In a message dated 9/8/01 10:30:50 AM Pacific Daylight Time, ei8ic@eircom.net
writes:
<<
----- Original Message -----
From: <K7GCO@aol.com>
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>; <K7LXC@aol.com>; <W7JWJ@aol.com>
Sent: 08 September 2001 18:03
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Quad Element Tuning
>......I have a wooden platform that extends out
> 6' in a triangle shape supported with 2x4" and 2x2 braces that I stand or
sit
> on and make all the adjustments or whatever very quickly. You will be
able
> to see this on a front cover picture on 73 mag.
Great email ! As I don't have access to 73 mag., is there any chance of
being emailed the photo, or seeing it on the web ?? I am thinking of adding
a quad section to my website, and this might be of interest...
73s Tim EI8IC
>>
Tom: Weren't you the guy who commented on my editorial in AntenneX? Since
you are such a sharp observer I will send you a $17 8x10 color enlargement as
I still don't have my scanner hooked up but will. Although the tower only
extends 20' above the roof, the platform is wiggly and I added side rope
guys. The pictures were taken with a 4x5 Linhof and 2 Hasselblads. It's of a
5 element 6M Raibeam Butt Kicker. I have a shot of it over a single 2
element Raibeam or over 2-2 element Raibeam vertically polarized beams 10'
apart. I took it over many many times with different cloud formations behind
it using Velvia films and a special polarizer. I have one with a most unique
cloud formation where the clouds radiate up like a water fountain that I took
with my wide angle Hasselblad. It's like the beam created this "Fountain of
RF Clouds" behind it. It's an absolutely true story--I just made it up.
2 months ago I took a picture of it with my Nikon 990 digital camera and sent
an enlargement of Wayne Green of 73 Mag as I'd been dicussing digital cameras
with him. He said "it's great lets put it on the front cover of 73." I said
"I can make it ever better and many many pictures, $$$ later and much time
later I've got some great shots. I had to have the antenna oriented just
right to get a "glint" on the elements and the right clouds in the back etc.
I'll taking it over now with my 8x10 Linhof using Velvia flim at $10/shot.
So I said "if there's going to be a front cover picture, I'll send you an
article telling really what these new beams do?" "OK".
This 5 element 6M Raibeam on a 23.5' boom has a sharper pattern than a 7
element yagi I have on a .1 WL longer boom. With my fast PP rotators the
signals would literally leap out of the speaker as I rotated it. One W0 said
"WOW you suddenly sounded like you moved from Settle to right down the
street." The Raibeam also has great F/B/Side at the SAME TIME which is the
"first time I have ever experienced this with yagis." I added a 1/2 wave
vertical on top as a "Monitoring Antenna" as S9 signals would go into the mud
off the back and sides. If I didn't know the grid square I'd ask it right
away or peak the beam heading. when I called them "they stayed called" and
often had a comment of surprise or hesitation of some kind. It "gets their
attention." The only time I'd didn't get the station on the first call with
100W was when the beam wasn't right on him. Locals usually called them when
I finished. However when the band was about dead, no one ever called them I
could hear when I finished. I also worked a station in Yakima, Wa over the
Cascades ground wave S3 and no one called him either when I finished. I'm
told that is very rare to work Yakima "ground over the hump wave" from
Seattle on 6M. A couple of locals burnt rubber over here to see what I had
and played with my "fast rotator." They are looking for PP motors for me to
convert also. When they left one said "you really tell it as it is." I cut
the ringer on my phone when on 6M not due to TVI but other locals would call
me. The phone light blinked far more than normal every time I was on the
air.
I assembled all three beams and had them on the tower all alone all in the
same afternoon which the platform and other mechanical devices allowed me to
do. From box to tower was about 3 hours and excellent time. The 6M Raibeam
is one of the few that I can't find a way to improve it electrically. It's
one of the few that you can put up and forget it. If you don't get them on
the first call you are most likely not on them. I will be comparing to other
beams at the same height next spring.
All the TT Raibeam Poo Pooers have struck out again. One of them was beat
into Europe using 5 elements on 17M by W7RAI using his 2 element (it was just
the skip of course). I've never had such a dramatic signal strength change
on a HF beam when I rotated it on a signal. Weak signals on 6M on the back
and side weren't always out of town--they are frequently "in town" or "normal
ground wave distance." I was ground wave all the way to Canada with a good
signal but didn't hear them off the back and sides. I was frequently
40-60/over when head on in Seattle. Perhaps everyone should visit
http://WWW.Raibeam.com and find out what new technology is doing. These are
things you find out when you actually spend the money, time and test
something instead of using "Appliance Engineering." This is the highest
performance Butt Kicker Beam for the number of elements I have ever tested.
Get one and you can create you own "hair growing signal strength stories" on
TT like my bald friend N7TLL Mike Sear had with his Challenger GAP. He's
located on salt water in the San Juan Islands now. (I think I used the call
N7NTL in a previous post) k7gco
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