.....Like An Arrow, and Fruit Flies Like A Banana.....
Finally got around to getting the far end of my 88' wire antenna back up.
I added another section of mast, and reconfigured the pulley at the top with a shorter loop of line, and got this end another 5' up in the air. And it came out plumb, too!
The "bend" in the mast in the picture below is caused by the tension on the support rope.
I upgraded the attaching hardware, and replaced all the support rope. The rope was "two piece" before, and made it difficult to lower the antenna all the way to the ground for maintenance, and looked unsightly.
This hardware is way better than what I used when I first installed this mount. The brackets are from DX Engineering, and the screws are 2" long "Spax" construction screws.
Since any tree limbs with a potential of hitting this came crashing down already, I'm OK with installing it with something much more robust than I used before.
I'm still debating whether to add another section to the center support.
Thursday will be get the truck washed, and start back in on cutting up the small branches and things to finish clearing out the yard. Then I get to split and stack wood on my racks in the garage, AFTER I sort through all the stuff on the racks. All of the very top shelves haven't been touched since we moved in and I put the racks in. Wonder what kind of stuff I'll find buried up there that I've misplaced? I have a brand-new Cushcraft MA5B HF Yagi I'd like to sell, and probably a bunch of other stuff I just tossed up there to get it off the floor.
Had the oil changed in the truck on Monday. We picked it up the last week of July, so we've had it about 8 months. Even though it only has a bit under 2300 miles, the "Oil Life Monitor" indicated that the oil had 20% "life" remaining, so I took advantage of the first service being complimentary, and took it back to the dealer. The Service Rep didn't try to "upsell" me on anything, so the cost of the visit was zero.
And they have decent coffee in the customer lounge area.
Always good to get your stuff squared away and working properly.
ReplyDeleteGlad you didn't hurt yourself moving and cutting all that wood.
Thanks, but we're only ~50% finished with the Wood Project. Gonna clean shelves today.
DeleteYou're an inspiration, DRJIM. I had snow day before yesterday, rain yesterday, and both served as convenient excuses not to do much.
ReplyDeleteI've worked outside enough in the rain and snow during my career to have had my fill of it. I'm sure you have, too.
DeleteIf the weather's crummy, I'll putter in the garage in Summer, and tinker with stuff in the basement during the Winter.
If something **needs** doing, then I'll go out and do it, but otherwise, nope!
Keep on improving the set up! :-)
ReplyDeleteAlways! The wire is now level with the top of the mount on the tree/totem, and then droops down to about 15' AGL at the feed end. I don't think I "need" to add another section to the center, but should instead concentrate on building a proper mounting for the feed end.
DeleteIf I had the whole wire up at 30' AGL, I'd be happy.
What are you doing for lightning protection?
ReplyDeleteExcellent question. For now, I just disconnect the cables. I have all the things I need to install some "lightning protection", and I plan to do that a bit later. I have to rent or borrow a demolition hammer to drive the ground rods in, though.
DeleteAh, keep that oil changed. I 100% second the motion. If I was smarter I'd do it myself but as it is, I take the aged rig to Walmart. But that's a different sermon.
ReplyDelete