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Here is a before and after of the N1LN/N1YXU antenna farm: ____________ The photo on the left was taken in the spring of 2007, the one on the right on April 23 this year. The 40m tower is still incomplete in this photo, and it is the tower on the right of the shot. To finish it off, the top antenna was raised to make room for a Tennadyne T-10 on the mast. A 4 element 10m monobander was also installed by N1LN above the 40m antenna on the tic ring. This is what the finished 40m tower looks like:
Make that….DONE! It would appear that N1LN wanted to reach the “DONE” milestone, so he and N1YXU must have gone out and finished the job by installing the 10m monobander themselves. O’course, no antenna farm is ever “DONE”, but at least its now in maintenance mode. There’s still a lot of station building left ahead of them, but the aluminum is flying. It was fun to be a part of that effort. It never fails, but you always learn something new. I spent much of Saturday “hanging around” on N1LN/N1YXU’s 40m tower. After a couple of false starts, we got the top 40m antenna cranked up and seated in the rotor. We then trammed and mounted a Tennadyne log periodic onto the mast about 12 or 15 feet below the top 40m antenna. That just about wraps up most of the initial construction. Bruce has a 10m monobander that he plans to install on the lower 40m antenna on the tic ring rotor. But with 10 meters as exciting as watching paint dry….well it just doesn’t seem like a hot priority. (except maybe to be able to say “done”. But does the term “done” ever actually apply to a radio station?) But it sure will be interesting to operate from there when the bands are in better condition. This is one of the things about Amateur Radio. I’m going to miss someone whom I’ve never met, other than via a few e-mail exchanges. From the ARRL Notice: In his Web reminiscences, Cebik summed up his own life in Amateur Radio: “My Dad was a part of my Novice beginning in Amateur Radio, and I strove to send CW with a straight key so that one could not tell it from a keyer. He remains a strong part of my effort. He noted that the ham spirit is to give, if needed, the shirt off one’s back to a fellow ham and to expect — not its return — but rather that it be passed on to the next ham who needs it.” It seems to me his dad would have plenty of reason to be proud. 73 OM I just recently found out that draft install instructions for the FT-920 Inrad roofing filter have been posted into the files section of the ft920 yahoo group. The INRAD price list shows the roofing filter priced at $200.00. I’m interested in hearing feedback on how well that mod works with the 920. The filter board was supposed to be a great improvement. I have until now been muddling along without the narrower filters or the filter board mod available from Inrad. I think the roofing filter may be the answer I was seeking for that radio as a contest rig. I just hope it doesn’t completely ruin the AM reception for SWL’ing. But I have several nearby stations that can sometimes really wipe me out during a contest. All of them combined with the 50KW of WPTF only a mile away really make contesting with simple wire antennas a challenge. A first glance at the instructions gives me the impression that the install will be simpler than the install for the SSB or CW filter board. That too would be a good thing. I’m not troubled by the soldering involved, but the mechanical dis-assembly is very frustrating. So for now, the roofing filter is on the wish list. Way Cool. The reason for the fire sale in the kaz-shack is to finance the arrival of a nice and spiffy Elecraft K2/100. Hopefully, getting third-hand-me-down mojo will not dilute the well advertised K2 effectiveness. I have only been able to spin the knobs a wee bit so far. I can already say that the RX is really hot on 40m and 80m. It seems about equal in sensitivity to my FT-920 and the FT-100D on 20m. Its strong point is being much more selective than the FT-920. I thought long and hard about which radio to part with. Both the FT-100D and the FT-920 have their strong and weak points, and I do want to have a backup radio at hand. But the deciding factor was that I simply use the FT-920 more often. The FT-100D is actually the better receiver of the two, and is surprisingly good on CW for a mobile radio. The other factor that pushed me towards keeping the 920 was an item I found only recently. The folks at International Radio have an announcement on their website about a roofing filter mod coming soon for the FT-920. A quick e-mail inquiry got me a copy of the draft installation documentation, which seems simple enough. So, for now the 920 has kept its place. It may wind up being sent to the auction block, but not immediately. Maybe to finance another K2 – one I can melt solder on myself! 🙂 […] Continue reading The Mojo Has Landed This Item Has Been SOLD!: Ebay Item number:130215741568 I have for sale a excellent condition Yaesu VX-5R HT. The asking price is $200.00 USD, plus $20.00 UPS ground shipping within the continental US. I prefer PayPal, but will also accept Money Order. Contact W4KAZ. I am the original owner of this HT(see PHOTOGRAPHS here). It has seen light use, and has no known defects. The SMA connector is in very good shape, showing no stress damage. It will come with the following accessories: FNB58 – Original battery NC-72B- Original AC charger original antenna(3-pieces) !!! YES! Also the “ORIGINAL BOX”! As of 4/26/2008 – This Item Is SOLD! Thanks for looking…….. “No longer” available only via Ebay, Item #130215730096 I have for sale a good condition FT-100D. The asking price is $550.00 USD, plus $25.00 UPS ground shipping within the continental US. I prefer PayPal, but will also accept Money Order. Contact W4KAZ. This would make a good backup radio for anyone. The FT-100D is the Yaesu mobile radio that has HF/VHF/UHF (100w HF&6m, 50w on 2m, 20w on 70cm). All pigtails are in very good condition. It is fully functional on all bands/modes. , but keep reading… This radio(See PHOTOGRAPHS Here) will come with the following accessories: Microphone Yaesu MH 36B CT-62 CAT cable LDG OTT Interface Heil AD100 adapter(modular to 8-pin) I DO NOT have the remote kit. I am NOT the original owner. I purchased this radio used from HRO in 2005. It is fully functional on all bands/modes. It is a good mobile radio/backup radio. But it is NOT 100%…. It has the following two KNOWN DEFECTS: Defect #1: – The radio has four threaded holes, two on each side, for mounting to the OEM mobile mount(not included). One of these has a mounting screw broken off(flush) and lodged within the hole. It was in this condition as sold to me by HRO. Defect #2: – The CAT feature is not fully functional. It may be the ct-62 CAT cable, but for the sake of this sale assume that it is the radio that is malfunctioning. […] Continue reading SOLD: Yaesu FT-100D Kent, K9EZ, is a local engineer working in the broadcast industry. He recently got to tour the facilities of MW broadcast station WYFR. Or more enticingly, 100KW WYFR, and their field of log periodics and rhombics. Better yet, he got photos! One Hundred Kilo Watts. It has a certain ring to it. Kent also included a link to an online ERP calculator (The calculator site also has a slew of other useful calculator links). I have never toured a broadcast facility in person. It must be pretty cool in person. The 2008 Poisson d”Avril expedition completed contest operations at 24:59z on April 1st, 2008. We ended the expedition with over 6,666,666 points, making 6,666 QSO’s on 3.666mc. The score would have been much higher, except for the repeated calls we heard from “UP5LID”, Borat, and “UP8OM”, who kept signing their calls on our frequency for some reason. We kept trying to work them, but neither station would respond to our contest exchange to them. Wolfgang, DX4ME, promises to join us for the 2009 Poisson d’Avril FaUXpedition |
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