I need to replace an old Ameritron RCS-8V remote antenna switch. Question is what to replace it with. My box is from the pre-MFJ days. I wonder if quality has changed since the buyout? Any other sugg
It's been over 10 years since I posted to Towertalk a little experiment I did with a Loos tension gauge. I measured Phillystran (how many ways are there to misspell this product? :.) ) then measured
Planning some redecorating on the tower (TH7 stack coming down, C31XR going up, replacing broken 40m Yagi, etc.) this summer. The coax runs, some RG213 and some LMR400, are about 15 years old. Would
My T2X controller with CATS Positioner-1 (15 year old add-on board with brake delay and position preset) was damaged in a lightning strike. It works except that after rotation the brake release stays
Hi all, I'm considering shunt feeding my tower for 160. Would appreciate details from those with similar setups who have done it successfully. Tower is 76 ft of Rohn 45 with a C31XR at 75 ft and a Ma
When I built my house, I, too, had the builder do the tower base, guys anchors, conduit, etc., and it was written into the contract. WATCH THE BUILDER VERY CLOSELY. At first, he basically ignored all
Another option for mast stability when the rotor is removed is 2 pieces of angle iron, held together with a bolt and nut, shaped like the letter T. 2 U-bolts hold the top of the T to the tower face a
I recently removed some insulators, etc. with Coax Seal that's been on it for 10-15 years. Is there an easy way to remove it? Freezing, heating, acetone? Tnx, Barry -- Barry Kutner, W2UP Newtown, PA
I believe that's the spot, in the mid 70s, I was part of a Field Day operation with (then) young ops N2NT, K3UA and a few others I'm forgetting now. I found some neat, old glass insulators on the gro
Depends how you define standard PL259... I buy silver, usually made in USA, PL259s from RF Connection and they work fine. Just put one on yesterday, as a matter of fact. I have seen some with thicker
I recently purchased and installed two F12 antennas. The only reason they are F12 is I bought them USED. After all the stories about poor customer service, delayed shipments, missing parts, etc. the
Here's another crazy one, done by your's truly. I needed to work on a ceiling fan in our 2 story family room. Naturally, I didn't have a 14 or 16 ft A frame ladder, so I lashed these two ladders toge
I had the ICE suppressor on my mains. I had a lightning strike earlier this summer and the internal parts of the ICE box were fried. The electrician who inspected the house and did some repairs said
You're the second one to ask. It's a GE model # THSASURGE60. It also has an LED on it so you know it's still working. If the LED goes out, something inside needs to be replaced. Barry u xt rt o lm --
The manuals don't help much, anyway. Instructions are vague and the pictures are really pitiful - they look like copies of copies of copies. Hopefully the new owner(s) will use these comments constru
Here in the northeast it's wasp and yellow jacket season. I got stung on the side of my head while bicycling last weekend! This time of year I never do any tower work without carrying a can of spray
I've used Adolph's Meat Tenderizer in the past and it DOES work wonders. For those interested how, the active ingredient is papain - a proteolytic enzyme (breaks down proteins such as bee venom) and
I"ve had a F12 Magnum 240 up a few months now, replacing a Cushcraft 40-2CD that damaged by lightning. I think the F12 is a significantly better performer and has a bit wider bandwidth, as well. Barr
Bill, The one downside of the F12 40, as opposed to the Cushcraft: I used the Cushcraft very successfully on 12 and 17m. The F12 does not load on those bands, I presume as a side effect of its design
Build your own! I don't know if they're still in the book, but I got the design for mine from an ARRL Antenna Handbook about 20 years ago. What you do is go to your local machine shop and have them c