the decision (yes, I’d suggested this 10 years prior, when originally installing the beam) to switch to a prop pitch motor, modified by K7NV. This, of course, entailed fabricating an accessory shelf for the 45G tower FOR the prop pitch, which I made from 1/4-inch steel. Everything fit perfectly, & I’m sure my sigh of relief was heard on the ground when we were finished up top. Then it was down to the 60-ft level, to dismantle the old TIC Ring (holding a smaller version of the 620), to be replaced by a shiny new Prosistel Orbital Ring Rotator. The Prosistels are stainless, go together smoothly & easily (no jagged edges, no rough surfaces, no “barely-mating” joints, etc.), & are very quiet. More importantly, once the software is fine-tuned to allow the two motors (prop pitch & Prosistel) to run in sync, Jamie now has a true Master/Slave relationship with the stacked beams. The only fly in the ointment here was the requirement for new UF-rated Romex cable (#12), to prevent significant voltage drop in his long run from the shack (over 250-ft). It’s a workout to tug this through an already partially full PVC pipe all right….After a short break, we were able to use the manlift (obtained to allow replacement of the TIC Ring motor on the LM-470 crank up tower), to mount a new 2M EME setup for him, too. A new experience, & it’s always good to see excitement & anticipation among active hams, for which Jamie certain qualifies.
- Once I was back in Charlotte, & Joe had gone home to FL, there was the N4ZC memorial service to get through. Losing friends (& a true contest mentor) is never easy, & this one was especially difficult. Rog did not get to use the new LP we installed for him, alas. Luckily, I’ve sold it so his widow will receive some return on the investment. All that remains is to get it & the tower down, hi…
- Having supposedly recovered, it was down to FL where the job at hand was the installation of K4PV’s new 120-ft rotating 55G tower. Despite an earlier site survey, the crane company was clearly out of their depth here, costing Jim excessive charges. They arrived an hour late. They “thought” they could pick the tower up using only the 100-ft truck boom, from about the 80-ft level. I quickly informed them we needed the jib installed, & that even then it would be an “iffy” proposition. The operator assured me that with 145-ft of pick, they could do it. Naturally, they were about eight feet short! That meant re-rigging. Anyway, we got the tower upright & the guys in place, then it was a simple matter to pull up the side-mounted C-31. Once that was done, we sent them on their way, & began seriously plumbing the tower. This took me way longer than expected for some reason, but we prevailed. Then came the arduous task of installing the 80M four square dipoles, something that again took longer than anticipated. The next day’s testing showed the C-31 wasn’t working, which was a shock, as it performed fine on sawhorses on the ground. Finally the flaw was found–the Romex cable “feeder” between the 10/20M driven elements had broken, probably flexed too much without the boom-supported truss as we were raising it (yet another reason I much prefer truss cables permanently attached, & not using the mast or tower for support). It’s a helluva ways out there, leaning way out & half upside down but I managed to install a new jumper without taking the beam down, etc. Joe headed across FL to his home, & I stayed on-site to finalize the installation–mainly making jumpers, putting on Heliax connectors, & hooking everything up. Amazingly enough, everything worked perfectly from the start, no trouble-shooting required. While the trip home was uneventful, it did take almost three hours (!) to get through Atlanta, what a PITA…
- Next up, readying the K4SQR SK-estate stuff for sale at the up-coming Shelby hamfest. Joe will be coming back up to hopefully sell some items. Then there are both the SQR & ZC towers to come down. Then up to NC mountains for WK4P’s install. Then (somehow) a likely trip to Montreal to visit aging & ailing National Film Board artist Grant Munro. Then jobs in MD, VA, PA, OH, MO…oh you get the idea. This traveling tower work show just goes on & on & on…seemingly forever, but we all know that’s just not true. Somewhere in there I have to work on the K4ZA towers, too~!~
- stay tuned….
