KF6ELU Radio

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**My latest 'Antenna Farm modifications'
project still continuing December 2023-August 19th, 2024**

(About the Pic's and info below here)
And so.. my new continuing PROJECTS finally beginz once the weather is gets warmer!

***As of December 18th, 2023.. Well.. since I first started the project over a year ago, have not got a whole lot done. Either been too HOT out, or too COLD out, and no people to help with my getting the thing up higher like I have been wanting too. Now that it is winter cold again, goin to be a while, sometime this year 2024, that I get back to the whole thing again. BUT.. there is also the possibility that I will be moving to a different place in town here, so I dont want to get too much up higher for now, or too carried away, until I know for sure if and when that might happen.
This is what I am eventually working towards doing style>>>
My total overall plan right now, will be to add a 2nd Cushcraft 13B2 to stack with my 1st one, whether I am here, or finally moved to my newer place. Going higher for now wont be my priority just yet. Getting the 2nd beam added to it is first process. I am eventually future planning on getting 2 more 13B2's and having 4 of them stacked and up as high as I can get them, over the course of next year. As usual.. time will tell..

***As of February 4th, 2024, I just ordered another Cushcraft 13B2 for my 2nd beamer to stack up yonderz. Should be here sometime this next coming week. Then, it's just a matter of my getting the antenna boom assembled in the 3 sections it is, in home cuz it's warmer. Then, outside once it gets warm enough, to assemble the whole thing, check SWRs to match my other 13B2, lower it all down, and put the 2 on mast, and raise back up in air.
As usual.. time will tell..

As of June 16th, 2024, I finally got around to assembling my 2nd 13B2 antenna in home. On June 17th we had a cold front come in to my area that dropped daytime temps from 95 down to 65 real quick icky windy like! I finally got my single beam lowered down on the 18th to where I can start the change process as the rest of the week warms back up. Hopefully to get the whole deal assemble and back up in the air for use before it starts gittin too HOT again. Once I git it all done and back up in the air, there will be more pic's added to here showing progress, etc.
As usual.. time will tell..

As of July 27th, 2024, I finally had some cooperative weather this past week of lower temps.. under 100+. Did finally start dissasembling the beam, antennas, and such. Luckly, the mast for both the beams satyed intact and nothing bent of it. Both antennas did not get hurt either! Due to my neglect, you could say, but my not expecting to have the winds that messed everything up, the 3rd photo down shows the 2 beams on the mast being OK. I did find a used 35foot pushup mast in town here for $50, which is way better than what a new one costs nowdays at $280! So, am going with that for now and only putting 1 beam back up like it all was before. Of course, all of it from the ground up, will be much more anchored and safe this time around! Stay tuned.. I'll be back on 2mtr SSB as soon as I can ;)

As of August 19th, 2024, I finally had some cooperative weather this past week of lower temps.. under 100+! It took me a couple days to get everything ready for pushin the whole thing up, but finally did it.. up at 45-48 feet again! Got it all anchored super tight with guy wire cables (1/8th inch aircraft cable, which is what I always use) this time too! I do still have enough pushup mast left to go another 5 - 7 feet higher, but decided not to mess with it for now. There are pictures farther down of completion of it all. Took them with my drone. They help also with getting better height measures of beam antenna too.

< < < < < < < - - - - - - - > > > > > > >

(Pic's below here, and past history info)
This is the way everything looked like back in 2022 thru 2024 nowdayz. Beam is at 40-45 feet right now.




(Pic below here info)
Well.. I finally got around to putting my 2nd 13B2 antenna together, bringing it all down from the single that was up there. Got it all up there and mounted lower than usual, to make sure it all worked properly on June 20th, 2024. I did use it for my 2mtr SSB RT Net that I talk with on Sunday evenings, specifically, the June 23rd one. It worked great, even though it's down so low. Lower beam was at about 20-25 feet up, and the higher was 30 - 35 feet. Even shootin basically through those damm power lines, it did good.




(Pic below here info)
Now for the shitty part of the whole deal! During the night of that Wednesday morning June 26th, there was a major thunder storm that came through, with those dang micro-burst down winds really bad!!! I did not hear the antenna's and mast get bent over, but heard the icky winds for sure, off and on while I was sleepin! I went out that mornin on my porch.. to take a look at everything.. then.. oh shit shitt shittt!! The top mast bracket that was just under the eve had pulled out, and then the rest of it bent over. As some of you may have experienced in the past, those telescopic push-up masts, once they get bent any at all, they are impossible to just straighten out and work again!!! Luckly the bottom lower mount and clamp held OK to keep it from falling any worse! Thankful that it did not totally break away and land on my car, or someone elses nearby. Plus, it did not bend towards those damm power lines out back! Soo.. I proceeded that day to tighten up different guy wires to hold the dang thing in place, until I can figure out the best way to take it all down. At least, the antennas were not hurt in any way. The mast for the 2 antennas looks still straight and useable from the ground anyways. Wont know until I git the stuff down yet. **Gona be out and off air of 2 mtr SSB for a whiles.. how long that will be, I do not know yet. Times will tell..




(Pic below here info)
July 27th, 2024.. Got it all down with the mast and 2 beams. Its all intact thank God! Now comes the part of getting all the bent pushup mast's down and away from the house, and putting up my new (new to me anyways) mast and getting that set up and ready. Only gona be putting a single beam back up, like it was before all this ickyness happend. Thats my plan right now anyways. Stay tuned...




(Pic below here info)
July 28th, 2024.. Finally today, got all the bent pushup mast down and away. Still have a few more mornins of cooler temps in the that I can get to puttin the mast up and a single beam back up and git to using it again. Everything gona be done a lot stronger this time too!




(Pic below here info)
August 9th, 2024.. Finally today, did get my new wall brackets made, strenthend, and mounted strongly to the outside wall. I did find a friend here in town that happend to have a used in good shape, 35 foot pushup mast that I bought for $30. I did mount the mast itself up higher this time, instead of it sitting on the ground below. That gives me an extra 10ft for eventual height with antenna. If you notice the 2 2x4's just below bottom of the mast, its there for the added strength of the weight of it all. Now all I have to do, is mount the rotor, take one of my antennas off the 2 beam mast and mount it above on the rotor. Of course, there is still hooking all my guy wire cables back up also, before pushin the whole thing back up in the air waves.




(Pic below here info)
August 10th, 2024.. Finally today, was able that mornin to git everything back up and mounted. Only gona use a single 13el beam this time around. For right now anyways, just going to leave it where its at, at 25 feet up with beam. It will be fine there for now, until I get around to pushin the whole thing back up higher. It has taken me a while to get it all done to this far, with it being so damm HOT up this way for over a month! I git it up higher, 45-50ft up, when things get somewhat cooler outside, and I am ready for workin on it all again. Single beam antenna, but I am back on 2mtr SSB for now!!!




(Pic below here info)
August 16th, 2024... This is antenna up high now. I use that paracord rope for keeping the ends of the beam level, and also for keeping it pointing level also. For nowdays times, only going to use 1 single beam, instead of 2 like I was originally trying to do. Its up at 45-47 feet now. I do have another 5-7 feet that I can push up higher, but was too heavy for me, so bagged it for now.




(Pic below here info)
August 17th, 2024... This is antenna at beam heigth now. Looking to the South-SouthEast, which is the direction I point across the Salt Flats when participating in the Southern Utah 2 meters SSB Round Table Net on 144.250 on Sunday evenings at 7:00 pm MST.




(Pic below here info)
August 17th, 2024... This is antenna looking to the South-SouthEast, which is just slightly different picture angle view of it all.




(Pic below here info)
August 17th, 2024... This is antenna looking down from 80 feet up of it all. Hopefully go for getting through this coming winter.. whatever it might bring.




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