[SECC] Antenna follies

[David L. Thompson]

I worked most of the day Saturday getting my 80 meter antennas back up or
fixed.  Things went OK until I started on my second 160 antenna which I had
up in a temporary position as a sloper from my tower to a tree in the front
yard.  I worked EA8BH on 160 SSB, heard SV3RF on CW quite well, but CN2R was
in a null of all my antennas except for the 40 meter beam which has always
been my best receiving antenna.

I decided to try and put up the 160 Spi-Ro dipole (100 feet) as a K8UR/W9LT
vertical sidewise V.
My E-Z sling shot went over the tree but about 15 feet below where I wanted
it.  The second attempt got caught and the little fishing lead drop finally
broke off and is lost in the leaves in my
natural area of the backyard.  I then got out my reel of 80lb yellow twine
and used my bow and arrow.  The shot was on target but got caught on a
smaller branch of another tree (I have too many trees and all with too many
branches).  At least I am at the 70+ foot level.   I at first tried
making the 160 antenna a sloping dipole but did not like the fact that it
came too near my tower guys.  So I decided to try a version of the K8UR with
the top sloping toward my tower stopping about 10 feet away and used the
coax fed line as a guide.  The bottom half of the K8UR version is mostly
below the level of my two story house and tied off to a tree branch at 12
feet.  SWR was minimum at 1814 and did not hit 2 to 1 until 1855.  I
listened at 0030Z and the only Dx heard
was VP5B and other than that a bunch of east coast multi ops.  I went to
dinner with wife and family and got back at 0300Z.  The signals were down
quite a bit from Europe (per K1TTT) and I only worked three stations in my
first pass including CN2R although he was weak (S7 and with that hollow
sound).  The only Europe heard all evening was DF2PY and later LA5HE
(working VE3PN and K3LR).  Both were very weak here and I did not hear many
stations in the south or southeast working Europe except for the guys in
Virginia.

I needed to test my 80 antennas and W4MYA told me signals from Europe were
down compared to Friday nite (Sat AM Z).  I did work nearly 100 stations
mostly from all over Europe (loudest were the Italians, OK2RI, T98T, 9A1A,
and GI0KOW).  For some reason the loading cap in my tuner blew using my
vertical dipole.  I found a bad piece of coax (radio shack) and quickly
replaced it but I had to use my second tuner for the 80 antennas.

I went back to 160 and worked another 50+ stations over 2 hours but only
CU2CE from Europe.
KH7X was quite loud and easily worked.  Neither of my current 160 antennas
are as good as those I used in the past.  I guess I will put up the big
version of the MULTEE if and when I find a tree man that does not charge an
arm and a leg.

Finished up with about 1 hour on 40.  Great to start with M4A (S9++) and
finish with several JA's.  At least the beam still works.   Many of the
stations worked thanked me for a new mult
and two tried to send me to 160 or 75.

Its hard to get antennas up living on 1/2 acre with a two story house in the
center and the wife completely against ground radials.  Plus too many
antennas cause havoc with intermod...lets see I have 3 beams on the tower
and 6 wire antennas up plus a K9AY receiving system.  The problem is
compounded with the remains of antennas up in three trees and three sets of
guy wires on the tower.  You never know if the noise on 1823 or 1842 is
locally caused or external.
At least I don't turn on the telephone system like I did with several of my
past 160 antennas.

Maybe by next season I will have the antennas up, simplified, and ALL
working.

73 Dave K4JRB