[SECC] Antenna Rebuild at AA4LR

[Bill Coleman]

I want to say that I am not a great contester or DXer, nor do I own a superstation. But I have operated at several superstations, and I’ve worked side by side with some great contesters, so I know what is possible.

My station at my Gwinnett QTH is rather modest, but capable. In 2001, I put up a Cushcraft A3S at 15m high, and later added the A743 40m dipole option. I shunt-feed the tower for 80 and 160m. I also have a trap inverted-V I designed and built for the WARC bands. All on one 50 foot tower. 

The A3S/A743 had been up for 19 years, and it had problems — strange SWR shifts, visible arcing in the traps with 500w. It needed repair.

So, I took it down - which was something of a small ordeal. What I found was that the 20m traps (TK) were toast — the end insulators had been charred by arcing. All of the plastic end caps had disintegrated to some degree. 

I’ve ordered parts from MFJ, and they shipped me a partial order — all put the TK traps. I’m not happy they charged my credit card the moment I placed the order, and it is now six weeks later and I still don’t have traps!

I had to take down the WARC trap dipole as well. It clearly has problems, too, so I need to engineer a replacement. I haven’t figured that out yet.

Once I get my traps, I’ll have the A3S/A743 at 15m again, and likely a new WARC trap inverted-V with the apex at 12m.

I also have a Cushcraft A50-3S which has been mounted temporarily on an 6m mast out in the yard. (Temporarily — it’s been that way for almost two years….) It’s Armstrong rotated. I’ve been thinking of mounting it 2m below the A3S on the tower at 13m. It would be nice to be able to rotate it from the shack.

Any ideas? Comments?

I want to get all of this work done before the solar cycle gets into full swing in a couple of years.

Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
Web: http://boringhamradiopart.blogspot.com
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
            -- Wilbur Wright, 1901