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[TowerTalk] tilted boom

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] tilted boom
From: k1ir@designet.com (Jim Idelson)
Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2001 09:34:59 -0500
Tilted boom; tilted elements . . . its an age old question.

While modeling shows imperceptible changes in performance when those elements 
are a bit out of whack, the practical impact on station performance is actually 
quite substantial. Experience clearly shows that operators who believe their 
booms are straight and their elements are in the perfect plane always get 
through the pileups first.

There are two categories of solutions to this problem - elimination and 
mitigation:
1.      Elimination - Straighten the boom.
2.      Mitigation - a) Avoid eye contact with the boom. Operating only in 
darkness 
is helpful here. b) Get a friend to tell you he fixed it for you, and it's now 
straight as an arrow.

Tilted Element Syndrome [TES] is closely related to Weak Tube Syndrome [WTS}, a 
condition in which an amplifier specified for full legal output - 1500 watts - 
actually only hits 1477 watts. Field testing of these amplifiers indicates that 
they are actually 10-30dB down in the pileups from amps owned by friends that 
are cranking out the full 1500.

73,

Jim K1IR

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