I stopped in Radio Shack to pick up some RG-8 since I was tired of grinding down the solid conductor center of the very stiff 9913 to make patch cables. They have discontinued RG-8 and are closing it
Further, for the two individuals to drag their business dispute into public via this forum was inappropriate as well. 73, ... Joe, K4IK Amen. Enough of this tempest in a teapot. Jon Hamlet, W4ZW Case
I'm oceanfront here on Casey key Island in the Gulf of Mexico with Ocean or bay in all directions but NNW since the island runs toward that direction. I'm on the southern tip. Purely anecdotal, but I
Avoid the Glen Martin bearing. Mine rusted within 18 months. The tower is great, but either the Yaesu or HyGain bearing are better choices. Or make your own. I used two or three cutting PVC boards I
I agree with Jim. It seems that I have nearly always wound up with an upper floor shack. Here I'm on the 3d floor, and in my last several QTH's, I've been on anything from 2d (usually) to 14th and 18
It was stainless but I do not know the grade. In a warm salt spray environment, like Kwajalein, any grade of stainless will rust. I can confirm that. Commonly available SS fitting do rust, but very s
I can only offer anecdotal experiences, since I live on an island with the ocean on one side (about 330' from the house ( NNW to S) and a saltwater bay about 350' on the other ( N to SSE). I often ca
This guy had a display at the DX Convention in Visalia, Ca last year: http://www.hamation.com/ Looks like a nice concept for remote control of antenna switches and the like, but I am not aware of any
Also consider kites. There is serious investigation into the use of kites by no less than CalTech. It started with a theory that the Egyptians used kites to lift their obelisks with wind power. The m
SteppIR has another advantage, at least here oceanfront. My 3 element SteppIR has been up almost three years now, direct oceanfront, and works just like it did when I first put it up. During that sam
Best answer of all was to hang two copperweld slopers from the tower as a token to the storms gods and enjoy the new antennas! BTW, when the hurricanes are lurking off shore I have three steel cables
The 9' tower is by far the better choice. I have the 9' tower and it is quite strong although I do have guys cut that clip on to it and into eyes I've installed in the walls of my roof (Flat roof on
Last minute change of plans and I can't make Dayton this year so I have one ticket to the contest dinner available. $30 via paypal or check. 73, Jon Hamlet, W4ZW 602 South Casey Key Road Nokomis, FL
the Cushcraft R7k or R8 design, where it can go on top of a tower, without the spiderweb of radials. Neat, clean, decent pattern, reasonable efficiency. Jim, The Cushcraft R7, etc are 3/8 wl vertica
A good antenna tuner works FB in keeping the amp happy. I use one for my 40M yagi when I venture on SSB and it works great. Jon Hamlet, W4ZW Casey Key Island, FL "A little piece of paradise in the Gu
I've used the thick, white plastic cutting boards here to make thrust bearings for several years. I have aluminum brackets fabricated and sandwich two or three pieces of the cutting boards between th
Since I have both a 3 element SteppIR and two CC A4S's up here I can see a direct comparison. The SteppIR is almost always quieter in a rainstorm. But I have to add that the A4's are sometimes quiet
with answer. Hal, I used this for several years both here in Florida and at my home in Colorado. It is quite strong and is good for 2-3 years before the UV makes it too brittle to be reliable. You w
Steve, This wins the prize for the best laugh of the year thus far! I've decided to just buy another SteppIR for the price of the "cleaning!" 73, Jon Hamlet, W4ZW Casey Key Island, FL "A little piec
Dyneema is great stuff. Many "A Class" catamaran sailors use this for the forestays to the mast. These are the two lines that hold the mast to the forward points of the two hulls. It is under enormou