ORION 2800P-a rotator

[WR34SHE at shell.com]

FROM: SAM EFFINGER  SIET UTILITIES
SUBJECT: ORION 2800P-a rotator
I am wondering if anyone has the newest Orion rotator with the new
2800P-a control head...I have one on order and wanted it for the
 IARU contest but I don't think I will get it.

Looking for comments pro/con

Also they make a peak torque converter and I have heard several
comments saying the bolts will work loose and the design isn't the
best....???
I am new to the reflector so please excuse and obvious mistakes

Sam Effinger K9SD



                      "MR SAFETY"

>From Larry Schimelpfenig <lschim at mailstorm.dot.gov>  Mon Jul  3 17:03:25 1995
From: Larry Schimelpfenig <lschim at mailstorm.dot.gov> (Larry Schimelpfenig)
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 1995 12:03:25 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: THE GRAPE APE 40 MTR F/D ANT
Message-ID: <Pine.3.07.9507031225.A28299-c100000 at mailstorm.dot.gov>

Since Field Day 1994, the N4BV 40 mtr cw team captain dreamed of a competitive
antenna (okay so he's always dreamed of this, it's just that in going from
tree supported multiple element quads and delta loops, the new dream was of a
tower supported yagi in 1995). The original plan was for an aluminum boom
supporting long pieces of bamboo that supported wire elements. 
 


About a month before FD, it was pretty well decided that the said source
of BIG bamboo couldn't produce, so team captain started looking at
materials on hand. He happened to have a number of fairly long pieces of
THICK wall (3/8"?) 2 1/2"? diameter surplus aluminum tubing.  The plan was
drawn up for a linear loaded (close to full size) 3 element 40 meter yagi.
The elements would be something like 56 feet including some smaller
diameter tips. 

Captain ordered the necessary small dia tubing from our favorite
contesting aluminum supplier in Texas and proceeded to put together the
monster. When I first questioned the weight, he didn't seem to feel it was
a problem. When we started seriously discussing weight, he guessed it to
be just shy of 300 lbs. It was at this point that I told him that this
project went beyond even his scale of banannarama.

The Captain doesn't usually do things in small ways, so I kind of figured
somehow or other he'd pull this one off (this is the same Captain that put
up 160' of rotating Rohn 55 trying to build his way out of a valley - All
that it ever graced before he decided to move was an 80 meter dipole! 

A mutual friend of the Capin's and mine had access to a surplus 40 foot
trailer mounted crank up tower. It has one of the big 1 1/2' X 1 1/2' X 2'
? Hy Gain rotators mounted at the top, so you can imaging  how big this
thing is. 

On the Wednesday preceeding FD the Capin and mutual friend decided to
mount the boom on the rotator to see how the fold over and crank up
winches (hand) would handle the tower, rotator and boom alone. It was when
they discovered it was all they could do to move the boom over to the
tower that they decided 3 elements might be a bit much. 

To make long story short, they decided on a rotatable dipole. The olive
green tower and dipole fit right in with the trees in the park. It took
about an hour to crank the tower up to the full 40 feet. Until some young
whippersnapper decided to show his brute strength we took turns doing 60
turns per. 

You may wonder where the name grape ape came from. It was necessary to use
some potting material in the construction, and at one point Cap needed to
plug the end of one of the smaller dia aluminum tubes. He forgot to buy
corks while in town, but as he ate dinner one evening looked at a grape and
figured it might do. It did, and it would take a gang of apes to get the
full 3 elements up. 

Each element weighted in at 90 lbs and the boom was about 140 lbs. I was
going to ask if anyone was interested in a heavy duty slighted linear
loaded 40 meter yagi on a 48 foot boom, but Cap is now looking at
converting the project to a "slightly loaded" rotatable dipole for 80. 
100' of his Rohn 55 is up, and he's talking about another 40 feet to
support the 80 mtr antenna. I'm getting too old and too fat for this
stuff! 

The rotatable 40 mtr dipole worked great. We ended up with 895 Q's on 40
in the 6A category. If any of you can't quite swing a 40 mtr yagi, I would
put the rotatable dipole as next best. 

Anyone know of a source for 30 foot lengths of bamboo???

de Larry K7SV in VA - lschim at mailstorm.dot.gov
  



>From CT1BOH at tpone.telepac.pt (JOSE C. C. NUNES)  Tue Jul  4 01:14:05 1995
From: CT1BOH at tpone.telepac.pt (JOSE C. C. NUNES) (JOSE C. C. NUNES)
Date: Mon,  3 Jul 95 17:14:05 PDT
Subject: rufz cw contest trainner
Message-ID: <Chameleon.950703172258.CT1BOH@>

Hi folks

Dave G4BUO graciously send me the litle RUFZ cw contest trainner.
Its absolutly adictive and great fun.
A must to improve pile up handling and qrq rx.
The program is very small
1.  rufz.exe 18k
2.  callsdatabase.dta 6k (you can add your .res database
3.  rfzhiscores 0.0k

I believe I can even uud these files and send them as messages to the 
reflector or I can FTP upload to a ftp site so that everybody can enjoy.
The program on my pentium starts at about 100wpm and thus its not very 
pratical but on my 486 notebook works very well.
My be someone can help me on what is the best way to send this to 
everybody...
I only have UUD.com which I believe is used to undecode but not the one to 
code an *.exe to *.txt...
forgive my ignorance.
QRZ



>From CT1BOH at tpone.telepac.pt (JOSE C. C. NUNES)  Tue Jul  4 02:21:36 1995
From: CT1BOH at tpone.telepac.pt (JOSE C. C. NUNES) (JOSE C. C. NUNES)
Date: Mon,  3 Jul 95 18:21:36 PDT
Subject: rufz cw contest trainner
Message-ID: <Chameleon.950703182234.CT1BOH@>


>Hi folks
>
>Dave G4BUO graciously send me the litle RUFZ cw contest trainner.
>Its absolutly adictive and great fun.
>A must to improve pile up handling and qrq rx.
>The program is very small
>1.  rufz.exe 18k
>2.  callsdatabase.dta 6k (you can add your .res database
>3.  rfzhiscores 0.0k
>
>I believe I can even uud these files and send them as messages to the 
>reflector or I can FTP upload to a ftp site so that everybody can enjoy.
>The program on my pentium starts at about 100wpm and thus its not very 
>pratical but on my 486 notebook works very well.
>My be someone can help me on what is the best way to send this to 
>everybody...
>I only have UUD.com which I believe is used to undecode but not the one to 
>code an *.exe to *.txt...
>forgive my ignorance.
>QRZ
>
oops forget to sign
jose 
ct1boh at telepac.pt

>
>



>From Larry Tyree <tree at cmicro.com>  Mon Jul  3 22:32:29 1995
From: Larry Tyree <tree at cmicro.com> (Larry Tyree)
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 1995 14:32:29 -0700
Subject: July SprINT coming!!
Message-ID: <199507032132.OAA03893 at cascade.cmicro.com>

                     SEVENTH INTERNET CW SPRINT CONTEST

Contest period: 01:00:00Z to 03:00:00Z on Sunday July 23rd UTC.  This
       is Saturday evening in the USA.

Bands: 20 and 40 meters only (this is a real radio contest, no internet).
       Suggested frequencies are 14030-14050 and 7030-7050. 

Max power output: 150 watts RMS at transmitter output connector.

Exchange: Consecutive QSO number (starting with one), name and state
          or province or DXCC country (if outside W/VE).  The name for
          the first QSO is your name.  For every QSO afterwards, the name
          you send is the name you received in the previous QSO.

Call: CQ INT

The standard sprint QSY rule must be followed.  This means that if you
solict a QSO (ie: with CQ or QRZ), after completing the QSO, you must
QSY at least 1 kHz before calling another station, or 5 kHz before
solicting another QSO.

Both callsigns must be sent during the exchange.  Only one signal at a
time please and all QSOs are to take place on CW.  All information
submitted must have been decoded during the contest.  The use of post
contest detection or verification techniques or systems is not allowed.
Also, do not make round robin type QSOs.  It will be very easy to spot
these with the names floating around.  A round robin QSO is one where
you should QSY, but instead hang around to work the station who is
QSOing the station you gave the frequency to.

You may work the same station multiple times provided they are separated
by at least 3 other QSOs in both logs (regardless of band).  For example,
if WN4KKN works N6TR, KKN must work at least 3 other stations before he
can work TR again.  TR must also work 3 stations before working KKN 
again.  Changing bands does not eliminate the three QSO requirement.  
The three QSOs must not be dupes themselves.

You must not work the same station or stations using any kind of schedule
or system.  It is the intent of the dupe rule to make sure we don't run out
of stations to work.  It is NOT the intent of this rule for you to change how
you would operate the contest if dupes were not allowed.  If, in the log
checkers opinion, you have not lived up to the intent of this rule, your
log will be disqualified!!

Total score is the number of contacts you make.  Any QSO found to be
defective in anyway will be removed from both logs (yes, if someone
miscopies your exchange, you won't get credit for the QSO, so QRS a
bit!!).

Please refrain from using vulgar or inappropriate names.  If you receive
one of these names, feel free to either edit it or replace it with your
starting name.  Make sure to make a note in your log so we know what you did.
Injecting the contest with an inappropriate name (in the log checker's
opinion) will result in a 1000 point penalty per occurrence.  Examples of
inappropriate names may be found on MTV and generally start with the
letter "B".

Additional penalties will be assessed to people who work a significant number
of QSOs, but don't turn a log in.  They will be given minus one point
for each QSO that we can verify actually occurred.

Logs must be sent in ASCII format via internet to n6tr at cmicro.com within
72 hours of the end of the contest.  Figuring out how to send in your
log on the internet is PART OF THE CONTEST.  If you need help, we will
try to assist the best we can.  

Logs must show the band, time, station worked, number sent, number received,
name received and QTH received for each QSO.  Also, please tell me the
name you start the contest with.  We will assume the name you send is the
name received on your previous QSO, so you don't have to show that.

Results will be publised on CQ-CONTEST within 2 weeks of the contest.  Logs
are checked using the K2MM LogZap software system.  All checked logs will 
be made available by FTP except for those requested by the submitter to
be kept private.  Decisions of the judging committe are final and arbitrary.  

Good luck, tell a friend and HAVE FUN!!

Tree N6TR
tree at cmicro.com


>From Rich L. Boyd" <rlboyd at CapAccess.org  Tue Jul  4 01:01:27 1995
From: Rich L. Boyd" <rlboyd at CapAccess.org (Rich L. Boyd)
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 1995 20:01:27 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [digest 6224] 5A Info
Message-ID: <Pine.3.07.9507032025.B6887-9100000 at cap1.capaccess.org>


I agree the DX info isn't necessary here, as those of us who are
interested in the DX info already subscribe to the DX Reflector as well
and the mail for it shows up in the same e-mail queue, mingled together
with the Contest Reflector messages, so from the user's perspective it
might as well be one list, along with the RTTY reflector, propagation
reflector, etc. (others that I get).  No need to give people info they
don't care to have on their special interest reflector.

Rich Boyd KE3Q