[TowerTalk] And now for something completelydifferent(TrueNorth)

[W2RU - Bud Hippisley]

Mike Fatchett wrote:

>does it
>really matter that you are exactly at true north?...
>I thought the high noon suggestion made the most sense or buy a compass and
>adjust for the declination.
>  
>
Timing is everything in life.  September 20th or 21st is almost upon 
us.  That being the equinox, climb your tower just before sunrise or 
sunset and note where on the horizon the sun comes up or sets.  That's 
east or west, respectively, and unless you're in a valley between two 
extremely close mountain ranges I can't imagine you need anything more 
accurate than that for HF.  If your beams have such narrow beamwidth 
that that's not accurate enough for you or them, you obviously can 
afford to hire a surveyor (or ship's captain).

Alternatively, borrow a friend's GPS unit and walk off a N-S or E-W path 
that includes your tower.

I've found I'm much more emotionally affected by whether the booms of my 
two beams on the same mast are lined up perfectly with each other than I 
am by whether North is north.... :-)

Bud, W2RU