Yesterday, the wind was calm enough that I decided it would be a good dayswap
out my jammed T2X with one that I'd rebuilt. So, I prepare everything and head
up my HDBX48 tower (8 ft of mast above the top with modest antennas: KML-KT34A
at top, Cushcraft 40-CD2 at bottom, dipole for WARC in between plus a VHF/UHF
discone at the very top and a 2m/70 cm corner reflector near the middle). About
2/3 of the way up, I notice that there seem to be a lot of bugs flying about. I
look more carefully and see that these are wasps. Believing that discretion is
the better part of valor, I retreat.
"Great, a wasp nest is up there someplace." I get some wasp and hornet killer,
go up a ways, and try squirting the stuff up there but it won't go far enough
and I can't get a good angle, anyway. I thought to use my pressure washer with
some insecticide injected through the injector system, but the motor won't
start (something else to fix). Then, lo and behold!, by early evening all the
wasps are gone. Vanished.
Armed with wasp killer, I start up again. When I get to the mounting plate, I
find that there is no sign of any wasp activity: no nests, nothing. I go about
my business, secure the bottom of the mast with SS hose clamps to each leg just
above the rotator, and make the rotator swap. Darkness falls and I have to
stop, but things are secure enough and I completed it this morning in more wind
than I like. Yet, all went well.
I mentioned this to my kids (8 and 7) and they tell me "Oh, yes, Daddy: we see
wasps up there all the time." First I'd heard of it. In all the years I've had
this tower (going on 20 between Oklahoma and Colorado) I've never seen the
like. Does anyone have a clue as to what's going on? Is there any way to
dissuade these critters? I need to go up there again to set up my 160 m shunt
feed...
73,
Kim Elmore, N5OP
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