Murphy.
I had saved Friday afternoon for some nice relaxing antenna maintenance time. It is time to replace the K9AY wires. Both loops have suffered a lot of damage from the odd falling branch, and the loops were made from fairly thin 18ga tinned automotive wire, I normally use for other reasons. Time to put up loops made of heavier gauge wire, because the RX antenna is a keeper. The 15m/10m loop also needs some work. It needs to be adjusted for better SWR if kept, but it will more likely be replaced with simple dipoles. Also need to check out some of the support lines, etc., etc. etc.
The wx did not cooperate with this plan. A big thunderstorm moved in, and there was a mini monsoon, the likes of which I’ve not seen very often here in NC. It was more like the spring storms more common on the gulf coast. “Torrential downpour”. “Monsoon”.
Anyway, with half of the XYL’s landscape floating away to the accompaniment of claps of thunder, the antenna plan hit the crapper. The occasional light shower continued through the afternoon, and the wx radar kept me from plugging into the antennas(aka “lightning attractors”) until about 0400Z. It would probably have been OK to operate sooner, but there was no reason to take the risk.
So, Friday resulted in a whopping 13Q’s of disinterested S&P.
Slept late Saturday(see where this is going?). Still not much interest. More half-hearted S&P on a mostly dead 20m band. […]
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