[TowerTalk] My Dream Station...

[PBC]

After reading several discussions on the Kachina reflector, I am ready to
embark upon my dream DX and contesting station: Kachina now offers the
ability to control its 505DSP transceiver from a remote control point using
a PC and high-speed dial-up modems.  I invite comments on the following
ideas:

The host location is one of my company's fiber-optic central offices,
located in a remote area near the St. Johns River inlet on the Atlantic
Ocean.  I have access to a prexisting 180'-foot PiRod tower, 24-inch facing.
My thought is to install a Force 12 C-4XL on a 20-foot Chromoly mast.  The
C-4XL will be mounted between 180' and 185', with the remaining 15' of mast
remaining above the antenna with a Verda static dissipation array located
atop the mast.  I would prefer to mount the C-4XL at a height of 90-feet,
but I do not believe a ring-rotar will accomodate a 24-inch face.  Correct?
Turning the tower by any means is not an option.  The tower pre-exists; I am
going to use it without heavy modification.  Rotators:  What shall I use to
reliably turn a C-4XL (assuming top tower mounting as descibed above)?

At this height, I will go through the FAA lighting/candy striping exercise
to be safe.  In any event, the top-most portion of the structure will not
rise more than 200' AGL, and I do not believe any runways exist near the
site.  I'm a pilot, so I have access to all FAA runway, airport, glider, and
parachute operating areas.  If I must reduce the mast height to avoid
obstruction lighting, so be it.

Next, I will use the modified, switched "vertical inverted Vee" sloper
system as described by A. Christman, and T. Duffy, K3LR, in mid-'90s issue
of QST.  With a tower height near 1/2 w.l., located on the peninsula of a
salt marsh, I will keep the ground system to a minimum with perhaps eight
1/4w@160-M radials.  The property easily allows the inclusion of the
radials, so why not?  A total of four, perhaps five slopers will be used.
Question: now that I'm in the planning stage, to what areas of the world
would you choose for four possible main lobes?  Europe, Japan, Australia,
Central Asia perhaps?  I'm not too interested in South America.  My 180'
tower uses steel guys, none of them broken up with insulators.  Should I be
concerned about guy resonances at 160-m?  I haven't done the trig with a
180' tower with 80% guying distance and three tower points, but I suspect
one of them may cause me trouble.

Kachina also makes a nice remote antenna switch and rotor control unit.  All
antenna and amplifier switching functions appear to be possible with it.
This is one well-thought package.

My best guess is that I'm 60-90 days away from making this really happen.  A
lot of buying has to be done soon.  Ouch!

Hey!, perhaps I can rent time on the system to anyone wanting to contest
from it for a weekend!  Just kiddin.'  Actually, all it requires to  operate
from anywhere is a  laptop, modem, and Kachina's remote interface...I may
not mind going on those extended business trips any more!  Thanks for the
input and I welcome all criticms and suggestions!

73,

-Paul, W9AC



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