putting up a new telescoping mast.

[orangetom1999]

Some time back I bought the longest telescoping mast I could get and am now today getting around to installing it to replace my olde one.

I believe my feed point on my 300 foot wire loop was to low to the roof line for the long wave HF bands. I am in the process of raising my feed point up higher by about 20 feet.

I have not tested it out but only stopping for a bite to eat.

Best get back to it and finish.

Orangetom


Supplement to this post as I have finished working on the antenna. It now has a feed point up some 25 feet higher than previous and I was able to test it out by making a phone/microphone contact to Ontario, Canada to a special event station celebrating 150 years of service in the Canadian Engineering Regiment. I received a contact number and sent off a e mail to them with a signal report and station conditions here.. Hoping to get a reply soon.
7.175MHZ on LSB..at 100 watts to a 300 foot delta loop. Rig is a Icom 706MK II radio using a desk microphone.

My friend across the river is planning a move to Tennessee soon and as both of us have our extra class licenses we are trying to get our contact frequencies arranged on the less used extra class end of the band on HF We need to work out our system and also here get this HF set up working again. This includes my Ameritron 811H amplifier..which has not been run in over three years. It is quickly becoming a boat anchor.

We are also going to have to brush up on our CW technique for those nights when the HF band and the noise levels are max. Sometimes CW is about the only thing to get through without going to max amplifier power...which I do not like to do.

Also ..;I do not know what his situation is with IRLP nodes out there in Tennessee. That too will have to be looked into.

Orangeotm

[bacpacker1513]

What area of Tn is he moving to?

[orangetom1999]

What area of Tn is he moving to?

Somewhere not far from Knoxville..out in the country...way out there. I don't remember the town close by.

We talked not an hour ago to check out our systems on 160 meters. Worked fine.


Orangetom

[hadite81]

Tom,
What mast did you use? I have my G5RV up about 33' best I can do around here without a permanent set up.

BTW.... there is a saying around here, it didn't happen if there are no pics!!!

[orangetom1999]

I don't remember the brand name..but it is about 50 feet of telescoping steel mast.. the longest one they had.

Yeah..I know ...I need to get a computer tech to show me why this computer will not recognize my MP3 player or my Digital camera. I think one of the programs got shut down or blocked off or out. I don't know how to do that...but when I figure it out ..I will be posting photos.

Same thing with my other laptop up in my radio shack....wont recognize electronic devices.

Thanks,
Orangetom

[bacpacker1513]

I'll see if I can find anything about the IRLP around here. I'm in East TN myself.

[orangetom1999]

I'll see if I can find anything about the IRLP around here. I'm in East TN myself.

Yeah...he told me it is about 400 miles from here...and I know that as you get out to western Tennessee it gets to be more flatland.

He too told me he would be checking out IRLP. But I think as far back in the sticks as he is...it may be spotty ..even regular repeater traffic. Hence we are looking more towards HF.

Orangetom

[bacpacker1513]

Yeah East TN is lots of hills and mountians. There are lots of repeaters in this area, but some areas can still be dead areas depending on elevation of direction you are facing.

I thought you were on the west coast for some reason. Looks like I missed that by a long ways.

[orangetom1999]

Yeah East TN is lots of hills and mountians. There are lots of repeaters in this area, but some areas can still be dead areas depending on elevation of direction you are facing.

I thought you were on the west coast for some reason. Looks like I missed that by a long ways.

Ahhh....no...I am in Four Land...on the Chesapeake Bay of Virginia. Hampton, Virginia. No problem.

I don't quite remember....Tennessee..is that still four land too??



By the way hadite81, For what it is and what it costs..I like the G5RV antenna an prefer the longer versions which include 75 meters. I use one when I go up to the mountains and rent a cabin. I take my spare HF Rig with CW key. I fish the ends of the G5RV into the trees with an olde fishing pole and then reel back a 1/8 diameter nylon line..to temporarily suspend the antenna on both ends into the trees. A suitable length of coaxial cable and I am good to go. I often set up on the deck out back of the cabin...and bring the rig inside after dark when 75 and 40 are at their best.

Thanks,
Orangetom

[hadite81]

Yep,
Fairly new to the hobby. I have been playing on HF recently and was able to work France on 15 and 20, Venezuela and Cuba on 17 and Nicaragua on 15 yesterday running 100 watts.