Although some may consider this to be a bit OT, it directly relates to
towers, antennas, and my returning ability to climb and work on them and
a few may be interested. I'm still working out to improve my balance
and stamina and am now working with a personal trainer at the Midland
Community Center, who shows no mercy<:-)) But that's really the idea. It
takes a lot of work to get back where I was a year and a half back. Try
balancing on a Bosu ball turned upside down while lifting weights from
arms straight down and up into a military press while doing knee
bends/squats. That's three sets of 20 BTW.
Yesterday was a very long day which started out with a fly-in/Pancake
Breakfast at the midland airport (3BS). With the crappy weather we
didn't have a lot of planes fly in but it was still a good turn out with
the opportunity to shoot lots of photos. Then it was home for a quick
nap, and out to the local field day site for lots more photos with much
improved weather *except* for some strong storms that came through
between 6:00 and 7:00 PM.
After getting home early in the evening I kept looking up at all those
coax cables plus a couple of tangled slopers and decided it was time to
give it a try. The climb went surprisingly easy even though I have to
work my way around a satellite dish, remote antenna switch, a UHF TV
antenna, the ends of several wire antennas, and a side mounted 144/440
vertical. I removed the old remote antenna switch which has lost all
the silver plating off the connectors and is soon going to get a new
set. Unfortunately those silver plated brass connectors had become one
with each other up there even though they were protected well enough to
still be shiny. I think I'm going to start lubing the threads with
just a tiny bit of silicone grease. (when I clean the "green" crud off
they are nothing but shiny brass.)
At any rate it was a 100 foot climb with over an hour and a half working
up there. It's difficult to describe what I could almost call elation
at being able to do something so simple, that I used to do so often, but
considering it was about a year ago I was just learning to tie my shoes
it's a very good feeling.
So, no I didn't get the antennas down or even put the tram lines up, but
I did get a lot of the little stuff out of the way and gained the
knowledge I can go up there with enough stamina to get something useful
done. That and my legs weren't even fatigued when I to down or sore
tonight although an hour stint with that personal trainer may have me
postpone tomorrows work for a day or two.
Next on the agenda is to pick up another 10' section of 1 1/2 EMT to use
as an evener down near ground level to keep the tension on both tram
lines the same. Although I'd like to get both the tribander and 7L,
6-meter C3i down I'll be quite happy If I can just to get the tribander
down. Then there will be new mounting plates with coax feedthroughs (top
and bottom), new pig tails (LMR-600UF) and new feed lines from the
bottom to top of the tower. Then two remote antenna switches, and a
6-pack at the base of the tower. Unfortunately I also have to pull the
junction box, sand blast it and then repaint it before putting
everything back together.
73
Roger (K8RI - ARRL Life Member)
www.rogerhalstead.com
N833R (World's oldest Debonair)
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